Mr. Diantha had no intention of brushing Fang Yuan off; indeed, all the collectibles in this room were treasures.
For instance, atop a certain cabinet, there were more than a dozen Super Stones displayed.
And on another cabinet, there was even the "Three-in-One Evolution Stone"—a stone that combined different Attribute Spirits' Evolutionary Stones together. Fang Yuan didn't know where Mr. Diantha had dug that up from.
Fang Yuan couldn't help but marvel, "It's no wonder he's Mr. Diantha..."
"Mr. Diantha, speaking of which, you participated in the World Championship as well, didn't you? With your passion for stones, it must have been for the Stone Tablets," Fang Yuan suddenly remembered that Mr. Diantha seemed to be his next opponent.
"After all, in a way, Stone Tablets are stones too, and the most cherished ones at that," Fang Yuan said with a smile.
Mr. Diantha was taken aback. The mysterious prize for the champion of this year's Pokémon World Championship being Stone Tablets was a secret known by only a few within the major alliances. Did Fang Yuan know too?
Given Fang Yuan's strength, it was indeed possible...
Looking at Fang Yuan, Mr. Diantha replied with a slight smile, "Correct. Are you also participating in the championship for the Stone Tablets, Mr. Fang Yuan?"
"As for my goal... it is indeed the Stone Tablets. It's said that they contain the opportunity for Pokémon to enter the Legendary Realm. I think no Trainer could resist such a temptation."
"Does Mr. Diantha also study Stone Tablets?" Fang Yuan asked curiously, trying his luck.
Since Mr. Diantha loved stones so much, perhaps he knew something about the whereabouts of the Stone Tablets.
The Stone Tablets indeed helped Pokémon to step into the Legendary Realm. Probably, once a Pokémon reached the near-legendary Level, it could begin to sense the power of the Stone Tablets that matched its attributes.
Therefore, the Stone Tablets were valuable items, and Fang Yuan was even tempted to wait until all his Pokémon had achieved Legendary Level before returning them to Arceus—after all, it was a shortcut to becoming stronger. For Fang Yuan, whose greatest dream was to cultivate his Pokémon to the Legendary Level and make them uniquely powerful, the temptation was significant.
But despite the temptation, the 20-something-year-old Fang Yuan didn't have any special plans. Whether it took him 5 years or 50 years to cultivate his Pokémon to the Legendary Level, it didn't make a difference to him. He still had a long time ahead.
"Hmm, my father once obtained a Stone Tablet, and I have studied it..." Mr. Diantha said.
Fang Yuan: ?
"Hold on a second..." Fang Yuan quickly interjected, "Mr. Diantha, did you just say, your father, President Zivitch, had obtained a Stone Tablet?!!"
Fang Yuan's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"Yes, it was a Steel Stone Tablet. My father gave it to me. It's my most prized collectible and it's what inspired me to become a Steel Series Trainer. Sadly, even after my Huge Gold Monster evolves, it still can't sense the power of the Stone Tablet... It seems we are still far from reaching the Legendary Level," Mr. Diantha said with a smile.
As far as Mr. Diantha knew, the Stone Tablet awarded in the championship was likely a Rock Tablet, and Mr. Diantha wished to obtain it at any cost.
A Steel Stone Tablet, a Rock Tablet... If both could become part of his collection, Mr. Diantha felt he could reach the apex of his life.
There was no helping it; his whole family had this obsession.
"Uh... Mr. Fang Yuan, speaking of your visit this time, you mentioned a technological collaboration? What do you mean by that?" After a lengthy off-topic chat, Mr. Diantha realized they had strayed from the initial subject and began to steer the conversation back on course.
However, at this moment, Mr. Diantha suddenly found Fang Yuan and his Eevee, Bwoo, staring eagerly at him.
"Bwoo! (You stone fanatic, ever heard of 'trouble comes from the mouth'? That's what you get for showing off!)" Eevee secretly thought; your Steel Stone Tablet is as good as gone.
Turning its head, it saw a glint in Fang Yuan's eyes.
"Mr. Diantha, let's talk about the technological collaboration later!"
"May I ask if you still have that Steel Stone Tablet in your possession, Mr. Diantha?" Fang Yuan asked, his tone serious.
Mr. Diantha: "..."
Mr. Diantha suddenly had a bad feeling, regretting he had mentioned anything about the Stone Tablet. Had he subconsciously shown off his collectibles again?
"Mr. Diantha, I'm not sure if you would consider transferring the Steel Stone Tablet to me? Of course, I will offer a fair trade," Fang Yuan inquired.
"Um... I'm sorry, Mr. Fang Yuan, but the Steel Stone Tablet is the one collectible I cannot part with," Mr. Diantha expressed apologetically.
Mr. Diantha was well aware of the tablet's value, and for a stone connoisseur like himself, it was almost impossible to transfer it to someone else.
"Just call me Fang Yuan. Mr. Diantha, the Stone Tablet is really important to me. What if I traded some other cherished stones for it...?"
Mr. Diantha glanced at Fang Yuan and was slightly taken aback... Did Fang Yuan want the Steel Stone Tablet that badly?
However, upon considering it, aside from its collectible value, the Steel Stone Tablet's only use for him was that it might help Metagross achieve a Legendary Realm in the future. If Fang Yuan could offer an equivalent exchange, he wouldn't mind...
After all, Fang Yuan seemed to have an indescribable relationship with Groudon and Kyogre. With the millennium prophecy upon them, it's possible that Groudon and Kyogre would once again compete for Natural Energy. If Fang Yuan could mediate at that time… sparing Hoenn from calamity would mean much more than his Pokémon achieving Legendary Realm.
Although Mr. Diantha cherished stones, he also loved the Area of Fragrant Fate.
After a moment of thought, he said, "Okay."
Then Mr. Diantha chuckled and added, "However, Fang Yuan, unless you present something of corresponding value to the Tablet and a compelling reason for obtaining it, I won't exchange with you."
"I guarantee you'll be satisfied," Fang Yuan said, grabbing his backpack. To Mr. Diantha's astounded expression, Fang Yuan pulled out a crystal.
"This is a part of the World Origin Tree!"
The World Tree was essentially a rock life-form, which was sure to please Mr. Diantha.
As expected, Mr. Diantha's expression subtly shifted when Fang Yuan produced a part of the World Tree.
He had visited the World Origin Tree in Kanto but was unfortunately barred by the Giant from legend. Also, since that area was Mew's domain, he didn't dare to force his way in. Where on Earth had Fang Yuan obtained this?
"And this."
Since Fang Yuan planned to cooperate with Mr. Diantha, he didn't want Mr. Diantha to get the short end of the stick. Even if Mr. Diantha wouldn't mind for the sake of stability, Fang Yuan would still feel uncomfortable demanding the Tablet without giving something of equal worth in return.
Fang Yuan trusted Mr. Diantha's character; he intended to only offer things that would satisfy Mr. Diantha until everyone was content. After all, he planned on establishing a long-term collaboration between Fang Yuan Group on Earth and Devon Corporation in the Pokémon World.
Having said that, Fang Yuan pulled a red scale from his backpack, and Mr. Diantha was stunned upon seeing this familiar object.
"This is a Groudon Scale, absolutely valuable for collecting! Feel it, it has a rock-like texture! It could grant a Pokémon the power to wield Lava, the same caliber as Xiduolanen!"
Fang Yuan had idly excavated this from Groudon, and although it had no special use, he decided to trade it with Mr. Diantha since it was, after all, a part of Groudon.
It was originally meant for the Mane Rock Werewolf, but no matter, he had more.
Mr. Diantha: ???
"Groudon—!!"
As Fang Yuan produced the scale from Groudon, Mr. Diantha's eyes widened again. The World Tree Crystal, Groudon's Scale... for goodness' sake, how many treasures did Fang Yuan have?
His gaze shifted to Fang Yuan's backpack... What exactly is in there???
And what have you done to the World Tree and Groudon? Why does it feel like all the cherished stones you have are sheared from legendary creatures???
With a twitch of his mouth, Mr. Diantha said, "Fang Yuan, I had no idea your collection was even more..."
Outlandish, to put it mildly?
Mr. Diantha, now silent, stared at the World Tree Crystal and Groudon Scale... To be honest, he was tempted. He yearned for both items...
Those were precious collectibles that he could never acquire through normal means.
However...
"The primary value of the Tablet is to aid Pokémon that are close to the Legendary Realm to find their way to Legend. Apart from rocks, Fang Yuan, don't tell me that you also have a method for Legendary Level cultivation of Steel-type Spirits..."
Fang Yuan was taken aback and then said, "I do, indeed."
"Moreover, it doesn't require the Pokémon to reach Near-legendary Level to start using."
"Mr. Diantha, would you like to see it?"
With a slight smile, Fang Yuan said, "I can demonstrate in a Pokémon battle."
Speaking of which, he also wanted to know if his own Armed Magnemite or Mr. Diantha's shiny Mega Metagross was stronger...