While Kay was waiting for the system to finish its analysis, he decided not to waste time. He began reading the description sheets placed under some of the Power Stones.
Kay knew that he wouldn't find any Espeon Power Stones here, as Espeon wasn't a known Pokémon in this world yet.
Kay just hoped that he could find some Espeon Power Stones among these unknown Power Stones.
While Kay was reading the descriptions, he remarked that the description papers of these Power Stones were different than the previous ones.
In the case of Arcanine's Power Stones, each stone had a small card with basic details like the stage of the Pokémon it came from, the potential of that Arcanine before death, and a short comment from the store about where this Arcanine was found.
But these Power Stones had only some basic information, like where the Power Stone was found, the stage of the Pokémon it came from, which some devices could determine, and some other remarks by the founder of the Power Stone.
A few moments later, Kay heard the system's voice in his head.
"Analysis complete," the system announced.
Then it added, "4 results found. The results will be highlighted in your vision."
Kay blinked once. His eyes adjusted instantly, and soon he could see four Power Stones glowing in a different color.
Among the sea of different Power Stones, these four were highlighted in solid black outlines. It was impossible to miss them.
"Nice," Kay whispered to himself, thankful for the system's help.
He walked directly toward the nearest highlighted stone and picked it up. It was labeled as an orange Potential Power Stone, and the description said it was from a Psychic-type Pokémon in the Intermediate Bronze stage, which the founder couldn't determine its identity.
When Kay read that he was wishing that this unknown Psychic-type Pokémon would be an Espeon. Without wasting time, Kay activated the system to scan the detailed potential inside it.
"Dark Orange," the system reported calmly.
Kay looked at the price tag: 300 TentaDollars. That was cheaper than the Arcanine Power Stone he found earlier.
It made sense because the Purple potential Power Stones of the Superior Steel stage Arcanines were very rare.
Still, Kay didn't choose immediately. He moved to the second highlighted stone.
This one was labeled as a Red Potential. The system showed that it had a Dark Red potential.
Its price was 500 TentaDollars. That was more expensive, of course, but it was still affordable for Kay.
Then he moved on to the third Power Stone. The system identified it as Dark Purple Potential.
Kay's heart skipped a beat. This was exactly what he wanted for Eevee. It was probably the best possible choice among the four that the system had found.
But then he saw the price: 800 TentaDollars.
Kay's face changed slightly. He had exactly 600 TentaDollars left. That was when the regret hit him.
'If only I hadn't paid that 200 TentaDollars to that man at the beginning,' he whispered to himself.
If he had held onto that money, he could've afforded this Dark Purple stone. That earlier decision was haunting him now.
It helped him save time, sure, but now he was missing out on a rare and powerful Power Stone for Eevee.
Still, Kay didn't rush to a decision. He wanted to check the last of the four stones before choosing.
The fourth Power Stone was labeled as a Blue potential Power Stone. The system reported it as a Base Blue Potential Power Stone, and that made Kay raise his eyebrows.
Blue Potential Power Stones were incredibly rare, and they usually came from Pokémon with exceptional growth and ability.
But when Kay looked at the price, his heart sank.
2,000 TentaDollars.
It was way above what he could even dream of affording right now.
Most people couldn't measure the exact degree of potential inside Power Stones. They could only see the color and stage of the Power Stones: Blue being better than Purple, Purple being better than Red, and so on.
But Kay had an advantage. With the help of the system, he could read the deeper levels: Light, Base, and Dark. That meant he could spot hidden value in Power Stones that others would overlook.
Kay let out a small sigh and walked back to the Dark Purple Power Stone.
Now he had to make a choice.
He could buy the Orange or Red Power Stone now and give Eevee a good but not perfect boost.
Or…
He could keep his money, skip buying today, and wait until the next game to see if he could afford a better Power Stone.
But skipping the Power Stone today meant he would risk a big part of his TentaDollars.
Kay stood silently in front of the shelf, thinking deeply.
Kay thought carefully. Kay knew that Eevee won't need a Power Stone right now. It could wait a little longer.
But Growlithe was different. It was about to breakthrough soon, and Kay didn't want to miss the chance to help it with a powerful Power Stone.
So, he made his decision; he would buy the Arcanine Power Stone for Growlithe now and wait until the next game to get a better Power Stone for Eevee.
He looked up and checked the time. Only two minutes left.
Without wasting a second, Kay turned and hurried back to the place where he had seen the Arcanine's Power Stone. He picked it up quickly and began walking fast toward the reception desk.
While walking, he gave the system a new order.
'System, gather information about the nearby items as we move. But don't waste time on everything. Just focus on the rare or interesting items. I'll check them later.'
The system confirmed the task quietly.
Soon, Kay arrived at the reception, where the man in blue clothes was standing. The man still had that strange Cubone mask on his face. Kay put the Power Stone on the desk and handed over his black card.
"I want to take this," Kay said simply.
The man took the Power Stone and scanned it using a sleek black device. Then he looked up at Kay and said, "Alright. 400 TentaDollars for the Power Stone, plus 200 TentaDollars for asking me earlier."
Kay clenched his teeth slightly. That fee still annoyed him, but he didn't want to argue now. He gave a small nod and replied firmly, "Go forward."
The man passed the black card through another device, and a small beep followed.
"The amount has been deducted," he said, handing the card back.
Kay took the card and turned around without another word. He walked quickly toward the exit, where a pair of guards stood. The guards handed back his Pokéballs, and Kay safely put the Power Stone into his bag.
Just as he stepped outside the special store, the door closed behind him, and the countdown timer hit zero.
Kay noticed that the players waiting outside were all staring at him. Their eyes were sharp, scanning him from head to toe, trying to read his body language. They wanted to know if he had found something useful.
Kay noticed their looks and decided to mess with them a little.
He looked directly at the group and gave a cool smile. Then, calmly, he raised his hand and showed the peace sign with two fingers.
The moment the players saw that, their faces changed. Some frowned, others looked shocked or frustrated.
That gesture told them that Kay had completed his search successfully. He had found what he wanted. But how? How had he done that in just fifteen minutes?
Their confusion gave Kay a small sense of victory.
But he didn't stick around to enjoy their reactions. He walked to the end of the wall outside the store, leaned his back against it, and slowly sat down.
He didn't care about what the other players would find or do. He already knew what was inside the shop, and he was sure they wouldn't have much luck in just fifteen minutes.
Besides, Kay had more important things to do now.
He opened the system interface again and said quietly, "System, let's check the data you collected. Show me the rare and interesting items you scanned while we were running before."
See you in the next chapter...
Drop some Power Stones...