%…35%…
70%…
10%…
A fast-moving progress bar zipped across the screen.
Just like that—Ash had successfully copied Pidgeotto's entire move set using the Ascension Trainer System.
That's right. Ash wasn't just making money by helping other trainers teach their Pokémon new moves through his online shop.
He was also secretly using this business to copy powerful moves from their Pokémon and then...
Teach them to his own partners.
Resell the virtual TMs at high prices to other customers.
Most trainers put tremendous effort into teaching their Pokémon rare, powerful, or advanced moves—moves that wild Pokémon rarely knew.
And that's exactly why Ash's business had such prime inventory.
The truth was, wild Pokémon had shallow move pools due to limited levels and potential. For example, back during the Pokémon Summer Camp, Ash copied skills from four main groups of Pokémon:
Wild Pokémon from the valley
Pokémon belonging to the summer camp trainees
Pokémon used by the Saffron TV station
Pokémon from Professor Oak's research lab backyard
The ones from groups 1 and 2 were numerous—over six to seven hundred Pokémon in total. But because they were mostly around LV.5, the copied moves were mostly basic ones like Tackle or Tail Whip. Not very profitable.
Today, the first day of the online store's grand opening, his reputation and credibility were still being established.
And yet, most of the orders he received were for mid to high-tier moves—like Air Slash or Flamethrower—not entry-level basics.
Even though Ash had copied over a thousand moves from the wild Pokémon and summer camp attendees combined…
Not a single one of those basic moves sold on Day One. Not one.
On the other hand, the Pokémon that yielded the second-most copied moves were the 100 drone-controlled Rotom brought by Saffron TV.
Because those Rotom were all around LV.20, they had decently deep move pools.
Today alone, out of the 20 orders Ash accepted, several involved teaching Pokémon moves like Double Team, Electro Ball, or Confuse Ray—all of which were copied from the Rotom.
But the real jackpot?
The Pokémon Ash copied from Professor Oak's backyard.
Every Pokémon there had been entrusted by top-tier trainers, with average levels over LV.30. Their skill pools included not just rare moves but even high-value elemental finishers—some TMs valued at over a million Pokédollars on the market.
So it was no surprise that many of the high-end orders Ash received on launch day used moves copied from those elite Pokémon.
The key takeaway?
If Ash truly wanted his Skill Shop Empire to grow, he had to look far beyond wild Pokémon.
His business model was brilliant:
If middlemen buy low and sell high, Ash did one better—
He copied for free and sold for profit.
When trainers sent in their Pokémon for TM learning, he copied those moves using the system—without anyone suspecting a thing.
No one knew Ash had a system that could perfectly duplicate a Pokémon's entire move set.
To others, it looked like psychic-enhanced learning or technical wizardry.
But Ash?
He was making a zero-cost fortune off their battle-hardened Pokémon.
Every time he used a virtual TM to help a Pokémon learn a move, he got multiple new TMs copied for free from that Pokémon.
That was the real reason he was determined to open this shop—it was the perfect "infinite loot box" business.
"If only virtual TMs could be copied again after use," Ash sighed, gently stroking Pidgeotto's soft pink crest.
"Then I could create an endless loop of TM duplication… That'd truly be infinite profit."
—
Bzzz...
Bzzzt...
Before Ash could dive deeper into his scheming, more incoming Pokémon began to arrive through the transfer machine.
Pidgeotto had just arrived a moment ago, and now the other 19 customer Pokémon were being teleported in one after another.
Since it was around lunchtime, Ash worried that the Pokémon might not have eaten yet.
He released each one to check their health, asked them if they'd had food, and ensured none were uncomfortable…
But of course—his top priority remained:
Skill Copying.
Gotta secure that sweet virtual TM stockpile!
—
Ash knew better than to raise too many red flags.
That's why his store only accepted limited orders per day. He didn't instantly teach skills or return the Pokémon—no, he implemented a 2–3 day training window.
This gave him ample time to care for the Pokémon and copy their moves.
"I should order a fresh batch of Pokémon food from nearby Viridian City… I don't want my customer's Pokémon going hungry while they're here. That'd guarantee a flood of complaints afterward."
Ash chuckled, shaking his head as he carefully recalled all the Pokémon into their Poké Balls, and then placed the balls into the System Backpack.
The System Backpack couldn't hold living beings, but once Pokémon were inside Poké Balls, they technically counted as items between life and non-life, making them storable.
It was a clever loophole Ash had discovered—thanks to the system's degraded state after his reincarnation. Its original AI was practically dead, and most features were broken.
But it still worked well enough for his little exploit.
After all, these Pokémon were entrusted to him by paying customers. He couldn't risk any accidents.
—
With all 20 orders received and the store marked as "Full for the Day," Ash—now officially his shop's #1 Customer Support Rep—redirected all further inquiries to his fan groups.
Then, he logged off.
Even though he only accepted 20 orders, it did nothing to slow the hype.
By lunchtime, the number of followers for the store had already risen from 100,000 to over 120,000.
The fan groups on both "PokéPlus" and "TrainerNet"—Ash's two main social platforms—had each reached 8,000+ members.
To keep things readable, Ash created multiple groups, capping each one at 1,000 members, so messages wouldn't flood the screen.
"Ugh! Honestly, if I could just catch a Rotom right now, that would be perfect!" Ash muttered.
"If I had one helping me manage customer chats and fan group messages, I could finally take a break and be a proper hands-off boss."
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T/N:
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