Lucas almost wondered if he'd accidentally put something illicit into the apples to get such a dramatic reaction from Siebold.
Fortunately, Siebold soon collected himself, forcibly snapping out of his reverie. He apologized, "I'm terribly sorry—I seem to have lost myself."
"It's fine," Lucas waved it off, then asked, "So? Are you satisfied with the taste?"
Though he worded the question neutrally, Lucas could already guess from Siebold's reaction.
This deal was as good as sealed.
Siebold's reply didn't disappoint.
Clasping Lucas's hand, eyes sparkling, he said, "This is the most delicious apple I've ever tasted!"
"The moment the juice burst in my mouth, it filled me with endless inspiration—countless new dishes flashed through my mind."
"My friend, I can confidently say that not even the world-famous Kitakami Special Apple can compare in flavor to this gem!"
Siebold's tone was almost theatrical. Even thick-skinned Lucas felt embarrassed.
But as Siebold compared them to Kitakami's finest, deep inside, Lucas was secretly pleased.
He watched as the excited Siebold removed his gloves and, braving the cold, cradled the half-eaten apple like a precious treasure.
For a while, even Lucas was at a loss for words.
It took about ten minutes before Siebold calmed down.
"Ahem—" Siebold coughed awkwardly, still hugging the apple. Tentatively, he asked, "Would it be possible to purchase these apples privately?"
"If you agree, I'd like to make a signature dish for my restaurant, with these apples as the star ingredient."
Honestly, Lucas had hoped things would go smoothly, but he hadn't expected such an enthusiastic response.
But the main credit lay with Eldegoss, Appletun, Applin, and many other Pokémon for raising such outstanding fruit.
So, naturally, he agreed.
His goal was to make his apples and other crops famous worldwide, and such a high-profile order from Siebold's restaurant was perfect.
Every menu in Siebold's restaurant listed all ingredient origins!
As long as Siebold didn't somehow make the food taste terrible—though, knowing him, that was impossible—this was all upside for Lucas.
Siebold's creative dish made with Clobbopus ink still lingered in Lucas's memory; the word-of-mouth was enough to justify supplying him for free!
The cost of transplanting saplings could be covered in a day by his Miltank milk business alone.
Upon hearing Lucas's reply, Siebold's eyes lit up. "Let's go sign the contract right now!"
He still wanted to buy many other ingredients. Even if there was no competition, what if Lucas changed his mind?
He couldn't risk it.
But Lucas's next words hit him like a thunderbolt.
"Can we wait a bit before signing the contract?"
Siebold's excitement instantly plummeted.
With a strained smile, he asked in a pitiful tone, "Is there some concern? I can handle all the cross-region refrigerated shipping myself."
Lucas gave him a strange look—he hadn't worried about that at all.
But that was a good point; if Siebold could arrange logistics, all the better.
Pointing toward the iced-over creek separated by a fence, Lucas explained, "A Pokémon from the farm ran off to that area. I want to call it back first, then we can go sign the contract."
Relieved, Siebold followed Lucas out, regaining his usual poise. "Which Pokémon are you looking for? If you need help, my Barbaracle has eight eyes and can search faster."
"No need..." Lucas smiled awkwardly, recalling Barbaracle's rather... unique appearance. He wasn't eager to see it unless necessary.
Luckily, Gyarados wasn't far. Soon after crossing the orchard, Lucas spotted the giant blue creature lying on the ice, watching intently below.
Pointing to the huge form, Lucas said to Siebold, "There, see?"
Siebold was surprised. Gyarados?
Does a farm really need to keep a Gyarados?
As a Water-type Champion himself with a Gyarados, Siebold was puzzled. Still, this fish was well cared-for, though not quite as impressive as Swampert or shiny Milotic.
As if sensing his thoughts, Lucas explained, "It was wild before—best friends with Milotic back when she was a Feebas. I caught it and brought it to the farm."
Siebold understood.
Lucas approached, stepping onto the ice, startling the obliviously focused Gyarados.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Gyarados nearly jumped, reflexively wanting to unleash Hyper Beam like in the wild. But on seeing Lucas, it just let out a slightly aggrieved roar.
"Roooar—"
Why'd you scare me like that—?
"My bad," Lucas offered an insincere apology, then got to the point. "So, what are you doing here? Milotic says you're always around."
At the mention of Milotic, Gyarados perked up, shyly wagging its tail before gesturing at the ice below.
"Rooar~"
I'm treasure-hunting!
A few days ago, while Lucas was trekking Paldea's Great Crater with Papaya, Gyarados came to the new orchard to scrounge for fruit from Appletun and Shuckle.
After feasting, and receiving a bit of honey from Vespiquen, he found it too sweet and went to the creek for a drink.
Peering down, Gyarados glimpsed a golden, mysterious object flashing by in the clear water!
Back at Thunder Lake, Gyarados mulled it over, asked around among the farm's Pokémon, and finally confirmed it:
It was definitely gold!
Gyarados, who'd slowly accepted his feelings for Milotic, couldn't calm down.
He loved her golden tail patterns—and if he could present her with a matching treasure, wouldn't she be delighted?
So he waited by the creek whenever possible, hoping to spot the golden treasure again—even in the frozen creek, he was determined.
That was why he'd been camping out here.
But to Lucas, with his limited understanding of Gyarados' language, he just figured the Pokémon was looking for something.
He'd have to ask Moltres, Oranguru, or Calyrex to translate later.
For now, Lucas took out his inspection tools and checked on Gyarados, ensuring he hadn't gotten sick in the cold, then gently reminded him, "Come back sooner, don't catch a cold."
With that, Lucas led Siebold back to the farmhouse.
Siebold already had a ready-made contract, only needing a few minor tweaks.
To Lucas's surprise, Siebold's offer prices for the farm produce were extremely generous.
Profits from his apples—ordinarily sold cheaply in the market—might even rival his top money-maker, Miltank milk!
The other crops also got excellent prices.
Siebold's philosophy: good ingredients deserve good prices.
He'd arrange all the logistics, including cold-chain transport and air-freight. All Lucas had to do was prepare the requested produce at the scheduled times, for pick-up by Siebold's people.
Of course, with such favorable terms, Siebold had standards: all fruit and vegetables must be picked fresh—arguably tricky for most farms, given the snowy weather and off-season growth.
But for Lucas's farm, this was no problem.
Because Siebold's restaurant served a set number of guests daily, the ingredient quantities weren't overwhelming. He just had to focus on small plots, not the entire farmland.
And if necessary, Lucas could always set up a greenhouse—cold was no real obstacle.
After joyfully finalizing the deal and setting the first delivery date, Lucas and the Pokémon enjoyed a private banquet, cooked by a world-class chef.
Then, as dusk fell, Lucas escorted Siebold to the airport to catch his flight back to Kalos.
Having had a busy day, Lucas completely forgot to get someone to translate Gyarados' story.
Meanwhile, Gyarados kept vigilant in the frozen creek, determined as ever.
…
November 9th.
Lucas received a call from Kanto.
It was Ash.
Clearly, he'd deliberated for a long while before calling—Ash seemed bashful and roundabout at first.
Gradually, Lucas eased him into conversation. Emboldened, Ash finally burst out that he'd won the Silver Conference.
Lucas congratulated him in a deadpan, until Ash got flustered and, forgetting to keep it secret, blurted the embarrassing next bit:
After his win, believing he was close to being a Pokémon Master, Ash used his victory qualification to challenge the Elite Four's Bruno, his most familiar foe.
And got utterly destroyed six to zero.
It was this crushing defeat that shocked his pride—reminding him, "There's always a bigger fish."
Lucas couldn't help but wonder: how could Ash still be so dense after all he'd been through in Paldea? It was just one conference victory! How could he get so cocky?
Suppressing the urge to fly over on Dragonite to give Ash a bald head (again), Lucas listened as Ash mentioned he'd be traveling to a new region soon.
This time: Hoenn.
Lucas raised his eyebrows and chatted a bit more before hanging up.
Nearby, Calyrex was learning to knit a scarf from Oranguru, fumbling with both hands, but paused to ask:
"Should we give him the armor before his journey?"
Lucas pondered.
Counting the days, Ash had been out of Paldea for nearly a month—by now, Charcadet should be ready to evolve.
Plus, Lucas had business with Nemona and needed to prepare for his Ursaluna.
With Professor Oak in Pallet Town—a leading authority on Pokémon—announcing Ursaluna to the world would go smoother with his help.
Decisive as ever, Lucas nodded to Calyrex. "I'll go wake Ursaluna—can you and Oranguru handle the armor prep?"
Calyrex nodded, and Oranguru waved his fan, assuring him to go ahead.
Lucas bundled himself in a down jacket and boots and stepped out.
By now, Ursaluna had been hibernating for days, ever since the first heavy snowfall.
Luckily, Lucas could still wake him as needed.
…
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