Chapitre 15: Chapter 15: Thunderstorms
Kane arrived at the Pokémon Center with Ditto, who was even more seriously injured than the previous day.
Nurse Joy had nothing to say, only giving a moment of silence for Ditto's condition.
Kane sat down at the Pokémon Center restaurant and ordered five glasses of the best MooMoo Milk, produced in the all-natural pastures of Goldenrod City.
The Milton family of Goldenrod Gym is globally recognized for producing the highest quality MooMoo Milk from Miltank, with their products sold worldwide. The family tightly controls the management of their Miltank herd, with each Pokémon numbered and registered. In his previous life, Kane had dealt with the Milton family, eventually being forced to leave the Johto region due to conflicts. However, ever since then, his Pokémon had never suffered from malnutrition.
After a short while, Nurse Joy returned Ditto to Kane.
"Good job today—let's eat," Kane said.
Ditto hopped up onto the table to enjoy its meal while Kane, still eating his more modest dish, noticed that Ditto's meal cost five times as much as his own. Watching Kane's actions, Nurse Joy seemed to begin understanding his values.
As Kane left the Pokémon Center, he sensed that someone was following him. Already knowing who it was, he remained calm.
Although he had intimidated the boy earlier that day with a dagger, the dark-haired teen was only temporarily stunned, his mind blank in the heat of the moment. After cooling off, he'd likely feel ashamed and angry, determined to seek revenge on Kane.
Kane stood still and said, "Since you're already here, come on out."
The gloomy boy emerged from the shadows.
Kane smirked, "So, looking for revenge?"
The boy glared at Kane, seething with anger. He had been trained rigorously since childhood, carrying the hope of his family's revival. He was just starting to believe he could carry out his mission, only to be humiliated by someone younger than himself. The more he thought about it, the more he resented Kane.
But the boy had to endure it. His family's mission required patience.
"You're also taking the Ecruteak Gym trainee exam right?" the boy asked, his tone unfriendly as he stepped out from a shadowy alley.
Kane smirked, realizing that the boy was desperate to get into Ecruteak Gym, likely for reasons beyond mere prestige. Maybe this boy had greater ambitions related to the gym.
Seeing an opportunity, Kane decided to use the situation to his advantage.
"Is your aim really to get into Ecruteak Gym? Maybe I'll go and sing a little song to Mr. Chiyama that you definitely won't enjoy," Kane said slyly, giving a knowing smile.
The boy's eyes widened. He came from a side branch of the Chiyama family and had spent his entire life preparing to infiltrate Ecruteak Gym to access ancient ghost-type Pokémon training techniques left by his ancestors. His entire family's hopes rested on him succeeding.
At that moment, a dark thought crossed his mind: **kill him**.
Kane sneered, stepping closer and whispering coldly, "Unless you kill me right now."
His words were sharp, like steel needles piercing the boy's heart. With people nearby, the boy knew he couldn't kill Kane.
Kane's eerie smile unnerved the boy, forcing him to step back.
"What do you want?" the boy asked, his arrogance deflated.
"I'm Kane from Ecruteak City. Perhaps we can be friends. i hope we can get along well in the Ecruteak Gym," Kane said, extending his hand with a faint, triumphant smile.
However, the boy didn't buy it as he this wasn't a handshake of friendship—it was a threat.
"Why should I trust you?" the boy asked, his voice shaky, as he recoiled from Kane's presence.
"You should trust me because you have no choice," Kane responded coldly.
The boy clenched his teeth, swallowing his pride, and begrudgingly slapped his hand into Kane's.
"Thunderstorm," the boy muttered before walking away, disappearing into the night.
Kane let out a quiet sigh of relief. He had been bluffing the entire time. With his current strength, there was no way he could have taken on that kid. But Kane knew that the boy's obsession with getting into Ecruteak Gym clouded his judgment, forcing him to back down.
Though Kane didn't know the boy's full motive for joining the gym, it was clear he wasn't aligned with Chiyama , which made him useful to Kane. If handled properly, the boy could become a powerful ally. If not, he'd be a ticking time bomb he'd have to diffuse.
Later that night, Kane wandered through the black market, looking for his next target.
A Venipede appeared at one of the largest vendors. Kane hadn't expected to find one so soon, immediately catching his interest.
The price tag read "40,000 poke dollars."
Kane was stunned. "40,000 poke dollars?"
The vendor noticed Kane's interest and said, "Hey, little man, you like this Pokémon? Let me tell you, this is a rare Pokémon from the Unova region! It evolves into the powerful Scolipede. Go home and ask your parents to buy it for you. This is the only left."
"Boss, 40,000 poke dollars. Are you serious? Venipede is a common Pokémon in Unova. You'd never pay more than 5,000 poke dollars at a breeding house there, and here you are, selling it for 40,000 poke dollars. Do you take people for fools?"
Kane's words hit the vendor hard.
"Get outta here, kid! Don't spread nonsense you don't know what you're talking about. Thunderbolt Town's Tatsuo already bought a male Venipede from me. You don't want to buy? Fine, but don't ruin my business."
**Tatsuo?** He bought one for 40,000 poke dollars?
Kane was speechless. **What a waste of money. **
Still, Tatsuo's eagerness to buy Venipede reassured Kane that he could rely on him for part of the training. Now, all Kane needed was to wait for a Skorupi. As for a Tentacool, catching one in the Johto seas would be easy.
After wandering the market, a little longer, Kane found nothing worthwhile—either the Pokémon were too weak, or the prices were unreasonable. Despite this, visiting the black market was more a habit than anything else, a remnant from his past life.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone