Diamond?!
Silas's mind went blank on the spot.
And it wasn't just Silas—in fact, Lorelei and the other two girls were equally floored.
Seriously, no matter what world you're in, diamonds are stupid expensive—worth their weight in gold and then some. If Tyranitar really wanted to eat these things as snacks, it wouldn't matter how rich the Oak family was—they'd all go broke just feeding him!
"Tyranitar." Silas's voice wavered, clinging to a shred of hope. "Is there… anything else you want to eat? Like, I dunno, some of the ores you used to eat as a kid?"
"Nope." Tyranitar shook its head, eyes full of longing. "I only want this."
"…." Silas.
That answer left him totally speechless. Tyranitar insisted on diamonds. Was he supposed to refuse? Rubbing his temples, Silas looked to Lorelei. "Lorelei…"
"Take it." Lorelei didn't hesitate for a second—she unclasped her diamond necklace and handed it right over to Tyranitar.
Crunch! Crunch!
Without a second thought, Tyranitar took the diamond necklace and shoved it straight into its mouth. There was a satisfying crunching sound as it chewed and gulped the thing down. Afterward, it turned those puppy-dog eyes back on Lorelei: "Any more? I'm still hungry!"
"…." Silas.
"…." Giselle.
"…." Suzie.
"…." Lorelei.
All four showed the same speechless face. Lorelei's diamond necklace wasn't exactly cheap—at a bare minimum, it probably cost a few million. Tyranitar had just swallowed a few million in one bite, and it still wasn't full. What on earth were they supposed to do now?
"Silas." Lorelei glanced helplessly at Silas, who still looked utterly stunned, and suggested, "Let's hop on Dragonite and get to Celadon City now. Tyranitar obviously can't keep starving like this, but more than that… we need to talk with Professor Oak. There is no way the four of us, combined, could ever afford to feed Tyranitar!"
"Yeah." Silas nodded miserably.
...
Celadon City.
After the group rode Dragonite to Celadon City, Silas handed Tyranitar's Master Ball and a bank card to Suzie and Giselle, sending the two girls off to buy diamonds for Tyranitar. Meanwhile, he and Lorelei hurried to the Pokémon Center—only there could they get a videophone!
The call went through quickly. Professor Oak's face popped up on the screen, looking surprised by the call. He teased, "Calling again so soon? Don't tell me you're worried about your Tentacruel? Relax, I already had my assistant start the treatments. Nothing's gonna happen to your Tentacruel."
"It's not that." Silas shook his head wearily. "Grandpa, we have a problem."
A problem?
Professor Oak's expression turned serious in an instant. He knew Silas all too well—if it was a problem he could solve himself, he'd never call. Only something really heavy would bring him to Oak. Oak's voice went flat: "Tell me."
"Here's the thing…"
Silas quickly explained everything. When Professor Oak heard Tyranitar had reached Legendary Pokémon level, he grinned from ear to ear. But the second he heard that Tyranitar wanted to eat diamonds as food, Oak's face twisted into the same blank stupor Silas had shown earlier. When the story was done, he frowned deeply and asked, "You're sure Tyranitar wants to eat diamond?"
Silas nodded earnestly. "If not, I wouldn't be asking you."
"I get it." With that, Professor Oak waved it off like it was no big deal. "Don't worry about this. We'll transfer some extra funds to your card every month. You just focus on your journey."
"…" Silas managed a bitter chuckle. "Grandpa, Tyranitar eats a LOT of diamond. Each meal would cost tens of millions. That means, what, a billion or more a month? Are we even that rich?"
"Silly kid." Professor Oak smiled faintly. "Diamonds, yes, but not those overpriced jewelry-store gems. Tyranitar's eating them for the elements inside. Just buy raw, uncut stones—Tyranitar will probably prefer those. And since you have an Elite Four badge, you can buy directly from wholesalers at cost. That means a meal is only a few hundred thousand, max. Even at that rate, thirty million a month is manageable. The family can handle it."
Thirty million a month!
Silas nearly choked. If the Oak family could shell out thirty million a month for Pokémon food, just how rich were they? And if they really had that kind of money, why did he and Gary have to eat cheap instant noodles as kids…
"Alright, alright," Professor Oak said gently as Silas sat there dumbfounded. "Just leave this to me. Any time you hit a money problem, talk to me. What you need to do is train your Pokémon hard—get yourself a full squad of pseudo-legendary beasts. When you finally reach the top, Kanto's reputation will skyrocket!"
That put a bit of pressure on Silas, but his confidence was high. "I'll do my best!"
"Good!" Professor Oak nodded in satisfaction, but just as he was about to say something else, Giselle's frantic voice sounded from behind Silas. She looked as white as a sheet. "Silas! Something's happened!"
...
Pokémon Center.
Giselle's panicked, bedraggled appearance made Lorelei and Silas exchange a worried glance.
"What's wrong?" Lorelei frowned, speaking steadily: "Take a breath and tell us what happened. Where's Suzie?"
"It's bad!" Giselle cut in, barely pausing for breath. "Suzie and I just got to the Department Store. We didn't even get a chance to buy any diamonds before Tyranitar burst out of the Master Ball! He totally went berserk—smashed up the counters and ate every diamond in sight. Even worse, some people got hurt. The police are probably on their way already!"
Hurt people?
The police?!
Lorelei's face turned grim. If Tyranitar had just smashed a shop and eaten some gems, they could pay for the damage. But if people had gotten hurt, that was a different story. If they didn't handle this just right, things could get ugly—and Silas's name might get dragged in.
"What about the people?" Silas pressed.
"I don't know." Giselle shook her head, pale and shaken. "The second it hurt someone, I ran back here."
"Got it." Silas spun immediately, turning to Professor Oak still on the line. "Grandpa, you heard that, right? I'll call you back after I handle Tyranitar."
"Understood!" Professor Oak nodded, all business. "It probably won't be a huge problem. We'll pay what we have to pay, apologize as needed. But if they try to make things impossible for you, don't let them walk all over you. Worst case, I'll back you up!"
That made Lorelei smile wryly. Professor Oak hated bullies, even refused to intervene when Silas's own dad got in trouble. Now that Silas had a problem, Oak was stepping in himself—a clear sign how much Silas meant to him.
"Alright." Silas nodded, voice tense. "I'm hanging up now."
"Go." Professor Oak nodded his approval.
...
Department Store.
By the time Silas and Lorelei arrived with Giselle, the place was crawling with people.
Even as he stepped up, Silas could hear people murmuring all around:
"…Wow, that Tyranitar is huge. And it's mutated or something. I've never seen anything like it. Wonder who the trainer is…"
"Right? Whoever owns that Tyranitar is toast. It hurt someone—Officer Jenny's calling for League Trainers to arrest it, and if they show up, they'll arrest the trainer too!"
"No kidding. Tyranitar injured Erika. She's not just our city's gym leader—she runs the biggest perfume business in Celadon! No way Officer Jenny lets Tyranitar or its trainer walk this time!"
Erika?
The gym leader?
She's a perfume magnate?
When Silas processed all that, he actually felt a little relieved.
If it had just been an ordinary person, it might be messier. But since it involved someone from the League, it was much easier to handle.
Even if Lorelei didn't step up as an Elite Four, Silas could just show his Elite Four badge. There was no vendetta, and nobody was seriously hurt. As long as he didn't act like a jerk, apologized, and covered the damages, everything would be fine.
Clearly, Lorelei was thinking the same. She whispered to Silas, "Go ahead. I know Erika—she's got a good temper. I doubt this turns ugly. I won't step in—if they recognize me, it'll just be more trouble."
"Roger."
Silas nodded and started to head into the crowd.
But he'd barely taken two steps when something absolutely wild happened!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Four Arcanine came flying out of the Department Store one after another, crashing into the crowd behind!
Those flying Arcanine were just the start—after that, more and more Pokémon kept getting tossed out of the store!
Officer Jenny's frantic voice could be heard: "Back up! Everyone, fall back! Tyranitar's gone berserk inside—everyone get to safety, now!"
"Crap! I'm outta here—I do NOT want to get crushed!"
"Move! If Tyranitar busts out of that store, we're ALL in trouble!"
"Damn it—whose trainer even is that? Leaving their Pokémon to run wild—people like that ought to be shot, over and over!"
Shot a thousand times?!
Silas was at a loss at such extreme talk—and even more at Tyranitar's rampage.
He was sure he could smooth things over with Erika, and probably with Officer Jenny too—after all, he'd just done a huge favor for the Acapulco Officer Jenny. Surely Celadon's Jenny would cut him some slack… But with Tyranitar acting like this, everything was going to be ten times messier!
"You there, kid! Get out of the way!"
Lost in thought, Silas was startled by Officer Jenny's urgent shout.
He glanced around and realized everyone else had already retreated behind him; he was standing front and center on his own. He pointed at himself, "You talking to me?"
"Yes!" Officer Jenny nodded quickly, sounding urgent. "You need to move—Tyranitar might stampede out any second!"
"…." Silas rubbed his nose, offering a sheepish half-smile. "Uh… actually, that Tyranitar might, um, be my Pokémon…"
--------------------------------------
Enjoying the story? Get early access to 30+ Advanced Chapters!
👉 Support now: patreon.com/PokemonStoryWeaver
--------------------------------------