You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
The items brought back were a mixed bag. Some Pokémon even tried to wash them off before presenting them.
Luther and Mai's Pokémon decided to start inspecting the haul from the first one who returned: Poliwhirl.
Kirlia and Espurr looked distastefully at the unidentified object caked in hardened mud. Using their Psychic powers, they dunked it into the lake and rinsed it back and forth two or three times before it was barely presentable.
Poliwhirl confidently pointed at the item he had found, insisting this was the "treasure" they had described.
Jumpluff and Kirlia both gave him deadpan stares. 'A bicycle wheel, a half-rotten leather belt, a can filled with lake water, and a massive keychain? Hardly treasure.'
Kirlia and Jumpluff's rejection shattered Poliwhirl's dream. Not convinced, he trailed behind the group, wanting to see just what kind of item did meet their standards.
Goldeen swam up with a rectangular metal plate in her mouth. There weren't many places she could search, and this was the only thing she found near her usual area that matched Kirlia's description.
Jumpluff frowned. If it weren't water-damaged, it might've worked. But a waterlogged smartphone held very little value now.
Wooper proudly presented a soggy piece of cloth she had been storing at home, claiming she'd dug it out of the mud. To her, it was a treasure.
…If an old rag could be considered treasure, anyway.
Wooper's second item was a tattered briefcase. The disappointed Jumpluff took one look at the algae-covered bag and shook her head.
"This isn't what we're looking for," she told Wooper gently.
Kirlia, however, glanced at the briefcase with curiosity and stopped Jumpluff from moving on.
Using Psychic power, she forced open the slightly jammed zipper. After giving it a few vigorous shakes, water and pulp from disintegrated paper spilled out.
Jumpluff gave her a look that clearly said, Told you so, but Kirlia wasn't done. She used her Psychic power to open all the compartments. With Espurr's help, she gave the briefcase a final shake.
Clink, Clink, Clink,
A series of metallic sounds hit the ground. Luther and Mai's Pokémon rushed forward, pushing even Wooper aside, while Poliwhirl and Goldeen also came over curiously.
Coins! A bunch of coins, stuck together with scraps of soggy bills. About a dozen coins, all in 1-Poke Dollar and 5-Poke Dollar denominations, with more 5-Poke Dollar pieces than the rest.
This was exactly what they were looking for!
A Lum Berry was handed over to Wooper without hesitation. She was surprised; she hadn't expected her items to actually match what Kirlia wanted. Even her dad, the Quagsire who had been watching from a distance in disbelief, quickly swam over in amazement that the "exchange" Wooper mentioned was real.
Encouraged by Wooper's successful trade, the other water Pokémon quickly picked up their own items and gave them an extra rinse to make sure no mud would ruin their presentation.
Finneon brought a rusted box whose decorative patterns had long since faded.
Marill curiously tried to open it, only to discover that it had a small lock.
Just as Kirlia and Espurr were preparing to use Psychic power to pick the lock, Marill slammed her fist down on it. The impact dented the box and the lock so badly that she was able to pry the whole thing open by force.
Kirlia facepalmed. 'That's your solution to a lock? What if there was something fragile inside?'
Marill tilted the box and gave it a shake. The contents tumbled out.
Chikorita's eyes lit up when she saw the glass marbles rolling across the ground. She grabbed one with her Vine Whip, rubbed it against her body to clean it, and curiously examined the little "fish" design inside.
After gathering all the marbles together, Jumpluff and Kirlia checked the box again, but found nothing else. With a sigh, they announced that this wasn't what they were looking for either.
Unlike Poliwhirl and Goldeen, Finneon wasn't disappointed at all. Instead, she happily let Marill return the glass marbles to the small box and contentedly blew bubbles in the water.
Unlike Marill and the others, Finneon loved those transparent marbles with strange designs inside. Since they weren't useful for the exchange, she'd just take them home and play with them herself.
Aside from Wooper's coins, the other Pokémon hadn't brought back anything that caught Kirlia and her team's interest.
Chinchou had found a chipped glass cup and a slightly rusty hair clip.
Corphish showed up holding two bottles of suspicious green liquid, no one could tell if they were expired or not. The labels had long faded, and even the gluttonous Marill had no desire to taste-test them. Under Kirlia's thoughtful gaze, Marill shook her head furiously, the meaning clear:
"If someone has to drink it, it's not going to be me!"
Not to be outdone, Corphish decided to drink it himself. That's when Kirlia sprang into action, rushing in with the other Pokémon to snatch the bottles and pin down Corphish's claws.
"Let it go, Shrimp bro…"
"Not everyone can be as lucky as Wooper. Don't throw your life away over this."
"Look at us, we didn't find anything either. Calm down, breathe."
Kingler sidestepped over and cast a glance at the still-defiant Corphish, who instantly went quiet…
Kingler's offering was quite small, at least, it seemed that way given the size of his enormous claws. It was a circular object with a deep green, mysterious gemstone set in its center.
Espurr, who had been quietly watching with her paw on her chin, gasped. Kirlia and Jumpluff also suddenly realized what they were looking at.
'A gemstone ring!'
They'd actually found a real treasure!
Espurr cradled the ring like it was a sacred relic, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She rubbed off the remaining dirt with her fur until the dark green gem shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
They were definitely trading for this. Not trading would be a huge loss!
Kingler wiped his brow with one massive claw. That ring had been buried quietly for who knew how many years right where he normally slept. Judging by the other Pokémon's reaction, it was apparently a very big deal.
'Three Lum Berries? No way, that'd be a huge ripoff for Kingler. Four… No, five!'
Kirlia ended up offering nearly half of their Lum Berry stockpile in exchange and placed it beside Kingler.
Curious, she asked how a Water-type like Kingler managed to store Lum Berries underwater. Kingler simply squinted with a grin and said, "I've got my ways."
Poliwhirl and Goldeen exchanged looks while staring at the ring. After a moment, Poliwhirl said, "I think I saw something similar, another item, different style, near the main current that feeds this lake."
Kirlia and the others, still admiring the ring and imagining the surprised looks on Luther and Mai's faces, immediately turned to look at Poliwhirl.
Goldeen nodded in agreement, confirming that Poliwhirl wasn't lying.
"Take us there!"
"…That might be a problem," Poliwhirl said, scratching his head.
"Is it because of the current?"
"No. It's just… there's a nasty, overbearing Pokémon occupying the area right now."
(End Of This Chapter)