Lance walked out of the Vortex Auction House with the small velvet case containing the Salamencite tucked securely inside his coat pocket.
After hours of tense bidding, after watching the numbers climb far beyond anything reasonable, he had secured the stone.
Mega Salamence would be his. The thought brought a quiet satisfaction.
But the victory came at a cost he could not ignore. He had used every bit of his personal savings to make those final raises. Even for a Champion like him, giving out such an amount was not an easy matter.
It would hurt his finances for years. Investments would need to be liquidated. Training budgets would tighten. Personal projects he had quietly planned would have to wait. He had known the risk when he kept pushing the bid higher, but he had pushed anyway.
He thought about why he had done it as he walked toward the waiting transport. 'I needed this stone. Not just for myself, but for Indigo. If I want to stay ahead of the curve both as a trainer and as Champion, I cannot fall behind. Other strong trainers would start having mega evolutions soon. Enemies who threaten the region will not wait for me to catch up. But still that was a tense Auction."
He had expected fierce competition from the Blackthorn elder. That had been certain from the moment the stone appeared on the screen. He had also anticipated Drake would join the fight. The old Hoenn Champion had the money and the motive.
But the fourth bidder had been an unexpected surprise. That mysterious girls with the powerful dragon aura had pushed harder with her bids as if they were desperate for the stones just like him.
What worried him most now was not the money he had spent. It was Claire and the clan's reaction. They had lost. Publicly. On a broadcast that would be seen across regions.
The elder would take it as a personal insult. Claire would feel the sting of family pride being wounded. Both would blame him in part for not stepping aside, for not letting clan interests come first.
He thought about the coming confrontation, 'There is no doubt that the elder and my cousin would want to get another stone from Gym Leader Gladion. But I am sure that they would be pretty arrogant in front of him. Ugh, they would cause me so much trouble as Champion."
"If they push too hard, if they threaten or demand, it could create a diplomatic incident. Gladion is not someone who bows to pressure. He has already proven that. If they make an enemy of him, it could affect relations between Indigo's Champion and one of its strongest gym leaders. I would have to step in and clean up the mess. Again.'
A small, wry smile broke across his face despite the headache already forming behind his eyes. 'Well, since they were bidding against me, I should let them meet Gladion. They need to be taken down a peg anyway. And I am sure Gladion would do so without hesitation. Let them learn what happens when you treat a man like him as just another trainer to intimidate. It might be exactly what they need to remember that the old ways do not always work anymore.'
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Gladion stepped into the meeting room at the back of the auction house. Two figures waited inside. The Blackthorn elder sat stiffly at one end of the table. Clair stood beside him.
Gladion gave a small nod as he closed the door behind him. "Elder. Gym Leader Clair."
Both returned the greeting with curt nods without a hint of friendliness.
Claire spoke first as Gladion took his seat. "Let us get straight to the chase. The Blackthorn Clan would like to have a Salamencite. Do you have more of them?"
Gladion smiled pleasantly. "Of course. But they are limited, so their price would match what was sold at the auction. It could be cash or items of equal value."
Clair leaned forward slightly. "Give us one for a billion Pokedollars, and you would have the gratitude of the Blackthorn Clan."
Gladion blinked once. Then again. He studied their faces to make sure he had heard correctly. 'Are they joking? They must be joking, right? Gratitude? Not even a favor?'
But their expressions remained completely serious. No hint of humor. No sign that this was a negotiation tactic. They genuinely believed their offer carried weight.
Gladion kept his tone even and polite. "I am afraid not. I would rather have cash or rare goods equal to the amount that the Salamencite was bought for at auction."
The elder's face darkened. He leaned forward as his voice edged with anger. "You dare reject our offer?"
Gladion did not flinch. He simply waited.
The elder continued with frustration, "You first revealed that Fairy Pokemon are stronger than Dragon types. That information alone damaged our clan's standing."
He paused, letting the accusation hang. "Then you had the gall to claim two legendary dragons as your own. Latios and Latias belong to dragon masters. You should have submitted them to us. Instead you parade them as your personal companions, as if you have any right to their loyalty."
Gladion remained silent, letting the elder speak.
"You think you can ignore the Blackthorn Clan?" the elder went on. "Your grandfather, that old bastard Maren Vortex, should have taught you the consequences of facing us. Do you know that he was part of the battles against our clan during the Infinite War? Our current grand elder and his Dragonite killed his Nidoking. And then that Dragonite ate him right in front of your grandfather. Maren watched one of his strongest partner torn apart and devoured. He never recovered from that shame. You carry his blood. And you will learn the same lesson if you continue to defy us."
The elder's voice grew colder. "We have tolerated your existence because you stayed out of our way. But this ends now. You will give us the Salamencite. You will give us any other dragon stones you hold. You will show the proper respect to the true dragon clan of Indigo."
"If you refuse, We will use every connection we have to turn opinion against you. Your businesses will suffer. Your reputation will suffer. And if that is not enough, we will find other ways to remind you that the Blackthorn Clan does not forget insults."
He leaned back slightly, eyes hard. "One billion Pokedollars and our gratitude is more than generous. Take it. Or face the consequences."
Gladion listened to every word without interrupting. His face stayed calm through the entire tirade. But as the elder finished, the small polite smile that had been on Gladion's lips slowly fell away. His expression became completely cold.
-----Author Notes------
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