Since Brian wasn't selling anything that day, Bella politely took her leave. Before going, she asked if Brian could prioritize her if he ever had green-grade eggs again. Of course, Brian agreed without hesitation.
After that, Brian gently asked the lingering crowd to clear out, especially those who were just loitering without buying anything. He then made an announcement: from now on, he would sell 4 to 6 Pokémon each month—2 would be available directly in the shop, while 4 could be ordered online.
"Phew, finally it's a little quieter," Ann sighed with relief. "No more people pushing and jostling for space."
"Haha, it's only natural," Fiona replied, smiling. "Our shop's famous now, especially since we're selling yellow-grade Pokémon."
"That's true, ma'am. I saw a bunch of people online saying that most of their Pokémon are red or orange. Yellow ones are already rare, let alone green. And blue? They've probably never even seen one in real life—but we've got three!" Ann said proudly.
"Well," Fiona chuckled, "your brother Brian really is blessed with some incredible luck."
Another month had passed, and today was the day Brian's shop would release four Pokémon and two Pokémon eggs for sale—all of them yellow-grade.
On Brian's website, dozens of people were already camped in front of their screens, ready to compete for the rare yellow-grade Pokémon.
"Relax, Branz. My home internet's fast—we'll definitely get one," said Lube confidently.
"Easy for you to say. You're already halfway to becoming a Senior Trainer, while I'm still stuck here scrambling just to get there," Branz muttered.
"Alright, alright. Let's see what's on the list today."
Branz opened the page and scrolled down, eyes scanning the available options.
"Hmm, two Geodude, two Oddish, and—hey—two Magikarp eggs. Whoa, a Rock-type! That fits perfectly with my team," Branz said, his face lighting up.
But Lube wasn't looking at the Geodudes or the Oddish. His eyes were locked on the two Magikarp eggs at the bottom of the list. Yellow-grade Magikarp.
"Hey, Branz. Look at the last two. Those Magikarp eggs—they're yellow-grade. You know what that means, right?" Lube said, his voice almost shaking.
"Huh? Wait—hold on…" Branz's face shifted from confusion to disbelief as he stared at the screen. "You're kidding me. That's… that's huge. If this is true, these Magikarp are basically guaranteed to evolve into Gyarados."(Magikarp will evolve at level 20 in the game, but here I raised it straight to level 35, and its peak yellow quality is level 45)
He paused, then added, "There are tons of wild Magikarp out there, but only one in a hundred thousand can evolve. This is insane. Should I just skip this whole online rush and head straight to Brian's shop instead?"
After thinking for a few seconds, Branz made up his mind. He would do both—rush to Brian's shop and try his luck online at the same time.
Meanwhile, the comments section on Brian's website was buzzing with activity:
Nakam:[That's right. Ever since last month's sale, I knew the shop owner wasn't bluffing. When I checked and saw that Magikarp egg—boom, a total treasure. Too bad I live too far from MoonBlue.]
HomeAlone:[Same here, bro. I saw the Magikarp egg too. Yellow-grade. Guaranteed to evolve into Gyarados. Couldn't buy it, and honestly, I felt like crying.]
Cooll:[Well, you're still better off. I live near the shop, but I'm broke. I've been saving up since last month, then suddenly I needed the money for something else. Now I can only stare at the listing and suffer in silence. Damn it.]
LovelyDog:[Hahaha, I'm already on my way to the store! Can't stop thinking about owning a Gyarados soon, hahaha.]
Nakam:[Damn... I'm calling the shop. They have to sell it online too.]
HomeAlone:[Agreed, bro. Sign me up.]
The debate continued, arguments flaring up as more people weighed in. Some were still torn—should they take the risk and fight for it online, or dash to the store like Branz and Lube had?
But for Branz and Lube, there was no more hesitation. They were already on their way.
"Hah… ah, finally. We made it," Lube said, still catching his breath. "And looks like we're in luck—the shop's not packed yet."
"Yeah, let's go in quickly. I have to get that Pokémon. If not, I'll lose big time—not just the Pokémon, but the egg too," Branz said urgently. He'd been trying to grab one online during the ride, but the spotty signal kept kicking him out of the queue.
"Hello, guests. Can I help you with something?" Ann greeted them as they walked in.
"Hi, miss. Are there still any Magikarp eggs left?" Branz asked, barely hiding his nervousness.
"Yes, sir—there's one left," Ann replied politely.
"Haha! Thank goodness. I'll take it!" Branz exclaimed, practically glowing.
"All right, please wait a moment. I'll go get it," Ann said with a small smile.
...
On the way out, Branz was still grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey, Branz, I know you're happy, but could you tone down that smug face a little?" Lube said, half-teasing, half-annoyed.
"Hehe, come on, Lube. When this Magikarp evolves into Gyarados, I'll protect you," Branz said proudly.
Lube rolled his eyes, visibly irritated now. Branz had been bragging non-stop ever since they left the shop.
"Pfft. My Beedrill is yellow-grade too, you know. I can protect myself."
"No, no, Lube, you don't understand. This is Gyarados we're talking about. G-y-a-r-a-d-o-s. Haha!"
.....
After Branz and Lube left, more people came in asking about the Magikarp eggs.
But they were all disappointed—arriving too late, the eggs had already been snapped up. Most went home empty-handed, though a few suggested to Ann and Fiona that future eggs should be sold online as well.
That evening, Brian's family gathered for dinner.
"Big bro, can we stock more Gyarados eggs next time?" Ann asked suddenly.
"What's going on, Ann?" Leon replied. These days, he spent a lot of time inside the small world with Brian and Jeremy. Ever since their crops—especially vegetables and wheat—started growing faster and tasting better there, Leon had been hooked.
"We sold Magikarp eggs today, and a lot of customers were looking for them, but we only had two," Ann explained.
"Oh... they were fighting over Magikarp eggs? Huh..." Leon trailed off, catching Fiona's sharp glance from across the table.
Fiona gave Leon a look — the kind that said, "Really? Just because we have a small world now, you're acting like Magikarp eggs are nothing special?"
Leon cleared his throat. "No, no—I'm not looking down on it!"
Brian chuckled. "We really can't sell more right now, Ann. Think of it as a little hunger marketing. Let the rest of the eggs hatch naturally. Once we have more Magikarp and Gyarados living in the small world, we can talk about selling them again. As you know, there still aren't that many Pokémon living there."
"Okay, got it," Ann said with a nod.