Chapter 564. Pokémetal 2

Chapter 564: Chapter 564. Pokémetal 2

"Pokopia?" Alex asked.

"Yes. It’s a rather famous dimension, largely because of how peaceful it is and how valuable Pokémetal has proven to be," the scientist conducting Alex’s debrief explained. "Based on your account, you arrived in one of its younger iterations, where the Ditto had only just begun developing the world."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"We’ve received reports of other versions of Pokopia that are considerably more elaborate. Most versions are actually respectable towns capable of accommodating a considerable number of people, with well-developed infrastructure and all the amenities one would expect from a proper settlement. In some, towering structures continuously produce resources through fully automated processes, with some of them even floating high above the ground. Others contain what we can only describe as monumental works of art, with enormous singular structures standing alone and spanning areas the size of entire cities."

"Then there are the stranger versions," she continued. "Some were almost completely empty, with everything apparently cleared away until nothing remained but a perfectly flat landscape. We could only assume the Ditto’s objective in those worlds was simply to create as much empty space as possible."

She shook her head slightly, still seeming amazed by the reports she had read.

"Listening to and reading through all these accounts has been quite astonishing. They’re all Pokopia, yet each iteration can be remarkably different from the next, depending entirely on what the Ditto chooses to create. What they all have in common, however, is the exceptional quality and sheer abundance of Pokémetal. As you can probably imagine, that has attracted considerable interest. We’d be more than willing to purchase your entire stock, and we’re prepared to pay a substantial premium for it."

"How much of a premium?" Alex asked.

If Pokémetal was really as exceptional as she claimed, then it was clearly a material valuable enough to stand out even among the vast array of resources available to the League. That made it particularly useful to Rhea, who would undoubtedly be eager to get her hands on as much of it as possible.

"With the amount you brought back, we’d be willing to offer 3 billion credits. That’s easily twice the normal price of Master ranked metals. The exact figure may vary, however, depending on the purity of your smelting process. We understand that the quality of Pokémetal can fluctuate considerably depending on how it’s refined."

In the end, Alex decided he wasn’t qualified to make the decision himself and left it to Rhea. He didn’t even know where or how the material was meant to be used, so he washed his hands of the matter. He contacted Rhea and, as before, left her and the other girls to determine how much they wanted to keep and how much they were willing to sell.

At this point, Alex’s major financial concerns were limited to a few things. He needed money for the island, Ultra Necrozma, and a large stockpile of contribution points so he could afford to stay out of dimensional expeditions when he wanted to. Beyond those expenses, the only significant costs would come from whatever personal projects the girls wanted to pursue, particularly Rhea’s.

Of all the girls by his side, Rhea was easily the most expensive to support, second only to Vera, who was steadily developing into a Master Breeder. Rhea’s projects had a habit of consuming enormous amounts of resources, but their results were simply undeniable, so he’d rather provide whatever she needed than have her hold back because of the cost.

Surprisingly, rather than handling the matter remotely as they had before, Alex received a message asking him to confirm his relationship with Rhea so she could be granted access to Lumiose City. Since she wasn’t married to him, she technically lacked the clearance to enter the city on her own. Alex quickly vouched for her, and within minutes, Rhea arrived at the Research Center with Lyra and Mika at her side.

Both girls had since reached Champion rank and, like Alex, had joined the International Police, giving them access to its teleportation network. That made them the perfect transportation for Rhea, who apparently considered the matter important enough to make the trip in person. Whatever was happening, it clearly wasn’t something she wanted to discuss remotely.

"I have arrived," Rhea declared as she strode into the examination room, with Lyra and Mika following closely behind.

She promptly sat on Alex’s lap as if it were her rightful throne, while Lyra and Mika claimed his sides and wrapped themselves around his arms. Alex found himself effectively immobilized, sandwiched between 3 women who seemed to have decided the examination room was now their personal lounge. Not that he minded. He’d missed them after all these months.

"Now, let’s get down to business," Rhea said sharply, fixing the smiling scientist with a hard stare. "We want full access to the research on Pokémetal."

"And why would we simply hand over such valuable information?" the scientist replied, her smile never wavering. "You understand that this research is highly restricted, even among manufacturing organizations such as Silph Co. and Devon Corp."

"If that’s how you want to play it, then we won’t sell you a single bar." Rhea folded her arms. "I’ll conduct the research myself and figure everything out the hard way. It’s not as though we’re likely to get another opportunity to receive such vast quantities of this metal. Given the chances of Alex returning there, we might as well keep as much of it as possible for ourselves."

"Hehe. Good luck figuring it all out by yourself. Do you really think it’s that easy to experiment with such a valuable resource?"

"Why, thank you. I’m sure it’ll take me quite a while to understand everything about it." Rhea smiled sweetly, though there was little warmth behind it. "Fortunately, I have a rather long lifespan. I’m confident I’ll eventually figure it out. Until then, all this valuable material can simply sit in my personal storage."

The scientist’s smile twitched, while Rhea’s widened in satisfaction. Neither woman looked particularly interested in backing down, leaving the standoff hanging in the air. Meanwhile, Alex had apparently decided that the negotiation was none of his concern and started kissing Lyra and Mika beside him, having missed them dearly during their time apart. The display was rather awkward, especially with the other scientists in the room staring at them with a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and poorly concealed amusement.

"Fine, we’ll sell the information for two-thirds of the total amount. What’s left should be enough for you to play with," the scientist conceded.

"You think it’ll take me that many tons of material to figure it all out by myself? A few pounds would be enough for me to experiment with for a century. Don’t misunderstand the deal we’re trying to make. I’m exchanging my time and effort for materials, not purchasing the information from the League. After all, I’m simply that capable," Rhea declared without a hint of shame.

Another tense standoff followed, with neither woman willing to budge until the scientist finally let out a weary sigh.

"Alright, we’ll purchase a half of the materials while providing you with our research free of charge. Are you happy now?" she scolded.

Rhea immediately opened her mouth to push for an even better deal, but Alex gave her side a quick squeeze.

"Ah!"

She flinched, then turned toward him with a slightly wronged expression.

"Don’t bully her," Alex warned. "We want to maintain a good relationship with the League."

Rhea quietly lowered her gaze, looking like a scolded child. After a moment, she puffed out her cheeks and gave in.

"Fine. You have a deal," she pouted, while the scientist smiled triumphantly.

A moment later, Alex received a collection of scientific papers and documents containing detailed experiment logs and research results. It was a considerable amount of information, far more than he had any interest in reading himself, so he went straight to the summary.

In essence, Pokémetal was the metallic equivalent of a philosopher’s stone. Its properties weren’t fixed. Once heated beyond its melting point, which was remarkably high even for a Master ranked material, its final characteristics could be determined through the quenching process. By controlling how the molten metal was cooled, researchers could alter its structure and effectively decide what properties it would retain.

It could be made soft and fluid enough to mimic mercury, hardened into a material tougher than any known metal, or given an elastic, spring-like consistency that could withstand repeated stress far longer than conventional materials. It could even be processed to conduct certain forms of energy or resist them entirely. The same metal could become something completely different depending on how it was treated.

Pokémetal didn’t simply possess many properties. It was almost as if it could be taught to possess whatever properties its creator needed. Simply put, it was miraculous and ranked among the League’s most coveted metals.

"Holy shit!" Rhea exclaimed as she continued reading. "No wonder this metal is considered restricted."

"Yes, it is quite miraculous. Only those with access to vast quantities of it, such as yourselves, have any real reason to know how it works. I trust you’ll keep this information to yourselves," the scientist warned.

"For sure, for sure," Rhea replied offhandedly, already absorbed in the documents again.

Alex, meanwhile, had returned to entertaining himself with Lyra and Mika, his interest in the research rapidly fading. He understood that Pokémetal was an incredible material, but he couldn’t think of anything he actually needed it for. Without an immediate use for it, his curiosity quickly gave way to other interests.

At the moment, he was far more interested in dealing with the libido he’d been forced to suppress for months.