Chaper 90:
"This kind of tree blooms little flowers whose centers are naturally sweet, and—except for winter—it flowers through most of the year. It's perfect for Combee honey.
"Other flowers are fine too; Combee don't care so much, though the flavor of the honey will change. You can pick species that bloom in staggered seasons so the Combee can make more varied honey."
"Because, to be honest, Combee are very diligent Pokémon — they'll gather nectar for you every day as long as you treat them well."
The woman guided him inside the shop and lifted a little potted sapling: a small tree with orange-yellow leaves.
"Here—this is the Honey-Sweet Tree. It's a fun plant. In a pot it won't grow large, but planted in the ground with enough nutrients it can grow into a several-meter tree in three to six months and start blooming."
Kaede was surprised. "You know a lot."
It was just a flower shop, yet the owner explained Combee behavior so clearly — and she even had Honey-Sweet saplings in stock.
Pride lit the woman's face when he praised her. "Heh—well, I studied plant–Pokémon compatibility at university. Listen—"
Kaede cut in: "How much?"
"Three thousand."
"Sold. Two, please."
He wanted to get home quickly anyway: Rotom needed to be set to watch the shop's surveillance to see if yesterday's oddity repeated. After buying a handful of flower seeds, he hurried home and put Rotom back to work.
He also had good news from Mayor Hanyu — almost all the townspeople agreed to line the Bluestone Trail with flowers. Perfect.
Kaede borrowed a Sandshrew from Takagi-ojii-san and called Servine over to clear weeds along the Trail. Together they turned over the soil, sowed the seeds, and scattered a little fertilizer.
An afternoon's labor later the rows were planted.
Kaede scratched the Sandshrew behind the ear. "Thanks — come by for dinner tonight. I'll make you Tamato Berry noodles."
"Sandshrew~" the little Sandshrew replied, swallowing nervously at the thought of Kaede's dish, then nodded politely. It had been with Takagi-ojii-san a while and had learned the old man's manners.
"Go on home and tell Takagi-ojii-san I said thanks," Kaede told it. The Sandshrew bowed and scampered off, then rolled down the path for speed — which made Kaede laugh.
"Servine?" (What are we planting?)
Servine, who'd worked all afternoon, asked.
"Flowers. In about ten days most of them should be out — then this whole trail will be lined with blossoms." Kaede had bought almost every summer flower he could think of: roses, chrysanthemums, lilies… He'd planned placements for each. He reserved the little meadow behind the barn for the two Honey-Sweet Trees.
"Servine?" (Pretty?)
Kaede thought a moment. "Uh… some Pokémon will love them. Others might not notice — some might even mistake them for food if you put these flowers in front of a Tauros. But Flabébé and friends will treasure every blossom."
Servine nodded thoughtfully.
"Let's go home — an evening meal is in order after a hard day."
At sunset Kaede tried to pat Servine's head and was deftly dodged again. On his second attempt Servine simply gave him a helpless look… then, quietly, edged closer.
Above them the air twitched as if something swam through it; the surface seemed to ripple.
"Heh…" came a faint laughter on the wind.
The ripple crossed the sky and settled in the tall pine outside the Plantation.
The next second, Pidgeotto perched in the tree had become eleven Pidgeotto — though the others didn't notice the change.
…
"Three thousand gone again today?" Kaede was stunned when he got home and checked Rotom. "Is the security system broken?"
Rotom shook its little electronic face, offended. "Rotom… there's nothing wrong. I didn't see anyone leave without paying. But three thousand is missing…"
Gardevoir, back from training the Pidgeotto and Pidgey, frowned slightly; she hadn't noticed anything unusual either.
"It's okay — don't blame yourself," Kaede said, trying to soothe Rotom. Then he wondered aloud, "…did it happen this morning?"
He'd been buying seeds this morning; both he and Rotom had been out of the shop then.
"Ah well — it's only three thousand. I'll keep watch at the Breeding House tomorrow and see." He decided if it happened again and Rotom couldn't find the cause, he'd ask Gardevoir or borrow Yanagi-ojii-san's Lucario.
— August 14 —
Kaede woke early and found a Water Stone on the register counter.
"Huh?"
He levitated a water stone up to the counter, climbed up and picked up the stone.
[B-Rank Water Stone — a stone charged with pure Water energy. Certain Pokémon that touch it can absorb that essence and undergo evolution.]
Seeing the item that appeared in his yard every day sparked a new idea.
If some Pokémon had been swapping a held item for 3,000 pokedollar worth of energy blocks each night, Kaede could accept that trade. He didn't necessarily need to expose whoever—or whatever—was sneaking in.
After all, an Everstone or a B-rank Water Stone would cost six figures on the open market.
But curiosity scratched at him like a cat. What Pokémon could be sneaking in invisibly? Something with stealth like Victini? Or Latias?
He let his imagination run wild.