Naoki: "…"
Historical research? Really?
Naoki’s gaze drifted toward the bag of coins. The coins shimred with a golden hue, exuding the unmistakable allure of wealth.
"You’ve ‘researched’ right into taking people’s burial treasures, haven’t you?' he thought to himself, but before he could say anything, Raifort seed to notice his expression.
With a composed smile, Raifort explained, "In professional terms, what I do is archaeology. To be honest, I have a deep fascination with the legends and histories passed down through ti."
"And," she continued, gesturing to the coins, "the reason I took these coins was to study the monetary system of the ancient Paldea Kingdom from thousands of years ago. After all, I am a history teacher."
Naoki felt a pang of exhaustion just listening. While her explanation sounded logical, sothing about it didn’t sit quite right.
"So… what are you doing with them now?" Naoki asked.
Raifort shrugged with nonchalance. "I’ve completed my research. These coins no longer hold any academic value to , so I figured I’d pass them on to soone who needs them."
She smiled, adding, "Like you."
"Alright, fair enough." Naoki decided not to press further. He did, after all, need those coins. Changing the topic, he asked, "How many coins do you have here?"
Raifort thought for a mont before shaking her head. "I’m not entirely sure. I didn’t gather these all at once. They ca from over a dozen tombs and ruins."
Naoki: "…"
He hesitated before asking, "How much are you planning to sell them for?"
Raifort gave it so thought and then smiled. "Based on the antique market value, one gold coin typically sells for 50,000 Pokédollars. But since you’re buying in bulk, I can give you a discount—on one condition."
"What condition?"
Raifort leaned forward slightly. "You have to tell what these coins are for."
Naoki paused, considering her request. Finally, he asked, "Have you heard of a Pokémon called Gholdengo?"
Raifort raised an eyebrow in recognition. "Gholdengo? You an the Pokémon that evolves from Gimmighoul?"
"That’s right," Naoki confird. "I was told that to evolve Gimmighoul into Gholdengo, you need to collect a large number of coins."
Raifort's curiosity deepened. "So, you’re planning to test that theory?"
"Exactly," Naoki replied.
Raifort sat back in her chair, folding her arms thoughtfully. "I see… The legend of Gholdengo. It’s said to be born from the collective greed for treasure, taking form as an embodint of wealth and adventure."
As a history teacher with a passion for ancient lore, Raifort was well-acquainted with such myths. She nodded, as if to herself. "Alright, in that case, I’ll give you a 30% discount. But on one condition: if your Gimmighoul evolves, you must bring it to so I can see it for myself."
"Deal." Naoki agreed imdiately, feeling sowhat assured of Raifort's sincerity.
Her willingness to discount the coins showed she wasn’t simply out for money. Judging by her background as portrayed in the ga, Raifort's primary drive seed to be her love of history and legends, even if her thods were… unconventional.
'If it weren’t for Principal keeping an eye on her, she’d probably be out chasing legendary mysteries non-stop,' Naoki thought with mild amusent.
Raifort seed to catch his train of thought. With a smirk, she asked, "Now do you believe I’m not a tomb raider just for profit?"
"I believe you," Naoki replied.
Raifort chuckled softly. "And for the record, I wasn’t lying on the forum. I’m quite well-known in the field of… historical exploration."
She straightened up with a bit of pride. "I once made it to the deepest part of the underwater ruins in the Unova region. "Although I am now semi-retired, that accomplishnt alone earned a reputation in the exploration community."
Naoki: "…"
'‘Semi-retired’? So, she still goes tomb raiding sotis,' he thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
As Naoki processed this, his gaze wandered to Raifort's attire. Sothing about it caught his attention.
The emblem on Raifort's chest resembled the majestic Articuno, one of the legendary bird Pokémon. The headdress she wore looked strikingly similar to Marshadow, while her bracelet clearly displayed elents inspired by Tapu Koko.
"Co on! Let’s count them together!" Raifort cheerfully poured the coins from her bag onto the table.
In an instant, a small golden mountain ford in front of Naoki.
His first thought was how delighted Gimmighoul would be to see such a treasure trove of coins.
The two of them began counting the coins together, the soft clinking echoing in the cozy room.
Minutes passed as they counted diligently. Finally, Naoki announced a total: of 142 coins.
Including the 31 coins already stored in Gimmighoul's treasure chest, Naoki now had a total of 173 coins.
"It's still not enough," Naoki murmured, frowning as he calculated how far he was from the target of 1,000 coins.
He wondered if there were any other avenues to acquire more coins quickly.
Raifort, anwhile, had been tallying the cost with a small calculator she carried. "At market value, these 142 coins would cost 7.1 million Pokédollars. With the discount, the total cos to 4.97 million."
Naoki let out a low whistle at the generous discount. He nodded, recognizing the deal as more than fair.
"Alright," he said. "I don’t have that much cash on right now. Let’s head to the bank, and I’ll transfer the paynt."
Thankfully, Naoki had prepared for this mont. After selling goat milk, and crops, and dipping into his family savings, he barely had enough to cover the cost.
"Sure," Raifort agreed with a smile.
The two of them left the café and headed to the nearest bank. There, Naoki completed the transaction, transferring the money to Raifort.
Raifort handed over the bag of coins with a slight grin. "You can keep the bag too," she said.
Naoki looked at the mountaineering bag. It was simple and sturdy, nothing remarkable. He nodded appreciatively. "Thanks."
Raifort yawned, covering her mouth. She looked tired, likely from staying up late the night before, reading ancient texts in the Paldea Academy library.
"Alright," she said, stretching slightly. "I’m going to head back and catch up on so sleep. If you have any questions, just ssage on the forum."
"Got it." Naoki gave a polite nod.
As Raifort walked away, Naoki stared down at the bag of coins in his hands.
"At 50,000 Pokédollars per coin, 1,000 coins would cost 50 million…" he thought, his stomach sinking. "If I had to rely solely on money, it’d take years to earn that much."
But the image of Gholdengo—Gimmighoul’s evolved form—danced in his mind. A rare and unique Pokémon like that made all the effort worthwhile.
Especially knowing that once Gimmighoul evolved into Gholdengo, it could generate coins on its own using the move Make It Rain. The thought of eventually recovering his investnt through clever sales brought a faint smile to Naoki’s face.
"Make It Rain, huh?" Naoki muttered to himself. The move was similar to owth’s Pay Day, a technique that generated money in battle. Both abilities reflected the Pokémon’s affinity for wealth.
After bidding farewell to Raifort, Naoki realized it was already 1 PM. Neither he nor Koraidon had eaten lunch yet, so they stopped at a roadside stall to grab sandwiches.
With their hunger sated, they began the journey back to the ranch.
Naoki pushed open the wooden door of the Pokémon Tavern, a hiking bag slung over his shoulder. He unzipped it and tipped the bag upside down.
Clink, clink, clink!
A cascade of gold coins rained onto the bar.
Hearing the unmistakable sound of coins, the Gimmighoul imdiately poked its head out from its treasure chest.
When the little Pokémon saw the sheer number of coins Naoki had brought, its eyes widened in shock. A mont later, excitent replaced the surprise, and it practically trembled with joy.
“Gimmm!” Gimmighoul chid ecstatically.
“Here you go!” Naoki said with a grin.
The tiny treasure-loving Pokémon was so overwheld with emotion that it forgot its usual timidity. With a burst of excitent, it leaped out of the chest, transford into its roaming form, and hopped onto Naoki’s shoulder. Before Naoki could react, Gimmighoul planted an enthusiastic kiss on his cheek.
“Hmm? Ah!” Naoki exclaid, startled, but the grin on his face grew wider. Gimmighoul’s happiness was contagious.
“Are you excited?” he asked, laughing.
“Gimm!” Gimmighoul's chis were practically musical with joy.
“Alright, alright, let’s put these coins into your treasure chest,” Naoki said, his voice full of warmth.
Naoki grabbed Gimmighoul’s usual treasure chest from its spot and set it on the bar. Then, he began carefully transferring the mound of coins into the chest, one handful at a ti.
Gimmighoul hopped down beside him, watching intently. Its eyes sparkled as each coin clinked into place.
Once all the coins were stowed inside, Gimmighoul dove into the chest with an audible “plop!”, burying itself in the glittering gold. Only its head poked out, a delighted expression on its face as it playfully swam in its treasure hoard.
Naoki stood back, watching with a soft smile. “It’s like you’re swimming in a sea of gold coins.”
Gimmighoul bead at him. “Giimm!”
“Well, I’m a bit tired. I’m going to rest for a while. Enjoy yourself!” Naoki said, patting the treasure chest fondly.
Gimmighoul turned its head to look at him, its chi ringing happily in farewell. Naoki carefully returned the chest to its usual spot in the tavern before heading back to the house.
After pouring himself a glass of water, he climbed to the second floor, powered on his computer, and checked the status of his coin acquisition post. Despite collecting a significant haul today, only about one-tenth of the necessary coins had been gathered. Naoki planned to keep the post active, hoping other treasure hunters or tomb raiders might contact him.
As he scrolled through the forum, his thoughts wandered. He clicked on the private chat interface and stared at the ssages exchanged with [Ancient Explorer].
Raifort... the treasures of ruin...
Naoki leaned back in his chair, recalling the lore surrounding the four treasures of ruin.
The Legend of the Treasures of Ruin
In the distant past, during the reign of the Kingdom of Paldea, a rchant from a faraway land brought four exotic treasures to the royal court: a bronze tablet, a ceremonial sword, a jade vessel, and an ancient bowl.
The rchant sold these items to the king, claiming they were priceless artifacts imbued with the blessings of fortune and power.
However, that very night, the treasures transford into fearso Pokémon, wreaking havoc across the royal city. Their awakening unleashed a devastating curse that ultimately led to the downfall of the kingdom.
The four Pokémon—Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu—were manifestations of accumulated malice, greed, and despair absorbed over centuries. The rchant had unwittingly brought disaster to the kingdom, as these treasures were no ordinary artifacts; they were vessels for dark, cursed energies.
Survivors of the calamity sought to contain the Pokémon, enlisting the help of a skilled Pokémon tar. After a fierce battle, the four Pokémon were subdued and sealed within ancient shrines located across Paldea, with inscriptions warning future generations of their destructive nature.
It is said that only those with pure intentions can unseal these Pokémon, a testant to their volatile power.
Naoki tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the desk.
In the ga, Raifort, the history teacher at the Naranja/Uva Academy in Paldea, passionately investigates the legend of the Treasures of Ruin.
She consulted nurous ancient texts, disaster records, and personal diaries before confirming the authenticity of the legend of the Treasures of Ruin. In the ga, the player is entrusted with the locations of the shrines and thods to unseal them, helping release the four legendary Pokémon.
Naoki, however, had long since dismissed the idea of capturing these Pokémon. They were known to bring calamity wherever they went, and he feared their presence would wreak havoc on his peaceful ranch.
But now, with the mystical water from Giratina’s Realm, Naoki had devised a way to alter the essence of the Treasures of Ruin. By using this water to prepare reversal dishes, he aid to transform their destructive nature into sothing beneficial:
Wo-Chien, which drained life from plants and caused crops to wither, could beco a Pokémon of Fertility, enriching forests and ensuring abundant harvests. Ting-Lu, whose seismic stomps fractured the earth, could evolve into a Pokémon of Farming, softening, and cultivating land for planting.
Chi-Yu, whose blazing heat lted stone and created seas of lava, might be reimagined as a Fire Pokémon providing warmth and assisting in cooking for the ranch’s Pokémon. Chien-Pao, known for its icy avalanches, could transform into a guardian Pokémon, slicing through threats and protecting the ranch from harm.
To achieve this, Naoki knew he would need Raifort’s help. Only she possessed the knowledge of the exact locations of the shrines and the thods to unlock their seals. However, these four treasures had long been her obsession. Her dream was to uncover their secrets, and she would likely seek to claim them for herself.
Naoki struggled with the moral dilemma. He wasn’t willing to manipulate or deceive Raifort to achieve his goal. It felt wrong, and the thought of betraying her trust filled him with guilt. After so contemplation, he sighed and muttered, “Forget it. Let’s just leave it for now.”
Determined to let fate take its course, Naoki was about to turn off his computer when the chat window suddenly blinked. Surprised, he clicked it open and found several ssages from Raifort:
[Ancient Explorer]: !!!
[Ancient Explorer]: I just checked so texts in the library and found an ancient notebook about the legend of the Winged King. The descriptions match many characteristics of the Pokémon you had with you today!
[Ancient Explorer]: Where did you find it?!
Naoki blinked in confusion. He quickly composed a reply:
[Gold King ]: It wandered into my ranch injured. I treated it, and it’s stayed with ever since.
Raifort’s response ca almost instantly:
[Ancient Explorer]: …What do you an?
Naoki hesitated. Sharing the true origins of Koraidon—knowledge tied to the experints of Professor Sada and Professor Turo—was out of the question. After a pause, he replied conservatively:
[Gold King]: I’m sorry, but this involves confidential matters. I can’t disclose the details.
...
Paldea Academy, Raifort’s Dormitory,
Raifort sat in her dimly lit room, her eyes narrowing at the reply on her screen. She murmured to herself:
“Confidential? What does that an?”
The text continued to occupy her thoughts.
[Gold King ]: But I can tell you this much—Koraidon is not a Pokémon of this era. It cos from the distant past, as you suspected.
Raifort’s heart skipped a beat as she reread the ssage. She whispered, “Not of this era? What does that imply?”
Her mind raced with possibilities. Had Koraidon traversed through ti and space? Was it an ancient Pokémon resurrected from fossils? Or had it been lying dormant in so forgotten ruin until recently awakened?
Adding to her shock was the realization that an old, second-hand notebook might actually contain credible information. She stared at the glowing screen, her curiosity and excitent mounting with each passing second.
But what truly astonished her was the realization that the information recorded in the ancient notebook—sothing she had stumbled upon in the second-hand market—was, in fact, accurate!
...
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