While Ranma had to admit he really did need to stock up, personally, the pigtailed martial artist wasn’t sure what to think of the place. The only store he was used to was that asS-Mart place being run by that shotgun-totting asshole... Whatever his name was, Ranma couldn’t remember. That place was much larger than the small store they were in now. If anything, this place reminded Ranma of one of those convenience stores that were spread all about Tokyo.
Still, Jetta assured Ranma that this was how all ‘PokéMarts’ as she put it, were set up. Everything categorized by their effects and use, be it food, pokégirl containment balls, medicines, or just whatever. So, if Jetta said that this sort of setup was normal, then it was okay with Ranma.
Taking a look about, Ranma looked at the manager and the employee of the store. One was a guy with brown hair, the other a girl with long red hair with bangs that covered one of her eyes. By the name-tags, the man was named ‘Yuji’ and the possible pokégirl was ‘Miki’. Both of them wore similar store uniforms. “Kami-sama, why are they wearing PINK!?” Ranma mentally questioned.
Looking over her shoulder at her master, Jetta shook her head. She was trying to keep the prices in her head as she looked stuff over. She had looked through Ranma’s wallet before they left, (an action not normally condoned and frowned upon) but Jetta knew she needed to do it. She could already tell that Ranma wasn’t the type to watch his money. Hell, the first time they were in a store he just let them spend whatever. Still, they had over eight-hundred thousand slc left, and Jetta had to make sure it lasted, until they could actually get Ranma confident enough to maybe enter them in a tournament.
Yawning, Ranma leaned back. His eyes traveled about the store, more as to keep his eyes off of the Lupina’s ass than anything else. He noticed a whole bunch of those PokéBalls like he kept his pokégirls in. Some of them had different colors and designs, however, there ones that looked exactly alike, that looked like his with the red and white designs, and they were all priced differently. “Hey, Jetta,” Ranma spoke up.
“Hmm?” Jetta mumbled before placing down an Ice Heal she was looking at. “What is it, Ranma?”
“I’m curious,” Ranma started, “Why are all these PokéBalls at different prices? Especially the ones that look alike? I mean, two-hundred, five-hundred, and one thousand credits? They all look the friken’ same!”
Blinking, Jetta turned to look at the wall. “Oh. That’s simple. PokéBalls come in three strengths. Standard, Great, and Ultra.”
Blinking his eyes once, twice, thrice, all Ranma could say was, “Huh?”
Sighing, Jetta quickly explained, “Master a Standard PokéBall catches one low-level, (levels 1 to 30) pokégirl. A Great PokéBall catches one medium-level, (levels 31 to 60) pokégirl. And an Ultra PokéBall catches one high-level, (levels 61 to 90) pokégirl.”
Ranma nodded his head. “I’m not sure what these levels mean.”
Sighing, Jetta shook her head and walked over to Ranma, pressing her body against his. She went to kiss his ear a little, and whispered. “Ranma, stop asking me stupid questions like that in public. This is the sort of stuff a Tamer would now.”
“Sorry,” Ranma whispered back to the Lupina. His hands moved up and down Jetta’s back, avoiding the small of her back, as he didn’t want a repeat of the last time. “What about the other stuff? Those other PokéBalls.”
Sighing, Jetta knew that it was best to teach Ranma while they had time. Moving him about, and licking his neck, Jetta whispered, “Okay. That all white colored one is a Fast PokéBall. It’s made from White Apricorn. It catches fast pokégirls, like ones that have high agility like Cheetits or Chocoboobs, or use Teleport to get away, like A-bras of FairyCutes.”
Dipping Ranma, Jetta whispered, “That white and blue one is a LurePokéBall. It’s made from Blue Apricorn. It easily catches any pokégirl you get while using a fishing rod, like a Magicunt or even a Vaporita.
Licking Ranma’s cheek, Jetta moved Ranma’s head. “The all red PokéBall there is a Level PokéBall. It’s made from Red Apricorn and catches any pokégirl that’s lower-level than the one you’re currently using. The greater the difference, the higher the success rate.”
Leaning Ranma towards her, Jetta placed Ranma’s hands on her breasts and had him look over her shoulder. She whispered, “The white and black one is a Heavy PokéBall. Made from Black Apricorn, it makes catching heavy or large pokégirls like Geogal or Amachamp easier.”
Still keeping Ranma against her, Jetta moved his head so it was over her other shoulder. “The green and white one is a Friend PokéBall. Made from Green Apricorn, it’s an average PokéBall, but any pokégirl caught within it becomes very trusting of the user. Makes for easy taming and trading, but many cruel Tamers see them as devices used by sissies.”
“And finally,” Jetta pointed out the final model there, “The yellow and white one is the Moon PokéBall. Made from Yellow Apricorn, it only catches pokégirls that evolve with a Moon Stone, like Moonflowers or Lupinas like myself.” Jetta then quickly asked, “Understood?”
“Yeah,” Ranma mumbled, all the while hugging Jetta. He had to admit, it still embarrassed the hell out of him, but he was starting to get used to Jetta’s way of trying to talk to him in public. It did feel rather nice.
After awhile, Ranma broke away from Jetta. “So Jetta, what should we buy?”
Jetta winced. She was more than willing to explain things, but WHY did he have to say things out loud. “Master, I can only make suggestions. You should probably stock up on antidotes though,” Jetta made motion to a free shopping cart that Ranma should probably fill up.
Ranma nodded his head. He walked over to a wall with healing items. He took notice of all of them.
There was the most common item, a small green vial labeled “Potion”. The label said it would heal up to one hundred points of damage, (HP) and covers over most recent scars. At only 200 slc, how could Ranma say ‘no’? So he was about to put a few into the cart, until he saw something else on the shelf..
Next to the green vials were some blue vials labeled “High Potion”. This one would heal up to two hundred points of damage, (HP) and could regenerate lost digits. It cost 500 slc, but hey, it was more powerful. So he put a few into the cart he had out. He was more than likely going to need a few of these.
Ranma was pleased and then looked at the next item on the shelf. A red vial labeled “X-Potion”. Reading the label, Ranma understood this item would heal up to five-hundred points of damage and can regenerate lost hands and feet. While the cost was twice as much as High Potion at 1,000 slc, it did indeed heal more than twice as much ‘health’. So, Ranma took a few off the rack and put them into the cart as well.
And then Ranma noticed something in a glass case on the wall. Inside of it, there were five large clear square-shaped glass cases labeled “Megalixir”. The little newspaper article at the bottom of the glass case explained that the item healed and revitalized a pokégirl completely. However, it did not alleviate any status ailments, such as Faint or Sleep. Ranma wanted to buy one, but it was rather steep at 50,000 slc, so he had to pass.
Walking about the store with the cart, Ranma found the item he had come there for in the first place. A green plastic case with a skull and crossbones mark on it labeled as “Antidote”. Ranma picked one up, and read on the back that it a general antidote for all common poisons. The item, however, couldn’t stop specialized or combination poisons, like those made by the Widow. At only 100 slc, Ranma put A LOT of them into the cart.
Ranma stopped when he noticed another bunch of plastic cases. Ones that were red and had the sigil of a flame on them. Reading the label, Ranma found out they were “Burn Heal”, a must for anyone dealing with fire pokégirls. It wouldn’t actually heal any lost HP, but it would prevent the pokégirl from being injured further by the burn. Ranma considered it a steal at 200 slc and put a few into his cart.
Next up on Ranma’s little tour through the PokéMart was a pale blue plastic case with the sigil of a snowflake. It was labeled as “Freeze Heal”. Picking up the case, Ranma read that the medicine was a lifesaver for Tamers who deal with ice pokégirls or cold climates, as it would cure Frostbite. Again, at only 200 slc, Ranma put a few into his shopping-cart.
Looking forward, Ranma saw another yellow plastic case labeled as “Paralysis Heal”. Picking up one, Ranma could read that this unique cure could negate all forms of paralysis, whether it was magically, electrically, psychically, or poison-induced. Though no one really knew why. At only 150 slc, Ranma figured it couldn’t hurt to pick up a few cases, if the need came up.
Continuing down the aisle, Ranma saw a little item, a small bell which, much to Ranma’s impression was labeled “Bell”. Looking at a little sticker on the side, Ranma read that it would awaken any sleeping pokégirls within 100 feet. The Bell could be mass-produced, but the threat of juvenile pranks and possible deadly misuse keep most Leagues from allowing these to be made quickly. “Well, at least that explains the 800 slc price-tag,” Ranma thought. Though he didn’t put many Bells into the cart as he did other potions and items, he did take a few.
Turning the corner, Ranma saw pills on single plastic foil cards. At the steep price-tag of 2,000 slc, Ranma took one off of the hook it was on to see what the big ddeal was. It was a “Revive Pill”, Reading, he realized it could revive a fainted pokégirl with 50 HP. Most frequently found in fighting gyms, the Revive pill was always useful to have on hand. So, Ranma took more than a few off of the hook they were on and placed them into the cart.
Then Ranma noticed a few more pills, only they were larger. At a steep price of 8,000 slc, Ranma had to read what it was. “Restoration Pill”. It could revive a fainted pokégirl with 200 HP. The pill is coveted by those who wish to mass-produce them, but so far, the process for making them remains rather lengthy compared to the Revive Pill. So, Ranma decided to stick with the Revive Pill.
With his cart filled, Ranma decided to pick up a few more items...
Walking over to a wall with certain... ‘Toys’, Ranma shuddered. This stuff made him nervous as hell.
However, there it was in a corner. A metal box filled with balls upon balls of yarn, in all sorts of color. And at only 50 slc per ball of yarn, Ranma thought it was an absolute steal! So, he picked up numerous balls of yarn and put them into the cart.
Though she shook her head, the Lupina didn’t say a word. Jetta was catching wind of all the time Ranma spend with Britanny. In her opinion he was spoiling the titty-kitty. While she really didn’t mind that he would treat his pokégirls nicely, it made her a little jealous. Damn it, she wanted to spend time like that with him.
Watching her owner walk up to the cash register and start to pay for items, Jetta let out a sigh. “Well, he’s not stingy, that’s for certain.”
See other episodes by Red Priest of the 17th Order
(Posted Sun, 21 Mar 2004 17:17)
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