Crown Coronet Breeding House, Jubilife City.
The entire storefront had been decorated as though a festival were underway. Bright banners hung overhead, colorful ribbons lined the walls, and a massive sign at the entrance boldly advertised:
30% OFF STOREWIDE!
Crown Coronet was one of the most recognizable breeding chains in Sinnoh. Its branches could be found in nearly every major city and town throughout the region.
However, although the brand was widespread, only 10 locations were directly owned by the company. The vast majority operated under franchise agreements.
The Jubilife City branch happened to be one of those franchises.
As the store manager, Barry did not need approval from regional headquarters to launch major promotional campaigns. As long as the numbers looked good, headquarters rarely interfered.
Early Saturday morning, Barry arrived in a custom-tailored suit, standing proudly at the entrance with a welcoming smile.
The employees were equally prepared.
Dressed in brand-new uniforms, they stood in a neat V-shaped formation near the entrance, looking as though they were waiting for a tidal wave of customers.
To further boost morale, Barry had even increased employee commissions.
Whether customers purchased membership cards, bought Pokémon Eggs, or signed up for additional services, employees would receive a percentage of the profits.
For someone as notoriously stingy as Barry, this was practically unheard of. The higher commissions instantly energized the entire staff. The strategy seemed successful at first.
During the first few days, discounts and promotional offers attracted a steady stream of customers.
Barry had expected to lose money initially. That loss, however, was part of a larger plan.
In his eyes, if he could force competing breeding houses and breeding centers out of the market, temporary losses would be insignificant.
Once the competition disappeared, the entire Jubilife City market would effectively belong to him.
That confidence stemmed from their parent company, the Evergrow Company, and its enormous infrastructure.
Automated warehouses, blockchain inventory management, and a unified procurement and distribution system allowed the company to operate at costs most competitors could never match.
Just as the true strength of major beverage giants lies not in their formulas but in their supply chains, Coronet's advantage came from logistics.
They could lower costs, slash prices, and remain profitable.
Smaller businesses simply couldn't compete.
Yet something unexpected happened.
Today, business was strangely quiet.
Minutes turned into hours.
Not a single customer entered the store.
Barry's smile gradually stiffened.
Finally, he waved at two nearby employees.
"You two, grab the promotional standees and head outside. Start advertising."
The employees looked equally defeated, but they obediently picked up the signs and headed toward the streets.
Around ten o'clock, the first customers finally appeared.
A father and his young son.
By then, Barry had already abandoned the comfort of the temperature-regulated store and personally stationed himself outside to attract customers.
The moment he saw them approaching, he immediately put on his brightest smile.
"Welcome! We're currently running a major promotion. Everything in the store is thirty percent off, and additional discounts are available for larger purchases!"
The campaign still had some effect.
Gradually, more customers began entering with their Pokémon.
Then, only a short while later, an employee came running over.
"Mr. Barry!"
The employee was breathing heavily.
"You need to come quickly. Things are getting chaotic. I think we've got a serious problem."
Balu frowned and hurried inside.
Several customers had gathered near the service counter.
A father and son.
A woman accompanied by a Purugly.
A young couple.
The crying child immediately caught his attention.
Deciding to deal with that situation first, Barry approached with a friendly smile.
"What seems to be the problem?"
The boy pointed directly at him.
"Do you have a Gible?"
"..."
Barry froze.
That question hit him like a Thunderbolt.
How could a pseudo-legendary baby Pokémon possibly be sitting in stock waiting to be sold?
Even most company-owned branches didn't carry Gible.
Suppressing his frustration, Balu forced another smile onto his face.
"I'm sorry, young Trainer. We don't currently have any Gible available. However, we do have Eevee, Vulpix, Growlithe, and many other excellent Pokémon."
"I only want a Gible!"
The child immediately interrupted him.
The shout echoed throughout the lobby.
Barry clenched his teeth.
Fortunately, the boy was just a child.
Otherwise, he might not have remained so patient.
Still smiling, he crouched slightly.
"Can you tell Uncle why you want a Gible so much?"
"I won't!"
The boy crossed his arms stubbornly.
"No Gible means no deal. Dad, let's go."
The middle-aged father sighed helplessly and began leading his son away.
Truthfully, he had never expected to buy a Gible.
He knew perfectly well how rare they were.
But the boy had been crying and throwing tantrums for days, so bringing him here was the only way to convince him to give up.
As they watched the pair leave, confusion filled Barry's mind.
Why Gible?
Why was a child suddenly obsessed with Gible?
The answer quickly surfaced.
Cynthia.
Whenever Gible was mentioned, people naturally thought of Cynthia's legendary ace, Garchomp.
Before Barry could dwell on it further, another loud voice erupted nearby.
"Just give me a straight answer! Can it be cheaper or not?"
The voice belonged to the woman standing beside a Purugly.
"Of course, ma'am. How can I help you today?"
Barry hurried over.
The middle-aged woman had a remarkably similar physique to her Purugly.
Standing side by side, Trainer and Pokémon looked almost like reflections of one another.
Plump.
The middle-aged woman looked Barry up and down before giving him a dismissive glance.
"Who are you supposed to be?"
For a brief moment, Barry felt as though he was staring at another Purugly.
The expression, the eyes, even the attitude.
Trainer and Pokémon were practically identical.
Keeping his smile in place, Barry quickly produced a business card.
"Hello, ma'am. I'm Barry Smith, manager of the Jubilife City branch of Crown Coronet Breeding House. If there's anything I can help you with..."
Before he could finish, the woman casually slapped his hand aside.
"No need. I don't care who you are."
She pointed directly at a nearby display.
"I only want to know one thing. Can that Glameow be cheaper?"
The dispute had started over a Glameow she wanted to purchase.
Unfortunately, the price was where negotiations had broken down.
Barry maintained his professional smile.
"Ma'am, the normal price of that Glameow is ₽300,000. With our current thirty percent discount, it's already reduced to..."
The woman suddenly waved her massive hand.
"Stop."
She cut him off.
"I'm asking if you'll sell it for ₽100,000."
"..."
Barry nearly choked.
One hundred thousand?
Who bargains like that?
Suppressing the urge to shout, he forced himself to remain calm.
"Ma'am, ₽100,000 is impossible. However, since you seem genuinely interested, I can personally approve a price of ₽200,000."
The woman immediately waved her hand again.
"Don't smile. It's unpleasant to look at."
"One question. One answer."
"One hundred thousand Pokédollars."
"Are you selling it or not?"
"Ma'am..."
"Not selling?"
"Goodbye."
Without another word, she turned and left.
Despite her plump appearance, she moved surprisingly fast.
Barry hurried after her.
"Ma'am, please wait! We have many Pokémon within your budget. You can easily purchase one for ₽100,000!"
The woman didn't even turn around.
"Can a Pokémon originally worth ₽300,000 be compared to one worth ₽100,000?"
"My Purugly can do math better than you."
"Uglyy~"
Purugly lifted its head proudly and shot Barry a look full of feline contempt.
The woman and Pokémon disappeared through the entrance together.
Barry stood frozen.
His expression became increasingly vacant.
At that moment, he seriously began questioning whether the entire world had gone insane.
Unfortunately, things were only getting started. Before he could recover from the previous disasters, the young couple he had noticed earlier also began heading toward the exit.
Barry hurried over.
"Esteemed guests, why are you leaving already?"
The woman answered first.
"This place feels unprofessional."
The man nodded.
"Let's just go to Black Crest."
"Even though it's more expensive, at least the Champion goes there."
The woman's eyes immediately lit up.
"That's right!"
"Maybe we'll even run into Cynthia if we're lucky."
The couple excitedly walked away while discussing their plans.
Barry watched their retreating figures.
The veins on his forehead visibly twitched.
After taking several deep breaths, he turned toward his employees.
"What exactly happened?"
An employee answered nervously.
"They wanted to visit the breeding grounds."
"And?"
"We told them that's impossible."
"Did you show them photos?"
"We did!"
The employee looked wronged.
"We showed them all the promotional photos, but they insisted on seeing the actual breeding facilities."
Barry rubbed his forehead.
Crown Coronet was fundamentally a retail outlet.
The real breeding facilities were located outside the city, where land was cheaper, and Pokémon had more space.
Pokémon could simply be transported using Poké Balls whenever necessary. There was no practical reason for customers to visit the actual breeding grounds.
Yet apparently that answer was no longer acceptable.
"Forget it."
Barry waved dismissively whilst massaging his tired brows.
"I don't care anymore. Just keep serving customers."
No matter how popular Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House became, it still didn't sell Pokémon Eggs or Pokémon directly.
That remained the Crown Coronet's greatest advantage.
What others didn't have, they did.
That was their core competitiveness.
At least, that was what Barry kept telling himself.
Then a young girl approached the counter.
For the first time all day, Barry felt a flicker of hope.
Perhaps this customer would finally make a purchase.
He immediately greeted her with enthusiasm.
"Hello! Is there anything I can help you with today?"
The girl looked around the store with her wide, cheerful eyes.
Then she asked a single question, so sincere but sounded like a joke.
"Ano, Mister. Have you ever hosted a Champion's Pokémon here?"
"..."
Barry froze.
The girl nodded as if she had already received her answer.
"No?"
"Then never mind."
She turned around and walked straight out the door.
Barry stood rooted to the spot.
His smile completely disappeared.
At that moment, he wanted to grab someone and ask a question.
What Champion?!
What is wrong with all of you?!
After the girl left, Barry finally snapped.
He slammed both hands onto the counter.
"Find out what's happening!"
"Investigate immediately!"
"I want to know why everyone in Jubilife City suddenly cares about Champions, Gible, breeding grounds, and Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House!"
"What exactly happened while I wasn't paying attention?!"
. . .
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