mrmime24
patreon
Chapter 128: New Business Ventures
🕑 Added 2025-05-04 18:36:29 +0000 UTC"Jeez, I have a lot of work to do. Well, No one asked me to become a gym leader, the strongest trainer and the wealthiest person at the same time. I should have lowered down my dreams." Gladion muttered with a sigh as he thought of the various new business ventures that he was going to undertake.
His first venture was already sparking frenzy. Gladion had revealed Electivire's evolution from Electabuzz during his televised thrashing of Pryce, and trainers across three regions were losing their minds.
From Hoenn's volcanic slopes to Johto's ancient shrines, Electabuzz owners flooded his social media—@VortexChamp—with pleas: "How'd you do it?" "I'll pay anything!"
Gladion smirked as he read these comments and messages, leaning back in his chair, thoughts racing. 'They're hooked—perfect.'
He'd cracked the Electirizer, the elusive item needed to evolve Electabuzz, years ago.
Now, he was poised to sell it at eye-watering prices, citing "limited stock" and "complex production."
'Sure, it's just a super electric charged crystal matrix, but they don't need to know that. Scarcity's my best friend—patents are my bodyguard.' He knew someone would eventually reverse-engineer the Electirizer—science wasn't that hard—but it'd take years, and his patent locked the market tight.
'By then, I'll be swimming in Pokécoins, maybe buy a private island or two! He's Gladion gave out an evil chuckle
But Electivire was just the start. Gladion's next televised battle, an Ace Challenge set to air globally, would debut Arsenal, his Magmortar, revealing its evolution from Magmar.
The Magmarizer, another item he'd mastered, would hit the market soon after, priced even higher than the Electirizer.
'Double the hype, double the profit,' he thought, grinning.
'Trainers'll sell their bikes to evolve their Magmar—Arsenal's gonna make 'em beg for it. Which trainer would not want a Pokemon with fire canons as hands?'
Gladion spun to his social media team, a group of tech-savvy trainers huddled over laptops in the gym's control room. "Alright, listen up," he barked, "Find every trainer with an Electabuzz—Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, doesn't matter. Target ads to them: 'Unlock Electivire's Power with Vortex Tech!' Push the Electirizer hard—say it's rare, handcrafted, only available through us. Tease the benefits: stronger moves, higher stats, a shot at being the next big battler. And make it clear—stock's limited, so they better act fast!" His team nodded, fingers flying as they coded algorithms to pinpoint Electabuzz owners.
Gladion smirked, 'Owning the region's social media platforms has its perks—I know exactly who's got what Pokémon.' His platforms, from PokéGram to Pokébook, were goldmines for data, letting him target ads with surgical precision.
With the Electirizer campaign in motion, Gladion turned to his second venture: his rare materials shop, Vortex Vault, a single, massive store in Moonwood Town that was already a trainer's mecca.
Over the past five years, he'd amassed a fortune in evolution stones—Fire, Water, Thunder, Moon, you name it—and other rarities like Hard Stones and Everstones. His secret? Psychic Pokémon—his own, plus Sabrina's team, who'd inexplicably tagged along after the League, drawn by his aura or maybe just boredom.
'Man, She can be a pain in the ass but she was definitely helpful. And well, she is a loyal one.' Gladion gave out a smile as he thought of Sabrina who he finally accepted as a friend.
With their telekinesis, they'd scoured Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, unearthing buried treasures from deep caves to ocean trenches.
'Psychics are like cheat codes for treasure hunts. We could dug out stones from miles underground and scan through kilometres in seconds.' Gladion mused.
The Vault's stock wasn't planned—it was a happy accident. Gladion's real hunt had been for fossils, keystones, and Mega Stones, aiming for a future monopoly.
Fossils were his obsession; he knew, thanks to his foreknowledge, that reviving ancient Pokémon was possible.
'In the original timeline, scientists fumbled for decades, thinking it was sci-fi nonsense. They did not know that Fossils could be revived until much later. Me? I know it's real, and I'm fast-tracking the process.' He'd assembled a team of researchers—ex-Silph Co. techs, Hoenn paleontologists—working in a secret lab beneath the gym, tinkering with fossil resurrection tech.
'Give 'em a year, maybe two, and I'll be selling Kabutops like they're Bidoof. Monopoly secured.'
Mega Stones were trickier. Gladion had hoarded a lot—Garchompites, Charizardites, even rare Lucarionites—stacked in a vault only he could access. But he hadn't cracked Mega Evolution.
'I am missing something necessary to mega evolve—some bond, some gizmo, who knows?'
He'd tried with Colossus but it did not work even with him with whom he shared the best bond among his Pokemon.
'Doesn't matter. When Mega Evolution hits, trainers'll come to me for the stones. They would have no choice but to teach me if they want a stone. I've got enough to corner the market for a decade.' For now, he'd shelved it, focusing on the Vault's immediate profits.
The Vault's single-branch strategy was deliberate. Gladion had enough materials to open 15-16 stores, sustaining them for five years, but then what? He had No supply chain to restock the materials. He had no suppliers. He would have to himself go out there to find the materials.
So, he'd built one massive shop in Moonwood, stocked to the rafters with stones and items you couldn't find elsewhere. The shop with its stock would last year's.
'Rarity's my brand,' he thought. 'Trainers'll cross oceans for items—brings 'em to Moonwood, where they'll hit my restaurants, resorts, merch stands. Tourism would flow and so would cash.'
The Vault was already drawing crowds, boosting the town's economy, and Gladion's other ventures—Vortex Bites eateries, Vortex Lodge resorts—were reaping the benefits. Every trainer buying a Fire Stone buys a burger from his fast food restaurant and a Collosus T-shirt.
As evening fell, Gladion lounged in his office, feet propped on his desk, dreaming of the wealth to come.
Nyx and Mystique who had heard his murmer decided to speak up. Nyx's eyes glowed,[YES, MASTER—BRING US MORE CASH! I need a new tiara!]
Mystique coilded around Gladion
[Forget a tiara—I need makeup for my scales. You should continue to work Master and bring us the CASHHHH.]
"Who would have thought that I would become a sugar daddy of my Pokemon?" Gladion murmured with a wry smile.
