"Sorry, I have a use for this stone. I'm not selling it," Gary refused.
"My friend, do me the favor of selling it for ten million Pokédollars. I'll owe you one on top of that. If you ever run into any trouble in the Unova Region, you can come to me." Bronius didn't seem bothered by Gary's refusal, and simply kept raising his offer.
Hawes felt like he could hear his own heart cracking. He was also genuinely curious now—what was so special about that stone that Bronius would go this high?
"Sir, it's not about the money," Gary said, still refusing.
Bronius looked at Gary with a calm expression.
Gary stared back without flinching.
The two of them were at a standoff. The pressure coming off both sides was strong enough that neither Lenora nor Hawes dared to cut in.
In the end, it was Bronius who broke the silence.
"Very well. Since my friend isn't willing, I won't force the matter." As he said this, Bronius pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Gary. "Here's my card. If you ever decide to sell that stone, please contact me first. I'll offer you a price you'll be more than satisfied with."
"Alright. If that day ever comes, I'll be in touch." After a brief pause, Gary accepted the card.
He didn't know exactly what became of the Seven Sages in the anime, but Team Plasma's ending wasn't a good one. Ghetsis and Colress were both arrested by the police, and Team Plasma was disbanded.
"Mr. Bronius, I'm so sorry you came all this way for nothing," Lenora said, stepping forward to console him.
"It's alright. Perhaps this simply wasn't meant to be." Bronius wore a melancholy expression.
Seeing him look so downcast, Lenora and Hawes both felt uncomfortable. After all, he was an elderly man—it wasn't easy to watch.
The two of them glanced at Gary, only to find his expression completely indifferent. He didn't even seem to feel any obligation to show respect to an elder.
Gary had no guilt about it whatsoever. The old man in front of him was no good person. If Bronius got his hands on the God Stone, who knew which city would end up suffering for it?
If they hadn't been standing inside the museum, Gary would have preferred to deal with Bronius right there and then, to keep him from causing trouble down the line.
"Oh, right! Gary, you came to challenge the Gym, didn't you? Do you still want to?" Hawes suddenly remembered.
"Of course. Is Ms. Lenora free?" Gary looked at Lenora.
Lenora nodded. "I have time. I accept your challenge."
Lenora was full of anger now. She could have sold the God Stone for so much more, but her husband had already let it go. She wasn't sure exactly how much Gary had paid, but it definitely hadn't been much—one look at Hawes's face said it all.
"Mr. Bronius, even though you didn't get what you came for, would you like to watch a Gym battle to help pass the time?" Lenora asked.
"No, thank you. I have matters to attend to, so I'll be going now." Bronius shook his head and declined.
"Alright, then we'll see you out."
"Let's send him off together, dear."
Lenora called Hawes over and they saw Bronius out together, having a museum staff member guide Gary to the battlefield.
Entrance of the Nacrene Museum.
After Bronius was gone, Lenora immediately asked, "Dear, how much did you sell that stone for?"
Ever since Bronius named his price, Lenora had been dying to know—especially after seeing Hawes's pained expression. It had to have been sold cheap.
"One million."
Hawes finished with a regretful look. "It's my fault for being too rash. I should have discussed it with you first. I wouldn't have let the stone go for so little."
"It's not your fault. If it had been me, I would've agreed to one million too," Lenora reassured him.
"So we just pretend nothing happened?" Hawes asked.
"Of course not. That kid got away with a huge bargain. I'll teach him a lesson in the Gym battle later." Lenora said.
"Alright! Let's head back to the battlefield."
Hawes tugged Lenora back into the museum.
Nacrene Gym battlefield.
Gary stood in the command area, waiting for seven or eight minutes before Lenora and Hawes finally arrived.
Hawes walked over to the referee's position without needing to be told.
Lenora took her place in the command area opposite Gary. "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Lenora, and I'm the Nacrene Gym Leader."
"Hello, my name is Gary, from the Kanto Region. Mr. Hawes has already checked my information," Gary said.
Lenora nodded. She'd already confirmed Gary's identity through Hawes.
"Alright, then let's begin the Gym battle."
With that, Lenora gave Hawes a nod.
Hawes returned a "got it" look and announced: "The Nacrene Gym battle will now begin. Each side may use two Pokémon. The match ends when both Pokémon on one side are unable to continue. Only the challenger may switch Pokémon."
[Ding! Mission issued:]
[1. Obtain the Nacrene Gym Badge. Reward: Advanced Rare Candy ×2, Retaliate Permanent Move Tutor, Premium Silk Scarf ×1!]
[2. Use a Unova Region Pokémon to obtain the Nacrene Gym Badge. Reward: Advanced Rare Candy ×2, Normal-type Self-Select Permanent Move Tutor, Random Held Item ×1, Ability Expansion Stone ×1.]
Huh? Advanced Rare Candy?
Gary looked at the mission rewards, puzzled.
Nacrene Gym was a Gym meant for rookie Trainer challenges. Its Leader was specifically restricted to using low-level Pokémon. Why were the rewards suddenly at a Quasi-Elite tier?
What did this mean?
Gary got the feeling that the couple regretted selling the stone so cheaply and wanted to give him a hard time at the Gym battle.
Too bad.
Lenora and Hawes had misjudged him. Gary actually wanted to face high-level Pokémon.
So it turned out that offending a Gym Leader was also a good way to improve the tier of Rare Candy he received.
"Gym Leader Lenora will send out her Pokémon first," Hawes announced.
"Cinccino!" Lenora threw her Poké Ball.
Go!!!
[LV52 Cinccino / Quasi-Elite]
Cinccino appeared, gray fur covering the front of its body, with thick tufts draped around its head and back.
Gary had always thought Lenora was fairly easy to handle, but he hadn't expected her to have a Quasi-Elite-level Pokémon.
"A Normal-type? Then I'll leave this one to you." Gary didn't hesitate and threw his Poké Ball.
Go!!!
[LV52 Bisharp♂ / Champion]
Bisharp made his entrance, clad in blue steel armor.
"Oh! A shiny Pokémon!"
Lenora had seen ordinary Bisharp before, and one look at Gary's told her the difference was significant.
As expected of a kid from a wealthy family, Hawes thought.