Selling Fruit-The First Sale at Last!

He had been called out, and the other person's words had been harsh—just short of a personal attack.

Still, he had expected something like this. They were only fruit, not Berries. Even among Berries, probably only the extremely rare Golden Nanab Berry and Golden Pinap Berry could fetch that price.

"I should reply politely..."

Mingyou wasn't about to snap back just because someone had scolded him. He had a fairly good temper, mainly because he'd spent so much time around children at the orphanage in his previous life.

Now and then, a troublemaking kid would send his blood pressure through the roof. If he couldn't keep his cool, he never would have lasted there. But that didn't mean he never got angry.

If someone really went too far—bullying a child right in front of him, for example—he would charge in and teach them a harsh lesson!

He quickly sent his reply, though the slow connection meant it took nearly half a minute to go through.

Far away in Cerulean City, Misty was consulting her friend Nessa, the Gym Leader of Hulbury in the Galar Region and a fellow Water-type Pokémon expert.

Nessa also worked as a model and had once come to Cerulean Gym for a fashion magazine shoot. That was how they'd met. As two young women Gym Leaders, they had plenty to talk about and had become fairly good friends.

Misty had just sent Nessa a message when a notification came in from the Magikarp King platform. The seller didn't even have a profile picture, yet had replied so quickly. She couldn't wait to see how this person would try to talk their way out of it.

But when she saw the reply, her eyes widened. She read it softly aloud. "If it doesn't work, you'll refund me and compensate me for the full price? That's a bold promise."

She had been ready for excuses. Instead, the seller offered none at all—just complete confidence.

Could it... actually work?

That made Misty a little more inclined to believe it. After all, the Magikarp King platform treated its users well. If she got scammed, she could contact customer service, and they would issue a refund once they confirmed there was a problem with the transaction.

She was still skeptical, though. Money wasn't the issue; she simply didn't want to be taken for a fool. So she sent another message.

This time, she didn't insult the seller. She asked about the Ogerpon Citrus's effects in earnest, along with whether the fruit could harm Pokémon...

After a short wait, Mingyou saw her reply and breathed a little easier.

He had gone out on a limb, but he trusted his fruit. He believed she wouldn't ask for a refund—unless she decided she never wanted to buy from him again.

He sent her the details of the Ogerpon Citrus's effects and assured her it posed no danger. After quite a while, she replied...

"Fine, I'll buy it. But if it doesn't do anything, you'd better watch out!"

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about!"

"..."

Seeing the seller's response, Misty could tell they had absolute confidence in their product.

"Hmph. Then let's see what it can do. I hope that confidence holds up!"

The corners of Misty's mouth lifted slightly as she placed the order and entered her delivery information...

Meanwhile, Mingyou had received the purchase notification. A smile spread across his face as he got ready to contact a courier for pickup.

But when he reached the recipient information, his finger froze above the screen.

"Uh... Cerulean Gym... Misty?"

His mind raced. Was this Misty the one he knew of? There couldn't be another Misty at Cerulean Gym, could there? So... it was her! It really was her!

"Wow... no way!"

Mingyou pressed a hand to his chest, too excited to find the words. What were the odds?

He had only hoped some poor sucker willing to take a gamble would bite. Instead, he'd landed a Gym Leader. If that wasn't a great first sale, what was?

A Gym Leader would know a good product when she saw one, and money wouldn't be an issue—even if she was a little stingy. If she liked it, she would surely buy again. He could have a steady repeat customer!

"Yes!"

This was a huge win. He immediately contacted Pelipper Tailwind Logistics in Iwate City. He didn't care if shipping cost triple; what mattered was building a good reputation!

Cerulean City wasn't far from Kitakami. On the day he'd arrived, he had taken a train from Cerulean City to Iwate City, then transferred to a bus.

The whole trip had taken maybe four or five hours, and that included stopping to eat and finding the station. The delivery itself should be faster!

After arranging shipping, Mingyou checked the time and noticed another message from Misty. She wanted to know when he would send the package and which courier he would use.

"I'm shipping it now. I'll cover delivery through Pelipper Tailwind Logistics. It should arrive this afternoon."

"That fast? You're pretty efficient."

"Of course! Efficiency and honesty are how we do business. Fruit doesn't keep as long as Berries, so it's best eaten as soon as possible. And Pokémon aren't the only ones who can eat it—people can too. It tastes great!"

Mingyou enthusiastically explained everything to Misty. She was a Gym Leader, after all, and might become a regular customer. He had to take good care of her.

Granted, he had never eaten a blue Tangerine and didn't know what it tasted like. But its description sounded decent, at least—not nearly as ridiculous as those of the red and gray Tangerines.

After sending that message, he recommended the other three kinds of Ogerpon Citrus too. If she bought them all at once, he could save a little on shipping.

But Misty wasn't foolish. There was no way she would buy more before testing the first one. They would have to wait until it arrived that afternoon and see how things went...

With their conversation over, Mingyou set down his phone. Still smiling, he finished washing the dishes and went to the living room.

He needed to find a bag and a box for the Ogerpon Citrus before the courier arrived. He would have to stock up on packaging boxes later, too.

But when he entered the living room and saw Munchlax wandering around, he suddenly remembered something. He walked over and said, "The Ogerpon Tangerine Tree by the door has fruit now. You can eat one, but don't eat them all. Wait until the next batch grows."

"Munch?"

At the mention of fruit outside, Munchlax paused, then immediately dashed out.

Its quick reaction made Mingyou's heart tighten. He hurried after it, afraid it would lose control and gobble down every fruit in a few bites.

"Hold on! Listen to me first..."

By the time Mingyou ran outside, Munchlax had stopped in front of the door. He had just breathed a sigh of relief and was about to repeat his warning when a commotion nearby caught his attention.

"What's going on?"

He looked up and froze.

Sinistcha was clutching two green Tangerines as Nuzleaf and Weepinbell chased it through the Orchard.

More than half the green Tangerines had vanished from the Ogerpon Tangerine Tree. Only five remained, and the highest-quality one was long gone.

"I..."

Mingyou opened his mouth, then closed it, his chest aching. Did they have to waste them like this? He wasn't forbidding them from eating the fruit, but eating it this way wouldn't do any good!

He looked up at Sinistcha as it flew toward him. The two Ogerpon Citrus in its hands were gone. His mouth twitched. "Did you... eat both of them?"

"Sinis~"

I did. What about it?

"..."