Ralts had always been a highly popular Pokémon, especially its final evolution, Gardevoir, which topped the charts as the ultimate "Pokémon waifu" among fans.
Xia Yu himself was fond of Gardevoir, but his appreciation was normal, not the obsessive frenzy some fans displayed.
"Little bro, this Ralts has great potential. It's both strong and good-looking. I'll give you a deal—only 300,000," the stall owner said.
Xia Yu inwardly scoffed at the price. Did the guy think he was a naive sucker? That was an outrageous sum for the black market.
"You're trying to fleece me like a pig. Sorry, I don't have that kind of cash," Xia Yu said, brushing off the sales pitch.
"298,000 then. I'll knock off two thousand," the owner pressed.
"Even if you dropped it to 29,800, I wouldn't buy," Xia Yu retorted, walking away from the stall.
"Cheapskate, wasting my time," the owner muttered.
…
Xia Yu weaved through the black market. As night deepened, the crowd grew, and more stalls popped up. He spotted several Pokémon with decent potential, but the highest was only Overlord-level. Not a single Gym Leader-level Pokémon was in sight.
This disappointed him. Upon asking around, he learned that the best Pokémon had been snapped up by the market's organizers for the auction.
With no other options, Xia Yu browsed the item stalls, hoping to stumble upon a treasure.
"Huh?"
As he passed a stall, his eyes caught a plain, coal-black stone. It looked unremarkable, but the system's information made his heart race. He paused, casually scanning the stall's wares.
Picking up a Dive Ball, he asked offhandedly, "How much for this?"
"Dive Ball, 30,000," the stall owner replied.
"That's steep!" Xia Yu was taken aback. Official stores sold Dive Balls for 20,000. Why was the black market price higher?
"You new here?" the owner said. "This is an untraceable Dive Ball. All Poké Balls have serial numbers. Once you catch a Pokémon, the data uploads to the Trainer Association whenever you connect online or visit a Pokémon Center. Only illegal balls like these stay off the record. As long as you keep quiet, no one knows what's in this Dive Ball. It's got plenty of uses. 30,000 is a steal."
"Forget it, too pricey," Xia Yu said, waving it off. A Poké Ball wasn't worth that much. "What about your other stuff? Give me some prices."
"These are treasures passed down from my ancestors. They ain't cheap," the owner said cautiously, avoiding direct quotes to prevent Xia Yu from snagging a bargain. "Pick what you want, and I'll name a price."
Xia Yu sighed inwardly. These vendors were sharp as tacks, not easy to outsmart.
"Just browsing," Xia Yu said, picking up an oddly shaped stone. "How much for this?"
"That's no ordinary stone. It's a family heirloom from my great-grandfather's time. See these white streaks? They form the character for 'cloud.' A stone with writing! Outside, this would fetch tens of thousands. I'll let it go for 10,000," the owner said, spinning a tale. Black market vendors were masters of exaggeration, claiming anything was an ancestral relic.
"Too much. What about this one?" Xia Yu casually picked up the black stone, asking, "How much for this?"
The owner frowned, noticing Xia Yu's pattern of asking prices without buying. "Brother, if you're serious about buying, I'll give you a real quote. I found this at Thunderclap Mountain. You know the place? The old battlefield of Zapdos and Raikou. It's produced some top-tier Thunder Stones. This might look rough, but cut it open, and it could be a premium Thunder Stone. At least 50,000."
Xia Yu's heart skipped a beat. The owner was spot-on. This unassuming stone did conceal an S-Grade Thunder Stone!
But the more Xia Yu wanted it, the more nonchalant he acted. He set the stone down, smirking. "I see how it is. Everything on your stall is a 'treasure,' and anything I touch costs a fortune. I'm serious about buying, so give me a real price. No nonsense."
"What do you want?"
"Got any untraceable standard Poké Balls? Not Dive Balls," Xia Yu asked.
"Yeah, 10,000 each." The owner rummaged through his stall, tossing Xia Yu a red-and-white Poké Ball.
"That's outrageous!" Xia Yu's face darkened. Standard Poké Balls were 5,000. This was double the price.
"That's the market rate here. Honest business, honest prices," the owner said.
"Fine, I'll take one." Xia Yu took the Poké Ball, then glanced at the S-Grade Thunder Stone. "Can you go lower on that stone?"
"50,000's the lowest," the owner said, launching into a spiel. "Think about it. If this yields an S-Grade Thunder Stone—those are impossible to find. They go for tens of millions. Turn 50,000 into millions! You'd be rich! Still think it's expensive? Kid, you gotta go all in. Win big, you're living large. Lose, you're just out some cash."
Xia Yu was speechless. Black market vendors sure had a way with words. "If it's really an S-Grade Thunder Stone, you wouldn't be selling it. I'm serious about buying. Give me a real price. 5,000?"
"Brother, what is this, a dragon-slaying blade? 48,000, minimum."
"No way. 6,000, tops. Thunderclap Mountain's full of rocks. You can't just pick one up and charge a fortune."
"Kid, watch your mouth. This ain't some random rock. Experts checked it—high chance it's got a Thunder Stone inside. If you're serious, I'll cut it to 45,000."
…
After a heated haggle, Xia Yu's throat was dry. They finally settled on 38,000. He felt the price could've gone lower, but their bargaining was drawing a crowd. To avoid complications, Xia Yu closed the deal.
Both were thrilled. The owner thought he'd struck gold, while Xia Yu, clutching a top-tier Thunder Stone, was over the moon.
As Xia Yu walked away, the owner pulled another identical black stone from his bag, placing it in the empty spot with a sly grin. "Fool, thinking he'll get a Thunder Stone. I've got plenty of these rocks."
...