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The Beast of Curse Mark: Ok! :3
Poke-Mart
Viridian City, Kanto
"Hmm..."
Tai can be seen looking around the shelf, pondering which ingredients he should buy. He has a total of 200,000 Poke-Dollars in his budget, and he would rather not spend all of it in an instant.
But apparently, it seems it was much harder than it seemed, as the price isn't exactly low-budget friendly.
The same camping gear he bought from his online shop is around 15000 Poke-Dollars, and the same cooking sets are 10000 Poke-Dollars in the mart. The eggs are 4000 per dozen, the rice grains are 10000 per bag, and each bag consists of 5 kilograms.
If he converts his Poke-Dollars to Credits, which he finds out that it was 2 Poke-Dollars equals 1 Credit, it wasn't worth it except for the rice grains. He winces at the price differences, and I'm glad that he does have his skill. Sadly, the 21-day cooldown held the skill back.
But, given that it was stated the cooldown will be reduced if he increases his level, the drawback can be solved. The problem is that it took too long just for the item to restock.
"Let's buy some rice grains and then the spices and sauces..." Tai mutters as he tries to grab one bag of rice grains, but due to his 10-year-old body, he can't move an inch. Tai stares at the bag of rice before he tries to pull it again but to no avail.
'Damn my 10 years old body!!!' Tai cries internally as he desperately tries to drag the bags from the shelf. It was thanks to the Poke-mart owner that he managed to get it off the shelf, much to his embarrassment.
The owner was a bit surprised to see a 10-year-old kid who prioritized survival supplies over Pokemon-related stuff, but he was very glad that he did. A lot of newbie trainers prefer focusing on Pokemon training over their survival, which worries the man. So, seeing a young man buy food is a breath of fresh air.
He feels guilty when he almost burst into laughter, seeing the young man trying to lift the bag of rice grains. The boy was so embarrassed that he covered his blushing face with his hood. It was kinda adorable, reminding him of his grandson when he was his age.
Meanwhile, outside the store
"Uh..."
Yuuki feels a bit uncomfortable as a lot of people stare at him with wide eyes; most of them prefer to take a picture with him, some touch his fur, and even some are foolish enough to fight him. He merely uses Gust to knock the Pokemon down, sending them away to the Pokemon Center while crying.
Because of his size, he had no choice but to stay outside the mart while Tai went inside to buy some supplies. Tai offers Yuuki to hide in the system to prevent getting more attention, but Yuuki doesn't like that and prefers his freedom. Tai at first hesitated, but eventually let him do so. Yuuki is now regretting his choice as he was overwhelmed by the crowd.
"Yuuki?" Tai's voice can be heard as Yuuki perks up before rushing towards the source of the voice. This gains a lot of attention, which leads to the crowd staring in disbelief at the scene.
A young man with red hair, no older than 10, is greeted by the Suicune, and they watch the almighty legendary being wag his tails as the boy talks. The boy notices the crowd and freezes before looking at the Suicune.
"...you wanna hide in the system now?" Tai offers as Yuuki reluctantly nods. Tai summons a glowing bluish-white Pokeball out of his pocket and returns Yuuki before he puts the Pokeball back into his pocket. This makes the crowd silent as they drop their phones while Tai takes the chance to walk out of there.
"Goodbye, normal life..." Tai mutters as a dramatic tear escapes his closed eyes, smiling sadly at the fact that he loses his chance to ever get a normal life.
Later
Tai and Yuuki can be seen sitting in the backyard located at the Pokemon Center. Tai mindlessly counted his budget while leaning his back on Yuuki, who was taking a nap.
"We got 147.500 Poke-Dollars remaining..." Tai mutters before sighing. "With all the supplies I bought, we can at least last for two weeks or less."
"You worry too much, Tai," Yuuki mutters. "I can help you with supplies by hunting down some Pokemons. It's not only free, but you also do a favor to balance the ecosystem."
"I hope so..." Tai mutters as he gently pets Yuuki. Tai can't help but feels a bit attached to Yuuki despite only for days, he didn't know the exact reason, but he has a feeling his love for having a real pokemon and regressed mentality had something to do with it.
"Hey!" Tai and Yuuki blinked when they saw a trainer suddenly approach them. The trainer has spiky light brown hair with a frown on his face, looking like he was in his teenage years, and judging from the familiar clothes he wears, it seems that he's one of the Ace Trainers from the Pokemon games he used to play.
"How long will you force your Ditto to stay in his transformation!? Are you craved for attention so much!?" Tai can't help but frown at the tone the trainer uses. His mind can't help but see him as a dog yapping at a tree, or is it Growlithe.
Nah, he won't insults his favorite puppy Pokemon by comparing them to this idiot.
"For the record, Yuuki's not a ditto." Tai tries to say it calmly, but he notices that he has a hint of edge in his tone. Tai can't help but wince at how he almost lose control of his emotions once more.
"Ha! Do you think I will believe that!? You have no idea how many people are seeking attention by forcing their Dittos to turn into a Legendary Pokemon!" The trainer exclaims as Tai tilts his head in confusion.
'Is that even true? It wasn't as Farfetch'd since it is an effective way to gain attention, but it mostly attracts unwanted attention.' Tai thought as the trainer pulled out a Pokeball with a smug grin. 'But, judging from his face, tone, and attitude, he's using that fact for other reasons, probably showing that I'm a fraud.'
"I'm going to be honest, do you have any shame at all?" Tai asks in a deadpan manner, catching the trainer off guard. "All I did was let my buddy have a relaxing time while I minded my own business, then a random guy who appeared to be a few years older than me decided it'd be a good idea to provoke a child and cause a commotion. What are you, schoolyard bully?"
His words were very effective as the crowd stifled their laughter, and the trainer started to turn red. Tai could imagine steam coming out of the trainer's nose and ears like in a cartoon.
"Fight me!" The guy yells in anger.
"Nope. I don't have anything to prove." Tai says in an annoyed manner. "I will try to correct people's mistakes once, but it's up to them if they're willing to listen or not. Battling's a waste of time anyways." Tai leaves as the trainer starts to get angry.
"I will report you to the Pokemon Association for scams!" The trainer yells in anger, causing Tai to stop. "You shouldn't have pissed me off, you brat. Do you know who I am?"
"An immature whiny brat who cries to their daddy because someone's mocking you?" Tai asks in a dry tone.
"I am the son of the manager of the Pokemon Association! You think you could get away with this!?" Tai slightly flinches due to his lack of control, which gives the ace trainer an advantage he's willing to take. "Now you get it, they will listen to my words over yours! Do you want me to stop? Accept the battle, or better, admit that you're a fraud!"
As he finished his words, he felt a wind slash past his cheek before hitting a tree behind them, cutting it down upon contact. Everyone gape at the show of strength before looking back at Yuuki, who's glaring daggers at the ace trainer. His presence felt like a northern wind crashing onto them like a truck, freezing them on the spot.
The ace trainer felt like he had made a mistake; his foolishness had just dragged him into a mess that he wasn't confident he could get out of. The presence suddenly disappears as Tai gives a gentle pat on Yuuki's head.
"...send out your Pokemon," Tai mutters in a cold tone that no child should be able to use, sending shivers to the onlookers. "Now."
Out of fear, the trainer complies and sends out his Pokemon. It reveals to be a shiny Eevee but his appearance horrifies the onlooker. A lot of injuries cover the poor Pokemon, and Tai notices that some of the silver furs seem to be covered in black stain before realizing it's not ink. Tai, noticing that the poor Pokemon was hastily preparing for battle while glancing at its 'trainer' in fear, looks at Yuuki and nods before Yuuki disappears in a flash, knocking out the poor Pokemon gently, and wraps his tail around the ace trainer like a mummy, snarling at the monster in human skin.
"You fucking scum!!" Yuuki snarls as the ace trainer pales, not expecting the supposed 'Ditto' to talk. Tai pulls out a holographic phone made from the system and calls Officer Jenny.
His official start of his Isekai Life and he already encounter a scumbag. He fears for the future of this world.
To be continued