Chapter Seventy-Four: The Lottery

"Kidd disguised himself as Child? Then where is the real one now?"

"Hurry! Get me in touch with him!"

"What? He called in sick for a tooth extraction today?"

"Damn it, Kidd must have intercepted his call and impersonated the museum, giving fake approval for his leave!"

Jiroji and Ginzo were both fuming with rage.

...

The real Child hadn't come to work at all today! Kidd simply intercepted their communications, so neither side noticed anything amiss.

Conan only managed to see through the trick because, after hearing how the warning letter appeared, he began to suspect something and later confirmed it with a test.

That note, which seemingly appeared out of thin air, was actually a thin sheet of ice created remotely by one of Kidd’s Ice-type Pokémon—it was frozen midair, which explained the dramatic reaction when it fell into Gyarados’ mouth!

At the time, the Ice-type Pokémon was likely on the ceiling, using psychic power to freeze a sheet of ice over the pool. It also wore clothes similar to Kidd’s, so it looked as if Kidd himself had made his exit from above.

As for the card with writing, "Child" had prepared it in advance, slipping it into place with sleight of hand while supporting Jiroji earlier. The real ice sheet had long since melted.

“So that’s how it was…” Amu had indeed found the “mysterious appearance” of the letter quite magical at the time.

But with Conan’s explanation, all the mystery was instantly dispelled.

"In fact, I’ve found some more clues—later, you can come with me…" Conan wanted to “borrow” Amu as a shield, since with his identity, it was hard to get permission to act alone.

However, Amu interrupted him: "I’ll pass; I have to challenge the Pewter City Gym tomorrow. I’ll come watch the excitement during the exhibition the day after tomorrow… Ahem, I mean, watch the exhibition!"

"Huh?" Conan was taken aback, seeing Amu was serious and not planning any solo investigation. Surprised, he asked, "W-wait, aren’t you curious what Kidd will do? Don’t you feel challenged?"

"Hah? How is this a challenge? The warning letter wasn’t for me… I’m a trainer and pharmacist, not a detective or a guard." Amu shot him an exasperated look, then turned and left.

Without Amu to act as his “guardian,” Conan no longer had a reason to stay at the museum, and was promptly led away by Ran.

Amu truly did need to prepare for the gym challenge…

Though the third badge wasn’t much of a challenge for Amu, the formal process still took most of a day.

—

The next day, May 4th, Amu and Misty headed to the Pewter Gym together.

The official gym in Pewter City required three-on-three single matches for the third badge…

Amu swept through the gym trainers with just a single Rhydon!

On one hand, the difficulty for the third badge wasn’t high; on the other, Rock-types are naturally countered by Ground-types.

Rhydon's low special defense wasn't an issue at all—there were few special attackers among Rock-types, and Amu didn’t face any in this challenge.

So, even with slow move preparation, Rhydon still sent the opponents scrambling, taking down all three in a row!

For Misty, it was equally effortless, as Water-types also counter Rock-types.

In the end, both of them once again declined the gym’s themed badge cases and boldly walked out!

“I’m meeting Sonoko and the others for shopping this afternoon—want to come with?” Misty asked Amu.

“I’ll pass. I need to check out the mall… I have to get ready before heading to Mt. Moon.” Amu hadn’t forgotten the “test” Professor Giantwood had set for him.

In fact, it was a kind of hint—the core area of Mt. Moon was probably home to many Clefairy.

But as one of the largest Pokémon habitats in the northern Kanto region, Mt. Moon could also be dangerous, so careful preparation was necessary!

And Misty’s “shopping” clearly wouldn’t include the outdoor gear section; Amu had no interest in girls’ shopping sprees, so he didn’t join them.

“Huh? You’re going today? Then could you help get supplies for me too?” Misty asked at once.

Amu didn’t refuse, because…

Mt. Moon was his destination anyway; Misty was only going along with his plans. Otherwise, with no Water-type Pokémon to be found there, she’d have no reason to go.

When they’d gone to Lake Shirataki, it was Misty who’d prepared all the waterside supplies.

Amu headed straight to the Daidoshi Mall, shopping according to the “Mt. Moon Adventure” recommendations…

Amu wasn’t stingy in this regard—he was willing to spend more for convenience and peace of mind, only refusing to pay for showy items like “themed badge cases.”

"If you’re going to Mt. Moon, you’ll definitely want a map! This one is the most detailed, perfect for first-time trainers!"

"This is a special insect repellent—at this season, there are lots of bugs on Mt. Moon. If you don’t have a Grass-type Pokémon, we recommend you bring some…"

—

“And here’s a collection of Mt. Moon legends…”

As expected, once Amu mentioned he was going to Mt. Moon, the sales clerk started recommending a pile of items.

He ignored the repellents—although Grass-types are weak to Bug-types, their pollen-based abilities are more than enough to keep ordinary insects away.

“But this map… Why does it only show the outskirts?” Amu noticed that the most crucial map was less detailed than the one in his own Pokédex.

“That’s the protected zone! At Daidoshi Mall, we don’t sell anything illegal,” the clerk replied quickly.

Now Amu understood: the outer region of Mt. Moon was open to the public, complete with hot springs and sightseeing spots, but the inner region was a protected area—not sealed off, but information was restricted.

Because the area was so vast, it was hard to enforce closures. Instead, the core’s details were classified—only trainers with nine or more badges or those with Indigo League clearance could access them.

And within the protected zone, there were limits on catching Pokémon: each trainer could only capture up to two per year, with Poké Balls recording the capture location.

Since the map only showed the outskirts, Amu lost interest and just bought some essential mountain supplies…

At checkout, the cashier suddenly called to Amu: “Wait, sir! You spent over three hundred thousand at the Mt. Moon counter, so you’re eligible for our lucky draw. Here’s your ticket.”

Seeing Amu’s lack of enthusiasm, the cashier added, “The prizes include not just souvenirs, but also vouchers for businesses at the base of Mt. Moon—very useful if you’re heading there!”

Amu felt it was even less useful—so they’d pegged him as someone going to Mt. Moon and used the opportunity for targeted advertising?

A win-win for Daidoshi Mall—they profited twice!

Still, when he passed the service desk and saw there was no queue, Amu decided to try his luck.

It was a simple lottery drum. To prevent cheating with Pokémon, the staff handled it. When a silver ball dropped out, the staff immediately called out, “Congratulations, a Silver Prize! You’re our first silver winner this year! Let’s see what you’ve won…”

Opening the silver ball, the staff paused for a moment before announcing, “It’s… mm, a complimentary suite voucher for the Yusen Onsen Inn.”

“Why’d you stop shouting?” Amu asked curiously.

“Haha… here you go, sir. You get a free night’s stay there. It’s a partnership offer—if the inn refuses to host you, you can complain to us. As for any other issues, our mall isn’t responsible,” the staff explained while handing over the voucher.

Amu grew even more suspicious—something was definitely off here!