There was one problem with Vespiquen's hive: its owner wanted an Elite Four-tier item in exchange.
Reiji wasn't convinced the hive was worth that much. Elite Four-tier items were valuable in their own right, and their prices varied considerably depending on the type and quality. The honey inside Vespiquen's remains was exceptional, but trading a fully finished item for it seemed excessive.
He still remembered what he'd paid to obtain his Elite Four-tier Damp Rock. That deal had cost him a fang from an Elite Four-tier Arbok, along with raw materials for a quasi-Elite Four-tier Dragon Fang.
The Dragon Fang materials alone had been worth nearly ten million, essentially covering the cost of turning Arbok's fang into a finished Poison Barb. Getting his hands on a completed Elite Four-tier item had certainly been expensive.
In Reiji's opinion, the Vespiquen hive was worth an Elite Four-tier crafting material at most. A dedicated Bug-type specialist might be willing to sacrifice a finished item to acquire it, but he wasn't prepared to make that kind of trade himself.
It wasn't as though he lacked suitable items. His recent battles against Elite Four-tier Trainers had been remarkably profitable, and Riku's brother alone had provided two valuable held items, one from Swampert and another from Gyarados.
Kazuma, the cargo ship's first mate, and the second mate hadn't been nearly as well equipped. Neither of their Elite Four-tier Pokémon had carried an item of comparable quality.
Apparently, even powerful Trainers sometimes couldn't afford to provide their Pokémon with everything they needed.
Down in the auction hall, the host was encountering the same problem Reiji had anticipated.
The moment she announced the seller's demand, the room fell quiet. Buyers exchanged glances, but nobody seemed willing to part with a finished Elite Four-tier item. Even those who'd been interested in the hive weren't prepared to commit to such an expensive exchange.
The silence stretched long enough for the host's smile to become strained.
Reiji decided to test whether the seller might accept something less valuable.
"I'll offer a fang from an Elite Four-tier Arbok. It's suitable for crafting an item."
His disguised voice carried through the speakers, drawing everyone's attention toward Box 22.
"I'm sorry, sir," the host replied. "The seller is only interested in finished Elite Four-tier items, not raw materials."
She seemed grateful that someone had finally made an offer, even if it wasn't acceptable. After receiving no immediate response from Reiji, she prepared to switch to a cash auction.
"Does anyone else have an Elite Four-tier item they'd like to offer? If not, we'll start the bidding at thirty million, with minimum increments of five—"
She stopped mid-sentence, pressing a hand to her earpiece.
The seller had apparently contacted her with new instructions.
A few moments later, she looked toward Box 22 again.
"Sir, the seller has reconsidered your offer. If you're willing to include one additional item, he'll agree to the exchange."
Reiji perked up.
So he wants something to cover the crafting costs?
That was reasonable enough. Turning Arbok's fang into a finished item required additional materials, and a quasi-Elite Four-tier item worth around ten million should make up the difference.
"I'll add a quasi-Elite Four-tier Sharp Beak."
"One moment, please."
The host listened to her earpiece again. The seller was somewhere in the audience and had heard the revised offer directly, so there was no need for a lengthy discussion.
Her expression brightened as she received his answer.
"Congratulations, sir! The seller has accepted your offer. That concludes the sale of Vespiquen's hive!"
The host wasted no time inviting further bids. An exchange involving a finished Elite Four-tier item would have been difficult to arrange, and now that the seller had accepted an alternative, there was little reason to prolong the proceedings.
At her signal, the staff carefully removed the hive from the stage and began bringing out the next lot.
Reiji had barely finished watching them leave when someone knocked on the door of Box 22.
"Come in."
The waiter entered with a trolley carrying the Beedrill stingers Reiji had purchased earlier.
"Sir, we've brought your previous purchase."
Reiji got up to inspect them.
Each stinger was roughly half a meter long, white and conical, with a broad base narrowing to a sharp point. They looked intimidating enough without the purple-black venom still clinging to their tips.
Drops of the substance had begun eating through the trolley's protective cloth, leaving small patches of damaged fabric beneath the stingers. A faint, acrid smell lingered around them.
Even after Beedrill's death, its venom remained remarkably potent.
Reiji reached out with his protective glove and touched one of the stingers, bringing up his proficiency panel.
[Beedrill (Deceased)]
Type: Bug / Poison
Gender: Male
Potential: 66.13%
Level: 63.22%
Ability: ...
Its potential is unstable. Maybe it couldn't withstand its own venom and ended up dying from it.
At least the readings confirmed that Beedrill had reached Elite Four tier before its death. The residual energy was still present, which meant the stingers should be useful for Accelgor.
The venom would require some attention, though. If it was already corroding the protective cloth, giving it directly to Accelgor would be far too risky.
I'll have Gengar help dilute it first. That should make it easier to handle.
Satisfied with the purchase, Reiji turned to Naoki.
"Pay him."
"Got it, Boss."
Naoki took fifty million from their cash reserves and completed the transaction with the waiter, who departed with the payment and left the stingers in their care.
The door had barely begun to close when another visitor appeared outside.
This time, it was a hunched elderly man wearing a mask. A younger waiter accompanied him, pushing a trolley loaded with a large container holding Vespiquen's preserved hive.
Even through the container, the remains gave off a faint, sweet fragrance.
"Sir, this gentleman is the seller of Vespiquen's hive," the waiter explained, stepping aside to let the two men speak.
Reiji examined the large container. Some of the honey had seeped out of the hive and collected at the bottom, and its distinctive floral scent was stronger up close.
"I'd like to inspect it first."
"Of course," the old man replied in a rough, low voice. "But I'll need to inspect your items as well."
"Fair enough."
Reiji returned to his bag and retrieved a glass bottle containing Arbok's fang and its venom. The poison inside had an unusual black sheen, and even at a glance, it looked considerably more dangerous than what had been left on Beedrill's stingers.
He also took out the Sharp Beak he'd kept since his earlier trip to Johto. It was one of the spoils he'd obtained after defeating an Elite Four-tier Trainer from his older cousin's family, who had pursued him during that journey.
With both items ready, Reiji approached the seller.
He handed over the bottle and Sharp Beak, then opened the container holding Vespiquen's hive and carefully touched the preserved remains.
His proficiency panel appeared immediately.
[Vespiquen (Deceased)]
Type: Bug / Flying
Gender: Female
Potential: 71.24%
Level: 69.11%
Ability: ...
Not bad at all.
Reiji had expected an ordinary Elite Four-tier Vespiquen, but the readings were even better than he'd anticipated. Its level had been approaching veteran Elite Four tier before it died.
That explained why the seller had been so reluctant to part with the hive for anything less than a finished Elite Four-tier item. The Pokémon had been considerably stronger than its appearance alone suggested, and the materials left behind reflected that strength.
For the first time, Reiji felt he might actually be getting the better end of the bargain.
He closed the panel and looked up, ready to see whether the seller was equally satisfied.
The old man had already taken out a Poké Ball. A large Beedrill appeared beside him, its wings buzzing steadily as it hovered in the corridor.
It was a particularly robust specimen, with powerful-looking stingers and the unmistakable presence of a well-trained Poison-type Pokémon.
The seller took a chopstick from his belongings and dipped one end into the dark venom inside Reiji's bottle.
At his command, Beedrill approached and cautiously sniffed the substance. Finding nothing immediately alarming, it extended its tongue and took a small taste.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Beedrill jerked violently, its wings beating so fast they became a blur. It struggled to maintain its position in the air, clearly overwhelmed by the poison's effects.
The old man immediately recalled it before the venom could do any further harm.
That brief test had told him everything he needed to know. The venom was potent enough to affect his own Beedrill so severely, confirming that the Arbok fang came from an Elite Four-tier Pokémon.
Satisfied, he sealed the bottle and tucked it into an inner pocket of his robe.
Next came the Sharp Beak. He weighed it in his palm, carefully examined its surface, and held it toward the light to inspect the texture and quality.
Unlike the raw fang, this was already a finished item, and after a thorough examination, the old man appeared satisfied with its condition.
He slipped it into a heavily reinforced pouch at his waist and turned back to Reiji.
"Any problems with the hive?"
"None. Everything checks out."
Reiji took possession of the container, completing the exchange under the supervision of the two waiters.
The old man seemed pleased with the outcome. He left without another word, his steps noticeably lighter than when he'd arrived, and the waiters followed him out.
Once the door closed, Reiji returned to his sofa with the newly acquired materials.
Gengar quietly restored the dark barrier around the room, cutting off the hidden surveillance equipment again. Only then did Reiji turn toward the shadow beneath his feet.
"Gengar, put the stingers and that container away. And don't even think about eating the honey. If I find so much as a drop missing, you're going to regret it."
"Geee?"
Gengar had been looking forward to getting its hands on the new purchases, especially the sweet-smelling hive. Reiji's warning immediately spoiled its plans.
Its usual grin disappeared, and it began protesting with a series of indignant cries, waving its stubby arms as though the accusation were completely unfair.
Reiji wasn't buying it.
"Don't give me that look. I know exactly what you're thinking. If you want honey, I'll buy you some when we get out of here."
He pointed toward the container.
"But that honey is for Scizor and the others. They need it for their breakthroughs, so keep your hands off it. All of it."
Finding materials this suitable for his Bug-type Pokémon hadn't been easy. If Gengar helped itself to the honey, there was no telling when Reiji would get another chance to acquire something comparable.
Gengar grumbled in response, clearly unimpressed by the distinction between ordinary honey and the exceptionally valuable stuff it had just been told not to eat.
Nevertheless, it obeyed.
Two chubby black hands emerged from the shadow and gathered up Beedrill's stingers. Then Gengar wrapped its arms around the container holding Vespiquen's hive and slowly drew everything into its storage space.
The entire process was accompanied by a miserable expression, as though Reiji had personally deprived it of the greatest treat in the world.
Once the last of the container had disappeared, Gengar sank back into the shadow without another word.
Apparently, the little glutton was in no mood to talk.
Reiji shook his head, amused despite himself. He'd have to keep an eye on Gengar once they returned to the villa, but for now, the materials were safely stored away.
He had just turned his attention back toward the auction when Naoki's excited voice rang through the private box.
Naoki was bidding on something.
And a short while later, he successfully purchased the item he'd been hoping to find.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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