Ralts has always been a highly popular Pokémon, especially its final evolution, Gardevoir, which has been sought after by countless Pokémon enthusiasts and consistently tops the “favorite Pokémon” lists in trainer polls.

Jacob himself also had a fondness for Pokémon like Gardevoir, but his appreciation was reasonable rather than obsessive. He liked the Pokémon normally, not to the point of unhealthy fixation some trainers developed.

“Brother, this Ralts has exceptional qualifications. It’s attractive and powerful. I’ll sell it to you at the bargain price of only three hundred thousand Pokédollars,” the vendor offered with a sly grin.

When Jacob heard the price, he couldn’t help but feel indignant. He thought he was being taken advantage of—how dare they ask for such an exorbitant price, even at the black market.

“You must think I’m an idiot. Sorry, I don’t have that kind of money,” Jacob flatly rejected the vendor’s sales pitch.

“Two hundred and ninety-eight thousand. I’ll knock off two thousand for you,” the vendor suggested, barely adjusting the figure.

“Even if you reduced it to 29,800, I still wouldn’t buy it,” Jacob replied, promptly leaving the stall.

“Poor bastard, wasting so much of my time,” the vendor muttered as Jacob walked away.

…

Jacob wandered through the black market. As night fell, more people began to gather, and additional vendors set up their stalls. During his exploration, Jacob discovered many Pokémon with impressive qualifications, but the highest was only Overlord level—he didn’t encounter any Pokémon above Gym Leader level.

This left Jacob somewhat disappointed. After asking around, he learned that an auction was scheduled for that evening. Any Pokémon with exceptional qualifications had already been collected by the black market management, prepared for the upcoming auction.

With no alternatives, Jacob could only browse some item stalls, hoping to discover hidden treasures among the miscellaneous goods.

“Wait…”

As Jacob passed by one particular stall, he noticed an unremarkable stone, black as coal. The information provided by his system made it impossible to remain calm. Jacob paused and carefully scanned the various items on display.

He casually picked up a Dive Ball from the stall and asked, “How much are you selling this for?”

“Thirty thousand for a Dive Ball.”

“That expensive?” Jacob was shocked by the price. In official stores, Dive Balls cost only 20,000 Pokédollars each, yet here on the black market, they were even more expensive.

“You’re new here, aren’t you? This is an unregistered Dive Ball,” the stall owner explained with a knowing look. “All Poké Balls are serialized. When you capture a Pokémon, the data automatically uploads to the Trainer’s Association as soon as you connect to the internet or visit a Pokémon Center for treatment. Only unregistered Poké Balls like these won’t be recorded. As long as you keep quiet, nobody will know what’s in your Dive Ball. It has many potential uses, and thirty thousand per ball is actually quite reasonable.”

“Forget it, still too expensive,” Jacob said with a dismissive wave. It was just a Poké Ball; there was no need to spend so much. “What about your other items? Just give me some prices.”

“These are treasures inherited from my ancestors, and they don’t come cheap,” the stall owner replied cautiously, reluctant to quote direct prices for fear Jacob might overlook something valuable. “What are you interested in? Bring it over, and I’ll give you a price.”

Seeing the vendor’s wariness, Jacob felt frustrated. These sellers were like cunning Nickit—difficult to deal with and always looking for an advantage.

“I’m just browsing,” Jacob said, picking up an oddly shaped stone. “How much for this stone?”

“This stone is special—a family heirloom passed down from my great-grandfather’s generation. Look, this white streak resembles the character for ‘cloud.’ It’s a stone with natural writing. Outside this market, it would cost at least tens of thousands. Today, I’ll offer it to you for just ten thousand,” the vendor fabricated, spinning an elaborate tale. People in their profession were full of such nonsense. Whatever they acquired, they claimed was an ancestral inheritance.

“Too expensive. What about this one?” Jacob pretended to pick up the black stone nearby and asked, “How much for this stone?”

The stall owner frowned at Jacob. He noticed that Jacob was mostly asking prices without making purchases. He couldn’t help feeling annoyed. “Brother, if you’re serious about buying, I’ll give you a fair offer. I found this item at Thunder Mountain. You know Thunder Mountain, right? It was the battlefield between Zapdos and Raikou. Many high-grade Thunder Stones were formed there. This thing might not look impressive, but it could contain a top-grade Thunder Stone inside. At least fifty thousand.”

Jacob’s heart raced. This vendor was unexpectedly knowledgeable. The black stone was exactly as described—there was indeed an S-level Thunder Stone inside!

The Thunder Stone was encased in ordinary rock, and without his system, Jacob would never have detected it. However, the more Jacob wanted it, the more casual he needed to appear. He gently set the black stone down and remarked: “I can see that everything you have is supposedly treasure. Everything I look at is worth tens of thousands. If I really want to buy something, give me an honest price—don’t try to con me.”

“What would you like?”

“Do you have any ordinary unregistered Poké Balls? Not Dive Balls,” Jacob asked, maintaining his disinterested facade.

“Yes, ten thousand each.” The stall owner rummaged through his inventory, found a red and white Poké Ball, and tossed it to Jacob.

“That expensive?” Jacob’s expression darkened. A standard Poké Ball typically cost five thousand Pokédollars, but this one was priced at ten thousand—exactly double.

“That’s the going rate in our market. We do business with integrity, and our prices are fair,” claimed the vendor with an air of righteousness that didn’t quite match his profession.

“Fine, I’ll take one.” After accepting the Poké Ball, Jacob glanced at the S-level Thunder Stone on the stall and asked casually, “Any chance you could lower the price on that stone?”

“Fifty thousand is already rock bottom,” the stall owner insisted, clearly unwilling to reduce the price. “Think about it—if it turns out to be an S-level Thunder Stone, consider the market value. There are no S-level Thunder Stones available right now, and one would fetch tens of millions. Fifty thousand could become tens of millions—an instant fortune. And you still think it’s expensive? Young man, do you understand the concept of high-risk, high-reward? Win big, and you’ll be set for life; lose, and you’re back where you started.”

Jacob’s mind filled with exasperation. As expected, those who operated in the underground black market were skilled talkers. “If it really contained an S-level Thunder Stone, would you still be selling it? I genuinely want to buy it, so give me a reasonable price. Five thousand—yes or no?”

“Brother, do you think I’m giving away treasures? Forty-eight thousand, minimum.”

“Impossible. The most I can offer is six thousand. Thunder Mountain is littered with stones—you can’t possibly pick up any random one and sell it for tens of thousands.”

“Look, kid, you can think what you want, but my stone is different from ordinary rocks. Experts have examined it and indicated a high probability it contains a Thunder Stone. So if you’re serious about purchasing, I can lower it to forty-five thousand.”

…

After extensive negotiation, Jacob’s mouth was dry from talking, and they finally settled on 38,000 Pokédollars. In truth, Jacob believed the price could have been lower, but their haggling had attracted increasing attention from nearby shoppers and vendors. To avoid complications, Jacob decided to complete the transaction.

Both the stall owner and Jacob were pleased with the outcome. The vendor felt he’d made a substantial profit, while Jacob was thrilled to have acquired a top-grade Thunder Stone that would be invaluable for certain Electric-type Pokémon.

As Jacob walked away, the stall owner removed another equally black stone from his bag and placed it in the vacant spot, grinning widely. “What a fool, thinking he’d get a Thunder Stone. I have plenty of stones just like that one.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep