Chapter 283: The Sky-High Bounty
With his Five Tiger Generals safely recalled to their Pokéballs, Basalt slung his beloved dimensional backpack over his shoulder and boarded the flight to the Aridia Region.
The Takla Desert was located in the Tarim Basin in the southern part of the Aridia Region, about 3,500 kilometers from Centralis City. Flying there on Bronzong was unrealistic. While Bronzong's "propulsion cannon" acceleration could achieve high speeds, it couldn't maintain them for long. Moreover, the route passed through numerous dangerous wild areas like the Shennong Wilds, the Qinghai Plateau, and Dragon's Roar Mountain. With his limited personal capabilities, venturing through those places would be suicide.
Therefore, taking an Alliance commercial flight was the best option. Just sleep for a bit, and wake up at the destination.
"Hey, did you hear about that big thing that happened in Kalos recently?"
"You mean about the Cardia family's heirloom being stolen?"
Just as Basalt was chewing gum and putting on his eye mask to rest, he overheard a hushed discussion nearby.
The two men talking were seated to his left. They looked tough and rugged.
"The Cardia family?" Basalt paused. The name sounded familiar. Wasn't that the name of a luxury jewelry brand back on Earth?
His interest piqued by the conversation, Basalt's sleepiness vanished. He pricked up his ears, ready for some gossip. Eavesdropping – a fundamental human flaw!
The two men beside him looked to be in their forties. They seemed like trainers, and probably high-ranked ones. After all, with so many Flying-type Pokémon in the skies, airplanes needed top-tier performance to travel long distances safely, which made plane tickets expensive. Especially First Class – the price was exorbitant, definitely beyond the means of an average family.
The two trainers seemed to be old friends. The burly one with the thickset face glanced at the "sleeping" Basalt but didn't pay him much mind and continued their quiet conversation.
"Yeah, that's the one," the burly man nodded, sighing. "I heard the Cardia family's heirloom is called the 'Horn of Life.' It's an amber necklace, supposedly containing an ancient artifact shaped like a deer's antler, hence the name."
"The Cardia family has issued a massive bounty. Any trainer who recovers the heirloom will get one billion Pokédollars and the friendship of the Cardia family. Even providing verified, useful information about its whereabouts earns you a hundred million Pokédollars."
"Whoa! Throwing around hundreds of millions like that? The Cardia family really is loaded!"
"Isn't that obvious? This is the Cardia family we're talking about, one of the families that practically controls the Kalos League. They own countless businesses. After this happened, some foreign media outlets estimated their assets. Just their diamond business alone brings in tens of billions in profit annually. Money is just a number to them!"
"But it makes sense. The Cardia family owns a whole clan of Carbink. They just need to harvest some of the diamonds off their bodies periodically."
"Gasp~ Carbink? Those are incredibly rare Pokémon!" The other man sucked in a breath, his eyes shining. "And a whole clan! A self-sustaining clan... that's basically an inexhaustible diamond mine!"
"Like I said, money is just a number to them," the burly man shook his head, his eyes filled with envy.
Trainers like them, even though they had reached the Pro-level and held a certain status in society, still faced huge expenses raising their Pokémon. In a way, weren't they just another kind of "worker"?
"I remember the thief who stole the Horn of Life is from the Arad League, also a Pro-level trainer, right? Should we head over to the Arad League and try our luck? That's a billion Pokédollars we're talking about!" The other man's eyes narrowed, clearly tempted. Since they were both Pro-level, if they teamed up, they might actually strike it rich with a bit of luck.
"Forget it, the two of us?" The burly man's eyes lit up for a second, but then he shook his head. "Our strength is limited, and besides, the bounty hunters from the Unova League have already mobilized in droves. We're too weak to get involved. Plus, have you even considered the situation in the Arad League?"
The Arad League was a small league located in a region analogous to the Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea. It wasn't well-known or influential internationally. Although called a League, it was actually a monarchy, with all power concentrated in the hands of the king. The League itself was just a figurehead.
And the thief who stole the Cardia family heirloom this time was none other than the King of the Arad League's youngest son, Prince Malik Balushi.
Using his status as a prince, Balushi had gotten close to the women of the Cardia family. They hadn't suspected anything, never imagining a prince would turn out to be a thief. According to official reports, Balushi hadn't just stolen the Horn of Life; he had also abducted a significant number of Carbink. His motives were unclear.
Now, Balushi's whereabouts were a mystery, but most believed he had fled back to his own country.
So, the Arad League was currently facing immense pressure from the Kalos League, as well as dealing with countless international bounty hunters and opportunistic trainers trying to fish in troubled waters. The King was furious.
Rushing into the Arad League at a time like this without serious strength was asking for trouble. After all, even the smallest league had at least one Master-level expert guarding it. And without the protection of Alliance law, the international scene truly operated by the "law of the jungle," where strength was everything. One wrong move, and you could lose your life.
"You're right," the other man said, sobering up after hearing his friend's explanation. He nodded sensibly. "This mess is too deep. Better leave it to those with the strength to handle it."
"Exactly. Back home, our Pro-level strength is enough to survive almost anywhere. And the Alliance emphasizes leaving room for compromise, maintaining good relations. But internationally, Pro-level trainers are just small fry. Without a Gym Leader-level expert leading the way, you wouldn't even know how you died. Those foreigners play rough." The burly man sighed, clearly having learned this lesson the hard way.
"Ah well, don't think too much about it. We'll just wait and see how it plays out. By the way, I heard your Kangaskhan..."
Having finished discussing the Cardia family affair, the two men started talking about their own Pokémon training. Basalt completely lost interest. Although they were Pro-level, a rank higher than him, their understanding of training theory couldn't compare to his.
"Cardia Family? Arad League? Carbink? Horn of Life?"
Basalt mulled over the keywords. It was indeed a juicy piece of gossip. Especially that billion-Pokédollar reward... that was enough to buy a Smooth Rock Crystal.
And if he got the ten billion reward? He'd be set for life.
"If I had ten billion Pokédollars, Jangmo-o, Gible, and Riolu... I'd take them all!" Basalt sighed inwardly. "As for Carbink... they're nice, but still missing something. Now, if it were Diancie, that would be amazing!"
Basalt continued his daydream, pretending to sleep, imagining a future where he crushed Kalos League Elites underfoot and kicked Unova League Champions around.
Before he knew it, he had actually fallen asleep.
When he woke up, the plane had already landed at the airport in the provincial capital of the Aridia Region.
Following the crowd out of the terminal, Basalt adjusted his baseball cap and looked up, immediately spotting a sign being held up. On it were written the words: "Centralis University".
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