Chapter 211: Ruri: I Haul Dad’s Stones Out by the Batch! (Power Stone Milestone Extra - )

Chapter 211: Ruri: I Haul Dad’s Stones Out by the Batch! (Power Stone Milestone Extra Chapter)

The video continued playing.

Devon Corporation Headquarters.

The moment Elaria stepped out of the golden ring into the main lobby, the receptionist—who had only started working there recently—was so startled that she nearly dropped her coffee.

As the receptionist at Devon Corporation headquarters, she had certainly seen plenty of unusual ways for visitors to arrive.

But a little girl casually walking out of a golden portal was still well beyond the limits of her understanding.

"Hello, Miss."

Elaria gave the receptionist a small curtsy, her voice soft and polite.

"Is Ruri here? I’m her friend."

The receptionist finally came back to her senses.

She took a deep breath and forced a professional smile onto her face.

"Miss, this is Devon Corporation headquarters. An appointment is required to meet with the General Manager..."

"May I ask if you have an appointment?"

Elaria tilted her head and thought for a moment.

Then she rummaged around in her pocket before eventually pulling out a card and handing it over.

"Then could you ask her for me?"

"My name is Elaria."

The moment the receptionist saw the card—

Her professional smile transformed into professional shock.

It was a highest-level access card for Devon Corporation.

Only five existed throughout the entire company.

In theory, aside from members of the President’s family, no one else should have possessed one.

The receptionist flipped the card over.

Sure enough, a line of tiny gold lettering was printed across the back—

"The bearer of this card is to be treated as though the President himself were present."

"...Please wait just a moment."

The receptionist picked up the internal phone, her voice noticeably more respectful than before.

"General Manager Ruri, you have a visitor in the first-floor lobby."

Ruri’s calm voice came from the other end.

"Who? I don’t have any visitors scheduled today."

"A young lady named Elaria. She says she’s your friend."

The previously composed voice on the other end instantly became lively.

"Elaria?!"

"Take her to the lounge first—"

"No, wait!"

"Tell her to stay there. I’m coming down right now."

Before long—

Ding!

The elevator beside them gave a crisp chime.

The doors opened.

Ruri rushed out.

She was dressed in a sharply tailored dark-blue suit, her hair tied neatly into a high ponytail behind her head.

Such an outfit should have looked completely out of place on a ten-year-old girl.

Yet somehow, it looked unexpectedly natural on Ruri—

Almost as though she had been born to wear something like it.

"Elaria!"

"Ruri!"

The two girls ran toward each other at the same time and hugged in the middle of the lobby.

Ruri released Elaria and planted her hands on her hips with a smile.

"Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? If you’d told me beforehand, I could’ve arranged for someone to meet you downstairs."

"Well..."

Elaria blinked.

"It was a last-minute decision but I have good news! I just graduated from the Pokémon School today!"

"Oh, really? Congratulations!"

Ruri took Elaria by the hand and started walking toward the elevator.

"Come on. Let’s talk in my office."

Ruri’s office occupied the top floor of the Devon building.

An entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows faced toward Rustboro City’s harbor, allowing sunlight to flood the room.

Ruri walked behind her desk and pulled a small black velvet box from one of the drawers.

"Here."

"This is the graduation present I prepared for you."

"See if you like it."

Elaria accepted the box and opened it.

Inside rested a Key Stone and a Gardevoirite.

The Key Stone had been set into an elegant silver bracelet, while the Gardevoirite was mounted on an exquisitely crafted hair clip.

"A Gardevoirite and a Key Stone."

Ruri leaned against the edge of her desk and crossed her arms.

"I specially stole them from my dad’s collection room."

"Don’t worry. They’re definitely among the finest ones he has."

"Ruri..."

Elaria carefully closed the box.

"Isn’t that a little bad? Wouldn’t Uncle Steven be upset?"

"Oh, don’t worry about that."

Ruri casually waved a hand.

"Whenever I go into Dad’s collection room, I haul his stones out by the batch."

"He probably won’t even notice these two are missing."

"Oh."

Elaria nodded.

"Then thank you, Ruri."

She then pulled out a pale-blue gift box of her own.

"This is something Elaria brought back from Alola."

"I wanted to give it to Ruri."

Ruri accepted the box and opened it.

Inside rested a pearl-sized stone about as large as a thumb, its entire surface glowing with a faint golden sheen.

"This is..."

Ruri lifted it to eye level.

Her gray eyes, rarely showing much surprise, widened noticeably.

"A Sparkling Stone?"

"Mm!"

Elaria nodded.

"Big Sister Lillie helped me find it."

"She said you wouldn’t be able to find another Sparkling Stone of this quality anywhere in Alola."

"The quality really is incredible."

Ruri carefully placed the Sparkling Stone back into its box.

She could no longer suppress the upward curve of her lips.

"I’ll have someone mount it right in the center of my desk later."

"That way, every time my dad comes in, he’ll see it immediately."

"I’m going to make him die of jealousy."

[VIP Chat Group]

[Steven]: ??????

[Steven]: Forget using my Mega Stones as gifts for Elaria—what do you mean, "I haul them out by the batch"?! Is my collection room a free supermarket in Ruri’s eyes?!

[Mr. Stone]: Steven, what are you making such a fuss about?

[Steven]: Dad! Look at what your granddaughter is doing in that parallel world! She—

[Mr. Stone]: She’s doing very well.

[Steven]: ???

[Mr. Stone]: Mega Stones do nothing but collect dust when they’re sitting in a collection room. Giving them to someone who actually needs them is what it means to make proper use of their value. Besides, Ruri gave them to Elaria. Elaria is Asher’s daughter, and aren’t you and Asher good brothers? What’s wrong with giving your brother’s daughter a couple of stones? Do you really have so little generosity?

[Steven]: Dad, that logic of yours...

[Wallace]: Mr. Stone’s logic is flawless.

[Asher]: Mr. Stone is absolutely right. Steven, where’s your generosity?

[Steven]: ...

[Flint]: Hahahaha! Ever since Ruri appeared, Steven’s been getting put in his place more and more often.

[Volkner]: Amazing. Is this some kind of curse where having a daughter automatically means you’re doomed to get bullied?

The video continued playing.

Ruri picked up the coffee on her desk and took a sip.

"By the way, Elaria. Now that you’ve graduated from school in Alola, what are you planning to do next?"

"Mm."

Elaria nodded.

"Daddy created a new Cultural Department in the League and made me the minister."

"Your dad really treats you well."

Ruri leaned back in her office chair, a trace of undisguised envy in her voice.

"Now look at my dad."

"If he were even half as reliable as Uncle Asher, I’d already be satisfied."

Hoopa floated over beside Ruri.

"But didn’t Uncle Steven also give Ruri a position at Devon Corporation?"

"Hoopa thinks that sounds about the same."

"Not even close."

Ruri pointed toward the stack of documents on her desk that was nearly half as tall as she was.

"My dad didn’t arrange this General Manager position for me."

"Grandpa did."

"He said—"

"’Since your father is unreliable, we might as well start training you directly.’"

"And then the very next day, he made me start reading Devon Corporation’s financial reports."

Ruri slapped both hands against her desk.

"I was eight! Eight years old!"