"Alright, please bring out Item No. 1."
Seeing the crowd already fired up, the female auctioneer tapped the hammer, signaling the official start of the auction.
"Tap, tap, tap~"
A beautiful waitress stepped forward with a silver tray and placed it beside the auctioneer.
"Shua!"
The red cloth was lifted, revealing a crescent-shaped stone lying at the center.
"It's a Moon Stone!"
"I wonder what grade it is?"
"Judging by its size and color, it shouldn't be low quality."
The moment the item was revealed, the crowd erupted into discussion.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you can already recognize it from the big screen. Yes—our first item is a specialty of Mt. Moon: the Moon Stone!
It can help Pokémon like the Nidoran line and Clefairy, which are unique to Pewter City, evolve.
And this one… is top-grade, nearly at the peak of its class."
As she spoke, the Moon Stone was magnified on the big screen.
"How much? Start bidding already!"
"Yeah, hurry up and give us the price!"
The crowd grew impatient.
"Brother Icarus, aren't high-grade evolution stones sold in stores? Why are they so excited?"
Seeing several dark-skinned trainers shouting loudly nearby, Airi asked in confusion.
"Uh…" Icarus hesitated—he didn't actually know—but before he could answer, a local trainer beside them spoke up.
"Heh, you're not from around here, are you?
Top-grade Moon Stones are basically controlled by the Wuneng family. Even in Alliance stores, you usually only find low- or mid-grade ones. High-grade stones appear only occasionally.
And around here, we have plenty of the Nidoran line. Nidoking needs a Moon Stone to evolve. This time, I'm definitely evolving my Nidorino!"
After speaking, he took out his Poké Ball, glanced at his Nidorino, then back at the Moon Stone, his eyes burning with desire.
"Oooh, thank you, big brother!" Airi thanked him politely.
Icarus nodded as well.
"Huh? A girl trainer?" The man suddenly noticed her voice and looked at Airi in surprise. "You came to buy Clefairy, right? It also needs a Moon Stone to evolve!"
"N-No, thank you…" Airi waved her hands and quickly declined.
"Tch… acting all high and mighty…" The burly man lost interest and turned back to the auction.
"1 million!"
He raised his sign and shouted loudly.
"1.05 million!"
"1.1 million!"
"1.2 million!"
The price skyrocketed rapidly from the starting price of 800,000.
Icarus watched silently.
No chance…
He quietly crossed this option off in his mind.
Even local trainers were fighting this hard for a high-grade Moon Stone. That alone showed how difficult it would be to obtain one elsewhere.
If he couldn't get a top-grade evolution stone, he'd rather not evolve at all.
For Icarus, if he wanted to go further, the final evolution had to be done with the best possible quality.
That was why he had sold the low-grade Leaf Stone he obtained earlier without hesitation.
"1.85 million, going once!"
As the price approached 2 million, the auctioneer struck the hammer for the first time.
"1.85 million, going twice!"
Seeing no new bids, she quickly added:
"Don't you want this top-grade Moon Stone? Nidoking is incredibly powerful—with a strong physique and versatile attacks! It's the perfect Pokémon for a real trainer!"
"Damn it… 1.86 million!"
The man in front gritted his teeth and raised his sign again.
"187!"
"195 million!"
Just as Icarus thought the man would continue, a voice from the corner suddenly raised the price sharply.
"I'm sorry… Nidorino…"
The man slumped into his seat. He was out of money.
"1.95 million, going once!"
The auctioneer's smile widened.
Her expected price had only been around 1.8 million—this was already beyond expectations.
"1.95 million, going twice!"
"1.95 million, SOLD! Congratulations to this trainer!"
This time, she brought the hammer down quickly.
Seeing many disappointed and frustrated faces in the audience, she immediately continued:
"Don't worry! Our auction lasts all day. There will be more Moon Stones of the same quality in the afternoon and evening sessions—and tonight, there will even be a superior-grade Moon Stone!"
"Oh! Then I'll definitely get one in the afternoon!" the man perked up again.
The atmosphere reignited instantly.
"Alright, now please welcome our second item!"
As usual, another waitress stepped forward—but this time, she was holding a bronze tray.
Icarus narrowed his eyes slightly.
So the tray color represents value…
Silver tray—nearly 2 million.
Bronze tray… probably under 1 million.
Looking at the red cloth covering the bronze tray, Icarus felt a spark of interest.