Aipom had lived here for quite a long time.
He had traded items with other Pokémon before, though usually it was berries—he had never encountered anyone trying to barter for what he thought of as junk.
From his perspective, every time he returned from foraging, odd items would mysteriously appear among his belongings.
Some were useful, some not. But it felt wasteful to throw them away, so he kept them. Over time, they had accumulated into a messy pile of "treasures"—or, more accurately, junk.
Seeing the skeptical look in Aipom's eyes, Auron Vale assumed the Pokémon didn't recognize Pokéblocks.
"You can try it first," he suggested, pushing the treat forward.
Aipom accepted it cautiously, nibbling off a small corner, just as the Zigzagoon earlier had done.
The moment the flavor hit, his eyes lit up. Hugging the Pokéblock tightly, he grabbed Auron by the arm with his tail and tugged him over to the pile of odds and ends.
Patting his chest with a free tail, he gestured proudly: Take whatever you want.
Auron's eyes gleamed with joy.
He hadn't expected a single Pokéblock to be worth access to so many valuable items.
Meanwhile, Aipom smirked to himself as well. Who would have thought this heap of useless clutter could be traded for something so delicious?
Suppressing his excitement, Auron knelt down and began sifting through the hoard.
"Leaf Stone—nice, taking it."
"Fire Stone too."
"Hah! Two Water Stones!"
"What's this? Razor Fang? Or a Dragon Fang? Either way, into the bag first."
"…Eh? A Glameow's tail? Seriously?"
He blinked at the strange tufted appendage. Usually only synthetic replicas existed on the market. This looked like the real thing—a first for him. Surprised or not, it still went swiftly into his pack.
"And this one? A perfectly round rock… huh, heavy! Don't tell me this is an Iron Ball."
He quickly stuffed it away. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Aipom had nearly finished the Pokéblock. That spurred him to hurry.
"Another Water Stone."
"A stone with red crystal veins—could this be a Heat Rock?"
"Two Blue Apricorns!"
"Two Green Apricorns!"
"A White Apricorn."
"…A Black Apricorn? Nice! That's exactly what I needed for a Heavy Ball for Snorlax."
His heart leapt. Apricorns! With these, he could craft specialty Poké Balls—ones many Pokémon found even more comfortable than Luxury Balls.
As Aipom swallowed the last bite of his treat, Auron shoved the rest of the valuable loot into his backpack, then pretended to poke idly through the pile a little longer.
When he turned around, Aipom was patting his shoulder with a tail, chattering in his strange voice.
"You're done eating? I'm finished too," Auron said with a grin.
He reached into his bag, drew out another Pokéblock, and handed it over.
"Here, thanks for the trade."
Aipom's eyes gleamed, but instead of taking the treat, he ran back into the sleeping hollow of the tree.
Auron frowned. What, doesn't he like them after all?
Moments later, Aipom emerged—this time carrying several glittering treasures in his hands. He laid them in front of Auron, then swiped the Pokéblock with his tail and gestured for Auron to choose one.
Auron's jaw nearly dropped.
An orange-and-black Charizardite Y.
A deep black-and-blue Charizardite X.
A swirling dark-purple Gengarite.
A coffee-brown Lopunnite.
And lastly… a shimmering Prism Scale, the very item needed to evolve Feebas into Milotic.
Auron's heart pounded. He wanted to snatch them all into his bag immediately.
But when he reached forward, Aipom's tail pressed down firmly on his hand.
The two locked eyes, equally confused.
Aipom's expression seemed to say: What's wrong with you? These are premium goods—don't compare them to that garbage from before.
Then, with one tail still pinning Auron's hand, Aipom used the other to pick up the Charizardite Y and offer it.
Auron finally understood. "One-for-one, huh?"
He pulled out another Pokéblock and offered it.
Sure enough, Aipom accepted it—and handed over the Lopunnite.
Auron's grin spread ear to ear. He quickly took out three more Pokéblocks.
"I'll take the whole set!"
Aipom, delighted, handed him all the stones and the Prism Scale.
After pocketing them, Auron added one last Pokéblock as a bonus. Staring into Aipom's curious eyes, he said warmly, "Thanks, buddy."
The monkey tucked the extra snack behind his back and guarded it protectively. Spreading his arms wide, he indicated: That's it. No more.
"Fair enough," Auron chuckled. He ruffled Aipom's head, then climbed down the tree.
Waving as he left, he called back, "See you around."
Aipom waved his tails in return, baffled but content.
"Hello there, friend~"
The voice drifted out as Auron stepped only a short distance away.
Turning, he spotted a man in his thirties, dressed sharply in a business suit, smiling with narrowed eyes.
"Hey, buddy," the man said smoothly. "I saw you climb down from that tree just now. Looks like you found something good. Care to show me? If I like it, the price is negotiable."
Still smiling, he edged closer.
Auron narrowed his eyes, then casually pulled an Oran Berry from his bag.
"This," he said innocently. "How much will you give me for it?"
Feigning naivety, he dangled the fruit.
The man's smile didn't waver. "That, huh…"
Before he finished, his hand flicked.
From the treetop above, a hidden Cacturne (Sabonea) swung its arm, hurling a crackling Energy Ball straight at Auron.
But Auron had sensed the Pokémon's presence all along—the Aura it radiated was impossible to conceal.
Crobat darted instantly into place, intercepting in front of him. Gengar's shadowy presence rippled from below, ready to strike.
And then—
From the distance, a searing white beam lanced down, intercepting the Energy Ball mid-flight.
A Staraptor swooped into view, wings spread wide. Upon its back stood a middle-aged man clutching a Pokémon egg.
"Don't lay a hand on my people," he said lightly, smiling at the suited man.
The man's expression soured.
"Your people? Too late. Cacturne—Hyper Beam!"
The cactus Pokémon leapt down, gathering immense energy before firing a blazing white beam toward Staraptor.
"Fool. Staraptor—Hyper Beam!"
Staraptor countered in kind, launching its own radiant column of destruction.
The two beams clashed in the air with an explosive roar. The blast wave knocked Cacturne staggering back, while Staraptor barely flinched.
The suited man's face twisted darker.
"Who are you people?"
The middle-aged man laughed.
"Why should we tell you?"
"Staraptor—Hyper Beam again!"
"Cacturne—Protect!"
Panic flickered across the man's face as he ordered his partner to shield him. The protective barrier shimmered into existence just as the Hyper Beam slammed into it.
BOOM!
The explosion thundered, smoke billowing.
From within, the man's voice called out:
"Hmph. The world turns—we'll meet again."
When the smoke cleared, he was gone.
The middle-aged man chuckled coldly.
"Ran off quick, didn't you?"
(End of Chapter)