After wandering around the regular Pokémon section for a few more laps, Auron suddenly smacked his forehead. He addressed the other two with an exasperated laugh.
"We've been looking in the wrong place."
Jace was confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"Why would we look for Bulbasaur here?"
"Oh, I get it now."
The moment Auron said this, Fugui caught on. He immediately hugged his Pokémon Egg and jogged over to the tall saleswoman.
"Hello, is there something I can help you with?"
"Um, hi. Could you take us to the official Grass-type starters section?"
"Certainly. Please follow me."
"Great. These two are with me."
"Of course."
After Fugui finished speaking with the saleswoman, he led her back toward the other two.
By this point, Jace had also realized the issue. Indeed, finding a Bulbasaur here would be nearly impossible.
After all, Bulbasaur was one of the official starter Pokémon, and they were all bred through official channels.
So even though starters had low fertility rates, making their eggs quite rare and expensive, large Pokémon shops like this one still had some starter eggs for sale.
Moreover, shops of this caliber were backed by Day Cares that held official authorization to breed starters. Going directly to the staff was far more efficient than wandering around aimlessly.
The three of them followed the saleswoman and quickly arrived at the Grass-type starter egg section. She addressed them warmly.
"Which Pokémon are you looking for? Each type of Grass starter has its own counter. I can take you directly to the specific one you need."
"Bulbasaur, please. Thank you."
"Not at all—it's my job. This way, please."
The saleswoman smiled gently, then led them to the counter on the far right.
"This is the Bulbasaur counter. Feel free to browse at your leisure."
"Great, thanks."
"You're welcome."
After speaking, the saleswoman stepped aside, staying out of the way while Auron and the others examined the eggs.
While Auron was looking at the eggs, Jace leaned close to his ear and whispered.
"Hey, being polite really does make a difference. Look how much warmer she is compared to when we first came in."
Auron raised an eyebrow at Jace.
"Obviously. A sweet tongue gets you far anywhere. Learn from it."
"Hehe."
"What the—starters are this expensive?!"
While the two of them were snickering together, Fugui took one look at the starter prices and exclaimed in shock.
Then, refusing to believe it, he ran over to the other counters and checked each one before running back.
Auron and Jace really wanted to pretend they didn't know him, but unfortunately, he had no self-awareness whatsoever. He ran right up to them and asked:
"Are all starters this pricey? They're almost as expensive as Dragon-types! And not much cheaper than Ghost or Psychic-types either!"
Auron and Jace covered their faces and sidled slightly closer to Fugui. Auron spoke to him in a low voice.
"Next time you make a scene like this—running around in public like a snot-nosed kid—don't stand next to me. We'll just pretend we don't know each other."
"Same goes for me."
"Uh..."
Fugui scratched his head, only now realizing his behavior had been somewhat embarrassing. But as someone with social butterfly syndrome, he didn't actually feel ashamed. He simply took his master's words to heart.
"Starters are officially bred Pokémon, perfect choices for beginners. Of course they're expensive."
"What's more, this is the flagship store of the nation's largest Pokémon Egg retailer. Prices are naturally a bit higher than regular shops. But the upside is that none of their starters have potential below Purple. Being expensive has its benefits."
"But still, this is way too pricey."
Even though Auron had explained things clearly, Fugui still couldn't help but mutter in disbelief.
It was understandable. After all, the starter prices here were nearly on par with Dragon-type eggs.
Generally speaking, Dragon-type eggs were the most expensive, followed by Psychic, Fairy, and Ghost types, then everything else. Bug-types were the cheapest.
So even with the explanation, Fugui still couldn't quite understand why starters could be so expensive.
Ignoring Fugui's muttering, Auron examined the three eggs in the display case, reading their information.
Pokémon: Bulbasaur
Gender: Female
Type: Grass / Poison
Ability: Chlorophyll (In harsh sunlight, Speed is doubled.)
Potential: Purple
Base Moves: Tackle, Growl
Egg Moves: Skull Bash, Nature Power, Power Whip
Pokémon: Bulbasaur
Gender: Female
Type: Grass / Poison
Ability: Overgrow (When HP drops below a certain level, Grass-type move power is increased by 1.5 times.)
Potential: Red
Base Moves: Tackle, Growl
Egg Moves: Skull Bash, Seed Bomb, Giga Drain, Grass Pledge
Pokémon: Bulbasaur
Gender: Male
Type: Grass / Poison
Ability: Chlorophyll (In harsh sunlight, Speed is doubled.)
Potential: Red
Base Moves: Tackle, Growl
Egg Moves: Ingrain, Petal Dance, Grassy Terrain, Sludge Bomb
After viewing the information on all three Bulbasaur eggs, Auron's eyes lit up. This was a no-brainer—obviously he'd pick the male one.
First, the Ability was a given. For a Sun team, you absolutely needed Chlorophyll.
Between the two Bulbasaur with Chlorophyll, you'd obviously choose the one with Grassy Terrain as an egg move. That was a god-tier Grass move!
(Grassy Terrain: For five turns, the field becomes Grassy Terrain. Pokémon on the ground receive healing effects, and Grass-type move power is increased.)
Furthermore, field effects and weather could coexist! This meant that once Venusaur evolved, it could benefit from Sunny Day's boost while also setting up Grassy Terrain itself—double the advantages.
"This one. Let's go pay."
Auron pointed to the egg on the right and addressed Jace.
"This one?"
Jace hurried forward, pointing at the egg on the right with a look of pleasant surprise.
"Of course. Pick it up."
"Alright!"
Jace happily scooped up the egg Auron had indicated, then followed behind him with his head held high, marching toward the checkout counter.
Each of them carrying an egg, the three completed their purchase. After placing the eggs into incubation tanks provided by the saleswoman, they cheerfully headed toward a restaurant.
"Master, my treat. Let's get something good."
"Sure. After we eat and rest a bit, we'll head to the Pokémon Battle Center together."
"Sounds good!"
Hehe, watch me show off this afternoon and catch him completely off guard.
Both of them thought this simultaneously, then turned to look at each other.
"!!!"
Their eyes met. Both startled, then quickly recovered and smiled, nodding at one another.