"Squeak!? (Fifty Flame Coins!?)" Cyndaquil's eyes bulged in disbelief.
Seeing its shock, Su Feng hesitated. "Too low?"
The fire mouse shook its head frantically. "Squeak-squeak! (No, no!)"
"Grrr... (Mr. Su, it's not too little—it's far too much...)" Magmortar massaged its temples, realizing Su Feng had no grasp of the local economy. After a pause, it offered, "Grrr. (Let me appraise items before you buy.)"
Su Feng nodded. "Fair enough."
But having already quoted the price, he didn't want to disappoint the little Pokémon. The Heat Rock changed paws for 50 coins.
"Grrr... (These rocks are common near volcanoes. With our climate, they're practically worthless. Thirty would've been generous...)" Magmortar's side-eye screamed "spoiled rich kid."
Su Feng caught the judgment but shrugged. These coins cost him just one batch of Pokéblocks, while the system priced Heat Rocks at 100+ points—ten batches couldn't compare. Besides, rarity dictated value. What was trash here might be treasure elsewhere.
The 50-coin deal became free advertising. True to form, Cyndaquil scampered off gleefully, sparking a frenzy as other Pokémon rummaged through their "junk" collections for tradables.
Magmortar thinks I don't understand currency. I think he doesn't understand marketing.
Ten minutes later, dozens of Pokémon arrived with odd stones and trinkets.
"Heat Rock? Sorry, got one already... Eh, you're cute. Thirty coins."
"Flame Orb? Fifty?"
"Fire Gem? Barely useful. Twenty."
"Just a weirdly shaped rock? Fine, three coins for my collection."
Most finds were fire-related but underwhelming. Still, Su Feng bought anything marginally useful—who knew when he'd get another bulk-shopping spree?
Then, a Flareon caught his eye.
"Flareon live here too?" Su Feng blinked as the fox-like Pokémon approached, a red-and-yellow stone in its mouth.
"Fwoof? (Buy this?)"
"Fire Stone?!" Su Feng's voice jumped an octave. "How much?"
Flareon hesitated. "Fwoof...? (Sixty coins?)"
"Deal!" Highway robbery! Unlike other evolution stones, Fire Stones were critical—his Growlithe needed one to evolve into Arcanine.
Transaction complete, Flareon trotted off with its coins in a strange, Pokéball-patterned pouch. The bag's design nagged at Su Feng.
"Where'd that Flareon come from?" he asked Magmortar.
"Grrr. (Abandoned by its trainer, like me.)" A shadow crossed Magmortar's face. "Grrr. (But we're happy now. It wanders the volcano with that old bag, collecting oddities. Found some rare stones, actually.)"
As if on cue, Flareon turned back. "Fwoof! (Got more Fire Stones. Want 'em?)"
"YES!" Su Feng nearly lunged. "Sixty each! Any other useful stones too!"
"Fwoof! (Wait here!)" Tail wagging, Flareon dashed home to liquidate its stash. Post-evolution, Fire Stones were useless—better traded for treats. And those mystery rocks? Bonus. Humans rarely visited this fiery town.
[LIVE CHAT]
[What Pokémon was that? Fox-dog?]
[Fox, but not as pretty as Vulpix.]
[Still adorable! That fluffy tail!]
[I wanna pet iiiit!]
[Su Feng! Where do we find one?!]
With Flareon's popularity soaring, Su Feng launched into lecture mode:
"That was Flareon, the Fire-type Flame Pokémon. Its red fur and cream-colored mane/tail radiate warmth. Internal temperature hits 900°C, but its insulating fur adjusts to make cuddling safe—yes, humans can hug them." He smirked. "They even prefer cooked Berries, roasting them before eating."
"But here's what makes them special." He paused dramatically. "Their pre-evolved form is one-of-a-kind in the Pokémon world."