Chapter 74 Pokémon Exchange Conference

Chapter 74 Pokémon Exchange Conference

"Idiot! Do you have a death wish?!" Professor Oak roared angrily, frustrated beyond belief. "Do you think history is so easy to rewrite? One wrong move, and you could end up erasing your own existence!"

Ron bowed his head repeatedly, promising never to do it again. He knew Professor Oak genuinely cared about him. This warm-hearted old man truly saw Ron as a younger family member, and after hearing Ron's adventure, Oak had nearly been frightened out of his wits.

"Oh right, Professor Oak, why do you know so much about Celebi?" Ron deliberately asked.

"Celebi..." Professor Oak's expression softened into nostalgia for a brief moment before becoming serious again. "In short, just be more careful next time! And take good care of that young Celebi!"

"Yes, yes, I got it," Ron quickly replied.

"By the way, Ash just had me transfer his Tauros to him. He's in Palmpona Town, not far ahead of you. He mentioned there's a Pokémon Exchange Conference there, so...you know," Professor Oak added.

"Pokémon Exchange Conference!" Ron immediately recalled this event and exclaimed excitedly.

Such a conference was practically tailor-made for him! With his ability to see Pokémon potentials and the numerous medium-grade Pokémon from his breeding center, he could exchange them for high-grade or even top-grade ones, then sell them for a huge profit! Money was waving at him!

Seeing Ron's eyes sparkling greedily, Professor Oak sighed helplessly, "Remember to get some rare Pokémon for me as well. I need them for my research."

"Relax, relax! I'll definitely get you something satisfying," Ron assured him.

After ending the video call, Ron took out his phone, called the ranch, and asked them to send dozens of Pokémon to Palmpona Town first. Then, Ron stepped out of the Pokémon Center, stretched his legs, and sprinted towards Palmpona Town, enjoying the sea breeze.

After running for five or six minutes, Ron arrived in Palmpona Town, slightly out of breath. Sprinting that fast was still somewhat taxing. However, seeing the large crowd at the Pokémon Exchange Conference reassured Ron that he'd made it just in time.

Ron went to the Pokémon Center to collect the transferred Pokémon balls, packed them into a large bag, found a Pokémon exchange machine, and pulled out a cardboard sign, quickly writing on it. He placed the sign next to the exchange machine.

Many people passed by, and a young trainer stopped to read the sign aloud: "Mass Pokémon Exchange! Owner of a Pokémon breeding center looking to acquire numerous Pokémon from other regions. Pokémon must be inspected for injuries before trading. Feel free to pick the Pokémon you want."

"Is this for real?" Several people immediately crowded around.

"It's true, but I'll have to check your Pokémon before deciding whether to trade. If your Pokémon passes inspection, you're free to choose any Pokémon available from my breeding center," Ron explained.

"I want to trade!"

"I want a Weepinbell!"

"Do you have Gastly?"

"I'll trade a Stantler with you!"

"Don't rush, one at a time!" Ron shouted, "Please line up, no cutting in line or the trade is off!"

Everyone obediently lined up in a long queue. Ron observed the crowd with satisfaction, then began inspecting Pokémon one by one. He exchanged whenever he found a high-grade Pokémon. For medium-grade Pokémon, he only traded if they were rare; otherwise, he ignored them. After exchanging for a while, he found three top-grade Pokémon: a Hoppip, a Ledyba, and a Qwilfish. Unfortunately, they weren't particularly strong Pokémon, so Ron decided he'd just hand them over to the breeding center.

"As expected from you, Ron!" Ash's voice suddenly came.

Ron looked up and saw Ash, Brock, and Misty approaching along with another young trainer. Ash said, "Can you trade with Benny? He wants to raise some different Pokémon."

"No problem. I'll give you guys some face. If there's nothing wrong with his Pokémon, we can trade," Ron waved his hand casually.

"Thank you! Come out, Wobbuffet!" the boy named Benny released his Pokémon.

Ron's eyes narrowed slightly—Wobbuffet, top-grade! He was delighted inside, but calmly said, "Hmm, not bad. What Pokémon do you want? If my breeding center has it, I'll trade."

"Really?! Awesome! I want a Ponyta; is that okay?" Benny asked excitedly.

"No problem. I have one right here; see if you like it." Ron searched through the Poké Balls, took out one labeled Ponyta, and released it.

Benny eagerly nodded in agreement. Ron quickly traded Ponyta for Wobbuffet. Watching Benny leave gratefully, Ron smiled, tossing Wobbuffet's Poké Ball in his hand. Although Wobbuffet wasn't considered very powerful and had few skills—its only real strength was its enormous HP—Ron knew that, if used properly, Wobbuffet could be incredibly frustrating to opponents. With Counter, Mirror Coat, Safeguard, and Destiny Bond, it could effectively reflect attacks, avoid status conditions, and even drag an opponent down with it. In the long term, if Wobbuffet could eventually become a Legendary-level Pokémon, it would definitely master the power of absolute reflection, practically becoming the Pokémon version of "Accelerator."

Continuing with the exchanges and dealing with some interference from Team Rocket, Ron finished the day having traded medium-grade Pokémon for a total of 86 high-grade and 12 top-grade Pokémon—a huge profit!

Aside from Wobbuffet, which Ron valued highly, the other top-grade Pokémon weren't very remarkable, so he decided he'd hand them all over to the breeding center. They'd make great attractions later on.

Returning to the Pokémon Center, Ron planned to stay overnight. Ash and his friends shamelessly squeezed into Ron's room. Celebi happily played with Togepi.

Seeing Celebi's happy expression, Ron found it difficult to refuse. In front of Ash and the others, he broke Wobbuffet's Poké Ball, releasing it. Looking at Wobbuffet's silly face, Ron smiled and said, "From now on, I'm your trainer. Let's do our best together."

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet saluted, showing it understood.

Ron then used an Ultra Ball to recapture it. Ash watched curiously and asked, "Ron, are you planning to train Wobbuffet seriously?"

"Yes, he's a pretty good fellow. According to my breeding center's standards, he's a top-grade Pokémon," Ron replied.

"Oh? It doesn't look like it," Misty said skeptically, looking at Wobbuffet's silly expression. "I never thought it would have such great potential, even higher than my Gyarados."

Last time they'd met, Misty had taken a high-grade Magikarp from Ron's center, and it seemed it had already evolved into Gyarados.

"I've told you before, properly train your Psyduck. It's your absolute ace for the future. Any Pokémon rated top-grade by me has huge potential," Ron said seriously to Misty.

"I get it, I get it! But Psyduck is so dumb; I really have no idea how to train it," Misty sighed helplessly.

"Maybe if you manage to cure its headache, it could achieve incredible improvement," Brock suggested.

Misty exchanged glances with Psyduck, feeling utterly powerless.