Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

Upon seeing the item on screen, the people seated in the audience began whispering quietly among themselves.

The host showed no intention of rushing them.

In any case, the message was clear: even if this item went unsold or was bought at the starting price, it had to reach that amount.

Team Rocket wanted to use this to gain the favor of a certain individual.

Moreover, one hundred million Pokédollars wasn't an unreasonable price.

One only had to look at those discussing it to understand.

The Smooth Rock was valuable, and the mineral within it might not be of low worth.

However, if even Team Rocket couldn't determine its true use, the others couldn't be sure of its real utility either.

The item came from the Kalos region.

Kalos was a region most people present hadn't had contact with. Who could guarantee it wasn't something unique to that region?

Even though most attendees didn't recognize it, one man seated quietly—Cain—seemed expressionless. However, if one looked closely, they could see a slight twitch at the corner of his eye.

"The person who put this item up for auction is truly a genius. But the ones even more brilliant are Team Rocket. Although they guessed the item is valuable and placed it in the second-to-last spot in the auction, they don't know its true worth. If they can't explain its function, putting it last would've been a waste," Cain thought.

When he looked up again and saw the item on the screen, he couldn't stop his eye from twitching once more.

If Team Rocket truly knew the value of this item, it could have been the centerpiece of the auction.

But now...

Although many people in the room were discussing, no one was placing a bid.

The private rooms were also silent, as they were already preparing for the final item in the auction. In comparison, this one was almost a joke.

In addition to the private rooms of the honored guests, there was a hidden fourth floor in the auction house, reserved exclusively for Team Rocket.

Inside, there were four people.

Three of them wore Team Rocket's distinctive uniforms, indicating they were Team Rocket executives.

If Cain were there, he would probably recognize them.

They were three of the four Team Rocket generals in the Johto region: Archer, with his light blue hair, dressed in a white suit and holding a glass of red wine; Ariana, the only woman in the group, with red hair and her legs crossed on the sofa; and Proton, dressed completely in black, wearing a hat that obscured his face as he sank into the comfortable couch.

Three of the four Team Rocket generals gathered in one place demonstrated how important this auction was to the organization.

However, there was another person in the room who wasn't wearing a Team Rocket uniform.

It was a burly man, dressed in a bright red suit and wearing strange glasses of the same color. He stood beside the hidden window, observing the auction without the slightest discomfort in the presence of the Team Rocket generals.

"Mr. Xerosic, it seems no one recognizes the item you put up for auction. Could you give us a hint?" asked Archer with a smile as he took a sip of wine.

Goldenrod City was his territory. Although Ariana and Proton were his equals in rank, it only took one voice to speak on behalf of Team Rocket.

Xerosic slowly turned and sat on the couch with a resigned expression.

"We don't really know what it is either. We thought that, since Kanto is the birthplace of Pokémon and Team Rocket is the region's largest underground organization, you might recognize it. We wanted to use the auction to gauge the guests' reactions, but it seems..."

Xerosic was from the Kalos region and was the seller of the item in question.

"It seems not even Team Rocket knows," Archer replied, unbothered by Xerosic's answer.

If Team Rocket didn't recognize it, then there weren't many people in the world who could.

"Let's talk business. Mr. Xerosic, how is your research on the combat suits progressing? Can Lysandre Labs supply us with these suits?" Archer asked, returning to the main topic.

The auction item had only been included to give Lysandre Labs recognition. Otherwise, including it would have harmed Team Rocket.

"Lysandre Labs is willing to provide you with ten combat suits free of charge for testing. If you're satisfied, we can discuss a deeper cooperation..."

Lysandre Labs!

"Good, excellent! Give our regards to Mr. Flare!" Archer exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

Ten combat suits were already valuable on their own, and if the cooperation deepened, Team Rocket could benefit greatly.

Kalos's Lysandre Labs had taken the initiative to contact them during the auction.

At first, Archer thought it was a third-rate institute and didn't pay much attention.

But when Xerosic proved his abilities, he earned his recognition.

Then Xerosic presented their combat suits, the result of a lifetime of research. Seeing their potential, Archer decided to collaborate with them.

If Xerosic wasn't even the lead researcher, what kind of power did the mysterious Mr. Flare possess for Archer to consider him a serious threat?

The deal had been approved by Giovanni, who gave the green light for the collaboration.

Meanwhile, five minutes had passed at the auction, and no one had made a bid.

"Since no one has placed a bid, this item will—"

Before the host could finish her sentence, a calm voice rang out:

"One hundred million."

The one who spoke was Cain, seated in the box on the second floor.

Under his black cloak, his right hand was slightly sweaty.

Everyone else could ignore the item's value, but he couldn't.

A Mega Stone wrapped in Smooth Rock!

He had to buy it!

(End of chapter)