Pokémon: Master System.

Froakie has always been very popular, and its powerful battle strength and unique Ash-style Greninja make it a favorite among Pokémon fans.

Xia Yu was no exception; who wouldn't love a Pokémon that was both cool and powerful? However, to Xia Yu's regret, this Froakie's potential was only at the Gym Leader level, which did not meet his minimum requirements for capture.

"Froakie is a Pokémon that most people are unfamiliar with. It's almost nonexistent in the wild in my country, a special Pokémon unique to Japan. Each one is extremely expensive, and we spent a lot of money to acquire this one. This Froakie has been hatched for less than a week, making it perfect as a starter Pokémon for beginners. If you have children at home, Froakie will definitely become their most loyal companion. Starting bid: 500,000, with each bid increment no less than 50,000."

"Cough cough." Xia Yu almost choked on his own saliva. He didn't think much of the Froggy Frog's aptitude, but all his cash combined couldn't even reach the starting bid for it. What a disaster.

"Five hundred and fifty thousand."

"Six hundred thousand."

…………

Xia Yu clearly underestimated how wealthy this group of people were. The price of Froakie skyrocketed from 500,000 to 1 million, which is roughly the price of a Gym Leader-level Pokémon. However, due to Froakie's special characteristics, the price is likely to continue to rise.

Sure enough, after another round of bidding, the Frog was finally bought by a fat buyer for 1.4 million.

"Congratulations to the buyer for successfully bidding on the Froggy Frog. You can continue to participate in the auction. The Froggy Frog will be delivered to you when you leave. Next, we will move on to the second item."

Items like the Froggy Frog are extremely rare at auction. The rest of the items are of moderate value, with starting bids ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands – this is the norm in the underground black market. The truly valuable items are auctioned at legitimate auction houses; rare items like the Froggy Frog, with their clearly questionable provenance, are still in the minority.

Xia Yu didn't bid once during this period because he didn't really need the items being auctioned. It wasn't until the auction was almost over that some precious items finally appeared.

"The next item up for auction is three Pokémon eggs. These three eggs contain extremely rare Pokémon, but due to some reasons, they have been damaged, making them much more difficult to hatch."

Three boxes covered with red silk cloth were pushed onto the auction stage. Sister Hong walked to the first box, pulled off the red cloth, and revealed a transparent glass box.

A cracked elf egg!

"I can't tell you where this egg came from, but I can tell you that the Pokémon inside this egg is Axew."

Xia Yu's gaze also fell on the cracked Pokémon egg, and he immediately investigated the information about the Pokémon egg.

【Elf Egg】

Teeth

Gender: female

Attribute: dragon

Qualification: Lord level (Guild Master level, qualification damaged)

Features: Exceptional

Skill:? ? ?

Xia Yu was even tempted by the aptitude of a Gym Leader-level creature! If it weren't for the system's limitations, he would definitely have tried every means to acquire it. Even though its aptitude was damaged, it could definitely recover with proper care.

Once this Axew grows up, it will be a Gym Leader-level Haxorus, which is basically equivalent to a near-Elite Four Pokémon! The fact that they're selling something like this shows how big the underground black market is.

However, considering what Sister Hong said, this elf egg must have come from an illegitimate source, otherwise it wouldn't be sold on the underground black market.

"Is this Aww's Pokémon egg?"

"A Dragon-type Pokémon, specifically Haxorusaur."

"Wait, it seems the Dragon Nest egg transport trucks were attacked by the Dawn Cult two months ago. A whole batch of spirit eggs they were transporting have gone missing. This spirit egg..."

…………

The appearance of Axew's Pokémon egg caused a commotion among the crowd, but Red Sister seemed completely unconcerned, walking straight to the second and third Pokémon eggs and suddenly pulling back the red cloth.

"The starting bid for the first Pokémon egg is one million. Compared to the first Pokémon egg, these two Pokémon eggs are slightly less valuable, but they are still quite rare. If you want them, be sure to seize the opportunity. The starting bid for these two Pokémon eggs is two hundred thousand."

Xia Yu's gaze fell on the remaining two Pokémon eggs. The second Pokémon egg was obviously smaller than usual, looking like it was underdeveloped. The third Pokémon egg was dull in color, with black spots all over its shell, and the Pokémon inside was clearly sick.

【Elf Egg】

Cyndaquil

Gender: male

Attribute: Fire

Qualification: Lord-level (Gym Leader-level, underdeveloped)

Feature: Fire

Skill:? ? ?

【Elf Egg】

Magikarp

Gender: male

Attribute: Water

Qualification: Elite level (near-King level, life at risk at any time due to viral infection)

Characteristics: Timid

Skill:? ? ?

When Xia Yu saw the Magikarp's Pokémon egg, his eyes lit up, but then he was filled with frustration. Why couldn't this Magikarp's aptitude be a little bit better?

A Pokémon at the near-Elite Four level isn't actually an Elite Four Pokémon, so Xia Yu couldn't catch it. However, Xia Yu was just thinking about it; given the nature of auctions, he couldn't afford any of those three Pokémon anyway.

Even if these three Pokémon eggs are flawed and may be of dubious origin, they are still not something Xia Yu could acquire with his two hundred thousand or so.

With the appearance of three treasured Pokémon eggs, the auction immediately became heated, especially the Axew Pokémon egg. The starting price of one million was not taken seriously by these people at all. Soon the price broke through the two million mark and continued to climb. This scene made Xia Yu's blood pressure soar.

However, Dragon-type Pokémon are rare to begin with, and this Pokémon egg is of exceptional quality. Even with cracks in the shell, it's normal for it to be worth over two million.

Xia Yu sat in his chair, watching the bidding like a spectator, without any intention of bidding himself. He had already made a fortune by acquiring an S-grade Thunder Stone this time.

"three million."

Just then, Xia Yu noticed a person dressed in a black robe calling out a price of three million in a hoarse voice.

Xia Yu looked curiously at the mysterious rich man and was surprised to find a Black Rhino lying next to him.

【Herooga】

Gender: male

Attributes: Dark, Fire

Qualification: Quasi-king level

Combat strength: Quasi-Heavenly King level

Ability: Fire

Item: Grade B charcoal

Skills: Leer, Spark, Misty Mist, Thunder Fang, Howl, Nasty Plot, Roar, Bite, Burn, Siege, Fire Fang, Taunt, Revenge, Plug-in, Flamethrower, Crunch, Roar, Dark Pulse, Flame Burst, Solar Beam, Flame Vortex, Sudden Attack, Overheat, Heat Wave, Nasty Plot, Protect, Sludge Bomb

Xia Yu was stunned by the luxurious panel. There was a serious problem with a trainer at the near-Elite Four level appearing at this underground auction. He should leave quickly.

Xia Yu was no longer interested in watching the show. Even with Scizor and Golem protecting him, it was clear that he was no match for this Houndoom.

A Pokémon at the near-Elite Four level would be among the top-tier fighters in Starlight City, so this mysterious person's appearance here must have some other purpose.

Without hesitation, Xia Yu got up and quietly left the underground black market. At the same time, he began searching for information about the near-Elite Four level Houndoom on his phone.

In this world of advanced internet, near-Elite Four level Houndooms are extremely rare.

"Wanted: Xu Xiu".

"Sex: Male"

"Age: 48 years old"

"Near Champion-level Trainer".

Signature Pokémon: Zoroark, Krookodile, Houndoom.

"Xu Xiu is incredibly powerful. Ten years ago, he was already a near-Elite Four level trainer, possessing three near-Elite Four level Pokémon: Zoroark, Krookodile, and Houndoom. However, due to the lack of an Elite Four level Pokémon, he was unable to advance to the Elite Four level. Three years ago, he murdered the entire Zhao family of Fengtian City, Shengjing Province, and stole the egg of the Zhao family's near-legendary Pokémon Tyranitar, and fled. His whereabouts remain unknown to this day."

…………

Chapter 10 Secret Realm

Xia Yu didn't get to see the grand finale of the auction. His life was more important than watching the excitement. A trainer of unknown origin who was almost a Champion-level trainer—it was clear that something big was going to happen. Xia Yu didn't have the qualifications or the ability to participate.

Back home, Xia Yu lay in bed, his mind filled with thoughts of Xu Xiu all night. He wondered what was so special about the small Starlight City that would make a trainer like Xu Xiu, a near-Elite Four level, make such a trip.

Perhaps I'm seeing things. Is that person not Xu Xiu? That shouldn't be possible. There are only a handful of near-Elite Four level Houndooms, and the others have no reason to hide their identities.

Xia Yu drifted off to sleep amidst her anxiety.

…………

"boom."

In the middle of the night, a sudden explosion resounded throughout Starlight City, illuminating the dark sky as if it were daytime. Xia Yu, who was already a light sleeper because of Xu Xiu's matter, was instantly awakened. He quickly dressed and came out of the house, just in time to see Xia Yong and Xia Luo, with gloomy faces, walking out of the house.

"Dad, what happened?" Xia Yu couldn't help but ask.

Hearing his youngest son ask the question, Xia Yong forced a smile and said, "It's okay, just stay home and sleep. Don't go out."

After Xia Yong finished speaking, he turned to his eldest son beside him and said seriously, "Xia Luo, come out with me."

“Alright, let’s go, Dad.” Charlotte’s face was equally serious, a far cry from his usual playful demeanor. “Xiaoyu, you stay at home. I’ll leave my Scizor and Golisopod with you. I’ll also give you a Charizard. Just stay home and don’t go out.”