Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
"Ahem… Lord Homura, that's just an ordinary rock you casually picked up near the underground lava pool on Mt. Chimney. That place is full of stones like this. It shouldn't be worth much…"
Before Sato could respond, the female Team Magma member who had earlier urged Homura to hurry stepped forward and whispered awkwardly into his ear.
Her face was visibly embarrassed.
The other Team Magma members present felt the same. Seeing their superior try to trade a random rock for Seviper was downright humiliating. They all wore awkward expressions and subtly distanced themselves, pretending they weren't close to Homura.
Still, they could tell Homura was wary of Sato. That alone meant Sato must be very strong—strong enough that Homura didn't dare to simply seize the Pokémon by force.
Otherwise, given their boss's usual bandit-like style, he would've already rushed forward and grabbed it. There would've been no need for any "fair trade."
Sato himself was momentarily stunned by Homura's shameless maneuver. No money—and trying to barter with a random stone? Any normal person agreeing to that would be absurd.
Unfortunately for Homura, Sato wasn't normal.
Thanks to his system's appraisal ability, detailed information about the stone quickly appeared before his eyes.
....
Stone Data
Item: Unstable Fire-Type Energy Stone
Effect: None
Description: Originally just an ordinary lava rock, but after prolonged exposure to areas saturated with Fire-type energy, it mutated. It now contains highly unstable Fire-type energy and will react violently under even slight stimulation.
....
It was obvious—this stone was extremely dangerous. Essentially, it was an unstable bomb. Homura bringing it out for trade clearly harbored ill intent.
"As expected of Team Magma—no intention of making a legitimate deal. Good thing I have the system's appraisal ability. If I'd foolishly taken that stone, I might've been blown to pieces in the next second."
A faint, icy glint flashed through Sato's eyes as he sneered inwardly.
"Well? Want to take a look? It's a treasure I dug up from deep underground."
Ignoring his subordinates' reactions, Homura continued smiling warmly.
As a high-ranking Team Magma member, he knew exactly what the stone did. It was a deceptively dangerous bomb.
The moment Sato agreed to examine it, Homura could detonate it instantly. At such close range, even if Sato were a Psychic, he would at least be crippled—if not killed outright.
Indeed, as everyone in Team Magma knew, Homura was never one for fair deals. Robbery was always his preference. Even if Sato was dangerous, that didn't mean he would play fair.
With his honest-looking face and deliberately naive tone as he described how he found the stone, Homura looked even more convincing—hard to suspect at all.
If Sato hadn't already known the stone was untouchable, curiosity alone might've led him to take it.
But now that he understood the murderous intent behind it, Sato had no intention of letting this go.
An idea quickly formed in his mind.
"The stone looks interesting. But trading it for a Seviper worth ten million PokeDollars? That's far from enough. I may be young, but please don't try to fool me. You'll need to add more."
Sato decided to play along. He feigned curiosity and shook his head lightly.
"Fine. These two TMs—Energy Ball and Sunny Day. Together they're worth at least eight or nine million PokeDollars. Consider the stone a bonus to cover the remaining amount. And you know as well as I do—if you sell Seviper to a Pokémon broker, it won't fetch that much."
Homura's eyes gleamed as he produced two TMs from his spatial backpack.
Sacrifice bait to catch the wolf.
In Homura's mind, if he succeeded in killing Sato, losing two valuable TMs was nothing. He'd retrieve far greater rewards from this Psychic who possessed rare Psychic-type Pokémon.
Besides, a Seviper that knew Taunt was genuinely useful—he happened to lack one.
"Heh… going all out to bait me, huh? Fine. I'll take the sugar coating—and return the shell."
Sato sneered inwardly.
"Alright. Deal. Let's exchange at the same time."
"Kadabra, use Telekinesis to bring the items over."
After pretending to consider it, Sato nodded in agreement. He returned Seviper into its PokeBall, acting every bit the willing trader.
Homura smirked inwardly.
"Cautious, huh? Doesn't matter. Once my Torkoal sneezes out a spark, that stone will explode."
As the stone and TMs floated toward Sato enveloped in blue psychic energy, Homura could already envision Sato being blown apart.
Meanwhile, Sato fully extended his psychic senses, watching Homura's every movement. At the slightest abnormal motion, he was prepared to fling the stone back instantly.
Seconds later, the stone and TMs hovered before him. Sato deliberately tossed Seviper's PokeBall onto the ground in front of Homura.
As expected—
Just as Sato reached out to receive the items, Homura bent down as if to pick up the PokeBall. At the same time, his right hand subtly signaled Torkoal beside him.
Torkoal, long accustomed to cooperating with Homura, immediately understood. It let out a fiery "sneeze," releasing a small burst of sparks.
In an instant, the stone before Sato flared brilliantly. Terrifying heat radiated outward.
But before Homura's triumphant smile could form—
His vision blurred.
Kadabra suddenly appeared at his side.
In the next heartbeat, horror flooded Homura's face. A flash of psychic light flickered across Kadabra's body—
And in an instant, it switched positions with the blazing stone.