Now you might be wondering how anyone watching on television would know who was bidding if every bidder stayed hidden in a secret booth.
The answer was simple. The live broadcast shown to the public was not truly live. The entire auction was recorded and edited before being released later that same evening.
Viewers at home would see the final version, complete with commentary that named the winners after each sale. A separate team of announcers provided lively narration for the online stream.
The privacy was only for the duration of the auction so that no one is shy against bidding anyone and no one especially team rocket would try to steal anything just after the auction.
Anything afterwards was not something Gladion cared for.
"The first item, let us start with a bang," Gladion announced. "It would be our first mega evolution stone."
The massive screen behind him lit up with a glowing purple stone. The image rotated slowly, showing every angle of the Gengarite.
Next to it appeared a detailed sketch of what a mega Gengar would look like.
"And the starting bid would be fifty million Pokedollars," Gladion said.
The next second he blinked in mock surprise. "Damn, that was fast. We already have our first bid from our guest in booth number thirty-two."
'Jeez, Agatha is quite fast with her bid. She must really want that mega evolution stones for her gengar but sucks to be her, I have invited some other rich ghost type specialist trainers too.' Gladion thought with a smirk as just like he expected another bid came in and the bid screen also told the new bid.
Gladion continued smoothly. "And we have fifty-five million from booth number seven."
He knew that the one who was in that booth was Phoebe of the Elite four of Hoeen, another Ghost Type specialist. And just like that the two Elite fours went in quite a bidding war.
The bidding climbed quickly. Numbers flashed on the screen behind Gladion, sixty million, seventy-five million, one hundred million. The two booths traded raises back and forth.
Other booths jumped in occasionally, pushing the price higher.
Gladion's grin grew wider with each new bid. "One hundred and eighty million from booth thirty-two. Two hundred ten million from booth seven. Two hundred fifty from booth fourteen. This is turning into quite the contest."
The war continued. Booth thirty-two refused to back down. Booth seven matched every raise. A few smaller bids came from other numbers, but they quickly dropped out when the price soared past three hundred million.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of rapid-fire raises, Gladion raised his hand. "Sold to the guest in booth number thirty-three for three hundred thirty-five million Pokedollars."
The screen froze on the final number. Gladion's wide grin was visible to everyone in the auction hall. He looked genuinely pleased.
Gladion knew that three hundred thirty-five million was a ridiculous price for one single mega evolution stone.
Things were exactly as Gladion had planned. No one outside his inner circle knew how many mega evolution stones he truly possessed. No one knew which Pokemon they belonged to.
Buyers had to assume this might be their only chance at a Gengarite. They bid as if their Pokemon's future depended on winning this one stone. Pretty sure the only person who would know the genuine price of a mega evolution stone would be Steven Stone, but he would not say anything. Considering if Steven was planning to earn money from them too, he would have to do it similarly to Gladion, through controlled scarcity and high-stakes auctions.
'But damn, Agatha sure has a large amount of money,' Gladion thought. 'Well, being that old and in the Elite Four along with being a high-ranking member of the Aura Guardians sure would come with a lot of income.'
He cleared his throat and moved on smoothly. "Now let us spice things up and mix it a little. Next up is a fossil Pokemon. It would be an Aerodactyl, a Rock and Flying type Pokemon. The bidding would start at five million Pokedollars."
The screen shifted to stunning images of the revived Aerodactyl. A list of moves appeared beside it, Rock Slide, Aerial Ace, Crunch, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power. Gladion highlighted the dragon-type moves deliberately. He knew certain bidders would notice.
The bidding started strong but steady. Five million jumped to eight, then twelve. Researchers and collectors entered early. Professor Birch from Hoenn, Professor Oak, Professor Elm from Johto, Rock-type specialists and flying-type trainers joined in too.
Unlike the Gengarite, people knew Gladion had more fossils. Three Aerodactyls would be sold today. The supply felt less limited. Bidders paced themselves. They dropped out when prices rose too fast, hoping to save for later items or the next fossil in the lineup. Still, the competition stayed fierce. No one wanted to miss out on a living piece of prehistory.
When the price reached one hundred fifty million, Professor Birch held the lead. He looked relieved in his booth, believing he had secured the win. Then another bid flashed on the screen.
"One hundred sixty million from booth number nineteen," Gladion announced.
Gladion internally grinned. He recognized the booth number. It belonged to an elder from the Blackthorn Clan.
The dragon specialists had taken the bait. Gladion had specifically highlighted Aerodactyl's dragon-type moves and dragon like appearance during the presentation.
The prehistoric predator looked enough like a dragon to tempt them. The Blackthorns wanted anything that strengthened their dragon legacy.
The bidding war reignited. Professor Birch raised to one hundred seventy. Booth nineteen countered at one hundred eighty. Other bidders dropped out completely. The two went head-to-head. One hundred ninety. Two hundred. Two hundred ten. The numbers climbed higher than most had expected for a fossil.
Professor Birch finally pushed past two hundred twenty million. Booth nineteen hesitated, then fell silent. Gladion brought the gavel down.
"Sold to booth number four for two hundred twenty-five million Pokedollars. Congratulations."
Gladion watched with quiet satisfaction. 'Jeez, it must really hurt for the Blackthorn Clan to give up on TV on a bid. But well, they are trying to save money for the mega evolution stones for the dragon-type or dragon-lookalike Pokemon, so it was understandable.'
-----Author Notes------
Y'all can read 22 extra chapters on my pat*reon.
https://pat reon.com/mrmime24
[No Space in pat*reon]
Thankyou for your support!