Chapter 3: Shadow Sneak, But It Didn

At the computer, Guang Tai scanned the rough Evolution Stone using the computer’s camera and sent the image to the other party.

“Hey, is this the stone?”

After reading Guang Tai’s description and viewing the image, Bi was extremely surprised and confirmed once again: he had studied many items but never found any information about this stone.

In the anime universe, this stone never appeared at all.

Guang Tai recalled that, according to the game timeline, the earliest researchers to discover this stone were from the Unova region.

When describing the stone’s effect, Guang Tai did not mention anything as bizarre as “+50% to both defenses,” since in the real-world setting, no scientist had yet measured a Pokémon’s individual base stats—this was perfectly normal.

“That’s right, as I said, the Evolution Stone can only be used on Pokémon that can evolve but haven’t yet—it’s a miracle stone for weak Pokémon and the greatest boost for those already powerful; with this stone, they can even surpass their evolved forms!”

“If you need it, pay a deposit and I can polish it for you—after my craftsmanship, the polished stone’s effect will be better than its current state.”

Guang Tai sent the message, but the other side did not reply immediately.

They were probably weighing and thinking—after all, facing something completely unknown, most people would wonder if they were being scammed.

“Hmm, I agree.” Bi’s thinking didn’t last long—he sent a new message: “You’re an acquaintance of Mr. Steel, and I’m here specifically seeking rare items. If I refuse to buy just because I doubt the item’s effect, that would be backwards. I’m a researcher—I’ll verify the stone’s effect with my own eyes.”

Phew!

Got it!

Guang Tai exhaled in relief!

His first sale in the new region was sealed—quite the auspicious start.

The agreed delivery time was one week later; as for shipping, surprisingly, he could apply for Fly-Mail from Vermilion City—probably delivered by a Dragonite or a Mime Jr.

So the deposit needs to be…

“Ten thousand Poké Dollars.”

The deposit was 20% of the total price. Since Evolution Stones were almost never purchasable in past game worlds—only found on the ground or gifted by others—it wasn’t until the ninth generation, Scarlet and Violet, that they became regularly available for purchase, priced at fifty thousand Poké Dollars.

Guang Tai priced it exactly as in the games; he had no intention of being a greedy merchant on his first order.

Scaring off the customer would be disastrous.

Tap. Tap-tap.

A strange knocking sound echoed through the air. Guang Tai lifted his head, puzzled, toward the door.

“Someone knocking?”

From deep within the house, a cold, chilling atmosphere began to rise.

He rose, stepped over the counter, and opened the cabin’s front door—no one was outside.

Rain still pattered softly; dark clouds blanketed the hills; forests, valleys, and snow-capped mountains beyond were veiled in mist. The sky was gloomy, everything blurred and indistinct.

Tap-tap-tap—

The knocking returned. Guang Tai checked repeatedly: no wild Pokémon had passed by seeking shelter near the door; the nearby village showed only wisps of smoke, no movement—only weeds, bent and trembling under the rain.

Guang Tai listened carefully—and realized the sound wasn’t coming from outside, but from…

Following the noise, he moved deeper into the house, arriving at the basement door.

Doubt and caution slowly surfaced in Guang Tai’s eyes.

He had just come out of the basement—he hadn’t noticed anything inside!

Could it be… haunted? Ah, in the Pokémon world, this was common enough—never thought he’d run into it right away.

Ghostly happenings in a rainy, gloomy house—perfectly atmospheric.

Indeed, the Pokémon world had a spirit realm; every generation featured supernatural side stories. Hauntings were utterly normal here. And since he had possessed the dead original owner, perhaps the owner’s soul still lingered.

“If you’re some kind of ghost… just rest in peace.”

“I’ve never exorcised a spirit before, but Pokémon-world ghosts have Ghost-type properties. If they have a type, they can be dealt with.”

The item master’s greatest strength wasn’t brute force—it was using items. There was a great wall between bare hands and armed readiness.

Guang Tai didn’t enter the basement directly—he rushed back to his room to prepare for battle.

The warehouse held materials; finished items were kept outside.

First, he pulled out a box of pale purple dried fruit and popped it into his mouth:

“Floragato: activates when hit by a powerful Ghost-type move, halving damage from one Ghost-type attack.”

This was a Berry from Sinnoh; vague memories suggested similar Berries grew in nearby forests, since these were originally brought from Sinnoh to northern Johto a thousand years ago by the Sinnoh people.

Since ancient times, this Berry had held mysterious power: flower-shaped and intensely sweet, it was ideal for pastries, and some dried it as talismans. Homes in haunted regions always kept this Berry on hand.

Next, Guang Tai put on protective gloves and opened the locked cabinet in the corner, filled with vital materials and exclusive items.

He first took out a pale white incense: Pure Incense. Its effect: when carried by the lead Pokémon, wild Pokémon are less likely to appear—some dislike its scent.

After lighting the Pure Incense, fragrant smoke drifted from the censer’s holes; then, Guang Tai took from the cabinet’s second shelf a necklace of dog teeth.

“Darumaka’s fangs—not a battle item, but a Pokémon material, still holding residual Dark-type energy; since Darumaka also has Fire-type traits, traces of Fire-type energy remain in these teeth.”

Guang Tai put on the tooth necklace, then took out Johto’s specialty: Anger Bun—a local snack that removes most status conditions.

Next, he reached to the cabinet’s bottom shelf, where several dry, hardened mud balls wrapped in green leaves lay: these were Sticky Balls.

Then, he pulled from the inner bottom compartment a voice recorder, containing a recording of the Dark-type move “Snarl.”

Of course, this was just a recorder—it couldn’t launch sonic attacks, only produce loud noise to irritate the target. The recording came from low-quality Darkra, common in the forests.

Finally, he took several Poké Balls.

Fully armed, fed, and ready, Guang Tai opened the basement door.

When the light switched on, illumination flooded every shelf. Guang Tai wedged the door shut to prevent it from swinging, then stepped inside.

A chilling breath struck him—he shuddered slightly, an instinctive reaction—and he was certain: this sensation hadn’t been here when he left the basement earlier.

One step, two steps—he felt something watching him from within the basement. The smoke from his Pure Incense drifted slowly, filling every corner.

“Carvings, Star Sand, antique crafts, Fire Stone, Power Band, Shell Bell, Pebblebrook fragments.”

Creak…

The basement door suddenly made a sound.

Guang Tai spun around—just then, a dark shadow rose behind him!

In the pitch-black basement, a blue eye glowed!

“Yoo—!”

The inner joy of One-Edge was immense!

The outsider had fallen for it!

First, take this—“Shadow Sneak!”

This is how a knight greets!

The swift black shadow struck Guang Tai precisely!

Effect!

Effect… not good?!

One-Edge’s eyes filled with bewilderment; Guang Tai, struck by Shadow Sneak, merely staggered slightly, then steadied himself instantly. He turned to see the floating ancient sword, seemingly stunned, and smiled knowingly:

“Looks like it didn’t work!”

(End of Chapter)