915 Proposal

The Indigo item turned out to be something unexpected for Yuga, a green crystal with leaf patterns in the center - Grassium Z.

...

[ Grassium Z ]

[ Description: The crystallization of Z-Power, it upgrades Grass-type moves to Z-Moves. ]

[ Price: 1.11 million. ]

...

"Hey hey... this doesn't seem right, does it? The more precious and rare purple items are priced at only 660,000, so why is this lower-tier Indigo item priced at 1.11 million? Do you think you can trick me and extort me?" Yuga couldn't help but complain to the system after examining the contents of the blue box.

System: [ Does the host find 1.11 million for a Z-Crystal too expensive? ]

"Well... not exactly."

In the Pokémon world, this price was not only reasonable but also quite affordable.

System: [ That's right, then. Does the host have any other objections? ]

Yuga: "But..."

System: [ The host should have been informed in advance about the pricing rules in the system store. Most items are priced based on the Pokémon world's valuation standards. For example, this Z-Crystal would likely cost much more in the real world, but strictly speaking, 1.11 million is still a feasible price. The system sets its prices based on the lowest real-world cost, which is advantageous for the host. Some items unique to the system, like Essence Liquid and the Seed of Unknown, have prices determined by the system itself. However, the host should be aware that in the real world, these prices would likely be many times higher, providing even greater advantages. ]

"Erm..."

Yuga was momentarily speechless.

System: [ The host's current behavior can be described as 'getting a good deal and playing hard to get.' ]

(_) I understand, I'm just playing hard to get.

() "Well... having just one Z-Crystal without the corresponding Z-Ring doesn't seem very useful."

[ That's the host's own bussiness. ]

In the end, Yuga spent 1.11 million to purchase the Grassium Z-Crystal. He reasoned that if he didn't buy it now, he might never come across it again, and finding a Z-Ring was a matter of fate.

As the system mentioned, he was getting a great deal, so there wasn't much to complain about. Sometimes, money was the easiest thing to acquire, while treasures were elusive.

After placing the acquired Z-Crystal into his system backpack, Yuga also took out the Pokémon Egg given to him by Milotic.

Compared to when he put it in, the Pokémon Egg hadn't shown any changes, and there were no signs of it hatching.

If it weren't for Yuga's special ability to sense a small life inside, an ordinary person might have suspected it to be a dead egg.

From the outside, this Pokémon Egg indeed appeared lifeless. Its sheen and appearance differed greatly from the vibrant, easily hatched Pokémon Eggs. Typically, fresh Pokémon Eggs looked bright, and even dark-patterned ones seemed relatively vibrant.

Yuga couldn't help but feel that this Pokémon Egg from Milotic was special. He sensed the presence of a living creature inside, but it seemed to be in a deep slumber, resisting hatching for some reason.

But the color of this Pokémon Egg, despite being mainly white and light blue, still appeared dim and lifeless.

After taking out the Pokémon Egg, Yuga also retrieved the Essence Liquid he had just acquired.

The Essence Liquid was a light green liquid, and ignoring its color, it felt similar to water. It was contained in a transparent bottle about the length of an adult's forearm and as thick as two fingers.

Looking at the quantity, this bottle of Essence Liquid seemed quite generous.

When Yuga opened the bottle, he immediately smelled a refreshing and invigorating fragrance, making him feel as if his entire body was being rejuvenated.

Truly, it was a purple item produced by the system, and just based on the scent, 660,000 was well worth it.

Following the system's instructions, Yuga dropped a droplet of Essence Liquid onto the Pokémon Egg. A green light flashed, and the liquid was completely absorbed, leaving nothing behind.

With each drop of Essence Liquid absorbed, Yuga could clearly feel the small creature inside the egg becoming more active, and he even sensed a growing sense of closeness from it.

It was a peculiar feeling when the little one inside shared its emotions with him. Yuga felt like he could empathize with it.

After all the Essence Liquid was absorbed, a pale blue halo suddenly erupted from the Pokémon Egg. Yuga, who was right next to the egg, was thrown back by the sudden burst of blue light, tumbling several times.

While Yuga was tumbling, in an instant, the eggshell of the Pokémon Egg turned semi-transparent, revealing a lively little creature inside, joyfully swimming around within the egg. Afterward, it returned to its original state.

However, Yuga didn't witness this scene.

"Ouch. That hurt! What just happened?"

Yuga got up from the ground, rubbed his waist, brushed off the grass from his clothes, and then looked at the Pokémon Egg, realizing it was still lying motionless.

"What was that blue light just now?"

Approaching the Pokémon Egg again, Yuga noticed that the eggshell, once white, now had a kind of crystal-like clarity that it didn't have before, no longer appearing lifeless.

As soon as he touched the Pokémon Egg, Yuga sensed a wave of apologetic emotions coming from the small creature inside. It was apologizing for accidentally knocking him over.

"It's okay, it's okay. You didn't mean to."

Gently stroking the eggshell, Yuga spoke softly to the Pokémon Egg.

Then, Yuga could feel that the emotions of the creature inside the egg became joyful again, and it grew even closer to him.

He used his Insight ability to inspect the Pokémon Egg again, but still couldn't discern anything.

What kind of Pokémon Egg was this? To have such a strong sense of self-awareness before even hatching.

"I hope you'll be born soon."

Yuga whispered softly while caressing the Pokémon Egg.

This time, Yuga didn't put the Pokémon Egg back into the system backpack because it was better for it to be in the incubator for proper care and nurturing.

So, he returned to the gym and found an incubator to place it in.

On the third day after arriving in Verdanturf Town, Yuga received a notification from Beidou. Astrid wanted to come challenge him.

Yuga was surprised upon receiving the message. "She hasn't left yet? Isn't the League Conference about to start?"

Beidou replied somewhat helplessly, "She said that if she couldn't obtain the Verdant Badge from you, participating in the League Conference wouldn't have much meaning."

As it turned out, after Yuga left Verdanturf Town, Astrid had remained there for special training and had been waiting for Yuga's return.

Yuga had initially expected to return quickly, but the incident with Zapdos and the Snowpoint Peak had caused delays, leading Astrid to stay in Verdanturf Town without intending to leave.

"I didn't expect her to be so persistent."

Yuga shook his head and went with Beidou to the gym.

Because the League Conference was just over ten days away, during the days Yuga had been back, apart from Astrid, no one else had come to challenge the gym.

In the past two days, Akihito and the others had called, hoping that Yuga would come watch their matches during the League Conference.

However, due to the situation with Torterra, Yuga had to decline.

Although Torterra was fine now, Yuga still didn't plan to go. Saying he would go one day and then not showing up the next would not befit his role as the gym leader.

When Yuga arrived at the gym, Astrid was already standing in the battle arena. She didn't seem worried at all about the upcoming League Conference.

Yuga wondered why she had come all the way from Kalos to Hoenn and what her intentions were.

Once the challenge began, Yuga noticed that Astrid had indeed taken his previous words to heart. This time, she didn't use Absol.

Instead, she consecutively used Pyroar, Meowstic, and a Fire-type Pokémon he hadn't seen before, Delphox.

Thinking about it, she gained a lot during the special training in Verdanturf Town. Her Pyroar and Meowstic had clearly improved since their last encounter. It was a relatively an easy victory for her.

When Yuga handed the Verdant Badge to Astrid, he said: "This should be your last badge. Now, hurry to Lilycove City. You still need a few days to prepare."

Each region's League Conference was held in different cities, and the locations were not fixed. Usually, cities with well-established facilities like Petalburg City, Slateport City, Lilycove City, and Fortree City were selected.

Small towns like Verdanturf Town and Lavaridge Town never had the opportunity to host such events.

Astrid took the badge and placed it in her badge case. She thanked Yuga and hastily left. It seemed that she didn't really want to miss the League Conference after all.

When Yuga returned to the store, he found Barcas chatting with Suzuki Koen inside. With a hint of intuition, he knew why Barcas had come.

"Boss, you're back?"

Yuga nodded and said, "Are you here about resigning?"

Barcas nodded, saying, "Yes, I was wondering if you've found a new owner for the store."

Yuga sighed and replied, "I haven't found one yet. To be precise, I've been too busy recently and haven't had the time to look. Have you found a new job?"

Barcas nodded again, "I found one just a couple of days ago."

Yuga sighed and said, "Well, I can't keep holding you back then."

Yuga wasn't particularly surprised that Barcas had found a new job so quickly. He knew that Barcas was a talented individual and would be in demand anywhere he went.

Barcas apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, boss."

Yuga waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's not your fault. You don't need to apologize. It's my own fault for not planning properly. Besides, you have a family to support, and it wouldn't be fair to keep delaying you."

After Barcas left, Yuga sighed again. He still had no idea who the new store manager would be, and it was starting to weigh on him.

In recent days, with the League Conference about to start, foot traffic in Verdanturf Town had decreased significantly. Consequently, the occupancy rate at the Pokémon Paradise Hotel had also dropped.

While not having a store manager during this period was somewhat manageable, the League Conference would only last a few days.

Soon, Verdanturf Town would return to normal, and without a store manager, the Pokémon Paradise Hotel would be overwhelmed, even with the help of Strawberry and other Pokémon.

"Boss, are you thinking about the new store manager?" Suzuki Koen asked when he noticed Yuga's worried expression.

Yuga nodded, saying, "Yes. Finding the right candidate isn't easy."

Suzuki Koen suggested, "I have an idea, but I'm not sure if I should mention it."

Surprised, Yuga looked at Suzuki Koen and said, "Oh? Please, go ahead and share your idea."

Suzuki Koen hesitated before saying, "What do you think about having your uncle as the new store manager?"

Yuga's eyes widened in surprise as he asked, "Uncle? You mean my uncle? Luna's father?"

Suzuki Koen was slightly bemused by Yuga's barrage of questions. "Yes, that's the one. Do you have other uncles?"

Shaking his head, Yuga replied, "No, I only have one aunt, so naturally, I only have one uncle."

Suzuki Koen chuckled and said, "Then that's the one."

Yuga felt somewhat awkward and said, "Why did you think of suggesting my uncle? He has a good job, and his salary is even higher than what he would get as the manager here. Having him come here as the manager would be a bit..."

Yuga was well aware of his uncle's situation. Although he wasn't a high-profile figure, he had a good reputation in the small town of Verdanturf. He was known for being sociable and reliable.

When Yuga had decided to build the Ecological Park, his uncle had helped him find a suitable and trustworthy construction team. Not all construction companies were qualified to build such a specialized facility that required advanced technology.

Yuga's uncle worked for a relatively small company, but he was in a managerial position and had good connections in the town. So, it wasn't surprising that Suzuki Koen would suggest him.

As for why Suzuki Koen mentioned his Uncle, she wasn't particularly familiar with him personally. However, she was acquainted with his Uncle's wife, Yuga's Aunt Hisako

Aunt Hisako had joined Yuga's YoYo Day Care and become a colleague of Suzuki Koen.

They had gradually become friends, as they were close in age and both women. From Aunt Hisako, Suzuki Koen occasionally heard bits and pieces of information about his Uncle.

Before coming to Verdanturf Town, Suzuki Koen had run a business with her late husband, so she had a sense of his Uncle's capabilities based on what Aunt Hisako had mentioned. That's why she thought of suggesting him when Yuga was facing this dilemma.

Seeing Yuga's dilemma, Suzuki Koen smiled and said, "Regardless of whether it works out or not, why don't you go ask him? You won't lose anything by trying."

Yuga hesitated and replied, "But..."

Suzuki Koen encouraged him, saying, "Just go ask. Who knows, it might work out."

Curious about Suzuki Koen's mysterious expression, Yuga asked, "Do you know something I don't?"

Suzuki Koen shook her head and said, "It's not really insider information. I've just heard a few things from your aunt. I can't say for sure, but you'll find out the result when you ask."

Yuga remained skeptical and said, "Alright, I'll ask when my uncle returns."

As Yuga pondered the possible reasons behind his uncle's interest in the position during his absence, he headed into the store.