John's words made many people roll their eyes.
"I'm here to buy a Ralts, it chooses me, but I still refuse? That'd be crazy!"
John ignored the skeptical stares. He simply gestured for the first Ralts to step forward.
"Ralts~" The small Pokemon shyly walked up, its cheeks tinged red. At the same time, a white screen behind it slowly descended, displaying its information for everyone to see.
[Ralts (Psychic, Fairy-Type)]
[Ability: Synchronize(When inflicted with burns, poisoning, or paralysis, the opponent receives the same status condition.)]
[IV's: HP (13), Attack (21), Special Attack (31), Defense (27), Special Defense (10), Speed (18)]
[Moves: Disarming Voice, Growl, Double Team, Confusion]
The crowd murmured among themselves. They understood the gender, ability, and moves, but the numbers confused them.
"What do these values mean?" someone finally asked.
John smirked. "Individual values are my way of evaluating a Pokemon's natural potential in different attributes. The highest possible value is 31, what I call 'IV', and the lowest is 0."
He pointed at the screen. "Take this Ralts as an example. It has a perfect 31 in Special Attack, meaning that, under equal training conditions, its Special Attack will be the strongest among its peers."
In this world, no such thing as Individual Values existed. But that didn't stop John from introducing the concept. Better yet, since no one else could measure them, the idea would become an exclusive feature of John's Breeding House!
"Mr. John, I have a question," a young man in the crowd spoke up.
"How do you know Ralts' Special Attack talent is the highest in the group? Is there a way to detect it? Have you compiled a database of Ralts to compare?"
Judging from the man's questions, he was likely a Pokemon researcher.
John simply smiled and spread his hands. "There's no way to directly detect it, and I haven't compiled a Ralts database. Given how rare Ralts are, I doubt anyone could create such a database without decades of research and billions of dollars."
He placed a hand on his hip. "My evaluation comes from experience. I spent half a year raising a Ralts into a Gym-Leader level Gardevoir. That's how I know."
Of course, John couldn't reveal his Gameboy's secret. He couldn't prove the accuracy of his method, so he went with an explanation that was difficult to refute.
The crowd exchanged glances. They had expected some kind of scientific data. After all, John was a disciple of the esteemed Professor Saul Badman and a member of Scarlett's research lab. But turning a Ralts into a Gym-level Gardevoir in just half a year? That was proof enough.
"Believe it or not, I've given you all the information about this Ralts," John continued. "If you're planning to raise it into a Gallade or Solaceon, don't come complaining to me later."
The audience quickly shook their heads. They had come here for Gardevoir, not Gallade. And given the stats John had shared, this Ralts was perfect for that evolution path.
"Alright," John said. "Let Ralts choose its trainer."
Encouraged by John's words, Ralts slowly moved forward, scanning the trainers in the first few rows. The hopeful trainers waved eagerly, some even offering berries as bribes.
But Ralts wasn't interested in bribes.
It walked past them all and finally stopped in front of a short-haired girl with round, chubby cheeks.
Ralts lifted itself slightly with Confusion and stretched out a hand toward her.
The girl froze, completely stunned. She hadn't expected Ralts to choose her, and for a moment, she forgot to react.
John chuckled. "Ralts has chosen you as its trainer. Do you accept?"
Ralts could sense emotions. It always made the best decision when choosing a trainer.
More than just selling Pokemon, John wanted to match them with trainers who truly suited them. That was what made his breeding house different.
The girl finally snapped out of her daze. Noticing the envious stares around her, her cheeks flushed even redder. Though shy, she gathered her courage and took Ralts' small hand.
"I do!" she said softly.
John nodded approvingly. "Great. You can take Ralts and your parents to the side to complete the payment."
As she left, he added, "Also, all trainers who receive a Ralts today will get a guidebook I wrote on raising a Gardevoir, along with a supply of my personally formulated Pokemon food."
The food John provided wasn't just ordinary Pokemon feed? it was Pokeblock. Though he only gave a small starter box, he was sure that after experiencing Pokeblock, these Ralts would refuse to eat the usual low-quality pellets sold in stores.
As the girl walked away, a man in the crowd chuckled.
"This your niece?" John asked, raising an eyebrow.
The man,Azure, shrugged. "Can't help it." But the slight smirk on his face betrayed his pride.
John smirked. "Hard to believe a thick-skinned guy like you has such a shy niece."
"Shut up," Azure shot back, rolling his eyes before taking his niece to complete the purchase.
The crowd watched them go with undisguised envy, but no one doubted the fairness of the selection process. After all, as the owner of the breeding house, if John had wanted to give Ralts to Azure, he could've done so directly, there was no need for this whole charade.
John clapped his hands. "Alright, let's move on. Bring out the second Ralts!"