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Chapter 54: The 0.5% Share
🕑 Added 2025-01-28 13:44:10 +0000 UTCChapter 54: The 0.5% Share
Meeting their questioning gazes, Steven smiled and handed over a revised contract.
Asahi took it and quickly skimmed through. The terms were mostly the same as the previous version, with one notable addition:
“0.5% profit share on energy cube sales?”
Asahi was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Even Lance, seasoned as he was, couldn’t hide his shock.
As someone well-acquainted with such contracts, Lance knew that large corporations like Devon rarely offered profit-sharing deals.
Devon’s market dominance, especially in the Hoenn region, was immense. Even a 0.1% share of their profits was an astronomical sum, let alone a continuous 0.5% share.
This 0.5% would, in the long run, far exceed the five billion buyout fee.
Steven, aware of their astonishment, calmly explained, “Actually, before you arrived, Silph Co. reached out to me. They proposed a joint partnership to co-invest and share the formula.”
“Silph Co. contacted you too?” Asahi and Lance exchanged surprised looks. Neither of them had expected Silph Co. to actually approach Steven.
Was the profit-sharing clause Steven added a reaction to Silph’s persistence?
Just as Asahi entertained this thought, Steven continued:
“Our company has no intention of sharing the formula with any external entities, so I turned them down. But I also learned from them that you had refused their premium offer.”
“Twenty percent above the base price is a tempting deal for anyone, but you rejected it, Asahi...”
“Your sincerity in this matter was clear to me, so Devon must respond with equal sincerity.”
“If Silph can offer a premium, we won’t lag behind. This 0.5% profit share represents our commitment and our hope to establish a long-term partnership with you, Asahi.”
In that moment, Steven seemed to radiate an almost divine light.
This is the true power of wealth, Asahi thought, deeply impressed.
Without hesitation, he signed the contract with Steven. With the profit-sharing agreement in place, Asahi had taken a significant step toward financial freedom.
He handed over a briefcase filled with the energy cube formulas, each meticulously detailed with preparation methods, effects, flavors, and the Pokémon they were best suited for.
“I’ve poured a lot into these formulas,” Asahi said with a hint of nostalgia.
Over the past two days, Asahi had spent hours transmitting the formulas via telepathy to his Gardevoir, who helped document them. The downside was that Gardevoir hadn’t spoken to him for 24 hours since finishing the work.
Steven, misunderstanding Asahi’s words as a testament to the immense effort it took to develop the formulas, nodded solemnly and carefully secured the briefcase.
With the deal finalized, Steven visibly relaxed. “By the way, I heard from Lance that he gave you that gluttonous Bagon. How’s it treating you? That little guy gave Lance quite a headache.”
The Bagon had been a miscalculation on Steven’s part when he gifted it to Lance. To make up for it, Steven later gave him an Altaria instead, though for some reason Lance didn’t seem particularly thrilled about it at the time.
“I think it’s fine. Sure, it eats a lot, but it’s excellent in other aspects,” Asahi replied.
“That’s not just ‘a lot,’” Lance interjected, recalling the Bagon’s insatiable appetite during his time as its trainer.
“No worries,” Asahi said with a chuckle. “It’s evolved into Shelgon now, so it can’t even eat much anymore.”
Steven and Lance both paused, picturing the armored form of Shelgon. They couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.
---
The friendly tournament progressed quickly due to its 1v1 format.
By the time the three returned their attention to the arena, the competition had reached its final match.
The two strongest trainers now stood at opposite ends of the battlefield.
One was a young girl in a short skirt, a sun hat perched on her head, carrying a shoulder bag.
The other...
“Gary?”
Seeing the spiky-haired boy surrounded by a group of cheerleaders, Asahi was taken aback. He hadn’t expected to see Gary here.
“You know one of the competitors?” Steven asked.
“Actually, I know both of them,” Asahi replied.
“The girl is Green, my partner. As for the boy, his name is Gary. He doesn’t know me, but I’m well-acquainted with his grandfather, Professor Oak.”
“Professor Oak?”
Hearing the name, Steven’s interest was piqued. Turning his gaze to Gary, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of strength the grandson of such a renowned figure would display.
“The competitors have sent out their Pokémon! Green is using Clefable, while Gary has chosen Pidgeotto!”
“Asahi, who do you think will win?” Lance asked.
“Green,” Asahi answered without hesitation.
“Why?” Both Lance and Steven were curious.
From their perspective, the two Pokémon seemed evenly matched in strength. In fact, Pidgeotto’s flight capabilities might even give it a slight edge. So what made Asahi so confident in Green’s victory?
“I’ve been training Green these past few days. Her skills have improved significantly, so I have full confidence in her,” Asahi explained.
On the battlefield, Clefable attempted an Attract, but just as Asahi finished speaking, the move narrowly missed Pidgeotto, flying past its feathers. The bird seemed momentarily stunned but quickly recovered and retaliated with a Quick Attack, sending Clefable tumbling.
Lance and Steven exchanged glances, then looked pointedly at Asahi.
“...”
The situation wasn’t quite what Asahi had anticipated, but he wasn’t worried.
“It’s just bad luck that the move missed,” he insisted. “No big deal. Besides, Clefable has been trained to use Thunder Punch with a TM recently, so it has a strong advantage against Flying-types.”
However, as the battle progressed, Pidgeotto switched to a hit-and-run strategy, launching Air Slash attacks from the air while staying out of reach.
Clefable struggled, forced to use Minimize to dodge repeatedly. But despite its reduced size, it still took a hit from one of the attacks.
“A
sahi, maybe... don’t say anything more,” Lance suggested tactfully as Clefable was chased around the battlefield.
