Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Although the old lady was also female, from an aesthetic standpoint she was clearly no longer within Pikachu's range of appreciation. Being stared at with such burning enthusiasm made Pikachu feel uncomfortable all over.
"Pika—!"
Especially when she grabbed him and even tried to rub her face against him, a red anger mark instantly popped up on Pikachu's forehead, and he began to let out warning cries.
"Pikachu, don't—"
Sato noticed Pikachu starting to show signs of anger. How could he not know that Pikachu was about to zap someone? But the target was an elderly, frail old woman—there was no way he dared take that risk. He hurriedly tried to stop Pikachu.
However, before Sato could even finish speaking, Pikachu's anger was dispelled by a piece of orange-colored biscuit the old lady pulled out from her clothes. Under her skilled massaging technique, Pikachu soon began to let out comfortable little cries.
"Young man, don't worry. This old woman is very familiar with Pokémon like Pikachu. Here you go."
After carefully massaging Pikachu once more, the old lady turned to Sato with a smile and gently placed Pikachu back onto his shoulder.
"Ah, as long as you're alright, ma'am. This little guy really doesn't like being touched by strangers. But you're truly amazing—this is the first time I've ever seen him look this comfortable while being touched."
Sato quickly and respectfully spoke to the old lady, taking the chance to offer some heartfelt praise.
After hearing what she had said earlier, how could he not realize that this fashionably dressed old lady was a hidden master? She had uncovered Pikachu's secrets simply through observation alone—truly astonishing.
"Heh heh heh~~ Of course. My massage techniques are unmatched. With these hands of mine, there isn't a single Pokémon in this world that I can't tame into complete obedience."
Clearly, Sato's praise had hit the mark. The old lady immediately wore a proud expression and burst into loud laughter.
"Tch. Didn't I teach you those massage techniques? What are you so proud of?"
At that moment, Takeda Jiro—who had been completely ignored—clearly disliked the situation and muttered a poorly timed retort.
"What did you say, you old fossil? You've got the nerve to say that? Sure, you taught me—but I surpassed you in the end! That's called the student surpassing the master. I'm proud because I earned it. What about it?"
The old lady's hearing was extremely sharp. She instantly caught Takeda Jiro's muttering. Her expression froze, then darkened rapidly as she pointed at his nose and shouted.
"Nonsense! I let you win! You really think you surpassed me? How about we compete right now?"
Being publicly embarrassed like that, Takeda Jiro couldn't just swallow it. He immediately protested indignantly.
"Fine! Let's compete! Who's afraid of who? Young man, you'll be the referee!"
Seeing that Takeda Jiro—who was usually completely obedient to her—dared to talk back, the old lady became even more fired up and dragged Sato into this sudden contest.
More than ten minutes later, the old lady was eating contentedly with a smug expression, while Takeda Jiro looked utterly aggrieved. As for Sato, he sat bolt upright, stiff as a board.
Obviously, judging from the results of the contest, the old lady had emerged victorious.
"It seems I really didn't come to the wrong place. With two giants like these running this breeding house, it'd be strange if it didn't thrive."
"But with abilities like theirs, their connections must be terrifying. If they wanted to open a breeding house, the Trainers who've benefited from them should be lining up to support them."
"That's strange… should I ask?"
After witnessing the contest, Sato was absolutely certain that the two elders before him were genuine masters. The possibility of them being frauds was practically zero. Precisely because of this, a deep sense of confusion arose in his heart, along with a hint of concern.
Soon, lunchtime ended. The old lady went off to wash the dishes, leaving only Sato and Takeda Jiro in the living room.
"Young man, are you wondering why two old fellows like us can't scrape together the money to build a breeding house?"
Once the old lady was out of earshot, Takeda Jiro broke the silence and directly voiced the doubt in Sato's heart.
"To be honest, I am. Both of you are incredibly capable, and your connections must be extensive. It doesn't seem like you should be short on funds."
Sato admitted it openly, without any attempt to hide his thoughts.
"Our connections are indeed solid, and we had some savings. At the beginning, fundraising went very smoothly. In fact, the breeding house was already under construction."
"But who could have known that disaster would strike out of nowhere? A violent storm wiped out the entire construction site. This old man is still buried under massive debt. How could I have the face to borrow from others again? All I can do is raise funds this way."
"Sigh… it's fate, I suppose. Why did Kyogre have to suddenly come onto land? Such terrible luck."
Takeda Jiro didn't hide anything and frankly explained the reason and their current predicament.
"..."
After hearing this, a strong wave of guilt surged through Sato's heart. So this was the truth—their current misfortune was actually his doing.
Thinking back now, the route he had used to lure Kyogre really had passed very close to Route 117—no, it had gone straight through Route 117.
Clearly, Kyogre's passage was anything but harmless. The extreme weather it created had brought enormous disaster to countless people.
"S-so that's how it is. May I ask how much you're still short, sir? I know my means are limited, but I do have some savings. With the two of you involved, this breeding house is guaranteed to be a profitable investment."
This time, Sato didn't hesitate at all. He directly offered to invest in the breeding house.
"Setting aside the debt for now, just building the most basic breeding house still requires at least two to three hundred million PokeDollars. And that's only construction—once you add renovation and other expenses, the total will be even higher."
Hearing Sato's willingness to invest, Takeda Jiro's expression brightened, but when he thought of the massive funding gap, he couldn't help but sigh again.
"There's over sixty million PokeDollars in this card. Sorry—this is all I can manage for now."
Sato immediately took out an unregistered bank card and handed it to Takeda Jiro, his expression tinged with apology.
"Don't say that at all. With your timely injection of funds, my breeding house can finally resume construction. Once work restarts, raising the remaining funds won't be nearly as difficult. This really is life-saving rain, young man."
Takeda Jiro was genuinely shocked that someone so young could take out over sixty million PokeDollars so casually.
After a moment, his gaze shifted to the Pikachu on Sato's shoulder, and realization dawned. His expression turned excited as he spoke:
"In that case, you'll take one-third of the shares in the breeding house."