Led by Olivia's enthusiastic introduction, Ash and Green browsed her gem store.
After walking through the shop, Ash finally understood why Olivia's gem store was so deserted.
The jewelry products in the shop were arguably all high-quality; every piece of jewelry made Green's eyes sparkle.
But the only drawback was that they were too expensive!
The items were excellent, and the craftsmanship was superb.
However, just one look at the prices instantly deterred over 90% of customers.
Expensive as the prices were, for Ash, who was making a fortune daily, they weren't too costly.
Ash sifted through the items and finally settled on a necklace woven from gems.
The necklace wasn't overly flashy but possessed an air of understated luxury.
"I'll take this one."
Ash said to Olivia, "But please customize it for me. Add this to the necklace. How long will it take?"
As he spoke, Ash handed a plain stone to Olivia.
Olivia took the necklace and the stone, examined them carefully, and nodded. "No problem. It won't take too long to add one item; an hour should suffice."
"Thank you, then. We'll wait here."
Ash said with a smile to Olivia, "An hour isn't too long, anyway."
Olivia said nothing more. She returned to her counter with the two items and began concentrating on modifying the necklace according to Ash's request.
Green walked up to Ash, looked at him helplessly, and said softly, "It was too expensive."
"Don't worry about it."
Ash smiled and said, "It was meant to be a gift for you anyway. The necklace is just a bonus."
Green nodded, accepting Ash's kindness.
She looked at the stone Olivia was working on, her eyes gleaming.
That stone was a Key Stone, the critical item for a Pokémon to undergo Mega Evolution.
Since learning about the Mega Evolution state, Green, who Professor Oak designated as the person of evolution, had been particularly keen on it.
Now that Ash was giving her a Key Stone, this was a treasure for Green that no amount of jewelry could compare to!
Olivia worked quickly. She guaranteed Ash an hour, but in reality, she only made them wait about forty minutes before the necklace was ready.
The Key Stone was incorporated into the gem necklace. Ash took the necklace from Olivia and immediately put it on Green.
With the necklace on, Green looked in the mirror. The string of gem necklaces around her neck, paired with her fair skin, looked exceptionally luxurious.
The Key Stone on the necklace was easily reachable by Green.
Now, all she needed was to find the corresponding Pokémon's Mega Stone, and Green could also make her Pokémon Mega Evolve.
Ash did not haggle. He paid generously by card and bought the necklace outright.
After putting his bank card away, Ash looked at Olivia and said, "The purchase is complete. Now, let's discuss other matters."
Olivia smiled, shifting her gaze to the bracelets on Ash's and Green's wrists.
She had spotted the bracelets on them the moment they walked in.
Since the two hadn't mentioned the Z-Crystal at first, Olivia had chosen to turn a blind eye.
But now that Ash brought it up, Olivia could no longer pretend to be ignorant.
Olivia spoke seriously, addressing Ash and Green. "I am the Island Kahuna of Akala Island, Olivia. Although you don't have the proof of the Island Challenge, with the bracelets you possess, you are qualified to challenge me!"
Ash and Green suppressed their laughter. They found it hard to argue with Olivia's declaration.
In truth, one of them possessed Champion-level strength, and the other was Elite Four-level.
Olivia, on the other hand, had only recently taken over as Island Kahuna, and her personal strength was, at best, that of a newly promoted Gym Leader.
However, Ash and Green said nothing. They followed the confident Olivia out of Konikoni City to the outskirts.
Olivia stopped in an open field, abruptly turned around, and threw out two Poké Balls. A Lycanroc (Midnight Form) and a Probopass appeared beside her.
"Come at me together."
Olivia beckoned to Ash and Green, stating seriously, "If you defeat me, I will present you with the Rock-Type Z-Crystal. Since you patronized my store, I won't beat you too badly, but I won't go easy on you either!"
Ash: ...
Green: ...
The two exchanged a look, then both sent out their respective Pokémon.
Ash's Pokémon was Tyranitar, while Green sent out her Nidoqueen.
As soon as Tyranitar entered the field, a sandstorm began to blow. However, Lycanroc and Probopass were both Rock-types, so they were unaffected by the sandstorm.
"Dual Earthquake!"
Ash and Green called out in unison. Tyranitar and Nidoqueen instantly exerted their power. The ground violently shook, and a strong vibration spread toward Olivia and her Pokémon.
"Naive!"
Olivia waved her hand. Probopass immediately took to the air, and Lycanroc leaped onto Probopass's head, slamming its hands down.
In an instant, a large number of rocks generated out of nowhere, rapidly crashing toward Tyranitar and Nidoqueen.
Tyranitar calmly raised a hand. The sky-filling sand seemed to gain consciousness, quickly forming a barrier of yellow sand above Tyranitar and Nidoqueen.
The falling rocks slammed into the yellow sand. The entire sand barrier trembled slightly, and the sand grains rubbed against each other at high speed. The falling rocks were visibly crushed and turned into grit, mixing into the yellow sand.
"This..."
Watching the scene unfold, Olivia rubbed her eyes, thinking she had seen wrong.
"Earth Power."
"Stone Edge."
The moment Olivia was stunned, Tyranitar and Nidoqueen moved.
Sharp stone spikes rose from the ground, surging toward Probopass in mid-air. Nidoqueen, furthermore, applied its Earth Power to the Stone Edge.
The rising Stone Edge spikes instantly shattered, reversing like a waterfall of rock, rushing toward the sky.
Caught off guard, Probopass fully endured Tyranitar's Stone Edge.
The powerful impact instantly sent Probopass flying backward, heavily collapsing onto the ground with Lycanroc.
The two Pokémon struggled to get up, and then they saw Tyranitar and Nidoqueen gathering their hands together, two Focus Blasts gradually merging.
"Wait..."
Just as Olivia was about to call for a stop, the merged Focus Blast instantly shot out.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion sounded. The Focus Blast did not hit Olivia's two Pokémon but detonated right in front of them.
The powerful shockwave pushed the two Pokémon backward. Both Pokémon dragged two deep streaks on the ground.
The two Pokémon only managed to steady themselves when they retreated all the way to Olivia's side.
Seeing that Tyranitar and Nidoqueen intended to continue their attack, Olivia recalled Lycanroc and Probopass without hesitation. Frustrated, she said to Ash and Green, "I quit, I quit! You two are bullying me!"
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