7. Black Market

"I have a strange stone in my hand."

When Jacob saw this private message, his interest was immediately piqued. The mysterious seller's username was Crazy August, and there was a photo attached to the message.

It showed a small stone, emitting a dazzling light.

"Evolutionary Keystone?!"

Jacob couldn't believe his luck would be so good—finding an Evolutionary Keystone online after just one day of searching. Suppressing his excitement, he began to negotiate with Crazy August.

"This stone is very beautiful. Where did you find it?" Jacob asked, trying to sound casual.

"It's inherited from my ancestors," Crazy August replied. "Are you interested?"

"Yes," Jacob answered honestly. "How much are you asking?"

Crazy August: "Well... I'm not sure of the market price. Why don't you make an offer?"

Jacob: "Fifty, including shipping."

Crazy August: "That's too cheap. This stone is so beautiful. It should be at least 500."

Jacob smiled, eager to close the deal immediately, but he knew if he didn't haggle, it would definitely arouse the seller's suspicion. "500 is too expensive, 100 at most."

Crazy August: "No way, look at how beautiful the color of this stone is. Brother, my girlfriend's birthday is coming up, and I want to buy her a necklace. I'm a student and don't have much money. Can you do 500?"

Jacob: "I'm also a student, and my family isn't wealthy either."

Crazy August: "480, no lower."

...

The two of them negotiated for a long time and finally settled on a price of 399 Pokédollars. To be cautious, Jacob even asked Crazy August to take additional photos of the stone from different angles.

After finalizing the transaction, Jacob looked at the substantial sum of 300,000 Pokédollars remaining in his account and began considering other possibilities. He decided to visit the black market in Starlight City that night.

This amount of money could buy many valuable items at the black market, especially since he had the system advantage, which gave him the ability to spot bargains that others might miss. The only concern was his personal safety.

He had visited the Starlight City black market once before, accompanied by his brother Asher. With a quasi-king-level trainer like his brother nearby, safety hadn't been an issue. Going alone this time meant he needed to take serious precautions.

"I'll bring Dad's Scizor with me."

...

After dinner that evening, Jacob borrowed his father's Scizor and Escavalier and headed to the black market in Starlight City. Initially, he had planned to bring just the Scizor, but for added security, he borrowed the Escavalier as well.

The Scizor's strength was only at the overlord level, while the Escavalier was considerably more powerful and counted among his father's primary Pokémon. It possessed Gym leader-level strength, which would be enough to deter most potential troublemakers.

The underground black market was located on the bar street in the old district of Starlight City. The area served as a popular gathering place for young people, with stylishly dressed men and women visibly enjoying their nights out.

Jacob changed into a black suit and donned a mask before entering a bar called Night Star. He proceeded directly to the second basement level.

The first basement functioned as a legitimate bar, while the second basement housed Starlight City's underground black market. Rare and valuable items frequently appeared there, with monthly auctions featuring especially unique merchandise.

During his previous visit, Asher had mentioned that the bar had powerful connections. The majority shareholder was the Li family in Starlight City. His family also held a stake in the establishment, collecting substantial dividends annually.

The Li family was considered a powerful local presence in Starlight City. They nearly monopolized the breeding house industry and energy block industry throughout the city, accumulating significant wealth over generations.

However, the Li family had experienced a slight decline in recent years. The older generation of top-level trainers was aging, their strength visibly diminishing. Among the middle-aged generation, only one gym leader-level trainer had emerged, and he hadn't even established a gym yet.

This situation intensified pressure on the Li family. With numerous business interests, insufficient strength meant vulnerability to potential threats. Consequently, the Li family had grown anxious, investing resources heavily in the younger generation. Whether from the main family or branch families, anyone showing talent received extensive training and resources.

The Li family desperately needed trainers above gym leader level. Producing a top-level trainer would be ideal for their future security and continued prosperity.

Because of this, the Li family had repeatedly approached Asher with marriage proposals, offering extremely generous dowries. Their sole purpose was to make Asher, the youngest Gym leader-level trainer, a son-in-law of the Li family. With his potential, Asher was almost guaranteed to become a King-level trainer in the future.

However, Asher had declined without hesitation. He had a childhood sweetheart with whom he shared a deep bond. Regarding material concerns, the confident Asher firmly believed that once he achieved king-level trainer status, everything else would fall into place.

...

Today was auction day. When Jacob arrived at the entrance to the second basement level, he was immediately stopped by two security guards in suits. They conducted a brief search before allowing him to enter.

Stepping into the second basement, Jacob was greeted by an expansive view. Small stalls lined both sides of the corridor, selling various items. Jacob walked slowly, examining everything, hoping to discover hidden treasures among the merchandise.

He paused at a stall selling Pokémon eggs and used his system to identify their potential.

Unfortunately, none of the eggs contained Pokémon above King level. Jacob wasn't surprised; if King-level Pokémon were so easily obtained, he wouldn't have spent several years without an initial Pokémon.

After passing through the egg section, Jacob entered the Pokémon area. This section was divided into two categories: young Pokémon and adult Pokémon.

The adult Pokémon were all chained and confined in cages. They appeared emaciated, reduced almost to skeletons, a pitiful sight that made Jacob uncomfortable.

These adult Pokémon received food only once daily, clearly to limit their physical strength and prevent aggressive behavior toward potential buyers or escape attempts.

The combat power and qualifications of these Pokémon were generally low, with the strongest being only lord level—nothing truly impressive for the black market prices they commanded.

Beyond the adult Pokémon section, Jacob reached the baby Pokémon area. This section contained the largest number of Pokémon. Most baby Pokémon here were rare species with poor qualifications, underdeveloped traits, or various defects that made them less desirable to mainstream breeders.

As he entered this area, Jacob's eyes widened with interest as his system displayed information about one particular Pokémon.

[Ralts]

Gender: Male

Types: Psychic, Fairy

Qualification: Lord level

Combat power: Rare

Ability: Telepathy

Moves: Call, Charm, Double Team, Psychic, Hypnosis, Draining Kiss, Teleport, Glare, Dazzling Gleam

This was a promising start. The first Pokémon he checked was lord level. Jacob grew more excited—perhaps he could actually find a king-level Pokémon here.

"Hey, brother, looking for some Pokémon?" asked the masked vendor. "This Ralts is quite good. Its final evolution, Gardevoir, is quite the looker, if you know what I mean."

The vendor chuckled with a lewd undertone.