Reiji had noticed something — all the Pokémon here were babies. There were no adults at all. Most likely, all adult Pokémon were kept at the breeding base.

Adult Pokémon were primarily used for breeding — producing better offspring that could be sold by the breeding house for a good price.

And another thing — there were no starters. No Chansey for Nurse Joy, and no Growlithe for Officer Jenny.

The only exception was that one Blaziken, which must’ve been the owner’s personal Pokémon.

So many breeding houses, and yet not a single starter. Were starters really that rare? Or did they hold some kind of special significance?

Maybe all these breeding houses simply couldn’t get their hands on one — or maybe the League outright forbade them from selling starters.

If that was the case, then there was only one place to get them — from League-run research labs.

As for wild ones?

Technically, they could be caught — but not sold. Unless it was on the underground black market.

After all, the starters were typically gifted to the children of Trainers who had made significant contributions to the League.

A rookie who received a starter from a League lab either had family contributions, connections, or a lot of money…

Reiji didn’t even bother dreaming. Most ordinary kids didn’t either — unless they got ridiculously lucky in the wild. But even then, wild starters varied greatly in potential.

You could also win one by placing first, second, or third in a regional tournament. Sometimes the League offered starters, rare items, or evolution stones as tournament prizes.

That was something he’d picked up over the last few days just wandering around. Whenever people talked about starters, they always mentioned “champions.”

Using starters as prizes helped stimulate regional economies, kept Trainers motivated, and gave ordinary Trainers a goal to strive for — keeping them from turning to crime. In that sense, it was the League’s way of helping itself.

So no wonder there were no starters here. If the League had banned breeding houses from raising or selling them, it all made sense.

At least publicly, it was prohibited — who knew what went on behind the scenes? Reiji had once seen a Squirtle at a breeding shop in the black market.

No wonder that black market Squirtle had been so expensive.

If even ordinary Pokémon were being priced ridiculously, starters — with the League’s backing — were even more justified in being costly.

That’s the influence of the League starters. Just like the high-profile Water-type starter battle he saw the night he arrived at the Pokémon Center — that was starter popularity.

Which only made Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle even more appealing.

In the absence of pseudo-legendaries, the League’s official starters were basically top-tier among ordinary Pokémon.

Wild starters? Sure, if you happen to find one — but their potential would vary wildly, and no one could tell the difference. Not like the ones from League labs.

Reiji himself could tell the difference — he could see potential — but that meant nothing if he couldn’t even find a starter.

He remembered from the anime that there was an island full of Squirtle — but he had no idea where it was.

Finding a starter in the wild was no easy task. The League had probably captured most of them. The rest were hidden — and even harder to find.

After all, the starters distributed by League research labs were symbolic Pokémon for each region. Not something any old breeding house dared to raise. Not something just anyone could obtain.

As for the anime starters? Don’t ask. That was all the director’s doing.

From just the seven breeding shops he visited, it was obvious — the League must tightly regulate starter Pokémon. The ones sold on the black market probably weren’t even from the labs.

These things were the League’s public image — if some tiny black market dared to openly sell them, what did that make the League?

It was like black market contraband in his past life. If a vendor dared to sell it publicly, they’d be shut down immediately. No exceptions.

So those black market starters? Either wild-caught, or bred privately by smugglers.

As long as they didn’t cross the League’s bottom line, the League wouldn’t block every path.

And why not stolen ones?

Just one look at the breeding houses was enough — Reiji realized that he himself was a walking ATM. Surely others had figured that out too.

Especially the League’s smartest minds. They definitely knew that rookies who owned starters — particularly those who set out at ten — were obvious targets.

In real life, what kind of parents would let their ten-year-old wander into the wild alone? It was absurd.

If they went out, they probably had bodyguards. And in this world, bodyguards didn’t just mean people — Pokémon could qualify too.

So why didn’t Pokémon hunters go after these easy targets? Why go after a totem Pidgeot offspring instead?

Clearly, there were hidden risks Reiji wasn’t aware of.

Maybe ten-year-olds didn’t go out alone. Maybe they had guards. Maybe their starters were worthless to anyone else.

Reiji figured it was kind of like firearms in his past life — useful, sure, but illegal to the point where ordinary people wouldn’t dare touch them. Even giving them away wouldn’t work.

Just possessing one, if not legal, could get you arrested — no matter the reason.

If starters worked the same way, that would explain a lot. Why Pokémon hunters didn’t go after rookie starters, but instead stole a Pidgeot chick.

Because even if you stole a starter — who would dare buy it?

If nobody wanted it, it was just dead weight. Couldn’t be sold. Couldn’t be used.

And if the black market was being watched 24/7 — anyone trying to sell a stolen starter would be immediately arrested. Black market vendors wouldn’t dare touch such a hot item. Even if no one found anything, they’d still be investigated.

And don’t think nobody would bother — those guys were living, breathing “League Contribution Points.”

Reiji had only taken 20,000 Pokédollars and was already on the Pokémon Center’s wanted list. Let alone someone who dared steal a League starter.

Touching the League’s foundation like that? Unless you had zero ties in both the legal and underground worlds, no one would take that risk.

Even if you did steal one, it’d be impossible to use in public.

Who’d dare use a Pokémon that watched you kill its Trainer right in front of it?

Reiji could only say: insane.

As for Team Rocket? They had legendary Pokémon. Would they really care about a couple of starters?

Even if they gave out starters or pseudo-legendaries as rewards, that wasn’t what made them powerful. They didn’t grow by bluffing alone.

When breeding Pokémon, it was better to start with ones who hadn’t had Trainers yet — it made forming bonds easier. A Pokémon with a former Trainer was worse than a wild one — harder to tame, and more costly in time, effort, and resources. Might even turn on you.

In a way, this indirectly suppressed the idea of robbers profiting off stolen Pokémon.

The risk simply wasn’t worth the payoff.

That was one of the reasons Pokémon hunters preferred wild Pokémon over stealing from others.

Take Electabuzz, for example — it probably hated Reiji. He wouldn’t dare use it. His only option was to find a way to sell it.

And what about black market starters that weren’t from the League? Would they be targeted?

What if a rich person bought one of those off-brand starters? Would someone try to steal it?

If there really was someone bold enough, Reiji only had two words for them: total maniac.

One more thing… did people really think the black market was hidden?

If even he could find it, did they really think the League couldn’t?

Don’t be ridiculous. If an ordinary person could find the place, the League definitely knew. And if it hadn’t been wiped out yet, if it was still thriving — then its existence was clearly allowed.

The reason why was beyond him. He didn’t want to know. From all the movies he’d seen in his past life, he could guess the truth was too dark.

Someone somewhere was allowing the black market to exist — that’s why it did.

If not, such an obvious location would’ve been shut down long ago.

But what did any of this have to do with him? He was just a passerby in this city.

Having finished browsing the fourth floor and all the breeding houses, Reiji now had a solid sense of the local economy. He decided to buy an incubator and head back to the hotel — he still wanted to check out the black market later.

He’d already asked about small incubators — they weren’t expensive. Just 1,000 Pokédollars for a standard temperature-controlled model.

It was just one egg, after all. A brown-patterned one. He’d seen plenty like it at the Normal-type breeding house.

It was probably just a Normal-type egg. No need to splurge on a luxury incubator.

Should he try his luck in the egg zone?

The panel didn’t show egg types. Even if it did, all it would say is “an egg” — not what kind. That’s why he didn’t know what species was inside his current egg.

To identify the egg’s species, you’d either need to know its parents or have a very experienced breeder examine it. Even then, the odds were 50/50.

He walked into a random breeding house, pulled out 1,000 Pokédollars, and bought a yellow incubator.

Normally, incubators came free with egg purchases. But since he was only buying the incubator, he had to pay extra.

With that done, he left the department store.

The fifth and sixth floors were just restaurants overlooking the six major battle arenas. No need for him to go up there.

[End of Chapter]

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep