Chapter 99: The Golden Magikarp
When Misdreavus recalled being kicked out, she was so overcome with misery that tears nearly welled up in her eyes.
Her pitiful expression instantly triggered Nurse Joy's overflowing compassion. For a moment, Joy completely forgot how terrified she had been of Ghost-type Pokémon mere hours earlier.
"Umm… being kicked out, huh?"
These two were a pair of absolute oddballs.
First, they were captured by what appeared to be a poaching organization. Then they were driven away by their supposed rescuers. And finally, when they went scavenging for food, they ended up getting beaten up—by their own rescuer again, no less.
If there were a contest for tragic backstories, they'd be front-runners on Pokémon Idol: The Sobbing Edition.
"So, what are you two planning to do now?" Nozomi asked, gazing at the two spectral Pokémon.
Honestly, he didn't really want to capture them. Judging from their track record, these two were walking bad luck charms. Nozomi worried they might jinx his luck too—especially when it came to system draws.
"Wait a sec… I haven't done my draws, have I?" Nozomi suddenly realized.
Back when he challenged Vermilion Gym, he'd gotten annoyed by the system notifications and turned them off. Only now did he remember that he'd skipped several draws. He had no idea how many he'd accumulated by this point.
Still, that could wait. The immediate question was whether to take in the two before him.
At first, both Misdreavus and Dusknoir were terrified of Nozomi. But the moment they heard him mention letting them go, their expressions changed completely—each plastered on a desperate, pleading smile.
Not because they liked him that much, but because they were sick of wandering.
Even in Lavender Town—a place where people had grown used to Ghost-type Pokémon—it was hard for them to find fear to feed on without scaring anyone half to death. Survival was getting rough.
Being captured by Nozomi meant no more worrying about food or shelter. That alone was a blessing.
More importantly, Nozomi had defeated them fair and square. His strength commanded their respect.
Had it been some weakling of a Trainer, they would've just turned that person into their next source of fear. As for becoming their Trainer? Forget it!
"…Fine," Nozomi finally said.
He didn't mind much, really.
As a Trainer with a decent amount of resources, keeping two more Pokémon wasn't a problem. His current team was actually rather small—six Pokémon including Magikarp. He could use the expansion.
These two had solid potential and good intelligence—perfect candidates for capture.
As for Misdreavus's supposed fondness for pranking her Trainer? Nozomi wasn't concerned in the slightest. Even if she had a hundred times her courage, she'd never dare mess with him.
Upon hearing his consent, both Misdreavus and Dusknoir beamed with joy.
Nurse Joy, on the other hand, looked utterly dumbfounded.
In her experience, Trainers usually had to battle long and hard to earn a Pokémon's trust, rejoicing only after a successful capture—then spending days nurturing friendship.
But here? The situation was completely flipped! Pokémon begging to be caught, celebrating once they were caught—Joy felt like her worldview had been rewritten.
After recalling the two ghosts into their Poké Balls and tucking them into his bag, Nozomi bid Joy farewell.
He checked into a nearby hotel, got a room, and sat down on the bed.
Once he turned the system notifications back on, a barrage of chimes echoed through his mind—ding, ding, ding!—like a jackpot machine.
[Congratulations, Host!]Successfully challenged the Vermilion Gym and earned the Thunder Badge.Reward: 1× Silver Draw.
[Congratulations, Host!]Uncovered the secret behind Vermilion Gym and completed the investigation.Reward: 1× Silver Draw.
[Congratulations, Host!]Defeated Rocket Trio Commander Chakra.Reward: 2× Silver Draws.
[Congratulations, Host!]Foiled Team Rocket's plot and saved the S.S. Anne.Reward: 1× Gold Draw.
[Congratulations, Host!]Achieved Hidden Achievement: "Famed Across Kanto."Reward: 1× Silver Draw.
One after another, the notifications kept flashing before Nozomi's eyes, leaving him momentarily dazed.
"…Huh."
It took a while for him to process it all. "That's… a lot."
He had expected maybe one or two rewards, not five separate notifications.
That meant five silver draws and one gold draw—far more than he'd imagined.
And among them was a gold draw!
The last time he used one of those, he'd drawn Metagross—now the ace of his team and the cornerstone of his battles against Team Rocket.
And now he had another chance at that level of prize? Nozomi's pulse quickened.
"Let's start with a silver draw—see how my luck's doing."
"Silver draw!" he commanded mentally.
[Drawing… Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: Pokémon Shiny Dye.]
"…What?" Nozomi blinked. "Shiny Dye?"
[Pokémon Shiny Dye: An item that genetically alters a Pokémon to its Shiny coloration. May slightly improve the Pokémon's potential.]
"A Shiny Pokémon, huh…"
At once, Nozomi pictured a bright silver Metagross, a golden Steelix, a charred Leafeon, and a teal Ivysaur.
He shuddered involuntarily.
Yeah—no way he was using this on any of those.
That left two options: Magikarp and Haunter.
Haunter's Shiny form wasn't all that different—just a duller gray-purple. Only after Mega Evolving into Gengar would it turn white, which, admittedly, was cool—but still subtle.
Magikarp, though…
It could transform into a golden Magikarp, and when it evolved—into a red Gyarados.
Decision made.
"It's you, Magikarp!" Nozomi declared.
Just imagining that crimson Gyarados was enough to make his heart race. Without hesitation, he applied the Shiny Dye to Magikarp.
A brilliant white light burst forth.
When it faded, the once-red Magikarp shimmered gold from fin to scale—radiant enough to make him squint.
"A golden Magikarp…" Nozomi murmured, eyes sparkling.
He stared at the glimmering fish with its two vacant eyes and couldn't help feeling… satisfied.
Power? Who cared. Style was what mattered!
And not just style—its aura had noticeably improved. The Shiny Dye had indeed raised its potential.
He could feel Magikarp growing stronger—its jumps during Splash were visibly higher already.
"Now then… what else will I get from the remaining draws?"
The first one had already been a hit—now he could hardly wait to see what came next.