Chapter 43: The Fossil Maniac

Steven Stone, the eldest son of the Devon Manufacturing Company, the newly crowned champion of the grand tournament, and an enthusiast of rare stones.

Today marked the third day since he had bested the Elite Four and claimed the regional championship.

Fresh from his sweep of the Grand Slam, Steven planned to stop by Meteor Falls on his way back home, hoping to find a few rare stones for his collection.

Yet, he hadn't expected to run into such an incident before even reaching Meteor Falls.

Steven gazed at the stone, while its owner stared back at him.

"Ahem." Hu Yang cleared his throat softly.

Steven snapped back to reality, his expression returning to its usual seriousness and calm.

"Apologies."

He seemed a little embarrassed, carrying none of the airs one might expect from a young master or a champion. Perhaps it was simply because he was still young; he gave off an impression of genuine politeness and approachability.

"It's fine," Hu Yang replied, pursing his lips as he struggled to his feet on the snowy ground.

Seeing this, Steven took a spray from his backpack and said, "Here, use this. Trainers often run into these situations in the wild. I suggest you keep some medicine in your pack—it could come in handy."

"Uh, thank you," Hu Yang replied, settling back beside Axew and accepting the spray. On inspection, he saw it was meant for treating bruises and injuries.

"How much is it?" he asked while applying the spray.

Steven pressed his lips together and shook his head. "No need."

Hu Yang paused.

If it didn't cost money, then what did he want?

As if reading his thoughts, Steven's gaze drifted to the stone on the ground, then back to Hu Yang. "Are you interested in these things too?"

Steven wanted them.

Hu Yang thought quickly. He hadn't known to whom he could sell them, and if the price was right, he could let Steven have them.

"I like money," he replied plainly.

Steven seemed taken aback by this. Looking at Hu Yang's clothes and the Axew at his side, he realized this must be a trainer of modest means, perhaps struggling financially.

He quickly caught on to the implication. "How much do you want?"

"What do you think is fair?"

"Three million?" Steven ventured.

Now it was Hu Yang's turn to be startled. He looked at the stones on the ground.

In his mind, evolutionary stones like the Fire Stone would fetch at most five or six hundred thousand. The other ancient Pokémon fossils were not particularly rare either—not like Omanyte or Aerodactyl, just Geodude and Onix.

The only truly valuable items were the two large meteorites infused with cosmic energy.

Even so, he valued those at around five hundred thousand each. Altogether, the lot wouldn’t be worth more than 1.6 to 2 million.

He hadn't expected Steven to offer so much—was this the privilege of the wealthy?

"Deal," Hu Yang agreed without hesitation. Negotiating with a sharp mind was always so straightforward.

Steven was equally direct. He pulled a diamond card from his bag. "There's 3.2 million on this card. The password is 32154. Consider the extra as a token of friendship. Here’s my contact information—if you ever have more stones to sell, get in touch with me."

Hu Yang added, "These two aren't ordinary stones—they're meteorite fragments, each containing a tremendous amount of cosmic energy."

Though the energy in these meteorites could revive Mt. Chimney, they were of no use to him. Better to sell them to Steven for his collection.

"I'll keep that in mind," Steven nodded, hesitating as he looked at the pile of stones.

Noticing this, Hu Yang simply gifted him the mountaineer's backpack as well.

A look of satisfaction lit up Steven's face. He packed the stones and turned to Hu Yang. "Do you need any help? I can take you to the nearest town."

Hu Yang waved him off. "No need, I can manage."

He still had unfinished business.

"Very well," Steven replied, not pressing the matter. With a nod, he left, barely able to contain his excitement.

Once Steven’s figure had disappeared from sight, Hu Yang looked at the diamond card in his hand, exhilarated. "Gengar, did you see that? We’re rich!"

No longer would he have to pinch pennies just to buy shampoo.

Gengar, witnessing this scene, felt a mix of emotions.

At that moment, a scruffy man with glasses suddenly leapt out from the nearby bushes.

Hu Yang quickly tucked the card away, alert.

The man stared at his face, excitement flashing in his eyes. "I saw it!"

Hu Yang: "?"

The man continued, "I saw you bring back a bunch of fossils from that place. How did you do it?"

"What business is that of yours?" Hu Yang replied, slightly exasperated. Was this man crazy?

But the man went on, talking to himself, "Not a professional explorer, yet able to bring back so many fossils at once. Could it be..."

He suddenly looked up, eyes wide. "Are you a magician?!"

Hu Yang: "..."

From a certain point of view, he supposed he was.

Turning away, Hu Yang staggered along, letting Axew lead the way.

Axew glanced at his foot, clearly concerned.

Gengar wanted to help, but its hand passed straight through Hu Yang's body.

"It’s just a minor injury, nothing to worry about," Hu Yang reassured.

"Wait, don’t go!" The scruffy man quickly caught up and blocked his path.

Hu Yang took out Roselia’s Poké Ball. "Looking for a fight?"

The man shook his head vigorously. "I just want a favor from you. If you help me, I’ll give you a great reward!"

Hu Yang’s interest was piqued. "What reward?"

"You’re a traveling trainer, aren’t you?" The man looked him up and down, then said, "If you help me with this task, I’ll give you a Pokédex—one that only members of the League’s inner circle can own!"

Hu Yang asked, "What task?"

The man’s expression turned mysterious. "Have you heard of the Mirage Tower? It’s a mysterious tower standing deep in the desert. Rumor has it there are two incredibly rare ancient fossils there. If you can bring them back for me, the Pokédex is yours!"

Hu Yang scrutinized the scruffy man with a peculiar look.

Could this be the Fossil Maniac from the game?

Come to think of it, the Fossil Maniac’s house was indeed nearby.

Like Steven, this man was obsessed with stones. In the game, Flannery once visited his house to ask for a fossil, but he refused, and she left in tears.

"Not interested," Hu Yang refused. Now that he had money, he could always restock at Meteor Falls. The Pokédex wasn’t a necessity for him.

Besides, there were only two fossils in the Mirage Tower. Though the revived Anorith and Lileep were rare, Devon’s fossil restoration technology hadn’t been developed yet—it wasn’t worth the trip.

The Fossil Maniac grew anxious. "Why not? What would it take for you to agree?"

Hu Yang considered for a moment. "I’ll do it—if you add something extra."

The Fossil Maniac hesitated. "I don’t have much money..." Most of his funds had gone into fossil excavation.

"Then let me tour your fossil collection and choose one item," Hu Yang said.

After all these years of digging, who knew what rare stones might be in his stash—perhaps even a certain Pokémon’s mega stone.

Those stones were so rare as to be priceless; impossible to mass-produce and extremely hard to obtain. Once Mega Evolution became widely known, their value would skyrocket beyond imagination.