Los Platos, a peaceful place, far from the hustle and bustle of big cities.
It was already four in the afternoon—Lucas had to buy everything he needed before six.
In this small town, closing time was punctual—no overtime.
Life in Los Platos was slow, true to the saying "work at sunrise, rest at sunset."
As a small town, there weren't any big supermarkets, just a lively farmers' market.
During his stay at the local inn, Lucas had figured out what was available at the market.
Besides roadside vendors selling produce from their small plots, the indoor area was for bulk buyers—merchants or individuals.
In short, the inner area was a wholesale market, where you could buy the most commonly needed items at wholesale prices.
Passing the noisy stalls, Lucas didn't stop at their calls—he knew most were dishonest, using rigged scales or swapping bad produce.
When he'd first moved to town, Lucas had been tricked by a vendor who swapped some of his apples for overripe or even rotten ones.
He'd never encountered such tricks in his year of traveling, always believing there were no crooks in the Pokémon world—until he got burned at the Los Platos market.
But there were good people, too.
That day, after buying apples, an old lady at a nearby shop kindly warned him, and he realized he'd been cheated.
Not letting the vendor escape, Lucas grabbed him and was ready to take him to the police, ignoring the market manager's attempts to smooth things over.
After that, Lucas became famous, and the dishonest vendors avoided him.
But a month later, they'd forgotten—otherwise, they wouldn't still be trying to lure him in.
Lucas ignored them and went straight to the shop he remembered.
[Seed Wholesale]
A plain, straightforward name.
The shop wasn't big—about thirty square meters—with shelves neatly arranged by type.
At the entrance was an old, worn deck chair, occupied by a kind-looking old lady with white hair.
She was dozing lightly, but as Lucas approached, she sensed him and opened her eyes.
Seeing her awake, Lucas waved and greeted her, "Grandma Touko, long time no see!"
"Hmm, Lucas?" Grandma Touko put on her reading glasses, examined Lucas, and smiled. "It's been a while. How's your farm coming along?"
Lucas replied, "I've planned the areas, and I'm here to buy some seeds."
"That's good, that's good!" Grandma Touko nodded, looking pleased. With Lucas' help, she got up and led him inside. "Have you thought about what crops to plant? Tell me, and I'll give you advice. I've sold seeds for years—I know what works."
Lucas looked around and listed the crops he'd planned: "Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, cabbage, cucumber…"
"I'd like a small packet of each to try out, and if all goes well, I'll buy more."
Grandma Touko nodded as she listened—Lucas had done his homework. These were all suitable for the season and wouldn't take too long to grow. With such a big plot, a trial run would help avoid losses.
Grandma Touko quickly picked out the seeds, packed them, and labeled each packet.
"Potato seeds, 80 a pack; cucumber seeds, 140 per pack… Have a look, any problem?" She read off the prices from a chart.
Lucas nodded—these prices were even a bit cheaper than Peter's quote, so he had no issue.
The five types of seeds together cost just 600 league coins—a bargain compared to other farm expenses.
Lucas paid and took the seeds, curiously examining them—he'd seen the grown crops, but never the seeds.
Potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes—he looked one by one until he saw a sixth packet labeled "Strawberry Seeds."
Lucas was puzzled. "Grandma Touko, did you give me an extra packet?"
She laughed. "Sharp eyes, youngster! Strawberry seeds aren't worth much—consider it a gift to celebrate your farm's new start."
"Oh, I couldn't…"
Lucas tried to return the seeds—if he accepted them, Grandma Touko would make no profit, maybe even lose money.
"Take them," she insisted, refusing to accept the seeds back. Then, seeing the Pokéball on Lucas' belt, she suddenly thought of something, her eyes lighting up. "How about you help me with something in exchange for the strawberry seeds?"
Seeing Lucas pause, she quickly went to a cabinet at the back, unlocked it, and carefully brought out an oval object.
Grandma Touko said, "I remember you're a trainer—could you take care of this Pokémon egg for me?"
As she walked into the light, the egg was revealed: an oval Pokémon egg with a red base and gray-black stripes.
…
Meanwhile, at the Lighthouse Laboratory in South Area One—
After saying goodbye to Dragonite, Arven returned home excited, only to find a dark room and a note on the table. He immediately understood.
His arm dropped, and his eyes reddened.
After a while, Arven lowered his head and whispered, "Liar…"