Pierre was humming as he stocked shelves—when the door swung open, right on schedule.
"Morning! What'll it be?" Pierre greeted with a practiced merchant's smile.
"Hops seeds," Ron said bluntly.
"We've got 'em!" Pierre pulled out a seed crate. "How many?"
"A thousand."
Pierre's fake smile instantly warmed. He rubbed his hands together. "That'll be 60,000G."
Ron frowned.
Before Kalos, this price would've felt normal. But yesterday, he'd bought 1,600 seeds for just 16,000G.
"Can't you go lower?"
Pierre's smile tightened. "Nope. I'm the only seed seller in Pelican Town! And these are premium quality—I guarantee value!"
"I was in Kalos yesterday," Ron cut in. "Their seed market sells each seed for 10G."
"What?!" Pierre nearly choked. "Impossible! That's selling at a loss! No way!"
His eye twitched. Sure, Abigail mentioned Ron's farm grew unique Kalos veggies—Gus even cooked them—but Pierre never saw it as a threat.
If Kalos seeds were so accessible, why did Gabriel buy from me?
But then—a flash of cunning. His slumped shoulders straightened.
"I bet they don't have Hops seeds. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."
"I just ran out of Kalos money," Ron countered. "Currencies don't transfer. So I only bought tomatoes, peppers, corn—Pam's planting them now."
He leaned in. "You must've stocked those too, right?"
Pierre's palms went clammy. He glared at Ron. "I won't sell at a loss."
"40G per plant—with trellises," Ron said flatly. "Or I'll wait. Kalos food companies are already lining up to buy my crops. I'll just shop there next time."
It was a bluff.
Ron wasn't sure if Kalos had Hops—his knowledge came from kid-friendly games/anime where alcohol rarely appeared.
But even if they did, sourcing seeds might take effort, and growth cycles could differ from Stardew's.
Buying from Pierre was safer… but Ron wouldn't admit that.
Pierre's confidence crumbled. After the Poké Ball fiasco, Kalos prices haunted him.
He exhaled sharply. "50G—with trellises. Take it or leave it."
"Deal." Ron paid instantly.
The savings covered Pam and Shane's wages.
With all Fletchling shipped to Kalos, the farm lost its foraging income. Until Hops matured into Beer, big earnings were unlikely.
Yet 2,600+ new crops demanded their labor.
Pierre narrowed his eyes at Ron's quick agreement—then flinched as payment hit his account.
"Fine. Just this once—" He shoved over a crate. Inside: seeds and pre-built trellises.
Ron hauled it back to the farm.
Watching him leave, Pierre sighed. Business kept getting harder:
– Farm-grown veggies threatening his saloon sales
– Pokémon Center's cheap Poké Balls
– Now Kalos seeds…
Will the general store go bankrupt? The thought made his teeth ache.
"What's wrong, dear?" Caroline set down breakfast. "Aren't you usually happy at season's start?"
Pierre groaned. "Times are changing, Caroline. I can't keep up."
Caroline smiled. "It'll get better, love."
Pierre ate grimly.
---
Back at the farm…
Ron arrived to find Pam digging holes, Indeedee dropping seeds into them.
Early summer sun beat down—but not unbearably.
Pam wiped sweat, repeating like a mantra: This is the path to a better future.
Ron had pre-marked plots, so she just dug row after row without thinking.
Ron unpacked Hops and trellises.
Assembling trellises was heavy work—but Geodude's weight would compact Orthworm's freshly tilled soil. So Ron handled it alone.
As he worked, Shane approached silently, took a trellis, studied Ron's setup, and began installing more around the sprinklers.
Ron glanced at him—Shane's efficiency eerily mirrored Indeedee's.
He remembered Shane as aloof and work-averse. Yet here, he labored meticulously (if silently).
Maybe farm work differs from Joja's grind?
Nearby, Shane hammered a trellis post, wiping sweat as he planned Jas's birthday gift.
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