Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

”An Elite Four-tier Swampert? Who the hell did that belong to?”

”Who knows? Some unlucky bastard probably lost a battle and had his Pokémon taken as spoils.”

”Imagine spending years raising a Pokémon to Elite Four tier, only to get yourself killed and have it sold off at an auction. That’s rough.”

The crowd had plenty to say about the first lot, though sympathy for Swampert’s former Trainer wasn’t stopping anyone from discussing its value.

”Look at its condition. It’s injured, but it hasn’t lost any of its strength. It’d make an excellent breeding Pokémon.”

”And it’s male. You could breed it with plenty of females. Even if only a few of the offspring turn out exceptional, you’d still make a fortune.”

The conversations gradually died down as the host raised her microphone.

”I’m sure everyone here understands just how valuable an Elite Four-tier Swampert is. I won’t waste your time explaining the obvious. With a Pokémon like this, you could establish a breeding program and produce a steady supply of starter Pokémon with excellent potential, possibly even offspring capable of reaching Elite Four tier themselves.”

She allowed the audience a moment to consider the possibilities before announcing the opening bid.

”We’ll start at 100 million! Minimum increments of five million!”

The price immediately discouraged most of the buyers seated on the main floor. Many had been eager to participate when Swampert first appeared, but 100 million was more than they could afford to spend on a single Pokémon.

Even the attractive host couldn’t do much to soften that blow. Most of the men below had no hope of winning the lot, so they settled for watching her instead.

The auction house wasn’t about to let its opening lot fall flat, however. One of its planted bidders quickly raised the price.

”Another five million!”

”We have our first bid! One hundred and five million!” the host announced, flashing a playful wink in the bidder’s direction.

Her reaction drew cheers from the crowd, and the mood quickly recovered. The organizers knew their audience well. Between the promise of an exceptionally valuable Pokémon and a host who was more than willing to play to the room, there was little danger of the auction losing everyone’s attention.

Then a deeper voice came through the speakers above the hall.

”Ten million more.”

The projection screens updated to display the new bidder’s private box number.

”Box 9 raises by ten million! That brings us to 115 million! Do I hear another bid?”

”Another ten million!”

”One hundred and twenty-five million! Anyone willing to go higher?”

”Five million!”

”One hundred and thirty million! Can anyone beat that?”

More bids followed, raising the price in increments of five and ten million. The host kept the competition moving, encouraging hesitant buyers while giving those in the private boxes enough time to respond.

Up in Box 22, Reiji and Naoki watched the figures climb across the projection screens.

For Reiji, every increase meant more money in his pocket. He’d expected Swampert to attract interest, but watching people compete over a Pokémon he’d taken from Riku’s brother was proving surprisingly entertaining.

”Naoki, how much do you think it’ll go for?”

”Hard to say, Boss. The market isn’t exactly in great shape right now.”

Naoki had spent enough time dealing with Pokémon buyers to know how unpredictable these sales could become.

”During a good year, a starter Pokémon like Swampert could easily approach 200 million, especially one at Elite Four tier. Water and Grass type starters are particularly popular. They aren’t quite as sought after as something like Electivire, but they’re still extremely valuable.”

He glanced at the latest bid before continuing.

”With the League cracking down on everything, though, people are being careful with their money. I wouldn’t count on getting the sort of price you’d see in a healthy market.”

”Yeah, the timing couldn’t be much worse,” Reiji agreed.

Still, he had no intention of holding on to the captured Pokémon indefinitely. The sooner he converted them into money and useful resources, the sooner he could put those resources toward strengthening his own team.

He’d originally considered selling all three of the remaining Elite Four-tier Pokémon, but offering that many at once would attract more attention than he wanted.

Besides, Tentacruel was in better condition than the other two and could afford to wait. Its injuries were the least severe, making it the easiest to keep until another selling opportunity came along.

For tonight, Swampert and Gyarados would be enough.

The bidding for Swampert eventually reached 155 million.

”One hundred and fifty-five million, going once! Any higher bids?”

The host surveyed the hall, making another slow circuit of the stage as she searched for someone willing to raise the price. She even allowed a couple of minutes to pass, hoping one of the wealthy guests would reconsider.

No one did.

”One hundred and fifty-five million, going twice! This is an Elite Four-tier Swampert, everyone. Are we really stopping here?”

Another minute passed without a response. The host finally accepted that she’d pushed the price as high as it would go.

”One hundred and fifty-five million, sold! Congratulations to our guest in Box 9!”

She reminded the winning bidder to complete the transaction promptly, explaining that an attendant would escort them to the seller.

A murmur spread through the audience as the sale concluded. Some were amazed that anyone had spent over 150 million on a single Pokémon, while others wondered who had enough money to make that kind of purchase.

The host gave them little time to speculate.

”Our second lot is another powerful Water-type Pokémon, and just like the first, it has reached Elite Four tier!”

One of the attendants stepped forward with the second covered tray. The host removed the cloth, revealing another information plaque as the projection screens changed to display the next Pokémon.

Auction Lot 2: Gyarados

Gender: Male

Strength: Elite Four tier

Condition: Injured, but the injuries are treatable and not considered serious. Retains its Elite Four-tier strength.

”An Elite Four-tier Gyarados needs no introduction. I’m sure everyone here knows what a Pokémon like this is worth!”

After checking the details on her tablet, the host announced the new opening price.

”We’ll start the bidding at 50 million, with minimum increments of five million!”

The starting price was only half of what they’d asked for Swampert, but Reiji wasn’t surprised.

The auction house had been in business long enough to know how to price its merchandise. Even without seeing its calculations, he could tell the organizers understood their customers and the relative demand for different Pokémon.

”Five million!”

”Fifty-five million! Do I hear sixty?”

”Ten million more!”

”Sixty-five million! Anyone willing to go higher?”

The bids came quickly. Although Gyarados wasn’t attracting the same enormous offers as Swampert, plenty of buyers were interested in acquiring an Elite Four-tier Pokémon at a more accessible price.

The host continued encouraging the crowd, occasionally approaching the edge of the stage to draw attention from the men seated closest to her. Some buyers seemed almost as interested in catching her eye as they were in winning Gyarados.

Whatever their reasons, the competition remained lively.

By the time the final bid was accepted, Gyarados had sold for 85 million.

Reiji now had two successful sales to his name, and the auction could finally return to its regularly scheduled lots.

Once Reiji’s two Pokémon had been sold, several workers brought a large iron cage onto the stage. It was covered with a black cloth, concealing the contents until the host stepped forward and pulled the covering away.

Inside was a Squirtle.

”Our next lot is one of Kanto’s famous starter Pokémon! As I’m sure you all know, Squirtle is particularly useful in a region like the Orange Archipelago, where Water-type Pokémon have so many opportunities to shine.”

Unlike the previous two lots, this was the sort of Pokémon the host was accustomed to selling. She seemed even more comfortable now that she could introduce the merchandise herself rather than rely entirely on its Elite Four-tier strength to impress the audience.

”This Squirtle has exceptional potential, and we have the test results to prove it. At least one of its parents was an Elite Four-tier Pokémon!”

That announcement immediately caught the attention of buyers who had been unable to afford Swampert or Gyarados.

”Even better, it inherited powerful moves such as Hydro Pump and the Psychic-type move Zen Headbutt! With the right training, this Squirtle has the potential to reach Elite Four tier!”

She raised her microphone and announced the opening price.

”Forty million! Minimum increments of five million!”

Just as the next round of bidding was about to begin, someone knocked on the door of Box 22.

Naoki opened it and found the waiter who had attended to them earlier. Behind him stood a masked man dressed entirely in black, presumably one of the buyers.

”Sir, this gentleman is here to complete the purchase of Swampert,” the waiter explained as he led the visitor inside.

The buyer went straight to the point.

”Where’s Swampert?”

”Where’s the money?” Reiji replied from his seat.

The man was completely covered, with only his eyes visible beneath the shadow of his hood. Reiji had no interest in finding out who he was, though. All that mattered was whether he had brought the agreed payment.

”Right here. All cash.”

He tossed a large briefcase toward Naoki, who caught it and opened it to inspect the contents.

The case was packed with bundles of cash. Naoki took out a bill counter from his bag and began checking them, eventually calling the waiter over to help.

One hundred and fifty-five million sounded like a fortune, but with each bill worth 10,000, the entire amount came to just 15,500 bills. Together, they weighed around fifteen and a half kilograms, enough to fit inside a large briefcase.

Even so, counting that much cash took time.

Once every bundle had been checked and the amount confirmed, Naoki nodded to Reiji.

”Catch.”

Reiji tossed Swampert’s Poké Ball to the buyer, who caught it and immediately took a small measuring device from his pocket. After checking the Pokémon’s energy level and confirming that it matched the auction’s description, the man turned and left without another word.

Naoki began sorting the payment, setting aside 15 million for the auction house and packing the remaining 140 million into his bag.

They barely had time to finish before the waiter returned with another masked man.

This time, it was Gyarados’s buyer.

The second transaction followed much the same procedure. The buyer handed over the cash, Naoki verified the amount, and Reiji surrendered Gyarados’s Poké Ball once everything was in order.

After confirming the Pokémon’s strength with his own instrument, the buyer left just as quietly as the first.

From the 85 million received for Gyarados, Naoki packed away 80 million and left five million for the auction house.

The waiter then returned the 20 million security deposit Reiji had paid earlier. It was the same money that had been set aside as protection against Reiji refusing to complete the sales, and with both Pokémon successfully transferred, there was no longer any reason to hold it.

The commission amounts were also slightly lower than the agreed ten percent. The waiter explained that his manager had authorized the difference to be waived as a courtesy to their valued guests.

He encouraged Reiji to enjoy the rest of the auction and spend freely if anything caught his interest, then politely excused himself.

Between the two sales, Reiji had received 240 million in gross proceeds. After the auction house’s 20 million in commissions, he was left with a total of 220 million.

That was a considerable return for two injured Pokémon he’d taken from Riku’s brother, especially given how difficult it had become to sell valuable merchandise in the Orange Archipelago.

And with the money safely in hand, Reiji could finally concentrate on finding something worth buying.

Naoki finished packing the cash into two large black bags and placed them on the coffee table. Reiji glanced at the bags but made no move to open them, turning his attention back toward the auction instead.

”Hey, Naoki. How much did that Squirtle end up selling for?”

[End of chapter]

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