"Darling, look over there—quick, look!"
On the deck of a large cruise ship, a couple was taking photos when the girl suddenly spotted something in the distance—a small wooden boat slowly approaching. The boat looked crude… and it was leaking.
Amid towering cruise liners and cargo ships, a shabby little wooden boat drifted steadily toward the grand harbor of Porta Vista.
Kael stood at the bow, wearing his bamboo hat, one hand on his hip and the other holding binoculars as he surveyed the dock ahead. The sea breeze lifted his black ponytail. Somehow, that tiny wooden craft made him look like he was commanding a pirate warship.
"As expected of a famous tourist destination."
Watching the endless stream of people at the pier, Kael's lips curled faintly.
"Hey, kid! Your boat's leaking!"
A young man on the cruise ship shouted out helpfully—the very same girl's boyfriend. Though meant as a kind reminder, he couldn't hold back his laughter after shouting. The image of a leaking wooden boat sailing boldly among luxury liners was simply too absurd.
Kael glanced down. Seawater had already flooded nearly one-third of the hull. With roughly 500 meters left to the dock, he quickly jumped down from the bow and grabbed a small wooden bucket, frantically scooping water overboard.
...
"Sir, docking a private vessel requires a mooring fee."
A middle-aged man in a suit, sporting a beer belly and small round glasses, blocked Kael's path as he stepped ashore.
Kael smiled faintly, hopped lightly off the bow, patted the man's shoulder, and said, "No cash. Card okay?"
"No problem." The port official grinned and produced a POS machine from his jacket. "500 Pokédollars. Thank you for your patronage."
Kael swiped his card with a pleasant smile and strode toward the city.
"Sir! Your docking ticket! And your mooring time only lasts until midnight—after that there's an additional fee!" the man shouted after him.
"No need. You can keep the boat."
The port official turned around.
The leaking wooden boat had already sunk, leaving only the tip of the mast sticking out of the water.
"…Looks like I'll be working overtime tonight fishing that out. 500 Pokédollars—what a loss…" the man muttered tearfully.
...
As a renowned seaside resort city, beaches and bikinis were its eternal theme.
Blonde, brunette, raven-haired—tall beauties of every shade boldly displayed their figures. Slender waists, shapely hips, long legs… Every passing male tourist stared wide-eyed.
Kael was no saint. Freshly returned to human society and in excellent spirits, he even whistled at a few of the most eye-catching women.
When the beauties turned and saw it was a good looking young man teasing them, they giggled openly. A few bold ones even blew him flying kisses in return.
....
Sea of Blue Auction House.
Kael stood beneath the enormous sign and read it softly.
He had come here to dispose of the sack of gems as quickly as possible. He was practically broke—just over ten thousand Pokédollars left on his card, barely enough to buy a few kilograms of premium wagyu beef.
Recent adventures had drained many of his tools and supplies. Restocking alone would cost at least a hundred thousand.
Selling all the gems to one auction house meant getting slightly undercut. But Kael didn't have the time—or patience—to travel city to city negotiating with multiple buyers just to squeeze out a little more profit. That would be far too troublesome.
"Sir, welcome. The Sea of Blue Auction begins tonight at 8 p.m. How may I assist you?"
A beautiful young woman in an OL uniform stepped politely to Kael's left, head slightly bowed, eyes gentle—her etiquette impeccable, like a spring breeze.
"You buy gems here, right?"
Kael cut straight to the point, shaking the sack lightly.
The girl paused briefly, then smiled. "Of course. If the quality is high, we can place them in tonight's auction. We guarantee a satisfactory price. Our commission is only five percent—"
Kael shook his head. He knew auctioning them could yield higher returns. Selling directly meant sacrificing some profit. But the difference wouldn't be huge—only the cat's-eye gem in the bag was of particularly high quality. The rest, without further cutting and polishing, wouldn't fetch extraordinary prices.
An elderly man with white hair and a kindly expression examined each gem carefully through a magnifying glass. Finally, he picked up the cat's-eye and said,
"The overall quality is quite ordinary, young man. Only this chrysoberyl cat's-eye stands out. Highest value of the lot."
He set it down and continued,
"I'll make the decision on behalf of the house. 8 million flat. All of them together. What do you say?"
"Deal."
Kael didn't hesitate.
His ideal target had been 9 million—but that would've required splitting the sale across multiple cities and shops.
The old man was straightforward and hadn't slashed the price aggressively. 8 million was perfectly acceptable.
The transaction was completed via online banking. The 8 million pokédollars quickly arrived in Kael's account.
Additionally, he received a VIP invitation for tonight's auction—issued to guests with assets exceeding 5 million.
Kael didn't refuse. If he had time tonight, he might drop by. If something worthwhile appeared at a reasonable price, he could bid on one or two items.
As the saying goes: with money in hand, the heart is steady.
Walking out of Sea of Blue Auction House, Kael felt brimming with confidence. Growing up poor had taught him to calculate every single coin carefully.
But even so, 8 million wasn't truly that much.
His team now included a super heavyweight glutton. The materials required to produce high-quality concentrated pokeblocks—and the training equipment—would cost a considerable sum.
On top of that, he still needed to purchase a Prism Scale for Feebas's evolution. That alone would be a massive expense—especially if it meant competing with powerful buyers from the Sootopolis Gym in Hoenn.
Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.