Chapter 83: Deal
~Third POV~
[Kanto Region, Weeks Later, Pallet Town – Oak's Lab]
Time flew by swiftly, and the weather had turned slightly chilly. The cool breeze swept across the land, bringing a refreshing reprieve from the scorching heat.
Days turned to weeks had passed and today marked a celebratory day. A lavish dinner spread adorned the table as Daisy, Azure, Pikachu, and Eevee sat quietly, awaiting Professor Oak's return with some good news.
*Fwp*
The familiar sound of wings flapping, Dragonite could be heard, followed by hurried footsteps. The door burst open, and Professor Oak, in his formal attire, entered with an excited expression.
Daisy, noticing his demeanor, finally relaxed a little and got up to greet him. Pikachu and Eevee on Azure's body tilted their heads at Oak.
Azure also stood up, with Azure clapping enthusiastically, quickly followed by his Pikachu and Eevee as he exclaimed with a grin, "Congratulations! It seems like you helped discover in your theory of evolving three new Eevee Evolutions!"
*Pop*
Three Pokémon popped out from Prof. Oak's belt. The 3 Pokémon were revealed to be Sylveon, Glaceon, and Leafeon as Daisy yelps in awe, "Ah! The new Eevees! Oh, Sylveon is so cute! Glaceon is cool! And Leafeon is so fluffy!"
Daisy hugged the three new Eevee Evolutions. Professor Oak smiled happily and gave a hearty laugh.
His steadfast face displayed a mix of excitement, emotion, and wistfulness as he said in a thankful tone, "I owe this recognition to all of you! Azure's contributions were invaluable, to say the least. My grandkids worked tirelessly. You've all done so much for me, and I don't know how to express my gratitude except to say… everyone! Thank you for your support and hard work!"
Prof. Oak stood straight and bowed deeply to the three of them, his heartfelt gratitude beyond words. Through his research and detailed analysis of Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon, the Pokémon League confirmed the existence of three additional Eeveelutions along with a new Pokémon type, Dark, Steel, and Fairy.
The research had caused quite a stir among the researchers' community and the higher-ups in the league. Not only that, but Oak also finally video recorded his efforts with the Clefairy he studied, which awakened their Fairy Type typing with Azure's assistance, learning Fairy Type Moves, causing an additional stir in the Pokémon community.
Oak was especially happy that his fieldwork yielded results after having Magnimite in his Pokémon Lab reclassified learning Steel-type moves. The lively dinner brought immense joy to the Oak household. Not only that, but also discovered two new evolutionary forms for Onix and Scyther using Metal Coat.
Through connections, Prof. Oak managed to get two Metal Coats for Oak's research when the two Pokémon were exposed evolved showing the existence of Steel-type Pokémon. It sent the Scientific community to be alarm and excitement over these new possibilities.
They polished off every dish on the table, and Daisy helped around the house. While happy times were there, Oak spoke up to Azure as he said happily, "Azure, I also received news that Steven Stone, the son of the CEO, Mr. Stone, is coming to Kanto in 2 days. It took him a while to get his schedule to come here soon, and tomorrow, I want you to be here for when I hand out the starter Pokémon to talented Trainers."
Professor Oak had a knowing smirk that made Azure raise an eyebrow. But he smiled, waiting to see what Professor Oak had in mind.
/////
[Kanto Region, Next Day, Pallet Town – Oak's Lab]
Following Prof. Oak, the next day in morning, Azure was greeted by two trainers. He assumed they were the ones who completed the tests needed to get one of the Starter Pokémon to pass their Trainer School.
The two new trainers waited as Prof. Oak smirked, clicking a nearby button. As if on cue, the lights go out for dramatic effect.
*Click*
A sudden mechanical noise is heard, and the floor splits open into three parts. Out of those three newly formed openings rose three pillars with a singular poke ball sitting atop each.
Azure's eyes widened, realizing what Oak was doing. He shifted his gaze to the new trainers as he smiled, saying in a proud tone, "These are the starter Pokémon of the Kanto Region. You're both excellent trainers who passed the 100% Test scores in Trainer School. So, I'd like to entrust one of them to each of you. Please choose one."
Azure remained on the side, seeing the trainer's expressions, viewing the scene along with the Pokémon's expressions. Charmander sat quietly, gently swaying its tail as it looked at one of them with hopeful eyes.
Squirtle waddled over on its tiny turtle legs, hard shell and adorable, hopping excitedly at one of the trainer's feet. Bulbasaur, meanwhile, lay down cooly against the trainer, exuding an air of calmness.
One of the trainer's gaze shifted between the three Pokémon before settling on the chill Bulbasaur as he said, "I'll choose… Bulbasaur! I've seen the finalist Red used it, so it's gotta be strong!"
The trainer picked up Bulbasaur's Poke Ball, and the Grass-type smiled happily. Charmander, seeing that it wasn't chosen, drooped his head down in disappointment, as did Squirtle.
But they quickly looked towards the other trainer with renewed hope. The trainer, however, barely hesitated before picking up Squirtle as he said thoughtfully, "The next gym is Rock, so having you is the best choice, along with the fire gym down the line! I'll choose Squirtle, no questions."
Squirtle leaped up, completing a slick high-five with his trainer. With Squirtle and Bulbasaur chosen, only Charmander remained.
Its head drooped again, and its once hopeful eyes dimmed as disappointment set in. Azure, watching the dejected Charmander, couldn't help but feel sympathetic.
For a starter Pokémon, the worst fate was being left unchosen. Watching its peers set off on adventures with trainers while it waited alone in its Poke Ball was heartbreaking.
Professor Oak understood Charmander's plight as the trainers thanked him and left. He turned to Azure with a meaningful look.
Azure met Oak's gaze, confused but then shocked, realizing what Oak wanted. Azure gazed at Charmander, and the little Pokémon looked back at him with hopeful eyes, though its previous disappointment lingered.
Under Charmander's expectant gaze, Azure patted its head as he said happily, "I'm glad to meet you, Charmander. Do you want to be my Pokémon?"
Extending a hand at the Lizard Pokémon, Charmander tilted his head before crying out, grasping his hand, "Char! Charmander!"
Charmander gives him a once-over and nods. Prof. Oak smiled, seeing the reminiscence on multiple trainers.
Azure turned to Prof. Oak as he thanked him and gratefully said, "Thank you, Professor Oak! I promise to take care of him!"
Prof. Oak merely smiled, nodding his head as he said happily with his arms crossed, "It's no trouble. I just wish you the best of luck in the future. And no worries, if you find more Pokémon, you can trust us to take care of them for you and the new species you find. Hahaha!!"
Azure nodded as he began to prepare for tomorrow's training plan with Charmander. Leaving the lab with a new friend for his adventure, he checked the Arc Phone of his Pokémon growth as he smiled at their progress.
|Name: Charmander (Lizard Pokémon)
|Type: Fire
|Level: 5
|Gender: Male
|Held Item: None
|Ability: Blaze
|Nature: Serious
|Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Ancient Power (EM) (2 Move to learn left)
Azure smirked as it hugged Charmander it crying out happily, with Pikachu over his shoulder, making friends with Charmander. He smiled as he gained a new Pokémon on this day.
/////
~Azure S. POV~
[Kanto Region, Next Day, Pallet Town – Oak's Lab – Hut]
Finishing up doing my morning chores, helping Oak feed the Pokémon. I smiled seeing my Pokémon and Charmander getting along well.
Especially Arcanine getting used to a fellow Fire-type Pokémon. Using my Arc Phone to gather knowledge on how to properly raise Pokémon and certain species that enjoy these specific kinds of Poke Blocks or food. Who knew they would be that helpful in the Pokémon world?
*Knock*
Hearing a knock on my door, I stood up from my bed as my Pokémon were by my side. Opening the door revealed Prof. Oak as I asked kindly, "Morning, Prof. Oak. What's today's agenda?"
Prof. Oak moved to the side to reveal a teenager in a fancy uniform. He explained in a happy tone, "Actually, Azure, I wanted to talk to you yesterday about a friend of mine I mentioned before. He sent his son here to make a deal with you about patenting the Poke Block recipe."
Seeing the light blue steel color and light blue steel color wearing a fancy suit, he introduced himself to me in a respectful tone, "It's a pleasure to meet a young prodigy such as yourself, young man. I'm Steven Stone, here to represent Steven Corp to conclude the deal."
Meeting Steven, I smiled as I spoke bluntly as Oak's Dragonite peeked through the window, curious about the scene, "Even with Prof. Oak's words, I'm sure Devon Corp. has some doubts about the Poke Block's effectiveness, right?"
Getting right down to business, Steven nodded slightly. He smiled, amused, as he asked, "So what's your plan?"
In response, I pulled out the ingredients of the berries from thin air, shocking the two as I explained lightly, "The best way is by demonstration. As you can see, I have a few abilities, like those Psychic User. I keep my berries stored safely in my sub-space, keeping objects in a preserving them."
Both simply nodded, as if it wasn't too weird for them. We have psychics in this world; they could chalk it up to being one of those abilities.
But it seemed to have gotten Steven's interest. He understood I planned to demonstrate the recipe on the spot.
This was the simplest and most direct way to prove its effectiveness, showing his confidence in the formula. And to reveal my powers easily, as it would be annoying to hide them.
Grabbing the necessary berries for a Steel-type Pokémon, I said while deftly handling the berries and supplementary ingredients, "Let me show you one of the recipes for Steel-type Pokémon. I've read online since their debut that you took an interest in raising them. I hope it's to your liking."
Under their watchful eyes, I skillfully adjusted the device's speed on the Berry Mixer and added each ingredient. By tweaking the rotation speed to specific levels, I maximized the reactions between the berries, creating an extraordinary synergy.
I opened the kit and placed a small box of berries in front of Steven and Birch. Steven picked one up, sniffed it lightly, and remarked, "It has a hint of Oran Berry. Was this intentional?"
Smiling, I nodded my head as I explained my reasoning as per the method to create these Poke Blocks, "Exactly. I intentionally left a portion of the berry peel to preserve its natural flavor, making the cubes taste more authentic while enhancing their sweetness. Pokémon do love their berries, after all."
Hearing this, Steven nodded and cut off a small piece to taste test. His eyes widened, probably liking the flavor greatly.
*Pop*
Then he brought out a Pokémon to taste test the berry. My eyes widened seeing a Metang for the first time.
Metang is a robotic Pokémon with teal, metallic skin. It has a disc-shaped body with a pair of flat, gray spikes on either side toward the rear. A jet cannot scratch Metang due to its strong body. There is a gray spike in the middle of its face, like a nose.
A pair of red eyes resides in two holes in its metallic skin. While it appears to lack legs, it has a pair of thick arms with three claws on the ends. The arms are considerably thicker below the elbow and have a flat, blunt protrusion extending over the joint.
Steven released Metang outside the hut as Steven fed it the Poke Cube. Metang curiously gazed at it, opening its maw and eagerly devouring the treat.
*Gulp*
Its eyes gleamed with delight, and even the massive jaw gulped the Poke Block, swaying happily around, "Me! Me! Metang!"
Steven commented, genuinely impressed, smiling happily at the results, "The flavor and energy contained within are both astonishing!"
This wasn't flattery or exaggeration. It was his honest assessment after experiencing the Poke Block firsthand.
Even his partner, Metang, a robotic Pokémon, expressed pure joy in eating the Poke Block. I can't believe the Guild Master's method of cooking is this successful. Does he have a MAX cooking level or something?
But I humbly said, rubbing the back of my head, "Thank you for the praise."
Having personally verified the recipe, Steven no longer had any doubts about the deal. With Prof. Oak as the mediator, my skills were now beyond question.
Steven retrieved a contract and placed it on the table as he said calmly, "This is a draft my father had prepared. According to its terms, Deven Corp. is willing to pay 5 billion for the exclusive usage rights to the Poke Block formula."
Ack! My eyes shot wide open! 5 Billion Poke Dollars!
Hearing this number, I couldn't help but feel pleased. Devon would provide the manpower, equipment, and distribution channels, while all I needed to do was supply the formula and walk away with 5 billion Poke Dollars!
With that kind of money, I wouldn't have to worry about my spending funds traveling the world. But then Steven added, "That's what my father proposed. However, I've made a slight adjustment to the contract."
I froze in confusion. What was this about?
Even Prof. Oak looked puzzled, unsure of what Steven was planning. Meeting our questioning gazes, Steven smiled and handed over a revised contract.
I took it and quickly read through it. The terms were mostly the same as the previous version, with one notable addition, as I said in disbelief, "0.5% profit share on Poke Blocks sales?"
My eyes widened in disbelief, as did Prof. Oak's. I don't know how much Devon Corps makes, but it must be a lot to be a major competitor with Silph Co.
Devon's market dominance, especially in the Hoenn region, is immense. Even a 0.1% share of their profits was an astronomical sum, let alone a continuous 0.5% share.
This 0.5% would, in the long run, far exceed the 5 billion buyout fee. Steven, aware of my astonishment, calmly explained, "I believe this would be a fair deal if you add the currently known 18 types of Pokémon. Prof. Oak mentioned you created 18 recipes for each new type of Pokémon, like the new Dark, Fairy, and Steel Types. I believe this is a fair deal, wouldn't you say?"
*Shiver*
Oh... I felt a chill run down my spine as he said that. Despite being a teenager champion in the making, his business skills and smooth talk made me shiver as he read me like an open book.
The true power of wealth almost gave Steven a divine, radiant light. But without hesitation, I signed the deal as this would amass over time making me rich.
I handed over a briefcase filled with the Poke Block formulas for each type. Each of them is meticulously detailed with preparation methods, effects, and flavors.
I said with a hint of pride in this deal, handling my research in a proud tone, "I've poured a lot into these formulas. I hope they help Pokémon and people alike."
Steven looked a bit surprised but smiled, seeing that I followed in their motto. For all your living needs, we make it all.
With the deal finalized, Steven visibly relaxed but asked curiously, "By the way, I heard that you'll be willing to make a species Poke Block if we made the deal correctly? How about you make a deal with me if you can make a Poke Block recipe for the Beldum line to Metagross?"
I paused, hearing that. I raised an eyebrow as I asked Steven curiously, "… It'll take some time, but I can do it. But what's the reward in return?"
Steven smiled as his smooth talking worked on me like a charm as he said, "I'm willing to pay what you need to a degree. But since you made my Metang happy, I'm more than willing to pay the cost if it's in an agreeable margin."
I smiled hearing that as I was in deep thought. Well… there are a few things I would like from Steven Stone.