A short while later.
As the guests trickled in and took their seats, the auction officially commenced.
The auctioneer looked incredibly professional, clutching a small gavel and delivering a high-speed, spit-flecked sales pitch. He used tense, provocative language to goad the audience into outbidding one another.
To Kashiwagi's surprise, the autographed photos and personal belongings of celebrities seemed particularly popular, drawing a crowd of eager bidders.
Even the Orre region has fanboys? How ironic.
Soon, the batch of Deino was wheeled onto the stage by the staff. Their boisterous behavior—slamming against the bars of their cages—drew gasps of admiration from the crowd.
Looking at their high energy, Kashiwagi wasn't sure if they were truly healthy or if they'd been pumped with some kind of stimulant before being brought out. From this distance, it was impossible to tell.
The auctioneer's introduction was, of course, grand:
"From the mysterious Dragon Village of the Unova region! The pre-evolved forms of the powerful and ferocious Hydreigon—six Deino in total! Let the bidding begin!"
The reputation of the Dragon Village was no joke. The moment the words were spoken, the excitement in the room spiked.
However, there is a distinct difference between a Pokémon simply born in the Dragon Village and one personally raised as a mainstay by a Dragon Tamer. Once the bidding hit 50 million, the rate of raised paddles slowed down.
By the time it reached 60 million, only two bidders remained.
The final price locked in at 65 million.
Over 10 million per Deino!
Kashiwagi marveled silently. This kind of money could have bought that Arcanine he'd seen before—a literal Executive-level starter that could skyrocket a trainer's career. Who would spend this much on a Level 20 or 30 Dragon-type that was notoriously difficult to evolve?
A Pseudo-Legendary is only a "Pseudo-Legendary" once it reaches its final stage.
Furthermore, high-level "finished" Pokémon often had a major drawback: their Natures and specialized stats were already fixed. It was like getting a Pokémon with messy Effort Values (EVs) that had missed out on crucial Egg Moves.
The worst part? There was no Move Reminder NPC to help them remember forgotten skills, and no way to use Berries to reset EVs. It felt like playing a "bricked" account. With the average skill level of Pyrite trainers, it was unlikely they would ever see these dragons reach their next stage.
----
Next came the planned target: a pair of Solrock and Lunatone. Rumor had it they were "Splinter-clones" of the two used by the Mossdeep City Gym Leaders, Tate and Liza, in the Hoenn region.
What was a "Splinter-clone"? It was a special method of reproduction for genderless Pokémon in the Mineral Egg Group. Since there weren't enough Ditto to go around for breeding, life had naturally found a unique way to propagate.
This was the kind of thing you only saw in the anime—like the cloned Nidoqueen having babies in Mewtwo Strikes Back, or the Legendary Lugia having a pup despite being a species that shouldn't be able to breed.
Kashiwagi placed the bids on behalf of "Yamamino." He kept his face expressionless, playing the part of the loyal subordinate to a tee.
"Yamamino" sat there with a faint smirk, looking distinguished behind his sunglasses, as if everything was under his control.
However...
To Kashiwagi's surprise, after he placed his bid, no one dared to follow. Even for the most mediocre Pokémon, there's usually some competition, let alone "clones" of Gym Leader Pokémon.
Is Yamamino's reputation really that massive?
As he was thinking this, the "Yamamino" beside him suddenly changed his expression, looking visibly annoyed.
Kashiwagi blinked, then saw someone finally raise a paddle.
Huh? What does that mean?
"The organizers saw I was unhappy, so they sent in a 'shill' to drive up the price," Yamamino's amused voice came through the earpiece. "I suppose my display of arrogance lately has paid off."
Kashiwagi watched as "Yamamino" leaned over, covering his mouth with his hand as if whispering something.
In reality, the Ditto didn't say a word.
The real Yamamino continued in the earpiece: "Abandon the bid immediately. Make it look like a temper tantrum."
Impressive. Kashiwagi wanted to applaud but restrained himself.
Yamamino: "Do I need to repeat your task?"
Kashiwagi couldn't respond.
"The antique segment is starting soon. The pace will accelerate. The auctioneer will rush things to keep the bidders from overthinking, and the backstage will get hectic. That's our window," Yamamino said to himself.
"When it happens, do nothing. Just follow the Ditto outside, then go find the manager and make a scene. Just stand with the others and curse them out a bit."
As his voice faded...
Just as he predicted, the auction moved into the antiques and jewelry segment. These items, tied directly to liquid wealth, turned the "white gloves" into a frenzy. Paddles went up like Diglett popping out of the ground.
Under Yamamino's instruction, Kashiwagi hurriedly raised his paddle a few times, but his "reputation" seemed to carry no weight in the face of these treasures.
It made sense. Everyone here had a specific mission to secure a certain item. You could let a Solrock go, but you couldn't pass on antiques and gems.
As the scene grew more intense, Kashiwagi mimicked the curiosity of the crowd, turning his head back and forth to observe the bidders.
When the penultimate treasure—the star of the show—was brought out, the auctioneer shouted excitedly:
"This is from the Kalosian Dynasty of three thousand years ago—SKREEEEEE!!!"
The speakers suddenly emitted a deafening, ear-piercing screech. The guests winced, covering their ears and glaring at the auctioneer in annoyance.
But in the next heartbeat—
The entire venue plunged into darkness.
"Power's out?"
"What's going on?"
"What kind of auction is this? Someone's going to use this as a chance to steal something!"
Chaos erupted. When the lights flickered back on, everyone looked toward the stage. Fortunately, the antique under the glass casing was still there.
The auctioneer said, half-embarrassed and half-proud, "Please do not worry, our security measures—"
His voice cut out.
The lights went out again, and the auctioneer's subsequent words were as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Power's out again! If you don't know how to run an auction, don't do it!"
"Get your manager out here!"
The clamor rose once more, everyone waiting for the lights to return.
The lights did return.
But only for a fraction of a second before they shattered with a series of loud pops, as if overloaded!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Glass shards from countless bulbs flew everywhere. Screams and shouts filled the air. Then, the ground began to tremble, followed by the sound of things crashing from the ceiling.
"Earthquake—!!"
"Run!"
"Get outside!"
Panic set in, and the crowd surged toward the exit. Kashiwagi, keeping the Ditto and Alakazam close, blended into the throng. He watched the chaos with a strange expression.
The auction's response to the "raid" seemed a bit sluggish. Did they really think no one would ever dare mess with them?
Then again, it was owned by the Mayor.
----
Before long, all the guests were outside. Most of the staff had made it out too—some clutching antiques and gems, others leading Pokémon.
Kashiwagi couldn't see Yamamino or Takeshi anywhere. He had no idea if they'd succeeded. He stayed put, scanning the area.
He watched the staff running around frantically. Some would charge back inside, only to run back out in a panic.
From the fragments of conversation he overheard, there were reports of multiple thefts. The auction staff looked increasingly distraught.
Multiple?
Kashiwagi's expression went a bit sideways. Yamamino had said the target was only the Deino. Had they run into a "colleague" in the middle of the heist?
He pressed his earpiece, hoping to hear something from the strategist.
Nothing.
Soon, news of the thefts spread among the guests. They rushed to the manager, loudly demanding to know what would happen to the items they had already won.
Following the plan, Kashiwagi pushed his way in and shouted a few times. Seeing the manager's distressed face as he tried to explain, Kashiwagi couldn't help but find it hilarious.
Thieves and robbers getting robbed... how poetic.
"Isn't it a bit weird for you two to stay so quiet?" he said, returning to his spot and turning to his companions.
Unexpectedly...
"Silence is enough for now."
Yamamino suddenly spoke. Seeing Kashiwagi's eyes widen, he added, "Stay calm. There might be cameras somewhere."
"Cameras?"
"Just a joke. No matter how many there were, they've been remotely hacked. These low-lifes rely entirely on Pokémon for their IT. They have no idea that the true masters of the network are humans—specifically, human experts."
His words resonated with Kashiwagi. He remembered a short from Twilight Wings where Chairman Rose's secretary was a top-tier IT specialist who sent a wild Rotom running for its life.
"That should be enough. Let's head back in," Yamamino said.
The crowd began to move back inside the auction house. As they passed the manager, the two of them received a sincere apology.
"I am deeply sorry for your experience today. This accident was completely unforeseen..."
The man babbled on, but Yamamino simply removed his sunglasses and gave him a cold, piercing look. The manager shut his mouth instantly.
"Impressive," Kashiwagi whispered.
"It's just relying on the family name. It has nothing to do with my own strength."
At that moment, Yamamino looked exactly like one of those rich second-generation kids who refused to rely on their family and insisted on making it on their own.