The final result was much as Heath had expected. Cynthia wrote down a figure somewhat lower than the final auction price, then successfully acquired the Amaura fossil with a bid five hundred and seventy-two League Coins above the runner-up's. Even so, it was an extremely expensive purchase. The runner-up was a man who looked rather mature and composed, with a scholarly air about him. Heath thought he might be a Pokémon Professor-that seemed the most likely possibility-but he could not be sure, since he had never met the man. Fortunately, the man did nothing else, simply watching calmly as Cynthia took the Amaura fossil along with the inspection agency's certification report. It was genuine, not a fake.
Heath was very pleased. His only concern earlier had been whether Cynthia would become depressed if she bought a fake, but unexpectedly, it really was genuine. Still, if these people actually dared to sell a fake, they would have to face a Champion's wrath. Heath remembered that Cynthia often appeared in places like ruins in the games and anime, making her something of an unconventional archaeologist. So if Cynthia really did buy a fake, she would definitely be able to tell.
Heath rubbed his chin. This really was an interesting matter.
"The next item is..." the host continued calling out enthusiastically, but Heath had already lost interest, since it had nothing to do with ingredients. He had also seen the list of today's items, and none of them had anything to do with ingredients, which made it very uninteresting. Heath abandoned the idea of waiting there any longer and instead took Cynthia into the Vegetable Market. There, Heath replenished his ingredients and chatted with the vendors, successfully learning about Cerulean City's specialty ingredient.
"Octopus?" Heath's expression was a little odd. He had not