Chapter 602: A Bounty of Rare Stones!
Chapter 602: A Bounty of Rare Stones!
Carlos Region, Miar City.
As Shizuru and Gogoat arrived in the city, the time was just approaching 9 a.m.
The once peaceful city gradually came to life, like a giant beast awakening from its slumber.
Pebble-paved streets encircled the outer perimeter of the city, surrounding the office buildings. The interior avenues boasted typical Parisian architecture, with wide roads providing safe and convenient transportation throughout the city. A slanted river stream flowed through the city's center.
Undoubtedly, this was a bustling metropolis filled with romantic charm and artistic ambiance!
As Shizuru and his Pokemon walked along the streets, Gogoat, who had stood out prominently in Zekin Town, now seemed rather ordinary amidst the diverse Pokemon roaming the streets.
There were tall Riding Gogoats, elegantly dressed Delcatty, cool and stylish Loudred, and even a tough-looking Pancham with a mouthful of grass, looking fierce.
As they walked, they noticed various cafes lining the streets, indicating a thriving cafe culture.
Names like Whirling Cafe, Handsome Cafe, Loquat Cafe, Clap Cafe, Trendy Cafe, and Woof Woof Cafe adorned the establishments.
Well-dressed, sophisticated individuals frequented these cafes, sipping coffee by the window and reading old-fashioned newspapers.
"Ah, gah..." Gogoat had never seen such a prosperous metropolis. Compared to Miar City, Zekin Town seemed like a backward rural town!
Meanwhile, Shizuru noticed a movie poster of Caruna on a billboard.
Caruna, the Champion of the Carlos Region, was also a famous female celebrity.
However, due to her defeats against Satoshi in the anime, Fire King in the manga, and the players in the games, Caruna earned the nickname "Weakest Champion" among players.
"I wonder how strong Caruna is in this world," Shizuru wondered curiously.
Unfortunately, he had not come to Miar City to investigate Caruna's strength.
Following Autumn Avenue, Shizuru soon found No. 203 on the pebble street, as mentioned on the forum.
He knocked on the door, and after a while, footsteps approached from inside. The door opened, revealing a tanned, rugged-looking man in hiking gear.
Undoubtedly, this was the "Mountain Man" who offered stone gambling services on the forum.
Shizuru briefly explained his purpose, and the man invited them in.
Mountain Man: "Please come in! You must be the guest from the Paldea Region, right?"
Shizuru had previously communicated with the man online, informing him of his planned visit that morning, making it easy for Mountain Man to guess his identity.
"Yes," Shizuru nodded slightly.
Mountain Man couldn't help but glance at Gogoat, admiringly saying, "Look at that graceful figure and those domineering eyes. What a handsome fellow!"
"Ah, gah!" Gogoat understood the man's praise and immediately puffed up with pride.
Shizuru: "..."
Mountain Man burst into laughter, "What an interesting Pokemon! Follow me, I'll show you the stones. Oh, by the way, there's another customer making a selection, so please wait a moment."
"Sure, no problem," Shizuru agreed.
Following Mountain Man, Shizuru and Gogoat entered his stone collection room, where a young man in a knit sweater was examining stones at a display cabinet.
Shizuru's gaze swept the room, noticing the identical setup to the online pictures. The cabinets lining the walls were filled with various stones.
However, it was impossible to identify the stones with the naked eye.
Each stone was either covered in a layer of brown dirt or encased in rock shards, revealing only a small portion. It was challenging to determine their contents based solely on these fragments.
At that moment, the young man was pacing in front of the display cabinet. After some time, he stopped at a particular stone and declared, "This is the one! Mr. Mountain Man, I'll take this one!"
"Are you sure?" Mountain Man asked.
"Yes! This must be the Kakureonwa Super Stone I've been looking for!" the man exclaimed confidently.
After paying, the man left with the stone to have it appraised at Dr. Bradano's lab.
As the man departed, Shizuru caught a glimpse of the stone, and its information flashed through his mind.
[Fishtail Fossil: A fossil of an ancient Pokemon that lived on land long ago, resembling a part of a fin. If given to certain fossil research institutions, it can be revived into the ancient Pokemon "Frost Dragon."]
Shizuru inwardly sighed, thinking it was a pity, but compared to returning empty-handed, the Fishtail Fossil was still a worthwhile find.
Because the long-extinct Frost Dragon is also an extremely rare and elusive creature in modern times.
"Your turn!" Shizuru chuckled, "These stones were all collected by me over the past two decades of mountain climbing. Those caves in the mountains, the underground tunnels dug by Diglett, and the paths where Onix has passed often have these stones."
"I'm not sure if there are any Pokemon evolution stones among them, but each stone is worth 40,000 League Coins. It's all up to your luck to see what you get!"
Shizuru nodded and approached the display cabinet, carefully scanning the stones one by one.
Gogoat felt his eyes go dizzy at the sight of so many stones.
"Ah-gah-ss..."
The Gold Finger activated, and information about the stones popped out one after another.
【Rock Shards: A food source for certain Pokemon.】
【Rare Earth Ore: A mineral composed of soil buried deep underground, it is Kirlia's favorite food.】
【Sandy Rock: A common item containing the power of sand. It can enhance the power of Sandstorm. Pokemon carrying this item will extend the duration of Sandstorm.】
"None." Shizuru scanned through the stones but didn't find any Super Evolution Stones. Most of them were rare soils and minerals, the kind that Rock-type Pokemon often treat as food.
Shizuru continued his search and soon, a particular stone caught his attention.
【Mystical Crystal: An important item, a crystal ball dug out from underground. Despite being covered in rocks and dust, it is very beautiful.】
Shizuru was slightly startled.
He remembered this stone; in the game, players could trade it with Daio for the Heart Drop.
"I'll take this." Shizuru picked up the Mystical Crystal.
"Alright!" The Mountain Man was delighted, earning another 40,000 League Coins. "Do you want to continue?"
Shizuru nodded.
Seeing this, the Mountain Man was thrilled. He had a big customer! He was going to make a fortune!
Shizuru continued his search on the display cabinet.
Aside from the ordinary stones, there were also many evolution stones on display, such as the Sun Stone, Water Stone, and more.
Shizuru didn't purchase these stones as spending 40,000 coins on them seemed unworthy, especially since there were plenty of them at the ranch, all collected by Teddiursa from outside.
Additionally, there were some fossils, but Shizuru wasn't very interested in them, so he didn't buy those either.
After Shizuru's persistent efforts, he finally found what he wanted after inspecting row after row of display cabinets.
【Tanabata Tengu Evolution Stone: A mystical Super Stone that allows Tanabata Tengu to Super Evolve in battle when held.】
Found it! Although it was a Super Stone for Tanabata Tengu, it was still a great start for Shizuru.
He immediately purchased it and then sped up his search.
"Fire Stone, pass. Hard Stone, pass. Common Stone, pass... Burwail Evolution Stone, huh? Another one?"
Shizuru picked up the stone.
【Burwail Evolution Stone: A mystical stone that allows Burwail to Super Evolve in battle when held.】
"Do you want to buy it?" The Mountain Man asked with a smile, as if he could see 40,000 League Coins waving at him.
He used to enjoy bringing back random souvenirs from his mountain climbs, never expecting that these souvenirs would make him rich! The Mountain Man was thrilled; he wasn't interested in Super Evolution since he wasn't a Trainer. Compared to that, having money meant he could do more.
Shizuru nodded and took the Burwail Evolution Stone.
The Mountain Man seemed to realize that the person before him was a big customer, so he found a box and followed behind, specifically for storing the stones.
In an hour, Shizuru had swept through all of the Mountain Man's collection rooms, acquiring a total of 1 Mystical Crystal, 1 Burwail Evolution Stone, 1 Tanabata Tengu Evolution Stone, 1 Beedrill Evolution Stone, 1 Kingdra Evolution Stone, 1 Golduck Evolution Stone, 1 Venusaur Evolution Stone, 1 Pinsir Evolution Stone, and 1 Mr. Mime Evolution Stone.
After clearing out the last collection room, Shizuru finally packed up these stones with satisfaction.
There were nine stones in total, costing him 360,000 League Coins.
The Mountain Man had a look of great fortune on his face. He never expected that the stones he casually picked up could sell for so much money!
Shizuru also had a look of great fortune, thinking that even if he and Qi Shu didn't need them, he could save them for Xiao Shu when he grew up!
"Welcome again next time!" The Mountain Man said with a grin.
If you find any new stones, remember to contact me." Shizuru handed over his contact information to the other party.
"No problem, no problem!" The Mountain Man was delighted.
"Then, I'll take my leave." Shizuru smiled slightly, then slung the backpack containing the Evolution Stones over his shoulder and walked towards the door.
As he reached out to open the door, a familiar face appeared before him the moment the door opened.
The visitor had silver hair and a handsome face, with his raised hand suspended in mid-air.
Was that... Daio?
Shizuru was stunned, and Daio stood frozen in his place.
After a while, Daio finally spoke, "Mr. Shizuru?"
Shizuru quickly snapped out of his daze and greeted him with a smile, "It's been a long time, Daio."
Five minutes later, at Yuyu Cafe on Autumn Avenue, Shizuru and Daio sat by the window, having ordered two cups of coffee and a plate of Pokemon snacks.
Gogoat sat beside them, happily munching on the snacks.
"Why is Mr. Shizuru in Miar City?" Daio asked.
"Super Evolution has been officially released recently, and I was thinking that perhaps my Pokemon could also undergo Super Evolution, so I came here to see if I could buy some Evolution Stones for my Pokemon," Shizuru explained. "What about you, Daio?"
"To be honest, I'm here for the same reason," Daio replied.
He had seen a post online about stones the previous day and had planned to come and see if there were any rare stones available, as well as look for Super Evolution Stones. He never expected to run into Shizuru here.
"So, Mr. Shizuru, did you find any Super Stones to evolve your Pokemon?" Daio asked.
"I found some, but I'm not sure if my Pokemon can use them. By the way, Daio, your Golduck should be able to undergo Super Evolution, right?" Shizuru said.
"Yes," Daio nodded. In fact, as soon as Super Evolution was announced, he had conducted a search in his stone collection and found the Golduck Evolution Stone and the Keystone. He had immediately performed the Super Evolution.
"You can go to Professor Burnet's lab for an appraisal. Professor Burnet will determine which Pokemon it corresponds to based on the energy waves in the Evolution Stone," Daio explained.
"Thank you very much," Shizuru said, even though he already knew this information, he still politely thanked Daio for his kind reminder.
Daio continued, "In addition to requiring the Evolution Stones, Super Evolution also needs the Trainer to carry the Keystone. Does Mr. Shizuru have a Keystone?"
"No," he hadn't found a Keystone from the Mountain Man.
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Daio's face.
He took out a bracelet from his waist, which he had originally intended to give to a friend. But since he had met Mr. Shizuru here, he decided to give this Keystone bracelet to Mr. Shizuru!
Shizuru was slightly taken aback and turned his gaze to the bracelet with the colorful stones embedded in it.
[Super Bracelet: A bracelet with a Keystone, which resonates with the Super Stone carried by the Pokemon, enabling Super Evolution.]
"This is the Keystone bracelet. With it and the corresponding Super Stone, you can make your Pokemon undergo Super Evolution," Daio explained elegantly. "Please accept it as a token of gratitude for what happened back then."
Three years ago, it was Mr. Shizuru who had helped them resolve the disaster caused by Groudon and Kyogre, restoring peace to the Hoenn Region.
Shizuru did need a Keystone, but he couldn't just take Daio's belongings without offering something in return.
After a moment's thought, Shizuru asked, "Have you found an Evolution Stone for your Golduck?"
Daio nodded slightly.
Since that was the case...
Shizuru thought of the Mystical Crystal he had just purchased from the Mountain Man.
As he took out the Mystical Crystal from his bag, Daio's gaze was immediately drawn to it.
That look in his eyes was one of seeing a beloved treasure.
Seeing this, Shizuru smiled and said, "Then let's exchange this stone with yours, Daio!"
Facing such a beautiful stone, Daio couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Watching Daio's expression, Shizuru couldn't help but smile. He took the Keystone bracelet and then pushed the Mystical Crystal towards Daio.
"It's getting late, I need to head back to the ranch," Shizuru glanced at the time and then stood up to bid farewell to Daio. "If you have time in the future, you're welcome to visit the ranch. My wife and I will definitely treat you well. Gogoat, let's go home."
"Ah, yes!"
Gogoat stood up and stretched his body like a big dog shaking off water.
"Then, see you later," Shizuru said, looking at Daio.
Daio finally reacted, nodding slightly. A smile appeared on his handsome face, and he nodded seriously, "Yes, I'll definitely visit you both."
(End of Chapter)
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