Chapter 165: Steven Stone

"Wait... this... customer, don't you think that price is... a bit low? This is a medium-quality Pokémon, and it's also in its final evolved form." Cain's offer made all of the vendor's flowery words crumble in an instant.

Clearly, Cain wasn't just throwing out a random price; he stated exactly what he thought.

Cain glanced at him casually and commented indifferently, "Medium quality? It's just a Pokémon that barely reached medium quality. If it were a Pidgeot, I'd even give you 400,000 Pokédollars, but unfortunately, this is only a Fearow, and it's worth exactly what I said."

Although both Pidgeot and Fearow are final evolved forms, the price difference between them isn't small.

Pidgeot's base stats are much higher than Fearow's, and Pidgeot is also much more elegant. While appearance doesn't directly affect battle, the difference in style is obvious.

Think about it: both are Flying Pokémon, but one trainer is riding a majestic Pidgeot while the other is on a less attractive Fearow. Who would get more attention?

Furthermore, Pidgeot evolves from Pidgeotto at level 36, while Fearow evolves from Spearow at level 20. Comparing a three-stage evolutionary line to a two-stage line makes the difference in value obvious.

Cain directly exposed Fearow's initial medium quality, leaving the vendor with no more arguments.

Finally, with a pained expression, the vendor agreed, and Cain paid 100,000 Pokédollars, storing Fearow in his team.

The vendor had tried his best to get Cain to offer a bit more, even just a few thousand more, but Cain held firm at 100,000 Pokédollars, not budging an inch.

This Fearow had been up for sale for quite a while, and although many had inquired about it, everyone rejected it once they found out it was a Fearow. Fearow isn't exactly appealing, and the vendor's original price was way too high.

Cain smiled as he clipped Fearow's Poké Ball to his belt, satisfied as he left the black market.

Others might care about a Pokémon's appearance, but Cain wasn't the type to get carried away by superficial things. For him, utility was what mattered, although so far, most of his Pokémon were actually quite attractive.

A temporary transport like Fearow, which could be replaced if a better Pokémon came along, wouldn't be a reason for regret.

Besides, this Fearow was already tamed, so it would only need a bit of training to be usable. Now, when he needed to travel, he wouldn't have to exhaust himself running.

Leaving the black market, Cain didn't linger long in Goldenrod City and headed straight to the magnetic train station.

Previously, when he met Whitney, he had also taken the magnetic train. Although the ride hadn't been all that pleasant for Cain, the outcome was satisfying.

He had secured his first long-term client, who would regularly deposit money into his account, without worrying about any secrets being revealed.

When Cain arrived at the station, he noticed that only ten minutes remained before the last train of the day.

He quickly bought a first-class ticket and boarded the train just as the doors were closing.

In the luxury car, just like the previous time, there were two isolated seats in a private cabin, with excellent service and privacy.

When Cain entered, there was already someone seated.

The young man, upon seeing Cain enter, smiled politely and greeted him.

Cain looked at the young man sitting elegantly and felt a bit puzzled.

The young man had a refined smile and wore a suit that reflected a noble air. He wore a red bow tie, very much in line with aristocratic tastes, and his short silver hair made him look strikingly similar to someone Cain remembered.

Steven?

Steven Stone?

The future Champion of the Hoenn region? The master of Steel-type Pokémon, son of the Devon Corporation president, and young heir of the Stone family?

Cain couldn't believe what he was seeing.

But no matter how much he doubted it, he couldn't ignore the fact that the person seated across from him was Steven, though he wasn't yet the Champion.

Cain, though surprised, didn't let his emotions show on his face.

He returned the smile and slowly took his seat.

After Cain sat down, the train swayed slightly and then stabilized.

The train had begun to move.

"Is that a Skorupi?" Steven broke the silence first.

With a confident smile, Steven looked at the blue and purple Pokémon on Cain's shoulder.

Though it was phrased as a question, the confidence and certainty in his tone were unmistakable.

"Yes," Cain replied with a smile, stroking Skorupi on his shoulder.

Skorupi, usually asleep, woke up at the touch of Cain's hand.

It let out a small chirp, rubbed its cheek against Cain, and then slid down his arm, trying to climb onto the seat's armrest. Perhaps still half-asleep, Skorupi failed to grip the armrest's edge and almost fell, but its tail hooked onto Cain's clothing, preventing it from tumbling down.

With the help of its tail, Skorupi slowly pulled itself up and, on its second attempt, managed to sit on the armrest. It looked at Steven with curious eyes.

"Ha ha, what a charming little one!" Steven laughed, amused by Skorupi's behavior, and clapped his hands joyfully.

Cain also smiled and patted Skorupi's back. Thanks to the Miltank milk it had been drinking, Skorupi's outer layer was now very smooth and polished, almost like touching a jade stone.

"I've traveled to the Sinnoh region before, and Skorupi are more common there. You don't see many in Johto. Are you from the Sinnoh region?" Steven, after that brief interaction, had already grown quite friendly.

As heir to the Devon Corporation, Steven was skilled at handling social interactions.

And given his current position, he had no ulterior motives in talking to Cain, nor did Cain have anything that might interest him.

What could the Devon Corporation's heir possibly lack?

Although Cain's Skorupi was of good quality, for Steven, the attraction was simply that it was his first time seeing a young Skorupi.

"No, I'm from the Kanto region, and I found this little one by chance." Cain smiled and shook his head.

"Well, this little one is lucky to have found you. They're not always so lovely when they're born, but it seems you've put a lot of effort into raising it," Steven remarked, stroking his chin.

Although Steven had never seen a young Skorupi before, he was well-informed about Pokémon, even those from Sinnoh.

He knew that newly hatched Skorupi often had a rougher and duller appearance. Clearly, Cain's Skorupi had received a lot of care.

(End of chapter)