Chapter 6

Slateport City is a large city located in the southern part of the Hoenn region.

The city was built around a clean water source and abundant food, which led to the rapid development of the local market, making it a great place to shop. Later, it also became a port city with frequent boat traffic.

To get to the location of the Pokémon Breeder Headquarters in the city of Lilycove, Darren needed to take a boat from Slateport City.

Darren and his hunting partner, Beautifly, have now entered Slateport City after a week of travel. Darren looks a little roughed up from the journey, but he has no time to worry about his appearance. His top priority is to book a boat ticket to Lilycove City.

If he misses this breeding test, Darren cannot bear the fatal consequences of waiting another year.

"I would like a ticket to Lilycove City, please."

Darren arrived at the ticket counter of the shipyard and, after a long wait, finally reached the front of the line.

"To Lilycove City? Please wait a moment. Also, do you have a membership card or a trainer certificate? You can enjoy a 10% discount with those." The ticket vendor operated the computer and looked up at Darren.

"No," Darren shook his head.

"In that case, please show me your identification," the ticket vendor said.

Darren then handed over his identification to the ticket vendor, who quickly scanned it, typed in some information on the computer, and then returned it to Darren.

"Please verify your information. Name: Darren. Age: 10. Birthplace: Cerulean City, Kanto Region. Current guardian: Oran. Any questions?" The ticket vendor was spot on. After confirming the information, Darren paid 2000 Pokedollars for the ticket, which made him feel a bit sad.

This was almost all of his savings, and now that he had purchased the ticket, he had nothing of value left.

"Okay, registration is complete. Thank you for your support, and please don't miss the departure time."

After receiving the ticket, Darren looked at the information and found out that the ship was called the S.S Broken Waves and would depart at 7 o'clock the next morning. It seemed that he needed to stay in this place for one night.

Bored and walking down the street, Darren suddenly remembered that he had some homemade trinkets in his backpack, but he didn't know if he could sell them.

"I remember there's an outdoor market in Slateport City." Darren vaguely recalled a place called Slateport Market, which was an open-air market that sold all kinds of things.

In a hurry, Darren arrived at the market and realized that he didn't even have a stall.

Disappointed, Darren began to wander around the market. Since he had come here, he might as well take a look. Besides, he had no money, so he didn't have the urge to buy anything.

The things sold in Slateport Market are varied. A plush toy worth 3000 Pokedollars made Darren marvel. It was much more expensive than the boat ticket, and he didn't know what it would be used for.

In addition to that, there were various precious Berries, ranging from tens to hundreds of Pokedollars .

There were also potions made by breeders, ranging in value from about ten thousand Pokedollars . Darren couldn't help but admire the breeders' ability to create wealth.

A potion that could enhance a Pokemon's attack power was even sold for 9800 Pokedollars per bottle. After seeing the prices of other potions, Darren shook his head. These items probably required an intermediate breeder's level of proficiency, and judging by the shop owner's appearance, they were just reselling goods, which is why the prices were so high.

"What? Is there such a thing?"

Darren was surprised to see a small stove-shaped item and was somewhat taken aback.

This was the first time he had seen this thing in real life. He had only seen pictures of it in books before.

Sea Incense: an incredible smelling incense that increases the power of water-type moves when carried.

Although it is a consumable item, it is also very attractive to trainers. Sea Breeze Incense is made from special flowers and leaves. Although it is not difficult to make, the cost of the materials is high. Darren looked at the price, which was also around ten thousand Pokedollars .

A Poké Ball was only worth two hundred Pokedollars , and these things were clearly not prepared for ordinary trainers.

Without staying long, Darren continued to wander elsewhere.

Slateport Market was not big, and Darren observed things quickly. In no time, he had almost circled the entire market.

Until the end, when Darren was about to leave, he discovered a special stall. The vendor was a girl wearing a hat who looked quite young.

What caught Darren's attention was what the girl was selling. As he approached, he discovered that the stall was full of self-made potions.

These potions were messy and not well introduced, and few people were walking up to them.

"Can I take a look?" Darren asked the girl.

"Of course," said the girl in a childish voice, confirming Darren's guess that she was around his age. As for Darren's request, it was quite normal for buyers of potions for small Pokémon to have the right to identify them.

After getting permission, Darren picked up the small bottle and pulled out the cork. He held it in front of his nose and used his other hand to fan the air, catching a whiff of the liquid inside.

Without thinking, several names came to Darren's mind. He didn't rush to speak, instead continuing to examine the other small bottles on display. Aside from similar potions, there were also some powders that piqued his curiosity.

After observing to his heart's content, Darren suddenly realized that he had been somewhat impolite. However, the bottle of potion in his hand made him furrow his brow.

If he wasn't mistaken, this potion had a slight flaw.

"Sorry for taking so long," he said apologetically. "May I ask if these potions have been certified?"

"What do you mean?" The girl, whose face was covered by a hat, was a bit confused.

"There shouldn't be a problem with the effectiveness of the other potions, but this powder has a small flaw. If I'm not mistaken, it's made from the saliva of a Stunky, as well as Clear Bell, Bitter Berry Leaves, and Blue Silver Grass. It's a potion that has a faster healing effect for grass-type Pokémon's burns than Bitter Herbs and Burn Heal."

Darren knew the pharmacology of this powder and that it was properly mixed, but the problem lay in the Stunky's saliva.

"The Stunky saliva you're using is from a female Stunky, but the correct mixture for the potion requires saliva from a male Stunky. Although the side effects are not significant, it may cause unexpected problems in a critical situation."

Darren could tell the effects of most of the potions on the girl's stall, but there were a few whose principles he didn't understand. However, this powder made him hesitate. Thanks to reading about Stunky in a miscellaneous book, he knew that the effect of saliva from Stunky of different genders could have subtle differences.

"If you don't believe me, I suggest you get it certified."

After leaving these words, Darren left. By the time the girl realized what had happened, he was already gone.