"Attention, all passengers—please quiet down for a moment!"
Captain Hardwin's signature thunderous voice suddenly exploded across the crowd. A tall, broad-shouldered man with graying hair—nearly two meters in height—strode forward with a microphone, mounting the elevated platform at the front of the central hall.
After glancing over the gradually quieting scene, Hardwin raised the microphone again and continued:
"We have an urgent announcement to make. The S.S. Anne, together with several sponsors, has decided to hold a Pokémon battle tournament aboard the ship. The competition will follow a one-on-one single-elimination format. The final winner will receive generous prizes jointly provided by both parties…"
"At this point, let us invite the tournament's biggest sponsor, Mr. Renard, to the stage. Please give him a warm welcome!"
"Wow! That's amazing!"
"Alright, I'm in!"
...
In an instant, applause and whistles filled the hall.
Most of the passengers present were Trainers themselves. Pokémon battles were an eternal theme in this world. The appeal of such events far surpassed even football—the so-called world's number one sport of Renard's previous life. This was a true grassroots phenomenon, something everyone could take part in.
To experience a large-scale Pokémon tournament during a voyage like this was an exceptionally rare opportunity for any Trainer.
Renard—his features faintly foxlike—accepted the microphone from Hardwin and said with a genial smile:
"First of all, I'd like to thank Captain Hardwin for allowing me to serve as the chief sponsor of this event. As for the prizes… I imagine that's what everyone's most curious about. Anyone who can board the S.S. Anne clearly isn't short on money, so talking about cash would be far too vulgar."
He lightly fanned the tip of his nose with his gloved right hand, wearing a look of mock disdain, drawing low laughter from the crowd.
"Alright—snap!"
Renard clapped his hands once. The next second, a female attendant emerged from behind the curtain, carrying a tray covered with red cloth.
She had long red hair and a sweet, striking face. It was none other than Miki—the girl who had earlier chatted animatedly with Kael.
Swaying with a confidence far beyond her age, Miki walked gracefully to the front of the stage, calmly meeting the gazes directed at her from below. When she spotted Kael in the distance, apparently arguing with someone, she couldn't help but blink at him playfully.
As the prize tray appeared, everyone in the audience instinctively widened their eyes, staring fixedly at the red cloth. Human curiosity was universal—especially when the prize was jointly provided by the S.S. Anne's official organizers and several sponsors. Whatever it was, it surely wouldn't be ordinary.
With a crisp snap of his fingers, Renard lifted the red cloth.
What appeared first was a Pokémon Egg—sky-blue in color, wrapped with a ring of black markings. Placed directly in front of it was a teardrop-shaped necklace.
"Everyone must be wondering what species this Pokémon Egg belongs to, right?" Renard said solemnly as he gently stroked the egg.
For a moment, the crowd collectively held its breath. Some even began imagining Dragonite eggs, Larvitar eggs—countless possibilities flooding their minds.
"I'm very sorry," Renard said, spreading his hands and shrugging helplessly. "But the truth is, even I don't know what kind of Pokémon this egg will hatch into."
"Any Trainer who's raised Pokémon Eggs before knows this—hatching is full of uncertainty. You simply can't determine the species from the shell's color or appearance alone. Unless you personally witnessed the Pokémon laying the egg, there's a natural genetic lock inside the shell. Even X-rays can't penetrate it."
"But there is one thing I can say with absolute certainty."
He paused deliberately, reeling the crowd's curiosity back in.
"This egg does not come from Kanto or Johto. It comes from the distant Sinnoh region. So no matter what hatches from it, I guarantee it will be a Pokémon none of you have ever seen before."
The moment he finished speaking, the hall erupted.
The allure of an unknown Pokémon instantly ignited the Trainers' excitement. What if—just what if—it turned out to be a rare species from Sinnoh? No one dared deny that possibility.
"Pfft—!"
In a corner backstage, Cole spat out the red wine he'd just swallowed, coughing violently. Crimson liquid even dribbled from his nostrils, making his already sleazy appearance even worse.
"Hahaha… Boss, you really are something when it comes to fooling people."
The claim wasn't entirely false—but only for people from Kanto and Johto.
In reality, this Pokémon Egg had been discovered during a previous joint operation supporting Sinnoh police against poachers. They'd found it by pure accident, sitting in a bird's nest atop a tree on Mount Coronet.
Which meant the Pokémon inside would most likely be… a Starly.
A native Sinnoh bird Pokémon, Starly could be found everywhere—forests, mountains, wetlands, even perched on city power lines. It was basically Sinnoh's equivalent of Pidgey in Kanto or Spearow in Johto.
Common as dirt. Rare my ass.
...
"As for the second prize!"
Renard picked up the delicate teardrop-shaped necklace and said with a smile:
"This isn't jewelry meant for women. This is Mystic Water, officially provided by the S.S. Anne. It contains mysterious water-type energy and can significantly increase the power of Water-type moves."
If the unknown Pokémon Egg merely stirred people's fantasies, then Mystic Water struck straight at the hearts of the remaining hesitant Trainers.
Enhancement items had always been the hardest currency on the market—easy to sell, incredibly valuable.
Charcoal boosted Fire-type moves. Miracle Seed strengthened Grass-type techniques. Never-Melt Ice enhanced Ice-type attacks. Dragon Fang amplified Dragon-type power.
Among them, Dragon Fang was the most expensive of all.
The moment one appeared on the market, the ancient Dragon Clan of Blackthorn City in Johto would immediately buy it out at any cost.
A family with centuries of inheritance—its accumulated wealth was terrifying beyond imagination. Ordinary tycoons didn't even qualify to compete, or to so much as take a second look.
As for larger financial conglomerates or multinational corporations, they had no desire to offend such a powerful clan over something so small.
And so, Dragon Fang had long been monopolized by that family—creating a situation where demand existed, but supply did not.