Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer

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"Hey there, young man. You look like a newcomer! Come, come, I've got the most obedient Illumise and Chinchou here. Plus, the rental rates are super affordable—200,000 PokeDollars per Illumise and 240,000 PokeDollars per Chinchou," said a bearded middle-aged man enthusiastically, pulling Sato over to inspect his selection of Pokémon.

"Don't listen to him, young man. He's a scammer who loves to rip off rookies like you. Come to me instead. My Volbeat rentals are just 180,000 PokeDollars, and Chinchou rentals are 220,000 PokeDollars," another vendor interjected.

"You call that cheap? I'll rent my Illumise and Volbeat for 160,000 PokeDollars and my Chinchou for 200,000 PokeDollars. Trust me, it's the best deal you'll find," a third vendor chimed in.

"Get lost! Your Illumise, Volbeat and Chinchou look half-dead—total rip-offs! Come check out mine, young man. These are freshly caught by me and are plump and healthy," argued yet another vendor.

For these stall owners, trainers like Sato—new to exploring the Sea Cavern—were seen as gold mines. 

In truth, the Illumise, Volbeat and Chinchou they rented out were mass-bred and barely leveled, averaging around Level 5 or 6. This made their production costs incredibly low.

Typically, the cost to raise an Illumise or Volbeat was about 10,000 PokeDollars, while a Chinchou cost 12,000 PokeDollars.

Selling or renting them out for 180,000 and 200,000 PokeDollars, respectively, yielded exorbitant profits—more than tenfold their investment.

So, if they managed to "rent" even one Pokémon, they'd hit the jackpot. 

Naturally, this type of lucrative business attracted fierce competition, which is why, as soon as the bearded man made his offer, other vendors rushed in to steal the deal.

Sato, however, was unfazed. With ample funds and his system's detection function, he was immune to others' attempts to sway him. 

Without much hesitation, he declined all recommendations and began leisurely inspecting the Illumise, Volbeat and Chinchou at each stall.

In both the games and anime, Illumise, Volbeat and Chinchou were niche Pokémon, and Sato had little prior knowledge of them. However, he remembered some basic details about the two species.

He was slightly interested in Illumise and Volbeat, primarily because of their hidden ability, Prankster.

(Prankster: This ability gives priority +1 to all status moves.)

The effects of Prankster were undeniably potent. In team battles, a Pokémon with this ability was a massive threat. 

Its debuffing status moves could feel like deadly arrows from the shadows, often leaving opponents with no path but defeat. 

A single Thunder Wave mid-battle could be devastating.

However, this ability was Illumise and Volbeat's hidden ability, making it extraordinarily rare—perhaps one in ten thousand. Sato quickly counted and found only around 200 Illumise / Volbeat across all the stalls. 

Unless he was exceedingly lucky, finding one with Prankster was nearly impossible.

That said, this was just a hope. Even without it, Sato wasn't too concerned. Illumise / Volbeat were simply too niche, with limited potential. 

In terms of roles, if compared to a champion in League of Legends, it was akin to an early-game hero.

As Sato's strength grew, his battles would inevitably become tougher. By then, opponents would likely have Pokémon equipped with moves like Taunt or Safeguard.

A Taunt alone would render a Prankster-boosted Illumise or Volbeat almost useless.

(Note: Unfortunately, Illumise / Volbeat cannot learn Taunt, so it lacks effective counterplay options.)

After inspecting the vendors' stalls, Sato confirmed that none of the Illumise or Volbeat had the Prankster ability. Most of them were low-quality Pokémon, and their levels barely reached single digits.

On the other hand, he found two Chinchou that seemed promising. One even had the hidden ability Water Absorb.

Their details were as follows:

Pokémon: Chinchou (#1)

Level: 8

Type: Water/Electric

Ability: Volt Absorb

Gender: Female

Known Moves: Bubble, Supersonic, Thunder Wave, Shock Wave (Egg Move), Whirlpool (Tutor)

....

Pokémon: Chinchou (#2)

Level: 7

Type: Water/Electric

Ability: Water Absorb (Hidden Ability)

Gender: Female

Moves: Bubble, Supersonic, Thunder Wave, Agility (Egg Move)

Based on an elder's description of the Sea Cavern, Chinchou—with its Water/Electric typing—was the ideal choice for exploration. 

In water, Chinchou was practically a dominant force, especially one with the Water Absorb ability, which turned it into a nightmare for Water-type Pokémon.

(Water Absorb: The Pokémon restores 25% of its maximum HP when hit by a Water-type move.)

Weighing the pros and cons, Sato ultimately chose the Chinchou with Water Absorb. His purpose in the Sea Cavern was to train his Pokémon.

Though the Chinchou with Volt Absorb had the excellent move Shock Wave, Sato didn't need Chinchou to battle. This trip was meant for training Nidoran and Mudkip, two Pokémon he planned to make core members of his team.

In a place like the Sea Cavern, teeming with Water-type Pokémon, a Water Absorb Chinchou was undoubtedly the better choice. 

It could serve as a guiding light in the dark caverns, with the added bonus of excellent survivability.

Sato could already envision the challenges ahead: in the pitch-black Sea Cavern, Chinchou, as the main source of light, would inevitably become the prime target for hidden Water-types. 

At that moment, its Water Absorb ability would shine, allowing it to thrive no matter how many Water moves were hurled its way.

"This is practically an endlessly reusable guiding lantern—at least within this cavern," Sato thought with a smile, staring at the small Chinchou in the pool before him.

After a heated round of bargaining with the vendor, Sato finally "rented" the Water Absorb Chinchou for 160,000 PokeDollars.

With that, the Chinchou was now entirely his.

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