In front of the counter.
Through the fine glass that protected the displayed items, various articles for Pokémon could be seen. Most of them were Poké Balls, from the most common—the classic red and white—to the more advanced types. In total, there were at least a dozen variants.
Besides the Poké Balls, what was most abundant were items without any real practical effect, though since they came from a Secret Kingdom, they did have some value as collectible pieces.
Naturally, items with special abilities were not for sale in this shop, which was completely logical. Such items were extremely rare and each was considered a strategic resource. No organization would be generous enough to put them up for sale.
With a disappointed expression, Ethan Black continued scanning with his eyes... until suddenly, he froze completely.
In a corner of the counter, he saw a reddish-brown metallic item, folded into the shape of a small house, lying silently.
"Is that... a Protector?"
Ethan Black's pupils shrank sharply, his face showing a mix of doubt and surprise.
After all, a Protector is the item that allows Rhydon to evolve into Rhyperior!
How could something like that be for sale here, and moreover, treated as an unimportant collectible?
"Wait a second..."
"No, that doesn't make sense. As I recall, the Protector item has no other use besides enabling Rhydon's evolution."
"Every item from a Secret Kingdom has been carefully studied, but in this case, it seems no one has yet discovered the true purpose of the Protector item..."
The more Ethan Black thought about it, the faster his heart raced.
It was clear: the shop hadn't properly identified the item, so they simply classified it as a strange metal from a Secret Kingdom, valuable only as decoration.
"A super rare item that allows Rhydon's evolution...!"
Ethan Black's heart almost leapt out of his chest. Rhyperior was precisely the central member he had envisioned for his future sandstorm team.
With its Rock and Ground types, in addition to being immune to sandstorm damage, its Rock type also grants a 50% boost to Special Defense under that weather.
It should be remembered that Rhydon was already a Pokémon with extremely high Physical Defense, great Attack, and solid Endurance, though somewhat lacking in the special stats.
If he managed to add the weather defensive bonus and also take advantage of Rhyperior's Solid Rock ability, it would become a true nightmare for any opponent.
With a thousand ideas racing through his mind, Ethan Black fixed his eyes on the price tag: it read 1 million!
Being treated as a mere collectible, that price was certainly steep.
Compared to some luxury sculptures that also cost 1 million, that piece of "rare metal" didn't even seem to have aesthetic value.
It was clear that these "collectible items" with astronomical prices weren't really put on sale with the intention of being bought. Rather, they were used as symbols of the shop's prestige, a sort of treasure to decorate the establishment.
After all, they came from the Secret Kingdoms, and that alone was enough to demonstrate the great power behind the shop.
But if someone were to discover the true use of the Protector item... that price would undoubtedly skyrocket.
(End of chapter)