Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

"This is indeed a damaged Pokémon egg, but that doesn't mean it can't be hatched. According to evaluations from our Team Rocket experts, the egg has retained its vitality intact. If an excellent breeder is found, hatching it may be possible."

The hostess held the microphone as she spoke confidently, her tone overflowing with certainty, as if the egg were guaranteed to hatch.

However, the outcome would depend on each person's judgment. Team Rocket offered no after-sales service; whether the egg could hatch or not depended entirely on the buyer's abilities.

As she said, if an excellent breeder were found, the egg might hatch. But just how "excellent" that breeder had to be—nobody knew for sure.

Besides, if it were really that simple, why hadn't Team Rocket hatched it themselves instead of auctioning off a damaged egg?

Thinking about that significantly lowered interest in the egg.

"This feeling..." Cain frowned as he looked at the Pokémon egg in the center of the stage.

At first, he wasn't very interested, but slowly he sat up straight.

"Everyone has their own opinions. To conclude, I must say that the Pokémon inside this egg is a Riolu. And though the egg is damaged, its potential has been evaluated as top-tier quality."

Riolu!

No wonder Cain had felt something.

Could it be due to the aura blessing he had received from Lucario on Mythical Island?

Cain fixed his gaze on the egg and activated his system's scan function.

Fortunately, the system had been updated; otherwise, from that distance, it might not have been able to analyze it.

Pokémon: Riolu (Dark Blue) (Damaged state)

Gender: Male

Level: 1

Type: Fighting

Ability: Inner Focus

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Cross Chop, High Jump Kick, Blaze Kick, Meteor Mash

Basic Moves: Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure

Learned Moves: None

TM Moves: None

It was truly a Riolu!

Seeing the Riolu's information, Cain felt torn inside.

Should he bid on this egg?

First of all, the egg was damaged, which undeniably reduced its value.

A Riolu of Dark Blue quality was, strictly speaking, almost as rare as a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

Pseudo-legendaries often had critical flaws.

However, when Riolu evolves into Lucario, it gains the Fighting and Steel types.

It is only doubly weak to Fighting, Ground, and Fire moves. In return, it resists Normal, Steel, Grass, Ice, Dragon, and Dark types.

It's immune to Poison, and has quadruple resistance to Rock and Bug moves. From a typing standpoint, it's an excellent combination.

On top of that, Lucario can mega evolve.

Most importantly, Lucario can naturally use the power of aura, which greatly increases its value.

That's why, after the hostess said the name Riolu, the murmurs from the crowd immediately disappeared.

There was no doubt—if the egg hadn't been damaged, its value would have been incalculable.

"The starting price is 30 million. Each raise must be no less than 1 million. The auction begins!"

The hostess, pleased with the shift in the audience's expressions, announced the price.

But to her surprise, the once lively auction hall fell completely silent.

A full minute passed, and no one placed a bid.

The hostess began to sweat. If this item went unsold, it would be a serious problem.

"30 million!" a voice suddenly called out.

Everyone turned toward the source of the sound—it came from a private room on the third floor. The voice was young.

Cain also turned his head.

That room hadn't made a single bid since the start of the auction, and now they were showing interest in a damaged egg?

At least now there was a bidder, and the hostess could breathe a bit easier.

Even though the egg was worth more, as long as it didn't go unsold, she wouldn't be blamed too much.

"The distinguished guest in the private room has offered 30 million. Is anyone else interested?" said the hostess, echoing the evaluations from Team Rocket's experts.

She explained that with proper care the egg could hatch, and that if it weren't damaged, its quality might be even higher. She used various ambiguous phrases to boost its appeal.

Cain sat in thought.

Should he place a bid?

Lucario was a Pokémon with a great cost-benefit ratio, and its Dark Blue quality was excellent. But the system couldn't guarantee that the egg would hatch, which raised doubts.

"50 million. I'll take the risk with 50 million. If anyone goes higher, I'm out," Cain decided.

"35 million," Cain bid.

The hostess smiled in relief.

Finally, the price was rising. She made a mental note to scold whoever had set the initial price—how frustrating!

"40 million," the other buyer responded.

"45 million," Cain said without hesitation. He had made up his mind.

If he could hatch the Riolu, it would be a huge gain. Even if it had congenital defects and couldn't battle, it would still be valuable. A Lucario of Dark Blue quality, even just for breeding, would be worth far more than any common Pokémon.

He could breed it with average-quality Lucarios to produce excellent results. Even just for breeding purposes, it was worth the risk!

"48 million," the other bidder said, though with some hesitation.

"50 million," Cain declared his final offer, then leaned back and sipped his tea calmly.

If the other bidder raised it further, Cain wouldn't follow. That was the maximum value he was willing to assign to the Riolu egg.

"Does anyone else wish to bid? If not, this high-potential Pokémon egg will go to this gentleman," the hostess announced.

"50 million going once!"

"50 million going twice!"

"50 million going three times!"

"Sold!"

With the third call, the hammer fell, and the Riolu egg was officially Cain's.

After all, he had made a fortune recently. That pearl—beautiful but of unclear use—had sold for enough to buy ten eggs like this. It was better to take a risk.

This was a rare opportunity for a high-stakes gamble.

(End of chapter)