Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer

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"Saffron City's underground black market truly lives up to its reputation. Items that are rare elsewhere are found here with surprising ease. I never expected to locate a Light Ball, Pikachu's exclusive item, so quickly. Let's ask the price first; if it's reasonable, I'll buy it," Sato muttered to himself with excitement as he quickly recognized the electrically charged orb.

The Light Ball, also known as the Electric Ball/Orb, is an exclusive Pokémon item for Pikachu.

Unlike naturally occurring items, it is crafted by Pikachu themselves.

While Pikachu frequently displays extraordinary feats in the anime, the reality is that Pikachu as a species are naturally weak in base stats and require a Thunder Stone to evolve.

These limitations make strong Pikachu rare in the wild, often leaving them at a disadvantage among other Pokémon species.

Research by Pokémon experts reveals that elder Pikachu, to enhance their species' survivability, bathe in natural lightning before their death and use their lifetime-stored electricity to create a treasure—the Light Ball.

Typically found only within Pikachu communities, these treasures are usually reserved for exceptionally gifted Pikachu.

A Pikachu holding a Light Ball becomes immensely powerful, with its physical and special attacks doubling in strength.

This means a Pikachu with a Light Ball attains an Attack stat of 110 and a Special Attack stat of 100.

Paired with their naturally excellent Speed stat, they gain the capability to challenge stronger Pokémon head-on.

(Note - According to the Pokémon encyclopedia, Ash's Pikachu is indeed overpowered. Known as Partner Pikachu, its base stat total is 430, compared to a regular Pikachu's 320. With the Light Ball, Partner Pikachu's Attack stat reaches 160, and Special Attack climbs to 150, giving it the edge to go head-to-head with legendary Pokémon.)

The Light Ball's properties are highly unique.

Although its immense electricity makes it a valuable resource for Electric-type Pokémon, the energy inside behaves almost sentiently, recognizing its rightful user.

As a result, only Pikachu can fully harness its power. If used by other Pokémon, the Light Ball's energy will destabilize and explode, injuring the non-Pikachu user.

The vendor selling this Light Ball was also a Team Rocket member, wearing a mask and cloak like Sato.

However, from the silhouette under the cloak and the glimpse of pale legs, Sato discerned the vendor was likely a woman.

In addition to the Light Ball, this female Team Rocket member was selling two other rare items: a Sharp Beak, which boosts Flying-type moves, and Charcoal, which enhances Fire-type moves.

"A strong trainer," Sato evaluated. He sensed a faint aura of danger from her and, considering the rare Pokémon items on display, concluded she must be formidable.

"How much for this Light Ball?"

Enduring the electromagnetic force emanating from the Light Ball, Sato approached the stall and politely asked.

"10 million PokéDollars. Non-negotiable," the vendor replied in an indifferent tone, her gaze still fixed on the clichéd romance novel in her hands without even glancing at Sato.

Is the Light Ball worth 10 million PokéDollars?

Absolutely not.

Only a fool would pay such a price.

The Light Ball is an excellent item, but its utility is highly restricted to Pikachu.

If not for this limitation, specialists in Electric Pokémon would compete to purchase it even at prices exceeding hundreds of millions.

In the anime's third episode, Ash outright states that the Pikachu species are extremely common.

Beyond Ash and a select few trainers, almost no one used Pikachu in battle; they were primarily kept as pets.

This indirectly highlights Pikachu's perceived value among trainers. Without a Thunder Stone for evolution, Pikachu is viewed as a weak Pokémon—great as a pet but unsuitable for combat.

Moreover, once Pikachu evolves into Raichu, the Light Ball becomes unusable.

Every sensible trainer knows how limited the Light Ball's utility is.

From the general trainer's perspective, the Light Ball is decent but comparable in value to an ordinary Thunder Stone—perhaps even less. After all, a Thunder Stone evolves Pikachu into Raichu, whose base stats (486) surpass those of Pikachu (320) by a significant 166 points.

While the Light Ball adds 110 to Pikachu's stats, Raichu remains superior, offering more powerful moves.

The vendor's outrageous price of 10 million PokéDollars made Sato think she was crazy. However, he did not let his irritation show.

The immense electric energy contained in the Light Ball suggested there might be a reason for the price. He discreetly activated the system's appraisal function.

The next moment, upon seeing the Light Ball's details, Sato's heart raced, and a wave of astonishment surged through him.

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Light Ball Details:

Item: Mutated Thunder Orb

Effects:

Increases Pikachu's Attack and Special Attack by 2.5 times.

Grants Pikachu a continuous charging effect.

Bestows the Static ability to Pikachu.

Restriction: Can only be used by a Pikachu with a Gold IV Rating and the Lightning Rod ability.

Note: This orb was left by a powerful Level 83 Pikachu with a Gold IV Rating who, due to its Lightning Rod ability, absorbed electricity from battles with Zapdos, Raikou, Thundurus, and Zekrom. Through various serendipitous encounters, it refined this energy into the Light Ball.

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"Don't assume everyone's a fool. If you truly want to sell it, I'll offer 3.5 million. You know that's its actual worth," Sato said, keeping his tone calm while suppressing his excitement, ensuring he didn't betray any unusual interest.

The moment Sato finished speaking, the female Team Rocket member closed her book and stared sharply into his eyes, seemingly trying to see through him or pressure him into yielding.

Unfortunately for her, Sato remained unfazed, meeting her gaze directly. The tension between them grew, both exuding the kind of intensity that only those who had faced life-and-death battles could possess.

"With this book included, it's 10 million PokéDollars. Not a single cent less," she said coldly, pulling out a makeshift book bound with staples and photocopy paper.

"Deal. The Light Ball and the book for 10 million PokéDollars," Sato replied, crouching to flip through the book briefly before nodding in agreement.