Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.
Silas froze.
Someone else wants this too?
Even though he already possessed a similar item, he wasn't actually sure what this stone was used for.
All he knew was that the ruins where he had obtained the previous one were connected to Deoxys and an even more powerful unknown Pokémon, and that the stone had been deliberately protected.
(See Chapter 118)
That alone suggested it might be extremely valuable.
But to anyone else, it was just a somewhat unusual-looking stone.
Silas had tested it before, Pokémon couldn't sense any difference between it and an ordinary rock, and instruments detected nothing unusual either.
"D-d-d—"
The stall owner suddenly started stuttering.
"Mr. Stone?!"
Hearing the name, Silas instinctively turned around.
Silver-blue short hair.
An air of confidence radiating naturally from within. A fitted blue suit paired with a white cravat.
There was no doubt about it.
Standing there was Steven Stone, the current Hoenn Champion, the eldest son of Devon Corporation's president, the future head of Devon, a notorious stone fanatic and collector, Wallace's closest friend,
and the only known owner of a Shiny Metagross.
Honestly, didn't this long list of titles sound even more imposing than Lance's single title of "Dragon Master"?
"Shh."
Steven gestured for the stall owner to keep his voice down.
He had no intention of getting surrounded and immobilized.
Even if this was only Johto.
The stall owner's eyes shone as he nodded furiously.
For a Trainer, meeting a Champion was the stuff of dreams.
"Are you interested in this stone as well?"
Steven turned to Silas, the other person competing for the right to buy it.
"I am," Silas replied calmly, nodding.
A flicker of curiosity appeared in Steven's eyes.
He didn't expect everyone to gasp at his presence, but Silas's composure was a little too calm.
The stall owner's reaction was far more normal.
"Hmm, I think I remember you."
Steven stared at Silas's face for several seconds before pulling up faint memories.
As Devon Corporation's heir, Silas's information would naturally have crossed his desk.
"You're Silas Alaric from Kanto, right?" Steven said with a smile. "Nice to meet you."
He extended his hand.
Just as the rumors said, Steven's manners were impeccable.
His warm, refreshing smile instantly put people at ease.
"Yes," Silas replied, quickly shaking his hand.
"I never expected to meet you here, Mr. Stone."
"Haha. I come here every year. You never know when you might stumble onto something unexpected."
Steven pointed at the unknown silver-gray stone.
"Like this."
Silas smiled helplessly.
Competing with Steven financially was pointless.
A Champion and a Stone, no less.
Frankly speaking, Steven could probably buy everything and every Pokémon, in this entire venue without blinking.
This was the true power of money.
Silas gestured that he would withdraw from the purchase.
Steven stepped forward without hesitation and began negotiating.
The result came quickly.
Steven traded materials worth around two million Poké Dollars for the silver-gray stone.
Despite his wealth, he clearly wasn't a fool throwing money around.
The stall owner's delighted expression showed he was more than satisfied with the deal.
He knew he could push for more, this was Steven Stone, after all.
But:
He didn't have the nerve.
And if he pushed too hard and Steven walked away?
This rare-but-useless stone would be nearly impossible to sell.
Aside from Steven, who would even be interested?
The young guy next to him didn't look rich at all.
Unaware he'd been mentally labeled a "poor guy," Silas watched Steven pocket the stone with visible envy.
But there was nothing he could do.
He still remembered a quote of Steven's that once went viral on Trainer forums:
"Which do you think is better for cooling off—an Ice Stone or an Icy Rock?"
Silas didn't know which was better for cooling down.
He only knew neither item was meant for that purpose.
Two million Poké Dollars wasn't unaffordable, it just wasn't worth it.
If he had that money, he'd rather spend it on training Pokémon than on a stone whose function he didn't understand.
Besides, even if he joined the bidding, did he really believe Steven wouldn't raise the price?
This was the man who once gave up his Champion title just to collect stones.
Two million?
Add two more zeros and Steven might consider it.
"Care to walk around together?"
After finishing the purchase, Steven extended an invitation.
Silas blinked, then nodded eagerly.
"Of course. It would be an honor."
Under the stall owner's jealous gaze, Silas and Steven walked off together toward other stalls.
"By the way," Silas finally asked after chatting for a while, unable to contain his curiosity, "do you know what that stone is actually used for?"
"I do."
Steven nodded casually, then paused.
"…Wait. You don't know?"
He had assumed Silas knew, which was why he wanted to buy it.
Could Silas be a fellow stone enthusiast?
Steven suddenly became interested.
"I don't," Silas admitted honestly.
"I found a similar stone while exploring some ruins once. It looked very valuable."
Steven nodded in understanding.
Then he glanced around.
"This isn't a good place to discuss it. Let's exchange contact info. When we're free, I'll explain it properly."
Silas agreed without hesitation.
Soon, Steven Stone's name was added to Silas's wrist device.
It now sat after Chuck, Lorelei, Lance, and Cynthia.
Elite Four + Champion contact progress: +1.
Add in Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, and various Gym Leaders, and Silas's contact list was nothing short of luxurious.
Honestly, with just this list, Trainers online would gladly pay 100 million Poké Dollars for it.
Of course, Silas would never do that.
…but showing it off a little was fine.
He casually took a screenshot, censored it, and sent it to his friends' group chat.
After that, no matter how much his wrist device vibrated, he didn't even look at it.
Meanwhile—
"How much is this stone?"
Steven lived up to his reputation, enthusiastically buying stone after stone.
Whether they had a function or not didn't matter.
As long as they were rare or unusual, he bought them.
As for fakes?
If anyone in the world understood stones better than Steven, it would be his father—the current president of Devon Corporation.
No one here had the ability or the nerve, to fool Steven.
Still, as the crowd around them grew and more eyes focused on the area, Silas began to feel the pressure.
Why does it look like they want to eat us alive?
Steven, however, seemed completely accustomed to it.
He chatted casually with Silas, smiling all the while.
Occasionally, he even waved to the crowd, triggering bursts of excited screams.
Thankfully, the Trainers here were relatively well-behaved.
If this were out on the street, Silas suspected Steven wouldn't make it out with his clothes intact.
At the same time, Silas wasn't idle.
Now that affection and affection-based evolution had been officially announced, the price of the Soothe Bell had skyrocketed.
Although he'd previously given some away or traded others, he still had three left.
Setting one aside for his unhatched Alolan Vulpix, he could still trade the remaining two for plenty of useful items.
As for Ralts, telepathy made the Soothe Bell unnecessary.
First, he traded one Soothe Bell to an Ice-type specialist for a large quantity of Never-Melt Ice fragments, Ice Powder, and Pinap Berries, all essential materials favored by Ice-type Pokémon.
Then, he traded the second Soothe Bell to a Trainer specializing in training equipment for a complete set of Power items:
Power Weight (HP)
Power Bracer (Attack)
Power Belt (Defense)
Power Lens (Special Attack)
Power Band (Special Defense)
Power Anklet (Speed)
Silas couldn't help but marvel at how complete the offerings here were.
Even in major cities like Saffron City or Goldenrod City, finding a full set of Power items was rare.
After all, these items lasted indefinitely and required rare materials and complex craftsmanship.
Previously, Blaziken and Pidgeot had only used simplified versions.
It was only because the concept of affection had been formally introduced that the Soothe Bell's value had skyrocketed.
Otherwise, even three of them wouldn't have been enough for a full set.
Of course, Silas knew the Soothe Bell's value was currently inflated.
Given time, it would eventually settle into a more reasonable price range.
That said, trades are always based on mutual consent, so it couldn't really be said that either side gained or lost unfairly.
Next came the true focus of Silas's visit to the exchange fair.
That was the seven remaining Rainbow Branches still in his possession.
The question was, how could he maximize their value?
Silas stroked his chin, sinking into thought.
Then he caught sight of Steven Stone's back.
Wait.
His eyes lit up.
Wasn't there a ready-made customer right there?
Although Corsola is called "coral," it's fundamentally very different from ordinary sea coral.
As a Water/Rock-type Pokémon, the branches it sheds are genuine stone.
And even for someone like Steven, Rainbow Branches weren't exactly common treasures.
Silas, who had just been lamenting his failure to snag that mysterious stone earlier, instantly grew excited.
This was what you called finding a way forward just when things seemed hopeless.
...
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