994 Encirclement

Gillruta's entire flying fortress is controlled by artificial intelligence, which he referred to as "Phineas."

After a few "beep, beep, beep" sounds, the heavy door in front of the three of them was opened, revealing a magnificent and palace-like collection room in front of Yuga's eyes.

Gillruta reached out towards the collection room and smiled, saying, "Gym Leader Shimizu, come in and take a look."

Yuga nodded and followed Gillruta into the collection room.

They first entered the antique collection area. On the exquisite shelves and within transparent display cases, a well-organized array of exquisite, ancient, and peculiar antiques were on display, each of them is a masterpiece.

As Gillruta led Yuga through the area, he introduced the origin and history of the antiques.

"This Poké Ball is one of the earliest ones produced in the industrialization of Poké Ball manufacturing." Gillruta pointed to a well-preserved red and white Poké Ball and said, "Unfortunately, there are less than ten of these Poké Balls left from that batch."

Poké Balls were originally handcrafted by Apricorn artisans. They were not only time-consuming to make but also had a very low production rate, which meant that the profession of Pokémon Trainer was once limited to a select few at that time.

Later, with the industrial mass production of Poké Balls, their cost and price significantly decreased, and the profession of Pokémon Trainer was truly liberated.

However, the craft of handcrafted Poké Balls had never been entirely replaced. While industrial mass-produced Poké Balls were cheaper, their quality couldn't compare to handcrafted Poké Balls.

Handcrafted Poké Balls might not be the best, but the best Poké Balls were always handcrafted. Although this statement was not entirely accurate, it did reflect a certain truth to some extent.

Next, Gillruta pointed to a golden crown adorned with gemstones and introduced it to Yuga:

"This crown belonged to a famous emperor of the Vante Empire over a thousand years ago. How do you like it? Isn't it particularly luxurious?"

Upon hearing this, Yuga couldn't help but take a closer look at the crown, surprised that he was seeing something from the Vante Empire.

Due to the short existence of the Arus Empire more than a thousand years ago and the deliberate hiding by the Vante Empire, there are very few histories and records left about it.

But Vante Empire was different, which had a more extensive historical record, the Vante Empire had left a vivid mark on the history of the Hoenn region and had even once unified the entire region..

This was a magnificent and grand empire in history.

But Yuga only took a few more glances and marveled at the luxury and preciousness of the crown. After all, the Vante Empire had no connection to him.

However, in Gillruta eyes, when seeing Yuga gaze at the crown in amazement, he thought that Yuga had been deeply impressed by it and said with a hint of pride:

"Few relics from the Vante Empire have survived, and this crown is the only one of its kind. I went to great lengths to obtain it."

Yuga, upon hearing this, inwardly rolled his eyes: Is that it? I've even seen the emperors of the Vante Empire in person!

After visiting antiques from different historical periods, Yuga, led by Gillruta, then entered the area of rare and exotic treasures. The items here were even more precious, such as a rock that had fallen off Regirock's body, an amber containing a lifelike Combee, and a miracle seed that radiating exceptional vitality.

There are so many treasures and Yuga was dazzled.

"It's said that this is a remains of a Master level Aegislash."

Gillruta pointed to a shield and a sword and introduced them to Yuga.

Looking at the shiny sword and shield, Yuga felt that Gillruta's claim might be true, as both the shield and sword emitted a strong Ghost-type energy.

Seeing Yuga's apparent interest in the sword and shield, Gillruta continued, "The reason I collect these two items is that the original seller told me that one day, these sword and shield would come back to life."

Yuga couldn't help but chuckle, "Mr. Gillruta, it's quite interesting. How can a deceased Pokémon come back to life?"

Gillruta smiled and didn't elaborate further.

Next, he led Yuga to the Pokémon area.

In this area, various ancient Pokémon fossils and skeletons were displayed, all incredibly complete. There was a fossilized Aerodactyl hanging from the ceiling, a giant rock on the wall with complete Kabutops and Omastar fossils, and several perfectly intact fossilized Pokémon eggs, and so on.

Each of these Pokémon fossils was incredibly complete, and outside, they could be sold for a high price. This was because there was currently a craze in the outside world for collecting Pokémon fossils, and the prices of these fossils had skyrocketed.

"Mr. Gillruta, have you ever considered having these fossils revived by Devon Corporation?" Yuga asked Gillruta while examining the fossils.

Gillruta shook his head with a smile and said, "No, no, no. If they were revived, they would lose their value as collectibles."

Yuga thought to himself, "Mr. Gillruta has some strange hobbies. Aren't living Pokémon more interesting than these fossils?"

As they walked, Yuga was suddenly drawn to something and his expression changed. He quickly walked over to it.

Following Yuga's gaze, Gillruta's expression also changed slightly.

Yuga arrived in a corner of the Pokémon area, where there was a transparent glass case containing a Bisharp posed in a battle stance.

Yuga pointed at the Bisharp in the glass case and asked Gillruta, "Mr. Gillruta, what is this?"

Gillruta calmly replied, "Ah, this? This is a Bisharp model created using bio-simulation technology."

Yuga was taken aback, "A model?"

The Bisharp model was incredibly lifelike, down to the fear in its eyes and the pain on its face. When Yuga first saw it, he thought it was a Pokémon specimen.

Except for some special circumstances, it was strictly prohibited to create Pokémon specimens within the Pokémon League.

In the past, some perverse scientists and collectors had slaughtered a large number of Pokémon to make specimens for their personal desires.

As a result, the Pokémon League had included a strict ban on creating Pokémon specimens in its laws and had consistently cracked down on such criminal activities.

Gillruta chuckled and said, "Of course, this is just a model. Did the Gym Leader Shimizu really think it was a Pokémon specimen? Hahaha... Impossible! If it were a Pokémon specimen, why would I display it here and invite you to visit?"

Yuga had been keep staring at Gillruta the whole time and noticed that he didn't appear the least bit flustered. Yuga put on a somewhat fake smile and said, "You're right; it was my misunderstanding."

Model? Yuga didn't believe Gillruta's words one bit. The model looked incredibly lifelike, and he had never heard of such realistic models. This was his territory, and he wasn't going to take Gillruta's word for everything.

With these thoughts in mind, Yuga became highly vigilant towards Gillruta.

Gillruta was renowned in the world, but it seemed that his reputation might be open to question. After seeing the "model" of the Bisharp, Yuga's enthusiasm for the rest of the tour waned. Soon, Gillruta suggested, "We've seen enough; shall we discuss the main matter?"

Yuga nodded in agreement, "Sounds good."

Led by Gillruta, the three of them left the collection room and entered a luxurious hall.

The hall was very spacious and lavishly decorated, but its size made it feel somewhat empty. Once seated, the female assistant served Yuga a cup of tea.

"Please enjoy your tea, Gym Leader Shimizu," the female assistant said, placing the tea on the table in front of Yuga.

Yuga reached out to pick up the tea cup but accidentally touched the female assistant's hand. His unique power surged briefly, and he looked at the female assistant with surprise before glancing at Gillruta, but he quickly concealed his expression.

However, Yuga was unaware that at that moment, the female assistant was locking eyes with him, and she had noticed his brief moment of surprise.

"Please enjoy your tea, Gym Leader Shimizu," the female assistant repeated, then left the room after serving the tea.

Yuga redirected his attention away from the female assistant and asked Gillruta, "Mr. Gillruta, are you ready to discuss the items now?"

Gillruta nodded, "Yes, would you like me to have someone help bring the items over?"

Yuga shook his head, "No need." He called out, "Gengar!"

As Yuga spoke, the air around him distorted, and a Gengar appeared next to him.

Seeing the sudden appearance of Gengar, Gillruta's gaze darkened slightly, "I didn't expect the Gym Leader Shimizu to have a bodyguard."

Yuga smiled faintly, "Well, it's not easy being alone out here."

Gillruta gave a slight nod and didn't say more.

"Gengar, please go with everyone to bring the items from the ship," Yuga instructed his Gengar.

"Geng, Geng," Gengar responded with a mischievous grin before vanishing beside Yuga.

A little over ten minutes later, a group of Ghost-type Pokémon, led by Gengar, entered the room one by one, each using psychic power to control a box of treasures.

Witnessing this scene, Gillruta was astonished and gave a thumbs-up to Yuga, saying, "Gym Leader Shimizu, impressive!"

Yuga waved it off, saying, "I'm just making sure Mr. Gillruta has a pleasant visit."

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, a beautiful woman was fixedly watching a large screen. The flickering lights on the screen cast an eerie and distorted glow on her face.

The screen displayed the ongoing conversation between Yuga and Gillruta, along with the appearance of the Ghost-type Pokémon entering.

"Shimizu Yuga," the woman softly murmured Yuga's name.

This woman was the female assistant by Gillruta's side.

Back in the living room, Yuga instructed the Ghost-type Pokémon, "Please open the boxes."

The Ghost-type Pokémon obediently followed Yuga's command and began to open the boxes one by one.

Seeing this, Gillruta praised, "I've heard that the Gym Leader Shimizu is a formidable Grass-type Trainer, but I didn't expect you to be so familiar with Ghost-type Pokémon."

Ghost-type Pokémon have unpredictable temperaments and are generally considered among the most challenging to work with. Gillruta was genuinely surprised to see how skillfully Yuga managed them.

It wasn't an easy feat to command this many Ghost-type Pokémon. Gillruta began to suspect that the rumors about Shimizu Yuga might have underestimated his true abilities. As the head of the Rite family, Gillruta was naturally inclined to think a bit deeper than most.

Upon hearing Gillruta's praise, Yuga merely smiled without saying much.

Gillruta knew well that probing should be done in moderation. He didn't dwell on the Ghost-type Pokémon and got up to inspect the treasures in the boxes.

As a renowned collector worldwide, Gillruta possessed strong appraisal and assessment skills, easily determining the value of these treasures.

Gillruta meticulously examined the contents of the boxes and then inquired, "I didn't expect the Gym Leader Shimizu's collection to be so rich. These items come from different eras. I'm amazed at how comprehensive your collection is. May I ask where you obtained these?"

Yuga casually replied, "They were gifts from my elders."

Gillruta filled in the blanks mentally: It must have been given to him by Mr. Kuni'o.

Being the eldest among the four Master level Trainers of the League and able to collect such items, Gillruta found it quite plausible. Yuga, as Mr. Kuni'o's only disciple, receiving these treasures was reasonable since Mr. Kuni'o had no relatives and Yuga was the closest person to him.

"I wonder, Gym Leader Shimizu, what price range you think is suitable for this batch of items?" Gillruta continued to inquire.

"I'm not well-versed in this area. Why don't you provide an estimate, Mr. Gillruta?" Yuga passed the ball back to Gillruta.

Gillruta thought to himself: Not well-versed? Don't kid me. Even if you're not an expert, didn't you estimate the price before you came here?

However, he had no intention of bargaining and casually stated a price, "250 million."

Yuga, who was preparing to negotiate: ...

In fact, Steven's estimate for Yuga was around 230 million or so. Unexpectedly, Gillruta not only didn't negotiate but offered a higher price than their initial expectations. Gillruta was living up to his reputation as the man known for extravagant spending.

Rich and carefree!

However, 250 million Pokédollar!

Yuga was making this much money for the first time, thanks to Dusknoir, the cash cow. With this amount, he could easily fund the construction of new Ecopark.

Once the price was settled, the two quickly concluded the transaction. Yuga received a message that 250 million had been credited to his account in just a few minutes.

Rich and happy, Yuga extended his hand to Gillruta and said, "Business is concluded, and it's time for me to take my leave. It was a pleasure to meet Mr. Gillruta today."

Gillruta shook Yuga's hand and said, "I'm also pleased to have met the Gym Leader Shimizu."

Then, with a cheerful farewell, Yuga was escorted out of the flying fortress by Gillruta.

The moment before, Yuga was all smiles, but as he left the flying fortress, his face turned serious. He muttered to a Banette at his side, "Inform Dusknoir to have everyone on the ship come out and surround the aircraft."

The Banette didn't know Yuga's reasons but giggled and vanished from Yuga's sight.

Dusknoir's followers acted quickly. Three minutes later, the Ghost-type Pokémon on Yuga's ship poured out en masse, hundreds of them forming a tight circle to enclose Gillruta's flying fortress.

Once surrounded, the alarm system inside the flying fortress was triggered. Gillruta rushed out and, upon seeing the multitude of Ghost-type Pokémon, and almost passed out.

He looked at Yuga standing at the front of the Ghost ship and shouted loudly, his expression uncertain, "Gym Leader Shimizu, what do you mean by this?"

Yuga was about to reply when a woman appeared on top of the flying fortress, looking down on Yuga and the Ghost-type Pokémon surrounding her.

Seeing the woman, Yuga raised an eyebrow, "You've finally shown up? Quite a quick response. Long time no see!"

Hearing Yuga's words, the woman's face underwent several changes. She clutched her chest as waves of pain struck her: Damn Shimizu Yuga!

Gillruta had intended to say something but, upon the woman's appearance, he chose to stay silent. Instead, he watched the confrontation between Yuga and the woman with great composure.