Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer

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The Shiny Wurmple lay quietly on the branch of a small tree, contentedly munching on its leaves. Around its neck hung a necklace made of small, beautiful shells strung together to form an Everstone.

A square glass enclosure, roughly 20 cubic meters in size, encompassed the Wurmple and the small tree. 

The glass appeared to be specially crafted, as the Shiny Wurmple seemed entirely unaware of the many onlookers or the buzz of conversation surrounding it. After nibbling on a few more leaves, it shifted position and closed its eyes for a short nap.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, this is an exceptionally rare Shiny Pokémon. If the person who put it up for the auction had not been in urgent need of funds, such a rare item would likely not appear in a small auction like this as its final item. In fact, it could easily have been one of the main highlights at a mid-tier auction," declared Monica, the elegant auctioneer.

Stepping gracefully to the front of the glass case, Monica gestured toward the Wurmple with her white lace-gloved hand while holding a microphone.

Her radiant smile never wavered as she extolled the virtues of the Shiny Pokémon.

Monica's eloquent words painted the Shiny Wurmple as a treasure of unparalleled rarity and wonder. Yet the seasoned bidders in the audience were far from naïve. 

While Shiny Pokémon were undoubtedly rare, their value depended heavily on context and the type of Pokemon it was. 

If the Pokémon in question had been a Shiny pseudo-legendary Pokemon, its worth would indeed be astronomical. 

However, since the Shiny Pokemon being auctioned was a Shiny Wurmple, its value as a Shiny Pokemon was significantly diminished.

The reasons were simple: Bug-type Pokémon like Wurmple were known for their rapid growth and reproduction rates. Their sheer numbers in forests made encountering a Shiny specimen more probable. 

In fact, in the Hoenn region, it wasn't uncommon for a few lucky Bug Catchers to stumble upon a Shiny Wurmple each year and sell it for a tidy profit.

Beyond its relatively reduced rarity, the Shiny Wurmple's value was further diminished by its limited battle potential and lifespan. But the most critical factor impacting its worth was the unpredictability of its evolution.

As everyone knew, there were two evolutionary paths for Wurmple. It could evolve into either Silcoon, which later became Beautifly, or Cascoon, which evolved into Dustox. 

Despite both Pokemon having similar base stats of 395/385, their values in people's eyes are undoubtedly very different. Although a bit unfair to Dustox, people vastly preferred the elegant and adorable Beautifly. 

With the growing trend of Contest Coordinators in Hoenn, flashy performances were becoming increasingly popular. These performances required less emphasis on battling strength, making them less costly to develop than traditional Trainers.

Coordinators with unique Pokémon, especially Shiny ones, drew significant attention. A Shiny Beautifly was a coveted prize for aspiring top-tier Coordinators and the factions supporting them.

Top coordinators were like big stars on TV, possessing huge appeal and marketability. In addition, coordinators generally pursue gorgeous performances and don't have excessive requirements for Pokemon training the battle power of Pokemon. 

The cost of training Pokemon were lower and once famous, one could gain social status similar to stars and earn a lot of money. These advantages deeply attracted civilian trainers who don't end up making it on the path of becoming a real top trainer. 

The trend of Pokemon coordinators was slowly spreading all over the Pokemon world, and many trainers and factions interested in the new emerging profession recognized the value of a Shiny Pokemon with outstanding appearance. 

However, due to the uncertainty of Wurmple's evolution, many potential buyers hesitated. If it evolved into Beautifly, it would be a lucrative investment. But if it became Dustox, the buyer would suffer a significant loss.

In fact, the seller of this Shiny Wurmple was well aware of these risks and sought to get rid of it as soon as possible. 

The Everstone necklace on the Wurmple was the only thing preventing it from evolving. Otherwise, it would have evolved into a Silcoon or Cascoon long ago. 

At present, the atmosphere in the entire auction venue had become a little weird. Many interested trainers and the representatives of various factions were a little hesitant to raise their hands. 

Despite a starting bid of 10 million PokéDollars, someone was yet to make an offer. After nearly a minute of silence, a person finally raised their hand. Seeing this, the beautiful Monica, whose face had turned a little pale, finally breathed a small sigh of relief. Her bright professional smile soon returned.

Because someone had bid, other people soon followed suit, however, the good times did not last for long. The momentum soon faltered at 15 million PokéDollars and the venue fell silent again. 

Monica's face was now extremely pale. Her makeup began to smudge as beads of sweat formed on her brow. She tried her best to encourage further bids, even using her looks, but the price seemed frozen at 15 million PokéDollars . 

This normally wouldn't be an issue because the price of 15 million PokéDollars was quite good. However, the person who bid 15 million PokéDollars was actually one of their own people, trying to hike-up the price. 

If no one made any further bids, then this item, the finale of the auction, would end up being a spectacular failure. 

Just as Monica was about to declare the auction a failure—a career-ending blow for a young auctioneer—a firm hand rose from Seat 73.

"15.1 million PokéDollars from the guest at Seat 73!" Monica exclaimed, her relief palpable.

"If no one else places a bid, this rare Shiny Wurmple will belong to this gentleman in one minute!"

The room fell silent once more. After a tense sixty seconds, Monica struck her gavel three times.

"Sold!" she announced with elation, her voice ringing across the hall.

The Shiny Wurmple had found its new owner.