Carterville was established here because of its clean water sources and abundant food, so the local market developed rapidly, making it a great city for shopping. Later, it developed into a port city, with ships coming and going frequently.

Stephen Clark wanted to go to the headquarters of the breeders, located in Springwater, and needed to rely on the ships here.

At this moment, Stephen Clark and Hunting Swallowtail had already entered Carterville. After nearly a week of traveling, Stephen Clark looked a bit travel-worn, but he had no energy to care about his appearance. Now, the most important thing was to quickly book a ticket and head to Springwater.

If he missed this breeder assessment, Stephen Clark simply couldn't afford the fatal consequence of waiting another year.

"I'd like a ticket to Springwater." Arriving at the shipyard's ticket office, Stephen Clark waited a long time before it was finally his turn.

"A ticket to Springwater, correct? Please wait a moment. Also, do you have a membership card or a trainer's certificate? With that, you can enjoy a 10% discount," the ticket seller said, operating the computer and looking up at Stephen Clark.

"No..." Stephen Clark shook his head.

"In that case, please show your ID," the ticket seller said.

Stephen Clark then handed over his identification. The ticket seller glanced at it, quickly typed a string of characters on the computer, and then returned it to Stephen Clark.

"Next, please verify your information. Name: Stephen Clark. Age: 10 years old. Place of birth: Cerulean City, Kanto region. Current guardian: Allen. Is there any issue?"

The ticket seller was correct. After confirming, Stephen Clark paid 2,000 yuan for the ticket, feeling a bit pained.

This was almost all the savings he had brought with him. Now, having spent it all on the ticket, he had nothing of value left.

"Alright, registration is complete. Thank you for your support. Please don't miss the departure time."

After receiving the ticket, Stephen Clark checked the information. The ship was the Breaking Waves, scheduled to depart at 7 a.m. tomorrow. It seemed he would need to stay here for one more night.

Walking aimlessly down the street, Stephen Clark suddenly remembered he still had some homemade gadgets in his backpack. He wondered if he could sell any of them.

"I remember Carterville has an open-air market." Thinking back, Stephen Clark recalled a place—Kaina Market, an open-air market selling all sorts of things.

Hurrying over, Stephen Clark realized he didn't have a stall of his own.

Shaking his head helplessly, Stephen Clark wandered around. Since he was already here, he might as well look around. After all, he had no money and wouldn't be tempted to buy anything impulsively.

Kaina Market sold a wide variety of goods. A plush doll worth 3,000 yuan made Stephen Clark click his tongue in surprise—it was even more expensive than the ship ticket. He really couldn't figure out what use it had.

Besides that, there were all kinds of rare berries, with prices ranging from a few dozen to several hundred yuan.

There were also some potions made by breeders, each worth nearly ten thousand yuan, making Stephen Clark marvel at the breeders' ability to make money.

For example, a potion that could boost a Pokémon's attack power was being sold for as much as 9,800 yuan a bottle. Seeing that other potions were about the same price, Stephen Clark shook his head. These things probably required at least an intermediate breeder's skill to make, and judging by the shopkeeper's appearance, they were probably just reselling goods, which explained the high prices.

"They even have something like this?"

Stephen Clark looked in surprise at a small furnace-like item, a bit taken aback.

It was the first time he had seen this in real life; previously, he had only seen pictures of it in books.

Sea Incense: An incense with an incredible scent. When carried, it increases the power of Water-type moves.

Although it's a consumable, it's still very tempting for trainers. Sea Incense is made from special flower petals and leaves. While it's not difficult to make, the materials are rare. Stephen Clark checked the price—it was also around ten thousand yuan.

A Poké Ball was only about two hundred yuan. Clearly, these things weren't meant for ordinary trainers.

Not staying any longer, Stephen Clark continued to wander elsewhere.

Kaina Market wasn't very big, and Stephen Clark was quick at checking things out, so before long, he had almost finished browsing the entire market.

Just as Stephen Clark was about to leave, he spotted a special stall. The owner was a girl wearing a hat, who looked quite young.

What caught Stephen Clark's attention was what the girl was selling. Walking up, he found the stall was filled with homemade potions.

These potions were scattered messily on the ground, with no descriptions, so very few people came over.

"Can I open one and take a look?" Stephen Clark asked.

"Of course," the girl replied in a childish voice, confirming Stephen Clark's guess that she was about his age. As for Stephen Clark's request, it was perfectly normal—buyers of these potions for Pokémon always had the right to inspect them.

With her permission, Stephen Clark picked up a small bottle, pulled out the stopper, and brought it to his nose, gently fanning the scent toward himself with his other hand to smell the liquid inside.

Without thinking, several names popped into Stephen Clark's mind.