Chapter 45: Overnight Riches

Back outside the arena.

The group stepped out of the cargo crate, only to see Lady Ayana come to greet them in person, a rare smile on her face.

They exchanged glances, realizing they had truly survived the fierce battle; their bodies unconsciously relaxed, and genuine smiles broke across their faces.

After all, no matter how you looked at it, this trip had been a rare, great victory. The Quicksand Team surely wouldn't shortchange its heroes — a bright future awaited them.

"You did well."

Lady Ayana singled All Baimu out for special praise, her right hand thumping his shoulder heavily, her expression clearly saying, "Not bad, kid."

His performance had undoubtedly given the Quicksand Team face — not only did it crush the Fierce Dog Team's arrogance, it also, to some extent, swayed the outcome of the final victory.

"Thank you for the compliment."

All Baimu nodded in acknowledgment, while the people around him cast envious glances his way.

Apart from Lady Ayana, who had come to meet them, and a group of Quicksand Team logistics staff, the arena exit was also clogged with members from various other organizations.

They pointed and whispered about the survivors; most of their gazes locked onto All Baimu, their expressions impossible to read.

He believed that after today—

All Baimu's name would spread within a small circle in Huang Tie Town.

Although it wouldn't bring much fame, at least it would lift him from being a nameless thug to someone who barely counted as a somebody in Huang Tie Town.

Of course, he himself wasn't interested in that.

Becoming famous and powerful was the dream of many low-level thugs, but it had nothing to do with what he was after.

Besides, guns target the bird that sticks out — drawing too much attention was no good thing.

He'd have to keep a low profile for the next few months.

Musing as he went, he followed the main group back to base, where the medical staff gave him and his Pokémon a checkup.

During the checkup, through questioning, he learned that Shi Yuan Du had been very lucky to survive, and along with several other severely injured members, had been sent back to headquarters early.

But the wounded, including Otsuka, numbered only six; counting the five of them who came out…

Fifteen had set out; six hours later, only eleven remained alive.

Four young men and women in the prime of their youth had lost their lives forever in that barren desert.

Yet when the medic spoke of this, there wasn't much sorrow in his voice — he even excitedly described the Fierce Dog Team's casualty situation next door: reportedly, only eight of them had survived.

Had he grown so used to lives lost after brawls that he was completely numb?

All Baimu stayed silent.

Half an hour later.

The Fierce Dog Team next door sent people to retrieve their Pokémon, and to discuss how to hand over the Quicksand Team Pokémon they had captured.

"Hm?"

Hearing this, he looked at the logistics staffer who had notified him, somewhat bewildered. "They have our Pokémon?"

Weren't all the Fierce Dog Team members taken out? Their Pokémon should all be in the hands of those other four!

"Correct."

The logistics staffer nodded, as if knowing why he was so confused, and explained in a low voice, "Before the team lockout was lifted, some Fierce Dog Team members used their Pokémon to send out the captured Pokémon — and their teammates' Pokémon — ahead of time."

"There were even people who, feeling they were about to lose, handed their Poké Balls to their Pokémon and told them to run. Of course, our side did the same."

Oh!

All Baimu was stunned — he truly hadn't expected such a slick move, sending out the spoils in advance. After all, all the Poké Balls Ken had captured were on his person, not a single one missing.

Was it because this guy didn't trust the people outside, so he didn't send them out?

Or was it that he had confidence in himself?

Following the logistics staffer out of base, the two ducked into a large tent.

Inside.

A long table sat in the middle; the Fierce Dog Team members and those other four teammates sat on opposite sides, as if they had been waiting for some time. A few unfamiliar faces sat at the very back, one of whom, judging by his insignia, was some squad leader of the Quicksand Team.

Strangely, there was also a Rotom Drone here, its camera pointed at all of them.

Surveillance?

Or was this being livestreamed too?

All Baimu looked curiously at the Rotom Drone, and his arrival immediately drew undisguised hostile glares from the Fierce Dog Team — their faces full of hatred and resentment, looking as if they wanted to kill him on the spot.

He sat down without a care. If looks could kill, he'd have been hacked to pieces long ago, but as things stood, it was nothing more than the whimpering of beaten dogs.

The Pokémon retrieval process was simple.

Exchange, or name a price and haggle.

First, both sides laid out the Poké Balls belonging to the opposing organization that they held.

The Fierce Dog Team produced twelve Poké Balls in total; the other four Quicksand Team members produced eighteen; All Baimu silently pulled out nine.

"How is it only nine!? Wait… where are Ken's Pokémon!"

Someone on the Fierce Dog Team shot to his feet and roared, "What trick are you pulling?"

All Baimu spread his hands. "Unknown whereabouts."

The flippant gesture instantly set the Fierce Dog Team members off.

"You're full of crap!"

"Looking to die! Don't think that winning by some cheap trick means you can strut around! I'll kill you!"

They cursed loudly and quickly took fighting stances, but were stopped by a man sitting at the very back.

"Silence!"

That man slammed the table hard, the booming crash drowning out the Fierce Dog Team members' cursing. "Don't waste time — if they're not there, they're not there!"

Hearing this, All Baimu couldn't help but glance at the man, noticing he was wearing a suit rather than any team's uniform.

The organizer of this competition?

But one had to admit this person really knew how to talk — the members of the Hound Pack team quickly fell silent, glaring at All Baimu and saying through gritted teeth: "I want to trade!"

"Agreed."

The Quicksand team members, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.

Trading Pokémon, as the words literally suggest, is a direct one-for-one exchange — usually someone with a close relationship to a defeated trainer will choose to trade in order to take back their friend's Pokémon.

Basically, trades happen more often than outright buying and selling.

All Baimu watched helplessly as his teammates used twelve Hound Pack Pokémon to trade back their own twelve, a look of surprise crossing his face.

Some of those were surely the Pokémon of teammates who had died — yet they still traded for them rather than giving them up…

Why?

Wanting to return the Pokémon to the deceased's family? Or trading them back and then selling, to maximize profit? After all, the buy-back price is generally much lower.

He desperately hoped it was the former, because the former still had a shred of human decency.

Once the trades were done, the Hound Pack members began placing bids on the remaining Pokémon.

Among them.

On All Baimu's side, three were pre-arranged to be sold for a total of three hundred thousand. The one who came to recover Pokémon on behalf of Hou Wu was a chubby girl wearing glasses.

"Here."

Without much hesitation, he casually pushed those three Poké Balls over and took the three hundred thousand Poké-dollars laid out on the table.

This transaction drew the attention of onlookers.

Quite a few Hound Pack members looked suspiciously at the chubby girl, scaring her into immediately giving up Hou Wu and pointing out that All Baimu's promise had been broadcast on the public screen.

—He really kept his word!

At this, everyone in the tent looked at All Baimu with strange expressions.

In Iron Town, where most people's bottom lines were remarkably flexible, there actually existed someone whose word was his bond.

All Baimu's expression remained calm.

The more you live in this kind of muck, the more you have to hold firm to the bottom lines you've set for yourself — otherwise one day you'd be quietly and completely assimilated by all this filth without even realizing it.

Hou Wu had indeed helped him; there was no need to break his own promise for the sake of six hundred thousand.

If he really did that, how would he be any different from Ken, who had been utterly warped by money?

Of course.

The remaining six definitely couldn't be sold cheap.

After bidding, haggling, and bargaining back and forth, All Baimu successfully sold them for a total of two million seven hundred thousand — in other words, four hundred and fifty thousand each.

They really weren't stingy!

He couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement.

As for how much his teammates had sold theirs for, he had no interest in keeping track — he silently began calculating how much he could guarantee earning from this competition.

Four livestream tip earnings: five hundred and fifty thousand, two million four hundred thousand, one million five hundred and sixty thousand, and five million three hundred and eighty thousand, respectively.

All Baimu could take thirty percent — that was two million nine hundred and sixty-seven thousand. Adding the Pokémon sales, that came to over five million nine hundred and sixty thousand. Then adding the four defeated opponents, each worth at least a hundred thousand in prize money, over six million three hundred and sixty thousand.

He still had twelve of his companions' Pokémon in hand — excluding Otsuka's three and the deceased's three, the remaining six could be sold cheaply at two hundred thousand each.

All added up, that was seven million five hundred and sixty-seven thousand!

This didn't even include the victory prize money.

Holy crap!

After this round, he'd instantly ballooned into absurd wealth!

All Baimu stared at the intangible numbers floating in his palm with some surprise — a pauper had instantly become a rich man!