Cynthia was messy. Was the only thought flowing through Ethan’s head as he swiveled his head around her personal office. They were back at Caroline and Cynthia’s home and Cynthia was about to show him her mega stone collection. It was apparently a thing rich people did? It seemed like one, anyways.
Cynthia’s office was a cluttered mess of papers lying about without care or order. Many showed historical text or pictures of archeological sites, but some were things for The Champion to peruse, such as moving alpha pokemon patterns which he didn’t even know she knew about. That seemed like a ranger thing if anything. He even spied one paper with his face on it, right before she tidied up in front of his eyes, placing a stack of completely separate matters together like it was commonplace.
She slid the stack of papers to the side of her desk then withdrew a safety case, one which couriers sometimes wore back on earth for important documents. After plonking the metallic case onto the now free desk, she input the code and it unlocked with a satisfying click. “Behold.” She murmured, as she spun the case around to face him.
Ethan sat forward, ready to see her collection…
“Why are there only four? What are you, Steven Stone from Temu?” Ethan asked, baffled. He’d fully expected a huge array of stones from how she hyped it up.
“I don’t know what Temu is, but I’m going to pretend that’s a compliment, as Steven Stone is regarded as one of the best trainers in the world—Champion or not.” Cynthia gave him a narrowed eyed glare. “Mega Stones don’t fall from trees, Ethan. This is an impressive collection. Look, I even have Key Stones for each!”
At another glance, he did notice the four bands inlaid in the fancy form fitting foam in the case. Still, he was feeling a little iffy on getting one if she only had four. He couldn’t even use them yet if he even got one for one of his pokemon. “What kind are they?”
Seeing as his complaining was over, Cynthia told him about her stones. “Well, I have six. Garchomp’s is on me every hour of the day, as well as Lucario’s. These four,” Cynthia splayed her hand over the stones. “Are for Kangaskhan, Gyarados, Lopunny, and Scrafty.”
“Mega Kangaskhan is very good.” Was Ethan’s immediate reply to the information. While he didn’t play the later games, he did know how popular the mega momma was. It made him wonder about how Kangaskhan were in the real world… did they all just have children in their pouches that never grew up? “Are Kangaskhan popular pokemon?” He asked.
“Not much so, no. They’re very rare and only found in Kanto as far as I’m aware. They have breeding problems. They’re on the endangered pokemon list, alongside Lapras.” Cynthia explained. Lapras was the poster child of endangered pokemon, and even his quick dive into the topic on the internet here in this world let him know that fact.
Cynthia gave him a second to inspect the stones… then snapped the case closed in front of his face. “Now! Let’s show you the stones I haven't identified!” Her smug look was justified, as she had truly gotten him with the ploy. “Maybe you can help?”
Ethan sighed and slowly shook his head as Cynthia knelt beneath her desk to open a proper safe. “I hardly know anything about Mega Stones. I can maybe tell you a few pokemon who could mega evolve, but even then I couldn’t tell their stones apart. I can maybe guess based on the colors?”
Mega Stones did look different indeed. The only marking that was consistent between them all was the rainbow double-helix, but even those colors seemed to lean toward the pokemon it was for. The four he’d just seen had all been approximately the same size, yet color coded to the pokemon in question. They all looked like fancy glass marbles to him.
Out of the safe, Cynthia pulled out a leather pouch. It wasn’t budging, but it had some heft to it. She then proceeded to pour out what looked like a little over a dozen megastones onto the table. Now this was a collection! “I found these all by myself during my archaeological and historical dives into the Grand Underground. The stones are much more common there. The ones in my safety case are the ones I’ve purchased or earned.”
“May I?” Ethan asked before reaching out to grab one of the precious stones.
“Be my guest. They’re remarkably durable, although they look like glass, they’re even harder than diamonds.” Cynthia picked one up as well, just to admire it.
He reached forward and plucked one at random to inspect. By no means was Ethan an expert in Mega Evolutions. He knew a handful of pokemon capable of it, but some were legendaries which he highly doubted Cynthia owned any stones for. Those were probably one of a kind if they even existed in this world. Luckily, the one he did pick up was one he recognised by the color. The orange orb with yellow and a pinkish red strand through the helix. “This one is for Pidgeotto I think. I’m like seventy percent sure.”
“That was my assessment as well.” Cynthia smiled, happy someone also spotted what she had. “I haven’t sent these to get tested as I like the mystery of them. Why would a stone like that be found in an ancient cavern beneath Sinnoh? A flying type?”
Seeing as it wasn’t a real question, just an observation, Ethan kept looking through the stones for any familiar color pallets. “Does this one kind of look like it’s for Blaziken?” Ethan asked, nudging the little marble towards Cynthia.
She scooped it up and placed the one she had been inspecting down. “Maybe. If so, that one is worth a good amount.”
“How much do these stones cost anyways?” Ethan asked idly.
“Around ten million a piece. Prices vary wildly.” Cynthia matched his idle tone, uncaring. “Key Stones are worth much more.”
Ethan ever so slowly and carefully placed the stone in his hand back down onto the table with more focus than he’d ever scrunched up within his will. Then he exploded, incredulous.. “Are you fucking insane? You keep them in a pouch?! This is…” He counted the stones, “a hundred and fifty million! You keep them in a bag!”
“Well, where else would you keep them? They're in a safe most of the time.” Cynthia flicked him a grudging look. She knew this wasn’t ideal, at the very least.
“Maybe a super secret personal vault or something? I don’t know!” Ethan balked. If he had something worth ten million pokedollars he would panic. That was the rough equivalent of a hundred thousand USD… in a small marble… and she had fifteen plus the six she knew about.
“Well, where will you put yours? I hope not in Chatot’s nest like that very fine evolution stone you have.” Cynthia pinned him with an unimpressed stare.
“How do you even know about that?” He asked.
“Chatot showed it to me. She likes to show off when you’re not around.” Cynthia laughed, then flicked a stone across the table. Ethan hastily reached out to catch it before it rolled off the desk and onto the floor.
The stone was a deep purple with a brownish-black helix with a crimson line through it. He had no clue as to what pokemon it belonged to. “I think that one is for Dragalge. Are you familiar with that pokemon?” She asked.
He was indeed, but it didn’t have a mega evolution as far as he was aware. He looked over the stone again. Either he had missed more mega evolution releases back on Earth, or there were many more in the actual real-world pokemon. Both were probably true. “I am. I didn’t even know it could mega evolve.”
“Do you know which of your pokemon can?” She asked, genuinely.
Ethan thought for only a second before answering. “When they’re fully evolved… Raichu X and Y, Gallade and Gardevoir. That’s it.”
“I see.” Cynthia nodded to herself, then spoke again. “Mega Evolutions are still very unresearched. I believe professor Sycamore is the lead researcher into it. Maybe there’s a Mega Emolga?” She teased, knowingly.
“Do not give me hope, woman.” Ethan warned in jest, causing them both to laugh.
Caroline opened the door to Cynthia’s office at that time, giving them both a raised eyebrow at the scene. “Cynthia, pick up your rocks. You have a visitor.”
“Who?” She asked as she did indeed start packing her mega stones.
“Your psychic friend. Odd one, he is.” Caroline turned back, but looked over her shoulder. “I’ll stall him for a minute or so.” Then she left.
Ethan helped Cynthia pick up her precious gems, as that was what they were, then moved to leave the room to give her and Lucian—he was the only ‘psychic friend’ he could think of and he fit the mark.
“Stay, Ethan. He knows you’re here. I called him.” Cynthia stuffed the bag of mega stones back into her safe and sat down at her desk, pretending to tidy up the already ‘tidied’ desk.
Not ten seconds later, and the door opened once again to reveal Lucian dressed in a very nice off purple suit. It was very fetching and probably cost more than Ethan’s ranch. The man locked onto Ethan and gave him a wide smile as he strolled forward. “Mr. Reed! It is good to see you in much more normal circumstances. I have been meaning to send you an email or visit your ranch, but my free time has been stretched a little thin until late.”
“Lucian.” Ethan returned the greeting. “Nice to see you as well. I actually caught a pokemon that might help with my empathy thing. I’ve been meaning to reach out to you as well.”
“Well, there’s no time like the present.” Lucian then turned to Cynthia. “Slacker, finally getting back to work?” He said jokingly, as friends do.
“I’m always at work. Ethan is a very valuable and troublesome individual. He caught a mythical pokemon from Unova during my little break and I have several new meetings because of it.” Cynthia immediately threw him under the bus… and she wasn’t necessarily wrong either.
That sucked.
“Oh?” Lucian looked taken aback, but not in a bad way. “And what pokemon would this be? From Unova? Hmm. One of the Swords of Justice, perhaps?”
“Meloetta,” Ethan said, as he unlatched her basic pokeball and released her into the room. Bright star shaped sparkles burst forth as the white materialization of her form stabilized, showing her shiny nature.
Since pokemon could sense their surroundings or even hear conversations near their pokeball, Meloetta was aware of the conversation. With a graceful twirl, she rose into the air and floated around Lucian, who twisted and turned as his psychic inspected him. “ ♫ Meloooo? ♫”
“Indeed!” Lucian replied to the pokespeak, which caused Meloetta’s head to tilt cutely and Ethan to grow confused.
“♫ Melo-etta? Melo-Mel-etta? ♫” Meloetta shook her head, seemingly ending her troubled or confused thoughts. Meloetta then floated over and took a seat on Cynthia’s desk, kicking her legs as she relaxed and sank into a deep thinking pose.
“What was that?” Ethan asked.
Lucian waved him off. “She just sensed my psychic ability, however minor they are. She’s never met a human psychic before. It’s fairly common for them to be surprised.” Lucian then got animated. “But a shiny? A shiny mythical? Cynthia wasn’t joking when she said you’re a lot of work! Haha!”
“Ignore him, Ethan.” Cynthia cut in, eyes flicking to the mythical pokemon sitting on her desk. “Lucian, I do believe you have a favor to ask?”
Lucian cleared his throat and turned to fully face Ethan. “I have heard you know of an evolution for Girafarig?”
Ethan, seeing where this was heading, finished for him. “I do, and I am more than willing to help you… at my standard rate.”
Lucian didn’t appear offended at all, just curious. “And what would that be?”
“Fift—”
“AHEM!” Cynthia coughed loudly, cutting him off. Ethan threw her a look, and she not so subtly pointed upwards and inclined her head. Meloetta smiled at the byplay.
“I mean, a hund—”
“AHEEEEEEEM!!!” Cynthia, completely aware of how obvious she was being, smiled as she absorbed Lucian’s scathing look. “He’s desperate."
“Five-hundred thousand pokedollars.” Lucian jumped in, ending the price hike with a high price of his own.
“Deal.” Ethan agreed without even thinking about it. That was five grand USD! He could do a lot on his ranch with that sort of money! “When and where?”
“You should have gone higher.” Cynthia sighed as Meloetta looked between them all with a curious look. She was smiling though, probably feeling Ethan’s excitement for an easy payday…
If only he knew what was in store.