Chapter 36. Another Wave of TMs

Returning from his shopping spree, Alex set up Clauncher's new tank while getting rid of Rattata's outgrown hamster wheel. It had been well used during the time Alex focused on his studies, but it was no longer necessary. He would have to find time to sell it online.

After loading up the TMs, Clauncher underwent a relentless session of continuous learning before finally popping back into her water tank, dizzy. She had expected power from her new trainer, but she never imagined it would come this quickly.

Raticate stroked his chin and nodded sagely, while Growlithe sat off to the side, lamenting the fact that he would have to go through this again when he evolved.

In the end, Alex purchased Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere, Mud Shot, Icy Wind, Helping Hand, Weather Ball, Venoshock, Sludge Wave, Rock Slide, Smack Down, Flash Cannon, Water Pulse, Chilling Water, Water Pulse, Waterfall, Liquidation, Surf, Hydro Pump, Flip Turn, and Muddy Water, along with the held items—bringing the total to 155,000 Pokédollars.

His savings immediately dropped to 700,000 Pokédollars, but it was worth it, considering Clauncher's newfound strength.

Name: Clauncher, Novice

Type: Water, Female

Ability: Mega Launcher

Moves: 

Novice: Splash, Water Gun, Vise Grip, Flail, Aqua Jet, U-Turn, Thief, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere, Mud Shot, Icy Wind, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Protect, Facade, Endure, Sleep Talk, Swords Dance, Substitute, Helping Hand, Tera Blast, Weather Ball, Venoshock, Sludge Wave, Rest, Rock Slide, Smack Down, Flash Cannon, Water Pulse, Chilling Water, Water Pulse, Rain Dance, Waterfall, Liquidation, Surf, Hydro Pump, Flip Turn, Muddy Water

Description: Clauncher, the Water Gun Pokémon. Using its oversized claw, Clauncher fires powerful jets of water to hunt prey and propel itself through the water. Though small, its grip is strong enough to crush rock, and its shots can knock back opponents with surprising force.

Clauncher had a lot of catching up to do, and Alex didn't spare any expense on nutrition, given their current financial situation.

He also wouldn't have to spend as much on potions once Clauncher evolved. Based on his past experience with Rattata and Growlithe, it shouldn't take more than half a year.

With a new team member and Growlithe's leftover Novice-ranked moves, Alex decided to reduce their time at the Fighting Dojo by four hours and focus on improving their move proficiencies.

Raticate was extremely close to making Swords Dance faster to release, Growlithe still had some leftover moves to bring to Basic, and Clauncher had half a year's worth of learning to catch up on.

They would train in the apartment's training space until lunch each morning.

Even with the reduced time at the dojo, they should still be able to make about 10,000 Pokédollars a day, though some budget cuts would be necessary to accommodate their new teammate.

Lastly, Alex needed time for himself as well. Classes were about to start, and he had a paper to write on EVs.

Thus, a month passed with their new routine.

Growlithe learned Flamethrower, brought all his moves to Basic, and even reached Expert rank. He was now working on executing Morning Sun more quickly.

Clauncher learned Hone Claws, brought over 20 moves to Basic, and reached Adept rank. Alex had also been focusing on her diet ensuring that her EVs were topped off. He chose Special Attack and Speed to maximize her advantages.

By the end of the month, Raticate managed to advance Swords Dance to the Advanced rank.

The primary improvement in Swords Dance was its release speed—it now counted as a Priority +1 move. If Raticate could get far enough away, he could use Swords Dance before his enemies could reach him, allowing him to reposition with Quick Attack and gain distance once more.

He became an absolute nightmare for the Expert-ranked gym trainers, to the point that they forbade him from using Swords Dance. As a result, Alex had Raticate focus on speeding up his Thunder Wave instead. He would have preferred to advance Protect or Endeavor next, but since Raticate rarely used them in battle, training them was significantly harder.

The extra time spent improving their move proficiency had been well worth it.

However, they weren't the only ones making progress. Alex had been getting noticeably buffer lately, thanks to his impressive diet of Expert-ranked Pokémon, extra time in the mornings for basic workout routines, and, of course, his intense sparring sessions with Hitmonchan.

His height is now 5 ft (1.52 m), and his muscles have been filling in. He is officially no longer thin-looking—now perfectly average. This had always been a sore spot for the former Alex due to genetics, but the current Alex managed to fix it with a potent combination of money and effort.

Apart from improving his physique, he had also completed his summer homework, advanced his studies, and gathered enough data to finish his paper. All that remained was a bit more research to enhance its credibility, and he would be ready to make some serious money.

This is why Alex is currently looking for a collaborator as he attends classes.

He needed someone wealthy enough to corner the market on stat-decreasing berries—someone trustworthy enough not to strong-arm him into handing over his research.

Although he had been adopted by a Jenny, their protection didn't extend to him; it only applied to other Jennys.

Unfortunately, criminals had proven this to be true. The key was not to go overboard—killing all of a Jenny's known associates would draw too much attention. Instead, eliminating just one or two was enough. As long as she still had loved ones left, the criminals only needed to be wary of that one Jenny, not the entire force.

Alex, being just one person, fell within the tolerable range of risk. However, as long as he still lived with Jenny, he had some degree of protection—at least from criminals. The rich and powerful, on the other hand, had no qualms about strong-arming the less fortunate.

So far, the list of wealthy people Alex could rely on included a few options.

First was Mr. Jenkins, his Pokémon instructor—a thin, bespectacled man who was trying to become a professor with his research on unique evolution methods. Then there was Clarissa Blackthorn, his friend, who might be able to connect Alex with her family.

Another potential option was the Gym Leader of the Fighting Dojo, though that would be a bit of a stretch considering Alex doesn't personally know the guy. 

Jenny and her clan were also possibilities, but the profit distribution would be too large, meaning he wouldn't make much. Besides, the Jennys weren't interested in raw wealth.

Then there were those who had the highest possibility of strong-arming Alex—the industrialists of Silph Co. He didn't personally know anyone from there, but he could always try reaching out blindly. However, that was a risky move.

Lastly, there was the option of sending a blind email to Professor Oak, hoping to leverage his immense network of contacts. However, Alex's research focused on benefiting trainers specifically rather than all of Pokémon kind, so Professor Oak might not be interested. 

He would likely be more drawn to specific details about rare Pokémon, such as Magearna, which was supposedly created by humans—something Alex had absolutely no knowledge about. However, if he did, it would probably be of such immense interest to Professor Oak that the professor might just hand over all three Kanto starters without a second thought.

As Alex repeatedly thought about how to get people to support his plan, another idea suddenly struck him—why did he even need these rich and powerful people in the first place?

The answer was simple: they had the money to buy up large quantities of the berries already in circulation, which would drive prices higher.

It was true that cornering the market on stat-reducing berries would push up prices, leading to greater profits. However, demand for these berries was so high that even if the current supply sold out, prices would continue to rise until farms adjusted by leaning into the trend and increasing production to stabilize the market.

In the end, unless he became a farm owner himself, he wouldn't make more than what he personally invested in buying up the berries already on the market.

He shouldn't focus on the berries available now but on those being produced in the future. Instead of trying to manipulate the existing supply, he should remain independent and buy berry futures instead.

What truly mattered was increasing his own capital—taking out loans and acquiring as many futures as possible on the stock market.

"Is this why I almost failed my economics class?" Alex wondered, recalling his abysmal grades in high school economics.

His initial idea wasn't wrong. If he could pull it off, berry prices would skyrocket, and his investment would yield substantial returns.

Unfortunately, the risks were too great if the people he worked with had ulterior motives. Instead of relying on others, he could seize the low-hanging fruit—something entirely within his control. He wouldn't need to trust anyone or put his fate in someone else's hands. It was much simpler this way.

Sitting in the middle of class, Alex nodded to himself, his conviction solidifying. He needed to study berry growth cycles and requirements. He had to pinpoint the best time to sell his futures.

He also needed to secure a loan.

There was just one problem—he was thirteen years old.

That might be an issue.

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