After everyone else had left, Delia was still staring at Lu Chen in astonishment.
The scene from earlier kept replaying in her mind.
The sight of Agatha's Gengar being hauled out by the throat had been quite a shock for this young mother, who had lived peacefully in Pallet Town for years.
Seeing Delia's blank expression, Lu Chen waved a hand indifferently.
"I still have something to do, so I'll head out."
Delia nodded reflexively.
Before leaving, Lu Chen suddenly stopped and turned to Delia.
"My Pokémon all really like your apple pie. Could you make a little more, if possible?"
"Of course." Delia came back to her senses, her kind, gentle smile returning.
Lu Chen added, "If you run into anything you can't handle, you can come to me."
Delia smiled and waved a hand. "What trouble could I possibly run into in Pallet Town? We're neighbors, Mr. Lu Chen. You're too kind."
Lu Chen rubbed his nose, said nothing more, and left Delia's house.
Outside the yard, he took out Aerodactyl's Poké Ball and tossed it into the air.
Red light flashed. Aerodactyl spread its enormous wings and landed before Lu Chen, a low growl rumbling in its throat.
Lu Chen swung himself onto its back, took out his phone to check the direction, then patted Aerodactyl's back.
"Southwest. Destination: Celadon City."
Aerodactyl growled and beat its wings hard, its entire body becoming a streak of gray light as it sped southwest.
Wind howled past his ears as the towns and forests below raced backward.
Lu Chen sat steadily on Aerodactyl's back, looking down at the information on his phone.
"Celadon City, home to the Grass-type Gym Leader Erika."
"Celadon Gym also has the largest collection of high-grade Berries in all of Kanto."
"Besides being a master perfumer, Erika is also a renowned breeding expert in the Kanto Region."
"After all, perfume alone couldn't pay for such a huge botanical garden."
Lu Chen nodded as he browsed.
Just the right expertise.
He could buy seeds and ask about cultivation, and she might even become a long-term customer in the future.
This trip to Celadon City would be worthwhile.
His gaze fell on the private number Lorelei had left him.
"She gave me her private number. Has she taken a fancy to my Lapras?"
The Poké Ball containing Lapras at his waist rocked gently.
Lu Chen chuckled and patted the Poké Ball.
"Don't be shy. Reviving the pure Water-type Lapras lineage might depend on you someday. You'll have to work hard."
The Poké Ball shook even harder, clearly in protest.
Lu Chen laughed even more happily.
"All right, all right. No more jokes."
"Anyway, I won't make any of you sell yourselves. It'll all be up to you."
Only then did the Poké Ball settle down.
Lu Chen kept scrolling through his phone, taking the opportunity to look into the current Elite Four lineup.
"Lance, still the Dragon-type Elite Four member who doesn't use Dragon-type Pokémon... interesting."
"The Sinnoh Region's reigning Champion, Cynthia."
A photo of Cynthia appeared on the phone screen, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders, her bearing cool and striking, with an imposing Garchomp standing beside her.
Lu Chen took a couple more looks. "That Garchomp really is pretty good."
Just then, Gengar poked half its head out of Lu Chen's shadow and leaned over to look at the screen.
After looking, it curled its lip with an expression that said, "Nothing special," then sank back inside.
Lu Chen smiled.
Indeed, in the eyes of his old companions who had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood in ultra-ancient times, Cynthia's Garchomp was still far too green.
That was a matter of the era, not talent.
They had never experienced a true battle for their species' survival or repeatedly walked the line between life and death.
Even the finest modern Pokémon lacked that ferocity capable of piercing the soul.
But Lu Chen noticed something even more interesting.
"Cynthia's Garchomp doesn't know Dragon Dance?"
He checked the information several times, his expression turning somewhat strange.
"After a few million years, have modern Garchomp degenerated this much? They don't even know Dragon Dance."
In ultra-ancient times, a Garchomp not knowing Dragon Dance was as absurd as a bird not knowing how to fly.
Lu Chen thought it over and felt he could help Cynthia's Garchomp learn Dragon Dance.
But he had no intention of doing so.
Lu Chen was already somewhat in the spotlight now.
The Pokémon League had made no further moves, most likely because it wanted nothing from him.
But if the Pokémon League learned that Lu Chen's head was filled with vast amounts of ultra-ancient knowledge and secret breeding methods...
An organization as enormous as the Pokémon League might well have hidden experts.
Lu Chen did not truly think he was invincible, either.
So the fewer complications, the better.
Aerodactyl flew extremely fast, and before long, Celadon City's outline came into view.
Following his usual routine, Lu Chen landed near the city, recalled Aerodactyl to its Poké Ball, and walked into town.
Celadon City was countless times more bustling than Pallet Town.
Shops lined both sides of the broad streets, colorful signs stretching from one end of the streets to the far ends of the alleys.
The roadside flower beds were filled with ornamental plants, and faint floral scents and perfume lingered in the air.
Lu Chen asked a few random passersby for directions and soon found the famed Celadon Gym.
Celadon Gym occupied an enormous area. Rather than a Gym, it was more like a vast botanical garden.
Its transparent glass dome refracted rainbow light in the sun, and even its outer walls were covered in verdant vines.
A dense crowd had gathered at the Gym's entrance, making it quite lively.
Lu Chen approached and asked a nearby passerby:
"Is this Celadon Gym?"
"That's right."
Having confirmed he was in the right place, Lu Chen entered the Gym, and just after he walked inside,
She smelled it.
A faint, elusive scent drifted over from behind the crowd.
Rust?
"What is that smell?"
Erika frowned slightly.
The closer Lu Chen came, the deeper Erika's frown grew.
No.
This was no smell of rust.
It was an overwhelming stench of blood, so intense it made her tremble!
It was so thick that it seemed someone had poured an entire battlefield's blood in front of her.
Erika's pupils abruptly contracted.
This was the first time she had ever smelled anything so terrifying.
The smell seemed to take physical form, pressing down on her from every direction until she could barely breathe.
Erika whipped her head around, her gaze fixing on Lu Chen.
A harmless smile rested on his bright, handsome face.
But paired with the almost tangible reek of blood surrounding him, that smile looked even more terrifying than Rayquaza to Erika.
"You... who exactly are you? Why do you smell so strongly of blood?"
"Blood?"
Now everyone else present was confused.
The young man before them looked bright and handsome, and his clothes were clean. What could he possibly have to do with the smell of blood?
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Erika in surprise.
This woman's nose was exceptionally keen.
Erika remained behind the table, both hands gripping its edge tightly as she trembled all over, looking at Lu Chen as though he were some monster that had crawled out of the abyss.
Lu Chen helplessly spread his hands. "Maybe you smelled wrong."
Erika did not believe him at all.
She pinched her nose with one hand and watched Lu Chen warily, her eyes darting about as though she were thinking about how to handle the situation before her.
After several seconds of silence, Lu Chen took the initiative to break the deadlock.
"Actually, I came because I wanted to buy some Berry seeds."
Hearing Lu Chen's words, Erika hesitated.
In the end, still pinching her nose, Erika nodded and spoke in a muffled voice.
"You... go wait in the reception room first. I'll be right there."
Soon, a Gym staff member came over and took Lu Chen to the reception room inside Celadon Gym.
The reception room was very pleasant.
Several sets of soft sofas furnished the spacious room, and fresh flowers and fruit sat on the tables.
Beyond the glass door on one side lay the enormous botanical garden that was Celadon Gym's pride.
Looking out from the reception room, he could see numerous high-grade Berries and rare plants arranged throughout the vast greenhouse area.
There were quite a few plants even Lu Chen had never seen.
While he was absorbed in the view, Erika arrived in a different outfit.
This time, she wore dark green work clothes and had tied up her hair, looking somewhat more capable and efficient.
Still, the moment she entered, she instinctively paused.
That terrifying stench of blood was still there.
Erika's legs began to go weak again.
She forced herself not to turn and flee, frantically encouraging herself inwardly.
Erika, you're a Gym Leader! You can't be afraid of him! You can't be afraid of him! This is your territory!
And so, suppressing her fear, she walked to the chair farthest from Lu Chen and sat down.
The two began talking.
Lu Chen got straight to the point, saying he wanted to buy some Starf Berry seeds.
Although Erika was afraid, she pulled herself together when the conversation entered her area of expertise.
"Starf Berry seeds... we do have some here at Celadon Gym."
"But Starf Berries can't be cultivated artificially. Are you buying them to try growing them yourself, Mr. Lu Chen?"
A trace of curiosity flashed in Erika's eyes. "Could you perhaps have some special method..."
"What does that have to do with you?"
Lu Chen countered in an even tone.
Those words alone made Erika shudder again, shrinking back into her chair like a startled fawn.
She quietly lowered her head. "N-nothing... I overstepped."
Seeing Erika trembling like this actually made Lu Chen feel a little embarrassed.
Erika then called over another Gym staff member and had him take Lu Chen to discuss the details of the purchase.
After Lu Chen left with the staff member, Erika finally let out a sigh of relief.
She slumped in her chair like a deflated ball, patting her chest in lingering fear.
"That was terrifying... it felt like he'd kill me if I said one wrong word."
"I hope I never have to deal with that guy again."
Meanwhile, Lu Chen completed the transaction with the staff member accompanying him.
He spent seven hundred thousand, most of his money, to buy thirty Starf Berry seeds.
Celadon Gym also threw in quite a few gardening tools, filling an entire box.
Lu Chen was delighted.
Coming to Celadon Gym had indeed been the right choice.
Once he grew the Starf Berries, wouldn't it be great to sell them back to Celadon Gym?
Besides, Celadon City was very close to his home. Perhaps he could turn her into a steady sales channel in the future.
Lu Chen planned with a smile. "Looks like I'll have to interact with Gym Leader Erika more often from now on."
"And once I've made some money, I can have her customize high-grade Pokéblocks for Aerodactyl and the others."
Carrying the box on his shoulder, Lu Chen walked out of Celadon Gym in quite a good mood.