章 31: Auction Part-2
As we took our seats for the next part of the auction, I began to question my decision to get a new Pokemon.
'Was I wrong, or was I treating this like a game?' Duke's advice made sense.
I had only acquired Gastly two weeks ago, and I still have three to four months before the tournament. Gastly species evolve quickly into Haunters, so I could take a chance trying to evolve her. If worse came to worst, I could still expose Gastly while taking protection from the Royal Commander Daemon. He seemed to know my father well, and the Prince too appeared to be on friendly terms with my brother, Leon.
As I was lost in thought, the announcer interrupted my musings, "Welcome back, gentlemen. I hope you had a great afternoon. Without any delay, let's get the last part going."
"Clap... Clap....." There was an immediate big round of applause and anticipation.
"Ok, let's start with the first item."
Two ladies appeared, holding a round orb encased in a cubic glass-like structure.
"That's ..... That's...." I stuttered.
"Yes, the Life Orb," said Ethan with intrigue.
"This item is very popular among experienced trainers. It appears as a red and white orb, and when held by a Pokémon, it increases the power of its moves by 30%, making it a valuable asset in battles. It can turn the tide of the battle when held by an offensive Pokemon. Let's start with a basic price of 5 million," said the announcer, heating up the auction house immediately.
"Vincent, I need that. Bid for it," said Ethan, making the guard run away in a hurry.
"Here I thought I could buy it," I said in disappointment.
"You? Are you rich? It will cost as high as a Peak Green Grade Pokemon," he said, making me choke.
"That thing costs 50 million?"
"Yes, because it will give a significant advantage in high-level battles between King Class trainers. Although not insanely rare, it takes up quite the resources to get it," said Ethan gazing at the orb with pure love.
"Oh!! we have our first bid, 6 million from the gentleman in Room 20," announced the auctioneer.
"7 million from Room 6. Once again, Duke Edward certainly has an eye for things," said the announcer, and immediately there were multiple glows from different rooms.
"Well, it seems like it's very popular," I said, looking at the competition.
"12 million from Room 9"
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"47 million, the bidding war continues between The gentleman in Room 20 and Duke Edward."
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After a back-and-forth bidding war between Duke Edward and Room 20, the Life Orb was sold for 56 million Pokédollars to the gentleman in Room 20, whom I presumed was the guard Vincent.
After that, without any delay, the next item was brought up which made me elated.
"Alright, gentlemen, what we have next is a baby Pokemon that has not even been imprinted," started the lady eloquently, bringing in a Pokéball that looked like an Ultra Ball. Behind the Ultra Ball were two beautiful ice sculptures of a Snorunt and Froslass.
"What we have here is a newly hatched female Snorunt. To all the ladies out there, you wouldn't have seen a more beautiful and noble Pokemon than this. To top it off, it also has a Peak Green Potential, which makes it rarer than any ice types you can find in the kingdom," she said, exaggerating the Snorunt I put up for auction.
I couldn't complain because the Kingdom of Wolks barely had a winter in the central and southern regions. Most Ice Pokemon lived in the northern parts where wild Pokemon wreak havoc.
I couldn't help but drool with a big grin, thinking 'higher the price, the higher will be my rewards.'
"Can you not be so gross?" I heard an annoyed voice.
"What? Don't forget you have some share in it. Not everyone is as rich as you to pay 50 million for a Life Orb, okay?" I replied, upset.
"I don't want your share, I have a lot of money," he said rolling his eyes.
"you know? One of my friends from the academy told me that he doesn't want to depend on his father's wealth to survive," I stated making Etham choke on his own words.
As we bickered, the battle of bidding had started.
"Oh! We have a big bidder joining the war. 24 million from Room 1. Seems like Prince Henry is very interested in this graceful Pokemon," the lady announced, startling both of us.
"Will that be a problem? You know, like how people stop bidding not to offend the Prince?" I asked Ethan, concerned.
"What? No! It's better for us. The Prince can't just bid for a valuable pokemon and get it at a cheap price. He has to show the prestige of a Royal family, so the price would go higher, and as a matter of fact, Duke Edward wouldn't make it that easy for him because he supports the first Prince," Ethan replied with certainty.
"Hehe, I'm a sucker for these petty political dramas," I said, grinning from ear to ear.
The bidding went on and finally stopped at 67 million. Prince Henry almost paid 70 million which is the price for a pokemon with two evolutions.
"Seems like Duke Edward is having a bad day. He is only bidding in this auction but not winning," the announcer joked, making everyone chuckle.
I could almost hear this so-called Duke Edward suffocating in Room 6. This bastard hiked the price for black sludge, and now it serves him right.
But the fact that Snowrunt was bought by the Prince at a high price makes me happy. At least it will be well taken care of.
I turned towards Ethan and asked, "Ethan, what does Duke Edward specialize in?"
Ethan thought for a while and answered, "He uses Fire types predominantly. I heard some rumors regarding his third Pokemon breaking the barrier between the Elite and King Level. If it does, then he will become the fifth King-level trainer of the kingdom. Currently, He has two King-level Pokemon, 3 Peak Elite Pokemon, and is on the lookout for a good Fire-type for his sixth and final Pokemon."
Hearing that, I prayed to God that there was a Fire-type Pokemon on sale today. I would hike the price as much as possible. I didn't think he could give up because going empty-handed from the auction would be a big blow to his name.
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Guard Gregory POV:
"Today is not just Duke Edward's bad day. It will also be mine," I thought, looking at the angry Duke.
He had a fiery red tunic with a fluffy brown coat over his shoulder. The emblem of fists with raging fire over it covered the back of his cape. His expression showed intense anger as the sweat trickled his brown skin, and his thin mustache made it incredibly comical to look at. But one thing that can't be concealed is his aura. Being a powerful trainer with two King-level Fire types, he is well-respected in the kingdom.
But unfortunately, today seems to be an unproductive day for the Duke's family. This is already the sixth glass he broke today.
"Damn this Prince, damn the Frosts, fuck!" he yelled and then immediately calmed down,
"It's fine. I will get the best auction item of the year and walk out of here with my head held high," he stated, comforting himself.
I just hope he gets what he wants, or else he will dump his frustration and anger on us guards,' I thought, begging the goddess Virizion.
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Time passed slowly as two more items were sold,
"snap"
"Fuck! Stupid Bitch... It was the Frost and Prince Earlier and now this bitch Dutchess Aurora," yelled the Duke throwing his 9th Glass of Wine.
"Seems like a streak of bad luck for Duke Edward, lets's see if he can get the final item of the day," said the Auctioneer making Duke Edward stand up in rage.
"Thi... this Bitch!!! I want her details... Check her background and get it to me. She dares make fun of me?" exclaimed the Duke looking at me.
"Lo...Lord Edward, we cannot do that. Offending the Auction house is offending the three kingdoms together. Please calm down my Lord, instead, have this delicious wine from the Kingdom of Vale," I said giving him another glass of wine.
With a sneer, he leaned back in his chair and boasted, "When the first prince claims the throne, I'll make these people lick my boots."
As the Duke blabbered on his future the auctioneer continued bringing in the last item,
"As the final item of this year's Wolks Kingdom Auction, we have a special Pokemon that can only be found in the Kingdom of Vale. It was captured near the Relic Castle and is just a month old. I present to you the Zen Charm Pokemon."
The red cloth covering the four-meter-wide soundproof glass box was lifted, and the Auctioneer increased her vocals, "DARUMAKA!"
"This isn't your ordinary Darumaka. It possesses the rare hidden ability Inner Focus, which allows it to evolve into the even rarer Darmanitan with Zen Mode. Trust me, everyone, this type of Darumaka is rare even in the Kingdom of Vale. And, to top it off, it has an initial blue-grade potential," said the announcer, using a seductive tone.
'Oh, shit!' I thought as I watched the Duke jump up and down like a monkey.
"Yes! Yes! I've been searching for this Pokemon all over Wolks, especially one with a hidden ability. It'll be a perfect fit for my arsenal of Fire types," exclaimed Duke Edward.
I ignored his happiness and turned toward the auctioneer as the Duke has already hit the button to bid,
"Wow!! we already have our first bid. It's Duke Edward again. Let's hope this Darumaka has the precious opportunity to partner with Duke Edward's fire-specialized five pokemon team," said the announcer, hinting at a hidden meaning for the other competitors.
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Once again, the bidding war ensued between Dutchess Aurora and Duke Edward, with the latter emerging as the winner at the 85 million mark.
"Phew," I sighed in relief.
But before the comfort seeped in, I saw a light bulb glowing in a box across our room making me panic.
"Gentlemen!!! Duke Frost has joined in at the last second with a 90 milli-," before I hear the auctioneer complete her sentence, my collars were tightly grabbed in force and I was bombarded with spit on my face, "This bastard Daemon. Why does he need a Fire-type when he's a Water type specialist? This is a conspiracy... This is a fucking conspiracy against me, right? Right, Gregory?"
His short temper reminded me of his King level emboar and I know he doesn't care about my reply so I just stood there with no expression. Noticing my predictable silence, the Duke pushed me back and sat down murmuring to himself, "No one can take this Darumaka away from me, even if it crosses my baseline of 100 million."
'Exceeding the budget of 100 million means using the family's money from the royal bank' I thought in dismay.
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"105 million....."
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"120 million..."
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The insane bidding continued which surprised even the Second Prince. Usually, a hidden ability Darumaka will sell around 95 million considering its blue potential but paying 40 million is crazy.
Luckily, Duke Frost did not push it and stopped bidding at the 135 million mark. Duke Edward emerged as the winner after a huge back-and-forth war.
"Sold! Congratulations to Duke Edward for buying the most precious and expensive auction item of the year. You truly are the most generous noble of the kingdom," complimented the announcer, making Duke Edward clutch his fists with a mix of rage and relief.
'Today was a long day and I just wanted to go home and sleep,' I thought waiting for the announcer to conclude.
Fortunately, the lady also seemed to be in a hurry so she immediately announced,
"That's it for the auction of the year, gentlemen. Have a great evening, and we will be back with more rare items next year,"
--------Chapter End--------
Tell me your thoughts on the writing. Is it shaky or is it consistent with the chapters that I wrote a year back?
If it's different, what do you think is?
Thank you and don't forget to give power stones.
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