Chapter 28: ID & Fossil Resurrection!
There were only a few days before the Ferry arrived, so many days had passed before this point. The days in the mine and the time it took to appraise the mine were a stretch.
The three siblings met with Larry in the cafe.
They ordered a few things for themselves before beginning. Larry was using his Poképad for something, but it was likely business-related.
"I want to start by saying that the mine you guys discovered is amazing. There was a lot of discussion with the Alliance, and of course, they'll be buying it."
"That's good to hear, but how much was the mine appraised for?" Leon asked expressionlessly.
He did well in keeping his composure, but this wasn't the same for Leona and Lars. Their expression seemed too grave when the question was brought up. Larry laughed inwardly when he saw this.
"After discussing with the appraisers and the Alliance, they gave their appraisal. We have concluded that this mine is worth 11.3 billion Pokédollars!" Larry said in a low voice.
Lars held his chest, while Leona almost showed sighs of fainting on the spot. Larry chuckled before stating they discovered Glaskorium and Arcesium veins within the mine.
They even found plants that could help boost Ground and Rock Pokémon aptitude through refinement.
Of course, they found several evolution stones, Dawn, Dusk, Sun, Moon, Leaf, etc. There were many things Larry showed them and told them they had found on the Poképad. Gold and precious gems were abundant, which was worth a lot by default.
This discovery would greatly increase the Alliance's stock.
This was the second-best mine that had been discovered in Hoenn to date. Leon understood this, after all, this massive mine was hidden behind a destroyed wall they had to dig through.
It was likely sitting there and accumulating for god knows how long.
Hearing the appraised number, Leon knew this was about right. Large mines from his previous world cost around 500 million to 1 Billion. While smaller ones were around 1 to 40 million dollars.
Leon and his siblings stumbled upon a vast mine designated as a Mother Lode. It was not only abundant in assuring gold but also contained valuable Pokémon resources. These resources were just as valuable, if not more valuable, than gold and precious stones.
"We're willing to buy it and you will not be taxed for this transaction. This is because of the rules when doing business with Pokémon Alliance." If someone purchased anything or bought anything from the Alliance; there would be no taxes.
The only things people paid taxes for were cars, houses, and owned islands, etc.
"We wrote up a contract just for this. You guys can read it and sign on these lines if you're willing to sell it." Larry suddenly thought of something and continued. "Before that, it would be best if you guys got your Pokémon License and a Bank account."
"Ah, right." Leon knew this was going to be a problem, but he couldn't figure this one out.
"No worries, we can take your picture now if you're ready. You three turn fifteen in four days, right? It shouldn't be hard to get your IDs made, but you will not be able to use them until you turn fifteen."
Larry went on to say that they could need their height, weight, hometown, and other features checked.
Leon, Lars, and Leona agreed immediately.
After eating breakfast with Larry, they left for the Pokézone. Larry had contacted a friend to handle the procedures for the siblings.
It was a young photographer, he usually took pictures of people and Pokémon. This man had brown curly hair and appeared to be in his early twenties.
"Hello! My name is Marth and I will be taking your pictures for your ID. Unfortunately, this Island doesn't have a registration branch yet."
Marth had a green setup with the approval of the Pokézone's manager. Not many people came into this place anyway, so it was perfect for taking pictures.
Leon and his sibling naturally greeted before they started. As Larry said, he took their pictures and scaled their heights, weight, home island, eye color, hair color, age, and full names.
Leon saw that his ID picture was zoomed too hard on his face, but it was passable. Leona must have taken three pictures to get the "right angle."
After getting all of their information, Marth finally had their cards created.
Leona felt satisfied with her photo as it captured the true nature of her appearance. Standing at 167 cm tall and weighing 122 pounds, she believed this identification revealed too much personal information about her.
Lars was wearing a hoodie in his photo, which he had on due to the rain. He stood at 175 cm tall and had a weight of 137 pounds.
Leon was pleased with his too, although it was somewhat overly magnified; it was acceptable. He stood at 174 cm tall and had a weight of 135 pounds.
They had to set up their own four-digit passcode for their cards. There was also an option to set a ten-letter password for your card. All of them completed these options for security's sake.
This was especially because of the money they were about to earn. Marth emphasized the importance of remembering these passwords.
"Is the brown ID background some sort of default?" Leon couldn't help but ask. He also noticed the ranking panel and wasn't sure about it.
"Yes, this is the default background. You can change it at a local Alliance Branch for 10 Pokedollars." This background was free, but the rest would cost them.
"Jeez, everything costs money in this world." Lars shook his head. If you really thought about it; it cost money to breathe but that was life for you.
"Unfortunately, that's how life works." Marth had no idea that these three had just hit it big. He had just arrived on this island yesterday at Larry's request to take pictures of the mine.
Of course, he was getting paid for it.
"These cards will remain inactive until you reach fifteen. They've already been made, but to get the physical copy—you'd need to go to a branch." Marth shut off his Poképad before standing and stretching.
"What city are these Branches located in?" Lars asked curiously.
"They're in every city, you can't miss them. They may not be in towns as much, but for cities—you're guaranteed to run into an Alliance Branch."
Marth was well informed, they talked a bit more before leaving. He told them that their papers to prove they had an ID made would come tomorrow. They would be delivered to the Mayor's residence.
"Leon, I want to revive the fossil I received from the mine here," Leona remembered that there was a machine capable of this here.
"What? You don't want to wait until you reach Rustboro City where it's free?" Leon had told her that it was free to revive fossils at Devon Corporation, but she wanted to spend money on it.
It was just a matter of patience and convenience.
"I know, but I want to revive it to bond and train it by then." Leona believed this would give her more time to understand and strengthen this Pokémon.
"... ..."
"Alright. You do have a point, but we'll need to call a staff member to do it." Leona and Leon went over to the counter.
The man behind the counter eyes widened, someone wanted to revive a fossil?! That fossil machine had sat there for years and hadn't been used for god knows how long!
"A-Are you sure you have a fossil? Y-you're not joking right?" The middle-aged man had to confirm, this was too rare of an occasion.
Leon reached into his 'bag' and grabbed the Root Fossil before gently placing it on the counter.
The middle-aged man inspected the Root Fossil and confirmed its authenticity.
"The price for reviving a fossil is 1,000 but since you are the first in many years to use it. We'll give you a 50% discount for your fortune and effort."
The middle-aged was truly shocked. He offered this discount because it had been too long. Not to mention, he really appreciated how fortunate these youngsters had gotten. He really wished he was as fortunate as a youngster growing up.
Perhaps he wouldn't be working here.
Leona and Leon were naturally elated to hear about the discount. Leon paid the toll before the middle-aged man guided them to the resurrection machine.
This machine was situated on the second floor, and only one existed in the store. The machine sat in a secluded area compared to the other machines, which were somewhat close to one another.
"Alright. Place the fossil in this part of the machine." The middle-aged spoke, excitement in his voice.
Leon did as he was told and gently placed the fossil within the large incubation section. The middle-aged man got to work immediately and pressed a few buttons on the machine.
"This process is going to take an hour to complete, so you'll have to wait a bit. There are seats over there just for this wait."
They all took a seat and waited for the process's completion. The machine flashed with green, blue, and red lights while giving off a low-pitched sound.
The middle-aged man went back downstairs and would come back within an hour. Larry also called to check on them to see if they were ready for the transaction.
Leon just told them they would meet at the Caffe in forty minutes. Larry agreed and dropped the call, but by then; there were only thirty minutes until its completion.
"Dang, it. If I can't find a fossil, then I'll just buy one for myself later." In the end, Lars couldn't find a fossil during their time in the mine.
"Yikes, it sucks to suck, huh." Leona laughed and gloated at Lars.
The middle-aged appeared again, and just in time. The machine had stopped and showed a bright green light. Leona leaped up and speed walked over to see for herself with Leon and Lars following behind.
"Lily~"
As soon as they opened the incubation core, a soothing voice emerged. Lileep resembles a large sea flower from what Leon could closely observe.
"Lileep!" Leona reached over and hugged it immediately. That soft cry it gave made her just want to hug it.
Leon analyzed this Lileep closely.
_______
_______
Its aptitude wasn't bad and its ability was really good. Leona wouldn't have to worry about water-type moves with this Pokémon.
The downside was its nature, horrendous would probably be a nice way of putting it. The guidebook that they had seen showed the upsides and downsides of a Pokémon nature. Along with the examples that displayed a Pokémon's best stats, Leona should make the right choice.
"Lileep. I'm going to put you in a Pokéball and take you out later, so we can eat some delicious food."
Leep~
Leona smiled with blushed cheeks before gently tossing a Pokéball onto Lileep's 'head'. With three shakes, Lileep had been caught by Leona.
"Congratulatuons, Leona."
"Congrats, Leona."
"Nice catch kid." The middle-aged man's eyes glinted with a tinge of envy.
"Thanks for the help, Willard. We'll take our leave now, we need to meet someone urgently." Leon gave his thanks before quickly dragging his siblings away.
It was time to meet Larry.