After quickly returning to town, Icarus sold this round of spoils. The final amount was almost exactly what he had calculated—12,100 PokéDollars.
"I'll head to Uncle Li's and stock up on wound medicine and Repel. These throwing knives probably need upgrading too."
Looking at the five remaining usable knives in his hand, Icarus made up his mind.
He hurried to Secondhand Street, entered the shop, grabbed five bottles of wound medicine and six bottles of Repel, and lined up at the counter.
The teenager in front of him caught his attention.
The boy looked ordinary, about the same age as Icarus. A Pidgey rested on his shoulder, and there was only one Poké Ball on his belt. Yet in his hands, he was holding an intermediate protective suit with high-definition night vision.
"Bellsprout, can you sense what level that Pidgey is?" Icarus asked quietly.
"Spri? Spri spri."
Though slightly confused, Bellsprout focused and sensed it carefully. It signaled that the Pidgey was only mid-level Beginner rank, close to high-level Beginner.
"If he's just a rookie trainer—and probably a commoner if he shops here—why is he buying intermediate protective gear?"
Suspicion stirred in Icarus's mind.
"Hey, why are you buying intermediate protective gear?" Uncle Li asked in surprise.
"Uncle Li, I'm just afraid of dying. I value my life," the boy replied vaguely.
"By the way… has any other rookie trainer bought intermediate gear recently?" the boy asked casually, though he looked slightly nervous.
"Ahem. Yesterday a boy bought one too. Said he got bitten by a Rattata's front teeth. Haha."
"Oh, I see. I'm also worried about Rattata. One is fine, but if there are several, low-level protective gear might not hold up."
"That's true. Be careful out there," Uncle Li said kindly.
"So people have already noticed… The news won't stay hidden much longer. Looks like I'll have to…"
Hearing the exchange, Icarus's expression darkened as he fell into thought.
After paying, he didn't chat further. Instead, he headed straight for the blacksmith's shop.
"Welcome back!" The burly shop owner recognized him immediately and greeted him warmly.
"I thought you said these could hurt Normal-rank Pokémon!" Icarus said irritably. "I ran into a freshly advanced Ekans, and these didn't even scratch its skin. I almost didn't make it back!"
"Ahem! I believe I mentioned they're effective against non-defensive Pokémon."
"Ekans counts as defensive? Isn't that more like Geodude or Rhyhorn?" Icarus raised his voice.
"Well… Ekans has snake skin, so technically it's defensive." The blacksmith looked embarrassed. "Perhaps our understanding of 'defensive Pokémon' differs."
"You've got to be kidding me. I want a refund!"
He shoved the remaining five knives into the man's hands.
"Ahem! No refunds after use. And you're already missing five."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Spri! (◣д◢)"
Both Icarus and Bellsprout glared at the blacksmith.
"Calm down! How about this—if you're buying something else, I can deduct 200 PokéDollars for these five knives?"
"Four hundred," Icarus countered.
"No, no—"
Crack!
With a look from Icarus, Bellsprout slammed its Vine Whip against the ground.
"Three hundred! Three hundred is my limit!"
"Fine. Three hundred. I need higher-grade throwing knives. Do you have any?"
The blacksmith quickly nodded. "Yes, but you'll need alloy. We have low-grade and mid-grade alloy. Low-grade can damage Normal low-level Pokémon. Mid-grade can damage Normal mid-level Pokémon."
He placed two alloy samples on the counter.
"How much for mid-grade alloy knives?"
"There are no ready-made ones. They'll need to be custom-made. Six hundred per knife, plus a 1,000 PokéDollar customization fee."
"You're not tricking me again, are you?"
"No! You can check the price list on the store computer."
After verifying, Icarus's expression softened.
"How much is the customization fee really?"
"How many knives do you want?"
"Ten."
"Eight hundred for customization. Including the deduction, that's 6,500 total."
"When can it be done?"
"About two hours. It's 3:30 now—you can pick them up at 6:00."
"Fine. Here's 3,000 as a deposit. I'll collect them at six."
He placed the money on the table and left with Bellsprout.
"Take care, valued customer!" The grinning blacksmith saw him out eagerly.
On the street, Icarus smiled faintly.
"Looks like negotiation skills from my previous life still work."
Feeling satisfied after saving a few hundred PokéDollars, he returned home, planning to take a short nap before heading out again that night.
(End of Chapter)
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