Start Selling Fruit: First, Find a Sucker

A moment later.

After recording all the Ogerpon Citrus, Mingyou looked at Weepinbell and the others. He smiled. "Go ahead and eat, but there's one thing you should know..."

He told them about some of the fruit's effects. For example, they shouldn't eat too many at once; it was best to wait until the buff wore off before eating more.

There was also the matter of matching types. Naturally, he recommended that Weepinbell and the others eat Verdant Tricky Mikan. They could try the other varieties too, but those would only give them a taste, not any effects.

With that said, Mingyou reached out and picked a Verdant Tricky Mikan. He deftly peeled it, sending the dew clinging to its skin spraying everywhere.

The flesh was crystal clear and, like the peel, a vivid green. At first glance, it looked strangely unnatural, as though it had been dyed.

He broke off a segment and put it in his mouth. The moment he bit down, a rich grassy fragrance burst forth, mingling with the tangerine's natural aroma.

The texture was delicate and smooth. Juice burst across his tongue, refreshing him to the core and leaving a lingering sweetness...

"So sweet..."

After one bite, Mingyou stood frozen in place.

He stared at the fruit in his hand, almost wondering whether it really was a tangerine. He had never eaten fruit this delicious.

"It'll sell! It'll sell like crazy!"

His market wasn't limited to Pokémon anymore. He'd never expected the fruit to taste this good. Plenty of people would surely pay a premium for something so delicious!

He ate a second segment, then a third... Before he knew it, he'd finished the palm-sized tangerine. Its flavor lingered, and he wanted another.

But he knew how valuable these fruits were. He could grow more, but for now, he had to focus on building things up. He could indulge once he'd earned some money.

While he considered his plans, Weepinbell and the others finally gave in and quickly claimed a bunch of Verdant Tricky Mikan. They left the only one rated (B-) untouched because Mingyou had asked them to.

The Applin inside their apples were tiny. Bellsprout picked fruit for them, but even two Applin had to share one, cutting its effect in half.

The Seedot each got one to themselves. Just after one Seedot finished eating, its body suddenly blazed with the light of evolution.

It grew larger, sprouting sturdy brown arms and legs. Its face looked as though it wore a long-nosed mask, and a leaf grew from the top of its head...

[Nuzleaf: A playful Pokémon. Its evolution was so sudden it hadn't even been prepared. It loves climbing around in trees with its companions. Playing with it more should quickly strengthen your bond.]

"It evolved already?"

The sudden development caught Mingyou's attention. Unlike Weepinbell before it, the newly evolved Nuzleaf had no trouble at all. It swung its arms curiously a couple of times and adapted to its new strength.

"Nuzleaf!"

Nuzleaf bounced with joy. The other Seedot immediately gathered around, looking at it with envy but happy for their companion all the same.

That was the power of Ogerpon Citrus. At this rate, the Seedot and Bellsprout would probably all evolve before long, making the Manor even livelier.

Mingyou smiled and nodded. "Let's leave the rest of the fruit alone for now. Ogerpon and Munchlax should get to try some too. There'll be other fruit before long."

"Weepinbell!"

"Nuzleaf!"

"Applin!"

Weepinbell and the others nodded eagerly. They would take care of things here and keep anyone else from sneaking in to steal the fruit.

"Thanks. I'm counting on you."

With that, Mingyou headed back to the Villa. A sudden shiver reminded him he had come downstairs in his pajamas. Mornings were still pretty cold here.

He glanced at Munchlax sleeping in the living room. His one concern was that Munchlax might run out and eat all the fruit. He would have to warn him when he woke up.

After going upstairs to change and freshen up, Mingyou returned to the living room. He sat on the sofa and took out his phone. It was time to start selling fruit.

He'd worried before that the fruit might be hard to sell, but that concern was gone now. Good quality would always find buyers. He just needed to build a reputation first, even if that meant selling at a loss...

Enduring the painfully slow internet, he skipped Taobao and registered an account on Magikarp King, a trading platform similar to an online auction site. Then he listed the Ogerpon Citrus.

The site mainly catered to Trainers. People often picked up items during their travels and adventures in the wild that they had no use for, then listed them here.

The site drew plenty of visitors every day. Sellers could also pay extra to promote their listings on the homepage, making them easier to sell...

First, I need to find a sucker. I can't price them too low, or they'll get snapped up without making an impression. Hmm... 648 for a bundle of three!

Three pieces of fruit for that much? Any normal person would ask if his tangerines were made of Nuggets or silver coins. But Mingyou thought the price was just right.

Some Trainers had that kind of money, and if the fruit really worked, it would be worth it. But people weren't fools, so he needed to reel in a sucker.

Getting started was always the hardest part. If nobody bought them, Mingyou would have to compromise and lower the price. For now, though, he would give it a try...

After paying the transaction and promotion fees, Mingyou stared at the Golden Magikarp logo on the Magikarp King platform. He waited nervously, thinking about what he would do next if it worked.

If the business took off, he couldn't leave things so bare-bones. He would need a logo of his own. Pelipper Tailwind Logistics used Pelipper, and Magikarp King used Magikarp. He would use Ogerpon!

But he wasn't likely to hear anything right away, so he put down his phone and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. He could worry about it after he'd eaten.

Meanwhile, outside the Villa.

After eating the Ogerpon Citrus, Weepinbell and the others played around the fruit tree. Exercise would help them make better use of the fruit's effects.

In the Orchard, however, a tea caddy with a face painted on it drifted toward them like a ghost. Liquid green hands reached from openings on either side, seized a leaf, and turned it to powder that flowed into its body.

This seemed to be one way Sinistcha ate. It had plucked and eaten several leaves from the apple trees along the way. Now it had returned to the Villa to rest.

But just as it reached the entrance, Weepinbell and the others caught its attention. Its gaze shifted to the Ogerpon Tangerine Tree, not yet two meters tall, and it paused.

"Sinistcha?"

What kind of fruit tree was that? It had only been away a few days. Where had this tree come from?

Sinistcha had no idea what had happened. It hadn't been at the Villa these past few days, having gone to wander around Verdant Town. It had only returned today.

As a Grass-type Pokémon itself, it hovered in hesitation. Something about the green fruit growing on the tree drew it in.

So Sinistcha quietly drifted closer...

At the same time, in the heart of Cerulean City—a city surrounded by waterways in the Kanto Region south of Kitakami, known for its mysterious watery-blue hue—

A complaint rang out from inside a dome-shaped aquarium and swimming complex.

"Why won't you evolve already?!"

A pretty orange-haired girl in a school swimsuit that showed off her figure had lost her usual playfulness. She stared helplessly at a Magikarp in the pool and shouted...