"Tourists, please settle down!" Captain Ironheart's booming voice suddenly erupted through the crowd. The grey-haired powerhouse, nearly two meters tall, took large strides across the stage at the front of the Central Hall, microphone in hand.
Ironheart waited for the scene to quiet down before continuing. "I have an urgent announcement for everyone. The S.S. Anne official staff and several sponsors are organizing a Pokémon tournament on board.
The rules will follow a one-on-one elimination format, and the final winner will receive generous prizes provided by both parties... Now, please welcome the lead sponsor of this event, Mr. Bai Jie, to say a few words. Everyone, a round of applause..."
"Wow! Awesome!"
"Great! count me in!"
Applause and whistles filled the air. Most of the tourists present were Trainers. In this world, Pokémon battles were the eternal theme. The charm of this activity was a hundred times more intense than the world's top sport, football, in his previous life; it was true mass participation.
To enjoy a large-scale duel during the voyage was a rare and valuable experience for any Trainer.
Bai Jie, who possessed a somewhat fox-like countenance, took the microphone from Captain Ironheart and said with a beaming smile, "First of all, I'd like to thank Captain Ironheart for allowing me to be the lead sponsor for this event.
As for the prizes, I'm sure you're all very curious. The fact that you can board the S.S. Anne proves that no one here is short of money, so talking about cash would be far too vulgar."
Bai Jie fanned the air in front of his nose with a white-gloved hand, putting on a look of mock disdain that drew chuckles from the crowd.
"Clap! Clap!" Bai Jie clapped twice. A second later, a waitress carrying a tray covered with a red cloth emerged from behind the curtains. She had long red hair and a charming, pretty faceit was the girl Hisoka had been chatting with earlier, Maggie.
Maggie walked to the front with a seductive grace that seemed beyond her years. She looked out at the gazes of the crowd with poise, especially when she saw Hisoka, who appeared to be in the middle of a dispute nearby; she couldn't help but wink at him.
Seeing the prizes brought out, the crowd widened their eyes, staring intently at the red cloth. Curiosity was human nature, and since these were provided jointly by the S.S. Anne and several sponsors, the champion's reward was bound to be exceptional.
Bai Jie snapped his fingers stylishly and whipped away the red cloth. First to enter their sight was a sky-blue Pokémon egg covered in a ring of black patterns. In front of the egg sat a teardrop-shaped necklace.
"I'm sure you're all wondering what species this Pokémon egg belongs to?" Bai Jie stroked the egg with a solemn expression, making the crowd think it was something incredibly rareperhaps a Dratini egg or a Larvitar egg. All sorts of wild theories began to swirl in their minds.
"I'm sorry to say that even I don't know what species it is." Bai Jie spread his hands and shrugged with an innocent look. "The Trainers here who have experience raising eggs know that hatching is full of uncertainty.
You simply can't tell the species by the color and appearance alone. Unless you can confirm it was laid by a specific Pokémon, the natural gene-lock inside the shell is impenetrable even to X-rays."
"However, there is one thing I can tell you clearly!" Bai Jie paused for effect, hooking their curiosity once more.
"This egg doesn't come from Kanto or Johto. It comes from the distant Sinnoh Region. So, no matter what hatches, I can guarantee it will be a Pokémon you have never seen before."
The crowd erupted into an uproar. The mystery of an unknown Pokémon instantly set the hearts of the aspiring participants ablaze. What if that egg happened to hatch a rare Pokémon from that region? No one could deny the possibility.
"Pfft..." In a corner backstage, Kurama spat out the wine he was about to swallow. The red liquid dripping from his nostrils added a touch of the grotesque to his appearance. "Haha, the boss is really good at bluffing people."
It was true they had never seen it, but that only applied to people from Kanto and Johto. In reality, that egg was something they had accidentally found in a nest high up in a tree on Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh while they were assisting the Sinnoh police in a crackdown on a poacher organization. The Pokémon likely to hatch from it was just a Starly.
Starly were a bird Pokémon native to the Sinnoh Region. They were incredibly numerous, found in forests, mountains, wetlands, and even on city telephone poles. They were essentially the same as the Pidgey and Spearow of Kanto and Johtocommon as dirt. Rare? Not a chance!
...
"As for the second prize!" Bai Jie picked up the exquisite teardrop-shaped necklace and smiled. "This isn't just a necklace for women. This is Mystic Water, provided by the S.S. Anne officials. It contains a mysterious power of water that can significantly boost the power of Water-type moves."
If the mysterious Pokémon egg had merely sparked their imaginations, then the Mystic Water necklace was what truly convinced the last of the hesitant Trainers.
Items that could boost move power were always the most sought-after "hard currency" in the trading market. For example, there was Charcoal for Fire-type moves, Miracle Seed for Grass-types, Never-Melt Ice for Ice-types, and Dragon Fang for Dragon-types.
Among them, the Dragon Fang was the most expensive. Whenever a Dragon Fang appeared on the market, that ancient family from Blackthorn City in the Johto Regionthe Dragon Clanwould immediately buy it up at a high price.
As a clan that had been established for centuries, one could only imagine how terrifying their accumulated wealth was. Ordinary wealthy families couldn't even dream of competing with them; they didn't even have the right to look.
Large conglomerates and multinational corporations, who were wealthier than the Dragon Clan, had no desire to offend such a powerful family over such small matters. Consequently, Dragon Fangs were perpetually monopolized by that clan, resulting in a situation where they were practically priceless and unavailable to the public.
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