"Wang Hechuan? Is he that famous?"
Auron Vale glanced curiously at Serena Elm. From the way she was talking, this Wang Hechuan sounded like he had the same level of clout as Elite Four member Dax Jonas.
"Wang Hechuan, huh? Let me give you the quick rundown," Serena said, leaning in. "One of the most famous idols of the new era. A well-known content creator, author, singer, composer, outdoor streamer—an all-around entertainer, and so on and so on."
Auron looked oddly at Yin Hanling, whose eyes were practically sparkling, then turned to You Yuyou.
"Your kid is that hardcore about stanning celebrities?"
You Yuyou gave a helpless smile. "It's fine. He knows where the line is."
Before You Yuyou could even finish, Yin Hanling somehow produced a notebook and a pen from who-knows-where and rushed straight at Wang Hechuan.
Auron, Jace Rowan, and Tim Wynn all turned in unison to stare at You Yuyou, their eyes clearly spelling out the same three words: "You sure?"
You Yuyou rubbed his nose in resignation and let it go.
"Big bro, I'm a Hechuan fan—could you sign this for me?" Yin Hanling asked, eyes shining, looking up at Wang Hechuan, who was at the moment trapped in the crook of Dax Jonas's arm.
Even though Wang Hechuan's posture was incredibly awkward, he still did his best to put on a gentle smile.
"Sure. Gimme just a sec."
He gave a hard twist to try and free himself. Seeing there was an actual request, Dax let him go—for the moment. Still, he couldn't resist a sour little jab at Yin Hanling.
"Little sis, I'm an Elite Four member, you know. Want me to sign something for you too?"
Yin Hanling examined Dax up and down, then dutifully took two steps back and said, solemn and righteous, "No thanks. My dad says you're not reliable."
"Not… reliable?!"
Dax's face almost twisted out of shape from sheer indignation. As Wang Hechuan burst into hearty laughter beside him, Dax fixed Yin Hanling with a glare.
"Little sis, and who's your dad, exactly? Does he have any idea who I am? Me, unreliable?"
Yin Hanling stared right back at him, unflinching. "My dad is You Mingda."
Dax froze.
He could argue with anyone else calling him unreliable, but if it was You Mingda saying it… yeah, that one he couldn't refute.
They'd been on the same team long enough. The man had him figured out down to the bone.
Wang Hechuan handed the signed notebook back to Yin Hanling, then patted Dax on the shoulder, needling him with a touch of mockery.
"Gotta say, the girl's got a point."
"Scram, scram." Dax swatted Wang Hechuan's hand away, then forced a smile for Yin Hanling. "Now, little sis, hearsay is a dangerous thing. Look at me—do I really seem like the unreliable type?"
Yin Hanling looked at Dax again… then at the giant face of the Steelix looming over his shoulder, along with its bizarrely bent posture. He took another step back.
"Yeah, you do."
Catching the direction of Yin Hanling's gaze, Dax turned to look.
Steelix's massive face hovered there, its two puzzled eyes blinking blankly at Dax, not understanding why Dax had suddenly shot it that look.
Dax, fuming, smacked Steelix square on the head.
"This is your fault—wrecking my image!"
Steelix: ???
"Pfft—hah! Uncle Dax, doesn't your hand hurt?"
Auron and the others had just walked over in time to watch Dax smack Steelix and—just as importantly—notice the way Dax hid his hand behind his back afterward, fingers trembling ever so slightly.
"Hurt? Why wouldn't it hurt, nia," Dax grumbled, snapping back automatically. He turned—and when he saw Auron, he brightened immediately.
"Well I'll be. You really are here."
Auron frowned a little. "What, were you looking for me?"
"Of course," Dax said, throwing an arm around Auron's shoulders, excitement obvious. "I asked your dad, and he said you might be here today. I rushed over overnight—worried I'd miss you."
"Tch. Listen to him, making it sound grand. He just got up a little early," Wang Hechuan cut in, immediately puncturing Dax's mystique. "Off you go. First thing in the morning and you're already asking to get smacked around."
Dax waved him away impatiently. "Shoo, shoo. Beat it. Go stand over there."
Wang Hechuan didn't get mad. Grinning, he wandered over to Steelix and admired it with an unabashed, appreciative gaze.
If Dax hadn't warned him beforehand, he'd already have pulled out his phone to start a livestream for his fans: check out the brand-new Pokémon!
Auron sighed at Dax, who seemed allergic to getting to the point.
"So? What did you come find me for?"
Dax smacked his own forehead.
"Oh, right. I came to hand out your reward—the one for helping me take down that Church stronghold last time."
Now Auron was interested. That night had already been a massive haul, and he hadn't expected an official reward on top of it. A pleasant surprise if there ever was one.
"As for the reward," Dax said, "you can choose for yourself. Three options. First one: a one-third shard toward selecting one item from a city-level Treasure Vault."
"Second: a one-tenth shard toward selecting one item from the national Treasure Vault."
"Third: cashing out. We convert the value of those options into whatever you want right now."
Auron fell into thought at the three options.
The Treasure Vault shards were simple enough: collect three city-level shards to pick one item from a city-level Treasure Vault; collect five for provincial level; collect ten for national level.
Strictly speaking, for a Church hideout of that tier—even if Auron had single-handedly destroyed it—it shouldn't normally warrant an option for a national-level shard. Odds were, the authorities had recognized that he was still a high schooler with the guts to pull it off and wanted to encourage him; or maybe it was on account of Dax Jonas or the Vale family. Hard to say.
Either way, the national-level shard was undeniably the most valuable option.
But ten shards… taking down strongholds like that—ten of them wouldn't even begin to cover it. First-time rewards tended to be generous; after that, it would get harder.
Which meant: collecting all ten would be seriously tough.
"I've decided. I choose the second one," Auron said at last.
Dax gave him a knowing, playful look. "You? Sure about that?"
"Sure. The second option."
Auron nodded without hesitation.
He knew himself. If the Seven Deadly Sins had his name on one, his would definitely be "Greed."
Dax clapped, approving. "Not bad. A wise choice."
"And now, the second reward—an academic award for Onix's evolution into Steelix."
Auron blinked. "The authorities give out rewards for that too?"
His friends froze as well.
"Onix… has an evolution?"
Dax stared at them, at a loss for a moment, then let out a laugh that was half a groan.
"Of course it does. Otherwise, where did you think the Dracocoins your Grandpa Ashford wired you two days ago came from?"
Auron rubbed at his face, embarrassed. "Okay, okay—just tell me the options."
"Alright," Dax said, holding up a finger. "First option: again, a one-tenth shard toward the national Treasure Vault—this time, two of them."
"Second option: Luxury Balls. But if you pick that, you'll have to negotiate the quantity with the authorities yourself."
"Third option: one item of your choice from a city-level Treasure Vault."
Auron thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "The first option again—the national-level shards."
Dax's eyes lit with amusement.
"Well now, greedy little guy, aren't we? Aren't you afraid you won't be able to gather them all?"
Auron smiled, sure of himself.
"Not afraid at all. I've got my own way to collect every last shard for the national Treasure Vault."
The morning sun lit Auron's profile. In that instant, in Serena Elm's eyes, he shone even brighter than Wang Hechuan.
(End of Chapter)