The auction was about to begin.
A seductive woman stepped onto the stage, instantly drawing every gaze in the hall.
She had a beauty mark beneath the corner of her eye, and her black, short evening dress hugged her figure perfectly. The V-shaped neckline subtly revealed her delicate collarbones and a hint of fair skin. Her long legs, wrapped in sheer black stockings, traced out smooth, captivating lines.
In the quiet auction hall, the only sound was the crisp click, click of her high heels echoing across the floor.
"Good evening, everyone," she said with a charming smile. "I am Liko, Devon Corporation's chief auctioneer. I'll be introducing tonight's items."
A mature, alluring aura radiated from her as applause erupted throughout the hall.
Quite a few enthusiasts had been staring at her without blinking since the moment she appeared.
Even Chen Shi couldn't help but sneak a couple of extra looks.
Just as he was about to admire her a bit more, a voice with unclear intent sounded beside his ear.
"…Is she pretty?"
Chen Shi nodded instinctively, answering honestly,
"Yeah, she is. Those legs are better than my—"
He froze mid-sentence.
Slowly turning his head, he met a pair of eyes that were smiling—but definitely not kindly.
The next second, a scream like a pig being slaughtered echoed inside the private box.
"Aaaah—wait, wait—ow, ow, OW! I'm wrong, I'm wrong! That hurts, that hurts!"
"There are people here! Give me some dignity! I really know I was wrong!"
"Hmph."
Perhaps the last sentence worked. Cynthia let out a cold snort and finally released his ear.
The other three barely held back their laughter, looking at Chen Shi with undisguised schadenfreude as he clutched his ear.
The moment Cynthia spoke earlier, all three of them had sensed danger and wisely kept quiet.
They never expected this man to be this bold—praising another woman's looks right in front of the real deal.
Leon and Steven silently gave him a thumbs-up in their hearts.
Brother, you're ruthless.
Chen Shi rubbed his ear and cautiously glanced at Cynthia. Seeing that she was genuinely annoyed, he cursed himself inwardly for his lack of self-control.
Then he shot Steven an indignant glare.
This is all your fault.
Why couldn't you hire a male auctioneer?!
Chief auctioneer my ass—you clearly did this on purpose to get me killed!
Steven, meanwhile, looked completely baffled.
What did I do now?
Why is he looking at me like that?
"Alright," Liko said smoothly, "without further ado, let's move on to our first item."
Two masked staff members carried up a tray covered with a red cloth. It didn't look very large.
The audience's attention instantly locked onto it.
"Our first item is a… top-grade Water Stone!"
With a graceful smile, Liko lifted the red cloth, revealing a sea-blue stone that emitted a soft, shimmering glow.
"Starting bid: five million League Credits. Each increase must be no less than one hundred thousand."
The hall stirred immediately.
This was just the first item, yet Devon had already brought out a top-grade evolutionary stone.
Anyone with a Pokémon that evolved via Water Stone knew just how valuable this was—it could significantly boost a Pokémon's future potential.
Normally, items like this were never sold openly. They were priceless and practically unobtainable.
"Five million five hundred thousand!"
Someone couldn't hold back and shouted a bid.
Another sneered. "Five and a half million? You think that's enough for a top-grade Water Stone?"
"Eight million!"
"Ten million!"
The price jumped rapidly.
In Box One, Chen Shi was mildly surprised by the appearance of the stone.
Steven wasn't exaggerating at all—Devon had truly gone all out.
Sure, Chen Shi himself had casually handed out several top-grade stones before—giving Cynthia a top-grade Shiny Stone, tossing Steven a top-grade Moon Stone at Meteor Falls…
But that was only to a handful of people.
Top-grade evolutionary stones were extremely rare.
Even Fleur and Togekiss had only evolved using such stones because his grandparents had exchanged favors and resources to obtain them.
Exchanged, not bought.
Togekiss had originally only possessed quasi-Champion potential. After evolving with a top-grade Shiny Stone, its potential jumped straight to Champion-tier.
That alone spoke volumes of their value.
Still, Chen Shi wasn't particularly interested in this Water Stone, nor were Cynthia and the others.
In the end, someone from a second-floor private box won it for 150 million League Credits.
A fair deal for both sides.
The second item soon followed.
A Prism Scale—the key item needed to evolve Feebas, known as the ugliest Pokémon, into the world's most beautiful one: Milotic.
In this world, Milotic's evolution method had long been discovered, so the moment the Prism Scale appeared, competition erupted.
Many wealthy young ladies in the hall lit up instantly.
And then—
Bidding went absolutely wild.
The men didn't stand a chance.
Eventually, a lady from a third-floor private box secured it for 50 million League Credits.
Chen Shi found that completely understandable.
Cute and beautiful Pokémon had always been irresistible to rich young ladies.
Several more items followed—each one rare and valuable.
But Chen Shi was mostly just watching for entertainment. None of them truly caught his interest.
Most of the items ended up in the hands of people seated in the private boxes.
On stage, Liko smiled softly once more.
"The next item is rather special," she said. "It is one of Devon Corporation's president's personal collections."
Two staff members carried up another tray, this one far larger than before, still covered in red cloth.
They looked noticeably strained.
The audience buzzed.
Devon's president's personal collection?
That meant Mr. Stone's collection.
Something he kept as a collectible—could it possibly be ordinary?
Anticipation filled the hall.
Liko slowly lifted the cloth.
And at that very moment—
Inside Box One, the previously relaxed Chen Shi shot upright as if struck by lightning.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
On his shoulder, Mew also stared at the item, surprise flashing through its eyes—
Along with a surge of unmistakable… delight.
...
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL