Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
At 11:30, the small auction began promptly. By then, most of the seats in the auction hall were already occupied.
While the items featured in small auctions weren't extremely rare, they catered perfectly to trainers with moderate financial resources.
Among the items listed, Sato's five high-quality Water Stones had successfully been registered for today's event.
According to auction rules, Sato's Water Stones would typically be scheduled for auction two days later. However, with the help of his new mentor, Kade, the process was expedited, and one of his Water Stones made it into today's lineup.
Kade, an expert appraiser, had estimated that Sato's five high-quality Water Stones could sell for at least 40 million PokeDollars, and with the aid of some strategic bidding, they might even fetch up to 50 million.
Evolution Stones, especially high-quality ones, were highly sought after by trainers.
With the limited availability of high-quality Evolution Stones on the market, their value often exceeded 8 million PokeDollars each.
Knowing this, Sato was satisfied with the potential earnings.
Before leaving Kade's room, Sato had also received a detailed price chart from his mentor. It confirmed that this sum would be more than sufficient to acquire the items he currently sought.
A glance at the auction catalog placed at each seat confirmed that today's event featured some of those items.
The auctioneer, Monica, was a tall, stunning black-haired woman of mixed heritage. Dressed in a black, form-fitting evening gown, she exuded an alluring presence that captivated much of the male audience.
Her every movement was elegant, and her charm created an electric atmosphere, prompting many attendees to bid enthusiastically—often paying above the average price for relatively ordinary items.
During the event, Sato successfully acquired an Icy Wind TM for 4 million PokeDollars. Although the move wasn't as powerful as Ice Beam or Blizzard, it had a unique spread attack effect.
Due to its limited combat efficacy compared to concentrated attacks, the TM typically sold for around 3.5 million PokeDollars. However, under the influence of Monica's charisma and strategic bidding by others, Sato paid an extra 500,000 PokeDollars for it.
As the auction progressed, one of the event's headlining items—a high-quality Water Stone belonging to Sato—was brought out.
As soon as it appeared, the pure, flawless Evolution Stone immediately drew the attention of trainers and representatives from various factions who'd been appearing quite disinterested since the start of the auction.
Evolution Stones were considered strategic resources, especially high-quality ones that could slightly improve a Pokémon's potential post-evolution. For the major forces, the more there is of it, the better.
High-quality Evolution Stones, nearing the quality of top-tier stones, were typically snapped up by major organizations to enhance their Pokémon breeding programs.
With their scarcity and strategic value, such stones rarely appeared on the open market. Sato's Water Stone, gleaming under the auction lights, quickly sparked a fierce bidding war.
Naturally, all the major forces have long since conducted their respective studies about the secrets of Evolution Stones.
The quality of the evolution stone having a noticeable effect on the Pokémon's development and potential post-evolution has long since been confirmed by some famous Pokémon researchers.
An evolution stone of medium-quality, apart from helping with evolution, would maintain the original potential of the Pokémon while a high-quality one can improve the potential of a Pokémon post-evolution.
A top-quality premium stone, however, would definitely improve a Pokémon's potential significantly post-evolution.
Some major forces have even used the help of science and technology to create a high concentration energy environment to artificially improve the quality of evolution stones in order to obtain top-quality evolution stones.
However, the cost of using such method might better be left to one's imagination.
Unless one can enter into the top circles, they might even have a chance to know the intricacies surrounding evolution stones.
Needless to say, in just a short while, the price of high-quality Water Stone soared past the average market value of 8 million PokeDollars. Middle-tier factions eventually dropped out of the race, leaving only a few large organizations and professional bidders to compete.
In the end, the stone sold for 10.2 million PokeDollars, purchased by a prominent trainer association from Hoenn.
"Now my wallet's full again," Sato thought to himself, suppressing a grin as the high-quality Water Stone fetched such a lucrative price. The sting of having overspent slightly earlier had completely vanished.
The high sale price of the Water Stone kept the auction's energy high. The second-to-last item was a crown once belonging to a princess from an ancient Hoenn kingdom.
It ultimately sold for a staggering 34.89 million PokeDollars to a wealthy businessman from LaRousse City.
What baffled Sato was the businessman's immediate gesture of placing the crown on a plump girl's head, mimicking a royal coronation ceremony. The surrounding audience applauded enthusiastically, seemingly approving of this extravagant display.
"This is their way of flaunting wealth? Why wear something from a dead person?" Sato mused, his outsider perspective unable to grasp the logic behind such a custom.
Finally, the auction reached its last featured item—a Pokémon.
The spotlight fell on a Pokémon distinctly different from its typical counterparts. It was a purple Wurmple—a Shiny Wurmple.
For the second time, after encountering his Shiny Wingull, Sato found himself face-to-face with another Shiny Pokémon.