The auction host froze as Gengar's oppressive presence swept through the hall. She stared toward Box 22, too frightened to finish what she'd been saying.
The temperature had dropped several degrees, and the guests nearest the stage were beginning to shiver. Even those who hadn't heard Reiji's warning could tell that an Elite Four-tier Pokémon was responsible for the sudden chill.
"Please accept our apologies, sir. The stone is yours, free of charge. Consider it compensation for the inconvenience."
The middle-aged auction manager hurried onto the stage before the situation could escalate. He'd been overseeing the proceedings from backstage, and the last thing he wanted was an angry Elite Four-tier Trainer causing trouble in the middle of the League's carefully arranged operation.
He quickly dismissed the trembling host, bowed toward Box 22, and instructed his staff to deliver the stone immediately.
"Heh."
That was Reiji's only response, but the manager took his silence as acceptance and wasted no time making the necessary arrangements.
The host was ordered to deliver the stone personally. Still shaken, she carried it upstairs with both hands, stopping outside Box 22 to steady herself before knocking.
She was terrified of what might happen once she entered. Working aboard a Black Ship had taught her how little protection ordinary people enjoyed in the underground world, especially when dealing with powerful Trainers.
If the guest inside decided she'd offended him badly enough to deserve punishment, she couldn't count on anyone stepping in to save her. The manager had already demonstrated how readily the auction house would sacrifice an employee to appease an important customer.
By the time she entered the room, her hands were trembling.
Reiji looked at the stone she was carrying, then gave her a brief glance. She was attractive enough from a distance, but up close, the thick layer of makeup covering her face was impossible to ignore.
That's enough foundation to flour an entire batch of steamed buns.
Whatever charm she'd displayed onstage, Reiji wasn't interested. He had more important things to worry about than the host's appearance, and her frightened expression did nothing to change his mind.
"Leave the stone and get out."
She'd been expecting something much worse. In fact, she'd already resigned herself to the possibility that he'd demand sexual favors as compensation for her mistake.
Being told to leave came as an enormous relief.
The host quickly placed the stone on the table, bowed, and hurried out with the accompanying staff. She closed the door quietly behind her, grateful that the encounter had ended without further trouble.
Naoki waited until they were alone before looking at the stone.
"Boss, do you think that might be one of those...?"
"Could be."
Reiji had been considering the same possibility ever since Lucario reacted to the stone. There was a good chance it contained a Mega Stone, and given Lucario's unusually strong response, he suspected it might even be a Lucarionite.
If that turned out to be true, he'd just acquired an exceptionally valuable item without spending a single coin.
Still, there was no reason to examine it here.
"Gengar, put it away. We'll have a proper look when we get back."
Gengar reached out from Reiji's shadow, grabbed the stone with one of its chubby hands, and swallowed it.
Reiji would have to wait until they escaped the Black Ship to find out whether the stone really contained a Mega Stone and, more importantly, whether it belonged to Lucario.
Down in the auction hall, the middle-aged manager had taken over as host.
He wore the same dark suit as before, and his calm manner helped restore some order after the confrontation with Box 22.
Rather than dwell on the incident, he immediately introduced an item valuable enough to make the audience forget what had happened.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure some of you have already recognized this beautiful blue scale. It's a Dragon Scale, taken from the reverse scales of an aged Dragon-type Pokémon. Our specialists have examined it and confirmed that it has reached Champion tier."
The announcement caused an immediate stir.
"A Champion-tier Dragon Scale?"
"Is that supposed to be tonight's final lot?"
"Not at all," the manager replied with a smile. "This is an additional item we've decided to include as an apology for our previous host's lack of professionalism. Anyone interested is welcome to bid."
There was no starting price, but that hardly meant the scale would sell cheaply.
A Champion-tier Dragon Scale was an extraordinary item, and even guests who couldn't possibly afford it wanted to participate in the excitement. Some joined the early bidding simply because they knew wealthier buyers would eventually take over.
The price began at practically nothing, reached fifty million within moments, and soon passed a hundred million.
Watching from Box 22, Reiji could only shake his head. He would have loved to acquire a Champion-tier item, but the bidding was already moving beyond what he could reasonably spend.
Unless he emptied his remaining reserves, there was little point trying to compete.
The scale eventually sold for more than three hundred million to a mysterious guest occupying one of the private boxes.
Reiji had no idea who the buyer was, and he wasn't particularly interested in finding out. Whoever it was clearly had more money to spare than he did.
The manager followed up with another remarkable item.
"Our next lot is also a stone, but I assure you, there's nothing ordinary about it."
Several guests reacted skeptically, remembering what had happened with the Aura Stone. Before their complaints could grow louder, the manager explained what made this one different.
"This stone was once part of a Champion-tier Tyranitar's body. It contains an extraordinary concentration of Rock-type energy, along with traces of Dark-type energy."
He gestured toward the uneven piece of rock on display.
"It's an excellent resource for raising Rock, Ground, and Dark-type Pokémon. Anyone interested may bid, and once again, there will be no starting price."
Reiji immediately leaned forward to examine the fragment.
It was irregularly shaped and looked vaguely like part of Tyranitar's thigh. He'd spent considerable time searching for materials like this when preparing Rhydon for its Elite Four-tier breakthrough, but everything he'd managed to obtain back then had been Elite Four-tier at best.
Rock-type items, mineral deposits, specially prepared sand, and other training resources were already expensive enough. Finding something from a Champion-tier Pokémon was another matter entirely.
Now the auction had presented two Champion-tier items in succession.
The sheer quality of the merchandise was impressive, but it also made Reiji increasingly uneasy.
The organizers were going to extraordinary lengths to keep their guests interested. Considering everything he knew about the League's suspected trap, he doubted that was a coincidence.
For all he knew, some of the neighboring private boxes were already occupied by undercover League Trainers. The longer the auction continued, the closer everyone came to the moment when the League would make its move.
The Tyranitar fragment nevertheless attracted fierce competition. Its price climbed rapidly, passing a hundred million as buyers competed for the chance to obtain a Champion-tier training material.
The Orange Archipelago didn't have many Trainers who specialized in Rock-type Pokémon, but that didn't make the fragment any less tempting to Reiji and Naoki.
"Boss, are you interested?" Naoki asked, watching the bidding with barely concealed excitement.
His Larvitar was approaching the stage where it would form a cocoon and evolve into Pupitar. If he could provide it with energy from a Champion-tier Tyranitar, he believed it might eventually have a genuine chance of reaching that level itself.
Still, he wasn't going to compete against Reiji. If his boss wanted the fragment, Naoki would have to find another way to help Larvitar.
"Go ahead. It's yours to bid on," Reiji replied after considering it.
He wanted the fragment too. It could have significantly improved Rhydon's chances of reaching Elite Four tier, but he'd already sent Rhydon back to Cinnabar.
With Blaine overseeing its training, Rhydon should have access to the resources it needed. The old Gym Leader and his associates had spent years building their connections within the League, and Reiji was certain they weren't short on money.
That big lug can eat those old guys out of house and home for all I care.
Besides, Naoki's Larvitar stood to gain far more from such a rare material. Reiji was content to let him have this opportunity.
The bidding continued while Reiji leaned back and helped himself to another piece of fruit. The price eventually reached 150 million, at which point the competition began to thin out.
Naoki remained determined, and after several more bids, he finally secured the Tyranitar fragment for 190 million.
He was practically glowing with excitement as he waited for the staff to deliver it.
Watching him, Reiji suspected that Naoki's training priorities were about to change considerably. Rather than spreading his resources across several different Pokémon, he would probably concentrate on Ground, Rock, and Steel-types from now on, gradually developing a dedicated sandstorm team.
Any Pokémon outside those types might have to wait until his main team was properly established.
The staff soon arrived with the purchased fragment, and Naoki immediately turned to Reiji.
"Boss, mind checking it for me?"
"Open the door."
Reiji got up from the sofa, curious about the material himself. He'd examined plenty of Elite Four-tier Pokémon remains through his proficiency panel, but he'd never had an opportunity to inspect something from a Champion-tier Tyranitar.
The fragment was larger than it had appeared from the upper level. Up close, it was roughly the size of a single-seat sofa, and its surface was covered in irregular deposits of rock and hardened earth.
Reiji approached and placed his hand against it, expecting his panel to appear.
Nothing happened.
He tried touching several other areas, but the results were the same. Only when his fingers reached a faint green mark embedded in the rocky surface did the familiar panel finally appear.
[Tyranitar (Deceased)]
Type: Rock / Dark
Gender: Male
Potential: 81.01%
Level: 80.01%
Ability: ...
Well, that explains it.
The fragment really did contain remains from a Champion-tier Tyranitar, but the actual biological material was mixed into a much larger mass of ordinary rock and soil.
Only the greenish portion he'd touched had triggered the panel.
The Tyranitar itself had barely crossed the threshold into Champion tier, as its level reading of 80.01% confirmed. The material was genuine, but most of the enormous fragment was little more than debris.
Reiji withdrew his hand and nodded to Naoki, confirming that the auction house hadn't lied about its origin.
He returned to his seat, privately reconsidering the item's value. The amount of usable Tyranitar material was much smaller than the overall size suggested, which explained why the bidding had stopped at 190 million.
Experienced buyers had probably recognized the impurities and decided it wasn't worth competing any further.
Compared with the Champion-tier Dragon Scale sold earlier, this fragment was clearly inferior.
That thought brought Reiji back to the mysterious scale and its equally mysterious buyer.
Wouldn't surprise me if that whole sale was staged.
The auction's final attraction was supposed to be a Dragon-type pseudo-Legendary, and now a Champion-tier Dragon Scale had conveniently appeared as an additional lot.
It was entirely possible that the organizers had arranged for someone to bid on their own merchandise, creating the appearance of a genuine sale while keeping the scale in their possession.
Reiji had no evidence, but given the circumstances, he wouldn't have put it past them.
At the entrance to the box, Naoki finished paying for the Tyranitar fragment and wheeled it inside. Once the door was shut, he called to Gengar, which had been hiding in the shadows.
"Gengar, give me a hand with this!"
Gengar emerged to help store the enormous purchase. From above, the fragment hadn't looked particularly large, but now that it was sitting in front of them, fitting the whole thing into storage was clearly going to take some effort.
Gengar swallowed the largest portion first.
Naoki collected the remaining pieces, including a chunk about the size of a basketball and several smaller fragments scattered around the trolley.
Rather than store everything away, he carried the basketball-sized piece over to the coffee table and placed it in front of Reiji.
"Here, Boss. This one's for Rhydon. Think of it as a little snack."
Reiji stared at him for a moment, genuinely surprised.
"You didn't have to do that."
Naoki simply smiled, clearly pleased to be able to give something back.
Reiji accepted the gift. He'd spent plenty of time looking after Naoki and helping him develop his strength, and it was satisfying to see that his efforts hadn't gone unappreciated.
Not bad. He's learning.
With the fragment safely set aside for Rhydon, both men returned their attention to the stage.
The staff were already preparing another remarkable item, and Reiji found himself wondering just how much valuable merchandise the organizers had managed to gather.
If the League was using the auction to keep dangerous criminals aboard, it certainly wasn't being stingy with the bait.
"Our next lot is a pair of brown horns with a distinctive metallic texture," the manager announced as the staff uncovered a new display. "We acquired them from another region, and our research team has spent years trying to determine exactly what they are."
The horns were unusual, with a smooth, gently curved shape and a dull metallic sheen. They didn't immediately resemble any common Pokémon material.
The manager ran a finger along one of them, his expression suggesting that he wasn't entirely happy about offering them for sale.
In truth, the family had been reluctant to part with the horns. They'd invested considerable time into studying them, but the auction manager knew they no longer had the power to protect something this valuable.
Selling them now would at least raise money for the Gym his family hoped to establish on Pummelo Island.
"Our researchers still haven't identified the source of these horns," he continued. "However, they contain an extraordinary concentration of an unknown form of energy, and our measurements place that energy at Champion tier."
That announcement caught the audience's attention, although some buyers remained skeptical.
"Regardless of its exact nature, a Champion-tier material is extremely valuable. We also believe these horns may be connected to a Legendary Pokémon."
"Oh, come on," someone called from a private box. "You don't even know what they are. Just admit you're trying to get more money out of us."
The manager laughed rather than taking offense.
"Well, I certainly won't deny that we'd like to get a good price! So let's hear your offers. Once again, there's no starting bid."
He genuinely believed the horns had some connection to a Legendary Pokémon, but convincing wealthy buyers to share that belief was another matter. Without proof of their origin or a clear explanation of how to use them, the auction house could only rely on their unusual energy readings.
The first bids came quickly, climbing by a few million at a time as curious buyers tested how much competition there would be.
The price soon passed ten million and continued rising.
After all, even if nobody could identify the horns, the Champion-tier energy they contained was genuine. Someone with enough money and access to specialized researchers might eventually discover an extraordinary use for them.
But uncertainty had its limits.
As the price climbed past a hundred million, more bidders began dropping out. Spending a few million on a mysterious object was one thing. Gambling two or three hundred million on something with no known purpose was another.
Reiji, meanwhile, had been studying the horns ever since they appeared.
They looked strangely familiar.
Those belong to a Legendary Pokémon. I'm almost sure of it.
The horns looked familiar, but Reiji quickly ruled out Xerneas. Its magnificent, multicolored antlers looked nothing like the pair onstage, and Shaymin wasn't a convincing match either.
Then he remembered the original trio of the Swords of Justice: Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion. The horns on display looked more like slightly curved goat horns than deer antlers, and Cobalion's were the closest match he could remember. If his guess was correct, they should contain Steel and Fighting-type energy.
Reiji leaned forward, suddenly far more interested than he'd been a moment earlier.
Now this could be worth something.
Materials originating from Legendary Pokémon were exceptionally difficult to obtain. Most Trainers would never have an opportunity to see them, much less purchase them at an auction.
And these particular horns might be exactly what he needed.
With the right preparation, their energy could potentially help Scizor and Forretress break through to Champion tier.
Reiji remembered the specialized training formula developed by Shingo's family. Its effectiveness depended heavily on the quality of the materials used, which also determined how far the Pokémon's potential could be pushed.
Ordinary resources might be sufficient for raising an ordinary Pokémon, but breaking through to the highest levels required something considerably more valuable.
That was one reason Shingo's father had eventually abandoned further research into the method. The underlying theory was sound enough, but without suitable materials for experimentation, there was only so much progress he could make.
Now Reiji was staring at something that might solve precisely that problem.
He studied the horns again, comparing their shape to everything he remembered about Cobalion.
One of the advantages of having come from another world was his familiarity with Legendary Pokémon. He recognized creatures that many Trainers in this world knew only through scattered stories, and that knowledge could occasionally provide an enormous advantage.
This might be one of those opportunities.
By the time the bidding reached 150 million, Reiji had made up his mind.
He was going to compete for the horns.
The price was beginning to stall, largely because nobody could say for certain what the horns were or how they should be used. Most buyers were reluctant to spend close to two hundred million on an unidentified material that might ultimately prove useless to them.
Reiji had a much better idea of their possible value, and he wasn't prepared to let them slip away without trying.
There was something else he didn't know, however.
To someone familiar with the League's arrangement with the Black Ship's owners, a bid of 150 million could easily have been part of the compensation being offered to the family for its cooperation.
If Reiji failed to purchase the horns tonight, there was a good chance he'd eventually encounter them again in Kanto, stored away in the League's Champion-level treasury.
But Reiji knew nothing about those private dealings or the promises the League had made to the local family.
Right now, all he cared about was obtaining the horns.
If they really belonged to Cobalion, letting them go would be a mistake he might never get another chance to correct.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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