Bidding

A middle-aged man, around forty or fifty years old, walked onto the stage and said, "Welcome, everyone, for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend this auction hosted by the Bright Pearl Auction House's Verdanturf Town Branch. I am Matsushita, the host for today's event."

"Before the auction begins, I wish you all the best in bidding for the items you desire. Without further ado, let the auction officially begin."

As Matsushita's words concluded, a beautiful young woman stepped onto the stage, carrying a tray covered with a red cloth. She placed the tray on the table in front of Matsushita, bowed, and left the stage.

"Now, let me reveal the first auction item of today's event," Matsushita said as he slowly lifted the red cloth covering the tray.

As the cloth was removed, a golden scale about the size of a palm appeared before the audience. Under the stage lights, the scale emitted a faint, luxurious glow.

"This scale came from an Elite-level Haxorus, and it is its only reverse scale. As we all know, Dragon-type Pokémon only have one reverse scale…"

From the VIP room, Yuga had a clear view of the auction item being displayed downstairs. He had initially assumed that the Bright Pearl Auction House's Verdanturf Town branch, being newly established, wouldn't offer anything particularly valuable. However, the first item turned out to be the reverse scale of a rare, Elite-level Dragon-type Pokémon.

It seemed the auction house was indeed prioritizing the launch of its new branch.

Ordinary dragon scales are nothing extraordinary, but when it involves an Elite-level Pokémon and a reverse scale, the situation changes entirely.

A Dragon-type Pokémon only has one reverse scale in its lifetime, which doesn't shed unless the Pokémon dies. The scale contains the essence of the Dragon-type Pokémon's entire life. If the scale's original owner was an Elite-level Pokémon, its rarity increases significantly.

After Matsushita announced the starting bid, the guests began to fiercely outbid each other.

Twenty thousand, thirty thousand, forty thousand… The price of the reverse scale kept climbing until it reached 260,000, when a guest from another VIP room on the fifth floor successfully won it.

260,000 was nearly equivalent to the price of a Green potential Pokémon, yet it was spent on just one dragon scale. There was no denying the immense value of this item.

However, guests on the fifth floor were either wealthy or powerful, so it wasn't surprising for someone there to win the bid for the reverse scale.

Yuga also bid twice, but after noticing how the prices kept escalating, he wisely decided to give up.

While the reverse scale of an Elite-level Dragon-type Pokémon was rare, it wasn't something he absolutely needed.

The second auction item was a fist-sized, sky-blue pearl, said to have been produced by a mutated Clamperl. Typically, Clamperl produce pink pearls, so a sky-blue one was indeed rare.

However, that wasn't the main point.

Clamperl pearls are generally considered excellent materials to aid Psychic-type and Water-type Pokémon in their training, but their prices aren't typically very high. Yuga's Ecopark housed many Clamperl, and he sometimes sold batches of pearls, which generally went for around 10,000 apiece.

Although market fluctuations occasionally affected the price, the difference wasn't usually significant.

Even if this pearl came from a mutated Clamperl, its price wouldn't rise much beyond two or three times the normal value.

But this particular pearl was different—it was an antique, a collectible item that had once belonged to a princess of a small Hoenn kingdom from 700 years ago.

While ordinary Clamperl pearls are prized for their practical utility, the value of this pearl lay in its status as a historical artifact.

Yuga wasn't interested in pearls, and even less so in antiques, so he refrained from bidding.

However, other guests eagerly competed for it, and it was eventually won by a guest on the second floor.

The next auction item was an antique porcelain piece, which Matsushita introduced as being 1,500 years old. Yet again, Yuga wasn't interested.

However, many of the guests were passionate about collecting antiques, and the porcelain piece was eventually sold at an astonishingly high price, leaving Yuga utterly speechless.

For someone like Yuga, who neither understands nor appreciates collecting or cultural artifacts, the fierce competition among those bidding passionately was baffling.

Several items were auctioned in succession, but Yuga remained silent throughout.

The auction wasn't solely for trainers; many attendees were regular individuals. As a result, numerous auction items had no connection to trainers or Pokémon, leaving Yuga disinterested.

After another item was sold, Matsushita unveiled the next lot. This time, Yuga straightened slightly in his seat, showing a flicker of interest.

"I'm sure our trainer friends here can immediately recognize this," Matsushita began, holding up a beautiful, multicolored scale. "This is a Prism Scale. With it, you'll essentially have a Milotic like Master Wallace's—such a noble and elegant Pokémon! Who wouldn't be tempted?"

Matsushita passionately promoted the Prism Scale in his hands.

As expected, the Prism Scale garnered much interest. Although the price of Prism Scales had been impacted by the advent of Beauty Pellets from YoYo Day Care, their value remained high.

On the one hand, evolving Feebas with a Prism Scale was quicker and more convenient than using Beautie Pokeblock. On the other hand, Prism Scales were visually stunning and incredibly rare, making them highly collectible.

Like a dragon Pokémon's Reverse Scale, a Milotic has only one Prism Scale in its lifetime, which doesn't shed unless the Pokémon dies.

While Milotic isn't a Dragon-type Pokémon, it's considered a pseudo-dragon due to its egg group and shares many similarities with Dragon-types.

The heavy competition drove the bidding war to an intense level.

When it came to items he had no interest in, Yuga refrained from bidding entirely. But for items that caught his eye, he wasn't one to hold back. Eventually, he won the Prism Scale for an astonishing 300,000—an even higher price than the Dragon Scale from earlier.

In truth, as an evolutionary item, the Prism Scale wasn't as valuable as the Dragon Scale, particularly since the latter originated from an Elite-level Dragon Pokémon.

However, Dragon Scales, despite their significance, weren't rare in the market. Prism Scales, on the other hand, were an entirely different story. The rarity of Milotic itself made Prism Scales a priceless commodity.

Yuga's decision to spend such a hefty amount on the Prism Scale stemmed from his curiosity to observe whether a Milotic evolved with a Prism Scale would differ from one evolved using Beautie Pokeblock.

He had never personally witnessed Feebas evolving with a Prism Scale.

The auction continued, showcasing a variety of rare and precious items, but Yuga refrained from bidding again. Mayor Ishida, however, made a few bids, though none were for particularly expensive items.

Then, a new tray was brought out, noticeably larger than the previous ones. Yuga's attention was immediately drawn to it.

"Our next item should pique the interest of many trainers," Matsushita began, slowly unveiling the cloth covering the tray. Beneath it lay a collection of stones in various shapes, now fully revealed to the audience.

"This is a set of fossils from fossil Pokémon. It includes Helix Fossil, Dome Fossil, Old Amber, Armor Fossil, Root Fossil, Claw Fossil, Skull Fossil, Cover Fossil, Plume Fossil, Jaw Fossil, and Sail Fossil—eleven types in total.

We guarantee that, with a fossil revival machine, each of these fossils can be successfully revived into a Pokémon," Matsushita elaborated with enthusiasm.

Yuga carefully examined the eleven fossils below. Though his Insight skill couldn't discern the potential of fossils, he remained deeply intrigued by them.

The Helix Fossil could revive Omanyte, the Dome Fossil could revive Kabuto, Old Amber could revive Aerodactyl, the Armor Fossil could revive Shieldon, the Root Fossil could revive Lileep, the Claw Fossil could revive Anorith, the Skull Fossil could revive Cranidos, the Cover Fossil could revive Tirtouga, the Plume Fossil could revive Archen, the Jaw Fossil could revive Tyrunt, and the Sail Fossil could revive Amaura.

Winning these eleven fossils in one bid meant obtaining all types of fossil Pokémon at once.

If Steven were here, he would undoubtedly be interested in these stones, even though he already had plenty in his collection.

"We will not auction these eleven fossils individually; they are being sold as a bundle. The starting price is 1.1 million. As for the potential of the Pokémon revived from them, that depends on your luck. Bidding starts now," Matsushita announced.

The moment Matsushita finished speaking, eager bidders began making offers. Clearly, many others were just as interested in the fossils as Yuga.

Some bidders wanted to buy the entire set as a collection, while others, like Yuga, were eager to revive them.

Due to the large number of competitors, Yuga refrained from bidding initially. It wasn't until the price skyrocketed to over 1.3 million that he made his first bid.

To be honest, these eleven fossils wouldn't have been worth such a high price individually. Even if you acquired the fossils, you'd still need to spend a considerable amount of money to use a fossil revival machine to revive them.

Of course, this didn't apply to those who simply wanted to purchase the set for collection purposes.

Additionally, the potential of the Pokémon revived from these fossils was unknown. If none of them turned out to have high potential, it would be a significant loss.

However, Yuga was willing to take the gamble. He wasn't short on money, and he hadn't made many purchases during this auction. Now that he'd come across something he really wanted, he didn't mind spending a bit more. After all, what if he managed to revive one or two high-potential Pokémon?

If even one of the Pokémon revived had a green-tier potential, Yuga would break even instantly. Though the chances were slim, there was still a small glimmer of hope.

Matsushita had mentioned that these fossils were carefully selected from a large pool by the auction house. While the exact criteria for "carefully selected" were unclear, their claim likely had some credibility.

In the end, Yuga won the set of fossils for 1.35 million.

Mayor Ishida, watching from the side, was astounded by how quickly Yuga spent money. As a small-town mayor without additional income sources, Ishida could never afford to spend as extravagantly as Yuga. For now, he could only enjoy the thrill of watching.

However, Ishida wasn't a trainer. Most of the items at the auction were of little genuine interest to him. The two items he had purchased earlier had nothing to do with trainers or Pokémon.

As more items were sold, the auction gradually entered its latter stages.

Judging from the quality of the items, Manager Ishida had clearly put significant effort into organizing this auction. While not every piece was a priceless treasure, each was undoubtedly top-tier.

The next items brought up were two Poké Balls. Naturally, they contained Pokémon. This marked the first time Pokémon had appeared in the auction, and there were two at once.

"I'm sure everyone is curious about what Pokémon are inside these two Poké Balls," Matsushita said, building suspense. "I won't keep you guessing any longer. Please turn your attention to the screen behind me."

This is the basic process for auctioning Pokémon: the big screen would display the Pokémon's image and some of its data, including its abilities, moves, and more.

This time, the screen showcased two Fighting-type Pokémon unique to the Unova region: Throh and Sawk.

Throh and Sawk are both pure Fighting-types and humanoid in appearance, each wearing martial arts uniforms with black belts. However, Throh is more muscular and has red skin, while Sawk is leaner and has blue skin.

The two Pokémon have overlapping abilities. Both have Inner Focus as a standard ability and Mold Breaker as a hidden ability. However, Throh's other standard ability is Guts, while Sawk's is Sturdy.

In terms of stats, Throh has higher defense and HP, making it more durable in battle, while Sawk is faster and has higher attack power, excelling in offense.

The Throh and Sawk in this auction had Guts and Inner Focus as their abilities, respectively, and both of them have green potential. Similar to the fossils earlier, they were being sold as a bundle, not individually.

There weren't many Fighting-type trainers present, and even fewer who were particularly fond of Throh and Sawk. If the two had been auctioned separately, there might have been more bidders, but bundling them together reduced the competition.

This worked out well for Yuga, who ultimately secured both Pokémon for a total of 900,000.

Market value for green potential Throh and Sawk is typically 300,000 to 400,000 each, but it's normal for auction prices to include some premium.

Moreover, since Throh and Sawk are not native to Hoenn, their prices here were naturally higher than in Unova.

Among the subsequent items, there was also a green potential Tepig egg. As one of Unova's Fire-type starters, this egg was highly sought after.

Initially, Yuga was interested in the egg as well, but because so many others shared his interest, the price skyrocketed. In the end, it climbed to nearly three times the market value of starter Pokémon. That was simply too outrageous, and Yuga wasn't willing to waste his money.

While it's normal for an item to fetch a slightly inflated price at auction, Yuga felt it wasn't worth buying if the markup was too extreme.

When the egg finally sold, Matsushita's face lit up with a smile so broad it smoothed out the wrinkles on his face.

One item after another sold successfully, with not a single piece failing to find a buyer, demonstrating Matsushita's skill as an auctioneer.

Finally, it was time for the grand finale, and Yuga was surprised to find it was yet another Poké Ball.

After hearing Matsushita's introduction and looking again at the screen, Yuga thought to himself, To bring out such a Pokémon, the Bright Pearl Auction House really went all out for Verdanturf Town.