"All right, it's fine. Just a small issue."
Norman let out a sigh of relief.
"But Bill, didn't you know you're lactose intolerant?"
Under the effects of Sawsbuck's Aromatherapy, Bill gradually recovered, his old face turning slightly red.
Of course he knew.
It was just that the glass of Miltank's milk had been handed to him by Ryoko.
Caroline's eyes flickered thoughtfully, and she seemed to understand. Smiling, she pulled her husband away.
"Sure enough, Brother Bill doesn't seem very reliable. Good thing I found my sister's friend."
Max secretly patted his chest in relief.
He was truly clever.
Five Minutes Earlier
When Max ran out and told Silas and Norman that Bill wasn't feeling well, the two immediately rushed into the room.
Bill was clutching his stomach, his face deathly pale and covered in sweat.
Norman immediately called out his Sawsbuck.
Treating status conditions was its specialty.
Its raw strength more than compensated for the Blissey line's greater specialization in healing.
It was summer, and as the Season Pokémon, Sawsbuck had changed form accordingly.
Its base appearance remained that of a dark brown deer. Besides the slightly thicker fur on its neck and its raised tail, the most distinguishing feature of its Summer Form was the large leafy adornment growing from its antlers.
The huge, lush leaves nearly brushed against the ceiling.
As a refreshing fragrance spread from Sawsbuck's body, Bill's condition visibly improved.
Combined with his hesitant explanation, Norman quickly determined the cause—
Miltank's milk.
No need to say more.
Lactose intolerance.
Many people in the world suffer from it and cannot enjoy Miltank's milk.
But as Norman said, people generally know whether they have that condition.
Silas secretly chuckled.
He hadn't expected that Professor Bill would turn out to be such a simp.
And judging by the situation, Ryoko only saw him as a regular friend.
That was rather surprising.
After all, Bill was nearly perfect in every respect, family background, ability, talent, looks, he excelled in everything.
Watching Caroline and Ryoko chatting nearby, Silas quietly pricked up his ears.
Caroline happened to be asking about the matter
"Bill is actually quite a good person."
The moment she said that, Silas knew Bill was done for.
The legendary "nice guy" card.
"But he's not suitable for me."
And there it was, the finishing blow.
"Not suitable" was practically an unanswerable reason.
Ryoko explained further.
On one hand, much of Bill's work was based in Kanto. Neither she nor her parents wanted to relocate to another region.
From a family standpoint, Bill and Ryoko were well matched.
Goldenrod Flower Shop sounded like an ordinary flower shop, but in reality it was a sizable family business.
As the only daughter, Ryoko couldn't abandon the family enterprise for Bill.
On the other hand, researchers, especially Pokémon Professors were extremely busy.
Ryoko didn't want her future husband to live that kind of life.
She preferred a peaceful life spent together with her loved one.
"Aren't you and Mr. Norman doing quite well, Caroline?" Ryoko said with some longing.
Caroline smiled.
"That's because you didn't see what Norman was like before. He was hardly ever home."
Compared to Pokémon scholars, Trainers were even busier and far more dangerous.
Sometimes family members didn't even know whether they would return safely from a journey.
They had argued countless times over that issue.
But in the end, things turned out well.
Now, Norman undoubtedly ranked among the strong in the world.
"Oh, right. Once Max finishes his foundational studies, we'll probably move again, this time to Hoenn."
Caroline said with a bright smile.
She had long grown used to following Norman around.
But this time, she suspected they wouldn't need to move again.
Silas, who had been "eavesdropping," naturally knew what this meant.
It seemed that by this point, the Hoenn League had already invited Norman to become the Gym Leader of Petalburg Gym.
Norman must have declined earlier due to family considerations.
Silas wondered where he himself would be by the time Norman officially took the position.
That night, though everyone had different thoughts, the house was filled with laughter.
No matter what the future held, one had to experience it personally.
The future others saw might not necessarily be the true one.
The gathering lasted until the early hours of the morning.
Only because May and Max had school the next day did it finally end.
Otherwise, the five adults would have continued chatting even longer.
"Then, we wish you success!"
Knowing Bill had a major experiment waiting for him back in Kanto, the other four offered their blessings.
Ryoko even presented him with a bouquet.
Six red petals with green leaves—
The signature flower of Goldenrod Flower Shop: the Gracidea.
Bill froze, then accepted it with a slightly dejected expression.
Gracidea flowers are commonly given on birthdays or anniversaries to express gratitude.
But at a deeper level, they mean—
The giver and the recipient will always be friends.
And only friends.
Like an ice wall in the heart that can never be melted.
Even Caroline was startled by Ryoko's directness.
It felt a bit too blunt.
But seeing the determination in Ryoko's eyes, she said nothing.
Perhaps this approach wasn't wrong.
Under the night sky, Bill and Ryoko gradually walked off in different directions.
Silas took the opportunity to say his farewell.
"Then I'll head back too. Keep in touch."
"Keep in touch." ×2
The Next Day
"Sis, is your classmate reliable?"
"Of course! That's the 'Princess Who Never Blinks.' She's the top student at our school."
"Bro, how do you solve this problem?"
"Hm? Where did you get this test paper?"
"My good friend gave it to me. She said it was her younger brother's homework. She couldn't solve it, but I can't either."
"Hmm, let me see 'Name at least ten types of Pokémon whose height and weight change in opposite directions after evolution, and analyze the reasons.'
For a question like this, you first need to—"
"Thanks, bro~"
"Enough already. I'm heading back tomorrow. You'll have to do your homework properly on your own."
"If it's really impossible, I'll just call you! You're a Pokémon Professor, after all~"
Having been thoroughly scolded earlier that evening, Max couldn't understand how his plan had been exposed.
His sister and Ryoko wouldn't have tattled to their parents…
Holding his burning red backside and staring at the mountain of test papers in front of him, Max felt like crying.
At Goldenrod Gym
"All right, it's signed."
Inside Goldenrod Gym, Silas handed a contract to a secretary-like assistant.
"Then congratulations, Trainer Silas, on becoming an honorary citizen of Goldenrod City. And congratulations to Goldenrod for gaining such an outstanding Trainer."
The Mayor of Goldenrod City smiled broadly as he shook Silas's hand.
Heaven knew how thrilled he had been when Whitney told him yesterday that she wanted Silas to be made an honorary citizen.
After all, Silas was the only person in the past hundred years to possess the Rainbow Wing.
That achievement alone was enough political capital for him to boast proudly in front of the mayors of other cities in the Johto region.
Not convinced?
Then go find your own Rainbow Wing holder!
And he even had grander fantasies.
If Ho-Oh were ever to appear again, the first human it would approach would surely be someone connected to it.
Silas's name would forever carry the prefix: Honorary Citizen of Goldenrod City.
At that time… heh heh heh…
The elderly mayor couldn't help but giggle foolishly.
Rounded up, didn't that mean he had basically met Ho-Oh too?
Silas and Whitney exchanged a strange look.
The old mayor in front of them, seemed a little mentally unstable.
But soon, he returned to his usual shrewd demeanor, as if the moment before had never happened.
He cheerfully bid them farewell and left the Gym.
"Tch, Goldenrod City really is generous. This card, it's made from a Yellow Shard, isn't it?"
Silas stroked the identity card in his hand with emotion.
The card was linked to his Pokédex and granted various privileges within Goldenrod City.
These included, but were not limited to: shopping discounts, free services, and even the authorized use of private Pokémon power in special circumstances.
Aside from the gold-plated surface, the true highlight was the material, Yellow Shard.
That was a fragment of an ancient Pokémon-related artifact.
Using something like that to make an ID card was extravagance to the extreme.
When Silas had obtained such items before, he had always sold them at high prices.
"It's alright. I originally suggested using a King's Rock as proof of identity instead, but apparently modifying it would've been too difficult," Whitney said regretfully.
"Oh, what a shame."
Silas smacked his lips. If that had happened, wouldn't he have gotten a free held item out of it?
After spending the last two days together, he was already used to Whitney's shocking statements.
She truly didn't treat money like money at all.
He laughed. "It's settled then, send me some of your family's milk."
Whitney waved her hand. "Don't worry. I'll prepare the highest quality kind. The type you can't even find on the market."
Silas made an OK gesture.
"Today the Gym has to open, so I'll be supervising. You can explore the Goldenrod Department Store by yourself. Without me guiding you, don't get lost!"
Silas paused for a moment.
Honestly, it might be better that Whitney wasn't coming along.
After saying goodbye, Silas embarked on his path of spending money.
The city guide described the Goldenrod Department Store like this:
"Except for being a little expensive, this is your best shopping choice. We have everything."
Not just any mall dared to say that.
As the largest department store in Johto, Goldenrod Department Store certainly had the right.
At sixteen floors tall, it even surpassed the famous Celadon Department Store in the Kanto region.
Each floor had a distinctive name:
Travel Companions
All for Victory
Boost Your Pokémon's Strength
Born for Your Pokémon
When You're Tired from Shopping…
These creative names impressed many shoppers.
In the noisy sea of people, Silas pushed his way through using his excellent physical condition.
"Hey, this is the Evolution Stone shop from Rustboro City, right? Has your third young master informed you? Do you have any high-quality Ice Stone?"
"Hello, this is equipment from the Silph Co. No.1 Research Lab. It's broken, can you repair it?"
"Steven should have told you. My items were left here. I'm here to pick them up."
He bustled between floors nonstop.
Everyone who overheard him talking with clerks and shop owners widened their eyes.
Which rich young master was this, coming out to 'experience life'? His connections were unbelievably solid.
Fortunately, Silas was wearing a mask. Otherwise, there was no way he would've walked out of Goldenrod Department Store peacefully.
Yesterday's incident hadn't died down yet.
In fact, on the department store's giant screen, looping footage of the Rainbow Wing was still playing.
After more than two hours of running around, Silas finally completed the preliminary part of his plan.
However, some things were still nowhere to be found.
For example, the high-quality Ice Stone he desperately wanted.
"Looks like if all else fails, I'll have to ask Lorelei."
He sighed.
"Sir, would you like to learn about tonight's auction? It's a grand event held only once every three months!"
Before he had stood still for even a few seconds, a promotional staff member shoved a flyer into his hands.
Looking up, he realized such staff had appeared on every floor.
"An auction?"
Hearing the familiar yet distant term, Silas curiously unfolded the flyer.
"Want rare treasures? Want to become a powerful Trainer? Want to provide better support for your Pokémon?
The Goldenrod Auction has everything you desire!"
"The slogan's a bit outdated," he commented casually.
But it had successfully piqued his interest.
Maybe the auction would have what he needed.
His eyes moved to the bottom of the poster.
"Participation Method: Achieve a Top 16 ranking in the battle event held on the 15th floor. (Based on ranking, participants will also receive additional mysterious prizes.)"
Silas smiled.
Very fitting for Pokémon world culture.
Perfectly normal.
A wealthy person might not necessarily be a strong Trainer, but a strong Trainer is definitely wealthy.
And an auction is a place where financial strength speaks.
Aside from those directly invited by the department store, the best way to identify wealthy individuals was through Pokémon battles.
Without hesitation, he stepped into the elevator heading to the fifteenth floor.
Top sixteen?
Easy.
And such strict selection criteria only made him more interested in the auction.
After all, Goldenrod Department Store had daily foot traffic in the hundreds of thousands.
Ranking in the top sixteen among so many Trainers, the auction's scale must be extraordinary.
..
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