Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom

After the auction finally ended, Cain didn't stay in the venue.

He went straight to the item collection area in the back, with his position token in hand.

Even though the final price had reached an astronomical figure, it didn't have much impact on Cain.

He had managed to seize an opportunity.

If the Riolu egg successfully hatched, then it could be said he had taken advantage of two opportunities.

However, even the system had not yet been able to analyze the exact cause of the damage to the Riolu egg, nor find a way to repair it.

This would probably take a long time.

Fortunately, the egg wasn't losing anything—it was just that the incubation process had halted. Cain had enough time to find a solution.

The only unknown was how long it would take.

Cain did a calculation of his total earnings from this auction.

The Elite-level Cofagrigus, along with several quasi-Elite Pokémon, sold for a total of 280 million. Additionally, the pearl from the Elite-level Clamperl fetched an exorbitant price of 510 million.

Adding to this was the initial sale of a box of pearls and poisonous stingers, which Team Rocket purchased directly for about 200 million Pokédollars.

In total, Cain had made 990 million, practically 1 billion.

It was a massive profit.

Of course, earning a lot also meant spending quickly.

After all, a person with great wealth must do things befitting their status.

In the first half of the auction, Cain spent 50 million on the Dragon Scale and some materials. Then, upon learning the final price of the pearl, he made further bulk purchases of rare materials, spending an additional 100 million. Although some materials weren't for immediate use, he preferred to acquire them while they were available.

These materials weren't always on the market. Better to buy now than regret it later.

Thus, 150 million was gone.

Then, to obtain the damaged Riolu egg, he paid 50 million—the maximum price he was willing to accept.

Fortunately, he managed to buy it.

Finally, to acquire the Mega Stone wrapped in a Smooth Rock, he spent 102 million.

At this point, 2 million seemed like a trivial amount, something he could completely ignore.

He had become arrogant.

He had truly become arrogant.

One of the two foundations in his heart had been temporarily removed.

In total, Cain had spent 300 million at this auction.

He made 990 million, spent 300 million, leaving a net income of 690 million.

From that perspective, the profit was still enormous.

Of course, it wasn't just about how much money he had spent, but what he got in return.

First, he obtained a Mega Stone, which also came with a Smooth Rock.

According to his hypothesis, this Mega Stone might have been left from ancient times. What Pokémon could use both a Mega Stone and a Smooth Rock at the same time?

The answer was obvious: Tyranitar.

Therefore, Cain suspected that this Mega Stone belonged to Tyranitar.

If this were true, then the value gained wasn't just monetary, but hid even greater potential.

In addition, he spent 150 million on materials, mainly rare ingredients for crafting quality-boosting potions.

With this, Cain had gathered the key materials for the quality-boosting potions for Horsea, Ralts, and Bagon.

He also had the main ingredients for the quality-boosting potions for Lairon, Pupitar, Seadra, and Shelgon. The only exception was Kirlia, whose materials were a bit scarcer this time. Even so, the rest of his Pokémon could evolve without issue.

This meant that for a good while, Cain wouldn't have to worry about quality-boosting potions.

"Sir, here are the items you purchased at the auction. This anonymous bank card contains 670 million, of which approximately 20 million are... you understand," said the same attendant who had helped him earlier, holding a spatial storage device containing Cain's purchases and the bank card.

Those 20 million were the commission Team Rocket had taken from the auction. An absurdly high amount.

It was clear that from this auction, Team Rocket's profits weren't in the hundreds of millions, but likely in the billions.

Cain nodded with satisfaction, took the items, and left without saying more or wasting time.

With that much money on him, he would undoubtedly be an attractive target. First, he had to get rid of any possible followers before continuing to shop.

Leaving the auction didn't mean the event was over.

Taking advantage of the market opportunity, Cain covered himself with his coat and slipped into the crowd.

As soon as he stepped out, several gazes landed on him from the entrance of the auction.

He moved quickly, and many people didn't hesitate to follow.

Among them, two wore striking red suits and strange glasses.

They were from the same group that had brought the Mega Stone to the auction: Team Flare from the Kalos region.

Although their researcher didn't believe the buyer truly knew the stone's real value, he still considered it valuable enough to attempt to retrieve it.

But could they really catch Cain, a veteran of the black market?

As a member of Team Rocket, if he allowed someone from another organization to track him in Rocket territory, it would be a disgrace.

Even though he hadn't publicly revealed his affiliation, he had been in this area before.

He circled around in both large and small loops, taking advantage of the crowd and the similar clothing of the attendees. Soon, his pursuers lost track of him.

In a corner, he took off his coat and put on another with a different design before returning to the street.

With so much money, spending it all immediately was unrealistic, but now he had the chance to buy what he previously couldn't.

He first visited a move shop and bought a large number of moves for his Pokémon.

After going through all the shops, he finally found the move Swords Dance and the move Hyper Beam. He also got the moves: Giga Impact, Fire Blast, and Focus Blast—extremely hard-to-get moves.

Some of these moves were more expensive than usual due to competition, with prices doubled.

But if he didn't buy them now, it would be even harder to find them later.

He spent a total of 40 million on these moves.

The move Swords Dance was the most expensive, reaching 15 million due to the seller's speculation and high demand.

Cain had wanted this move for a long time.

Unfortunately, he only found one. Had there been another, he would have bought it without hesitation, even at the same price.

In addition to the moves, he also bought many more materials for crafting the quality-boosting potions.

He had acquired the main ingredients at the auction, but still needed several supplementary ones.

Fortunately, these materials weren't very expensive and only cost less than 20 million in total.

(End of chapter)