Chapter 155: Market Forces:
The young woman Xiu had temporarily hired beamed as Fushun counted out her wages – a respectable sum for just a few hours of work. "Wow, thanks!" she exclaimed, clearly pleased. She'd stumbled into this unexpected gig while simply wandering the festival, bored.
"Coming back tomorrow?" she asked hopefully, tucking the Poké Dollars securely into her pocket.
"Just a one-day operation," Xiu replied with a noncommittal smile, offering no further explanation.
"Aw, why?" the girl pouted slightly. "The festival lasts for three days!"
"Today's focus was performances and general entertainment, drawing the largest crowds," Xiu explained patiently. "The next two days shift towards competitions and battles. The foot traffic here won't be the same." He gestured vaguely towards Fushun. "Besides, I'm just a visitor passing through. You should ask the real boss about future plans."
"He's the boss?" The girl looked at Fushun skeptically, recalling how Xiu had been the one orchestrating everything.
Fushun managed a wry, self-deprecating smile. "No boss here. Just a young brother who helped me out of a tight spot." He then launched into a brief story for the girl – the delayed arrival, the refused shipment.
Xiu listened impassively. He hadn't intervened out of pure altruism. The situation had presented an opportunity: access to a wide variety of potentially useful local fruits and ingredients, a chance to test his blending skills in a practical setting, and an opportunity to gather valuable firsthand information about the region's produce and rural economy directly from Fushun. It was, as he preferred, a mutually beneficial transaction.
"Well, even if it was just half a day, it was a great job," the girl said cheerfully, patting her pocket. "This buys a lot! And getting to sample all that fresh fruit..." She sighed contentedly, then added as an afterthought, "It's getting harder to afford fruit lately, prices keep going up."
Her casual comment snagged Xiu's attention. His brow furrowed slightly. He turned to Fushun. "Brother Fushun, have there been any recent issues on your side recently? Natural disasters, droughts, or unusual pest problems?"
Fushun looked puzzled. "No, not that I've heard. Usually, yields increase after spring, especially in summer. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are peaking now. Unless there's major flooding, production should be high." He shook his head.
'So, supply from the source isn't the issue,' Xiu processed. He tried another angle. "What about transportation? You hear locals talk about how 'Viridian Forest gets wilder in summer'..."
Fushun frowned again. "Wilder? We don't really say that. The forest is dangerous, yes, but the wild Pokémon usually keep their distance from the villages and towns. It doesn't impact transport much. Besides, our villages are near smaller towns with their own Pokémon Centers and Trainers, even if they're small scale. It's generally safe enough."
'Transportation isn't the problem either.' Xiu pressed further. "Okay, let me ask directly: have prices normally increased like this during past summers?"
"Increased?" Fushun looked genuinely bewildered. "Impossible! Usually, summer prices drop. Production is high, and the heat makes storage difficult, so sellers want to move stock quickly. Prices normally go down, not up."
'Then what the hell is causing inflation to rise against the normal market cycle?' Xiu fell silent, his mind racing, piecing together the contradictory information. Stable production, stable transport, increased seasonal supply... yet prices are rising? That doesn't align with basic economics.
Something else is distorting the market.
His sudden intense silence made both Fushun and the girl pause, looking at him curiously. After a moment, Xiu forced his thoughts back to the present, offering the girl a faint smile. "Apologies. Just thinking aloud. It's getting late, you should head home before your family worries."
The girl, looking slightly unsettled by the sudden shift, nodded quickly and departed.
Xiu turned back to the task at hand, packing away his juicing kit. "That's about all the help I can offer," he told Fushun. "The rest is up to you." He gestured towards the remaining crates in the truck – the miscellaneous herbs, roots, and less desirable produce unsuitable for juicing. "These might need specialized buyers or just be counted as loss."
"No, no! It's more than enough!" Fushun protested, his earlier despair replaced by relieved excitement. "We recovered the initial costs and made a significant profit besides! Selling juice was far better than selling raw fruit!"
Xiu felt obliged to temper the man's enthusiasm. "Today was exceptional due to the festival crowd. Don't expect this kind of sales normally. Viridian City's everyday spending power isn't this high. You still need to figure out a reliable, long-term sales channel for your regular deliveries."
The reminder sobered Fushun instantly, the weight of his ongoing predicament settling back onto his shoulders. He nodded grimly, then pointed towards five unopened crates of choice fruits set aside in the truck. "These... these are for you, young brother. As thanks."
Xiu glanced at the crates. Premium produce. A fair compensation for several hours of hard labor and ingenuity. He didn't refuse. "Thank you, Fushun."
"Where are you headed? I can give you a ride."
Xiu checked the time on a nearby clock tower. Nearly evening. "Just back to the Pokémon Center." He helped Fushun quickly clean up the stall area, ensuring they left no mess. "Alright, let's go."
Back at the Pokémon Center, Xiu directed Fushun to park near the entrance. "Okay, here will do."
"The Pokémon Center..." Fushun peered out, looking slightly intimidated by the official building.
"Yes, I'm staying here temporarily," Xiu replied nonchalantly as he hopped out and began unloading the five crates.
"Be careful heading back," Xiu added politely as Fushun prepared to leave. "It'll be dark soon."
"Let me help you with those!" Fushun insisted, jumping out and grabbing two of the heavier crates.
"Just leave them by the door, its fine," Xiu said, placing his own crate down. He intended to ask the staff for assistance with the rest.
Fushun deposited the crates, nodded gratefully to Xiu one last time, and drove off.
Xiu carried one box inside towards the front desk. The nurse on duty looked up, recognizing him from his association with Professor Oak. "Can I help you, sir?"
"Yes," Xiu replied, setting the box on the counter. "There are four more identical boxes just outside the entrance. Could you please have these distributed among the staff? Consider it a thank you for everyone's hard work during the festival today."
The nurse blinked, surprised by the unexpected generosity. Before she could respond, a familiar voice cut in.
"Well, well. What have we here?"
Xiu turned. Sachiko stood there, having just come off her shift, a teasing smile on her face.
"Sachiko," Xiu greeted her with a nod, gesturing to the boxes. "Just a small token of appreciation for the staff. You've all been working hard today."
Sachiko peered into the open box on the counter, recognizing the quality fruit. Her smile widened mischievously. "Trying to bribe us now, are you, Mr. Xiu?"