C016 - Getting to know Herbert

"Just the two Minccino and the Sunkern? Did the others want to stay here?"

Valentino asked Pete as he came out of the guest room with three pokemon in his hoodie.

"Yep, Solosis is on a training spree ever since I taught her juggling, and I asked Golett to try and teach Zorua ghost-type energy. It's a long shot, but Zorua wanted to give it a try. I don't give it a lot of hope, but if he could actually learn a move like Shadow Claw? It would help a lot. The other three are enjoying some time in the pasture," Pete explained with a shrug.

"Hey boys, Benny and I are ready as well," Vivian shouted as she came down from upstairs with Benny on her arm and Quilava following along at her heel.

After breakfast, Valentino had asked if he could come along on their trip to the market. After the market, he was going into the forest for his observations.

"Herbert just sent me a message, by the way. He arrived a few minutes ago," Vivian said to Pete as she passed him by as he held open the door for her and Valentino.

At the market, which started a little after walking past the Silph Co store, Pete saw all kinds of people and pokemon.

A man with a Sudowoodo was selling wooden statues of pokemon. Right next to him was the middle-aged man that threatened him with hunting him with his Murkrow if he heard of a fire breaking out. He was selling all kinds of different jewelry.

None of them were in the same style and when he thought of Murkrows and crows from his last life, he thought that maybe he was selling some shiny loot his crow pokemon found in the wild.

After buying a few produce items from the local farmers, Pete and the others finally reached Herbert, the 'seed guy'.

"Vivian! You look as charming as ever. How are you doing? How is your husband?"

Herbert was a short man with no real muscle on the bones, but somehow he still commanded attention even among all the stall owners on this market. It was probably his bright blonde, almost white handlebar mustache. It had to be.

Herbert and Vivian exchanged some pleasantries until Vivian dragged Pete in front of her and made introductions.

"Herbert, this is my husband's newest assistant, Pete. He's the one I wrote about when I said you'll meet a big spender on your next visit."

"I see, I see. Vivian tells me you want to open a farm, eh?"

"Yes Mr Herbert. Among the topics I want to research are the consequences of different pokemon diets. So I need a wide variety of crops, plants and vegetables," Pete answered with a warm smile.

"Bah, lose the Mr, just call me Herbert. But wide variety you say, eh? I gotta say, I didn't bring the full catalogue even with Vivian's heads up. Sorry about that," Herbert said as he pulled out a booklet from his bag.

"Here, take a look. Ignore pages four to eight, twenty to twenty eight and fifty one til the end. Those pages are just for flowers to look pretty, the rest can serve as food for pokemon as far as I know," Herbert continued as Pete browsed the booklet. He had his little compendium of four books for wild plants near Johto and Kanto, but Herbert apparently had seeds for plants all over the world and he meticulously listed what they needed for proper growth and how often they could be harvested.

He had everything from several different kinds of rice to seeds for every known berry all the way from Alola to Kanto.

"I, uh, I think you got a repeat customer if your seeds are as high quality as the information you provide in this book, Herbert," Pete eventually said as he took a big gulp.

Even as generous as the professor was, he couldn't buy all the seeds listed here just yet, so he would have to cycle through some crops over time. And that would need Pete to keep coming back to Herbert.

"Haha, I love those! So whaddya say? What can ole Herbert interest you in right now?"

"Ah, about that. Herbert, since you didn't bring your whole catalogue anyway, I have a suggestion. You see, he didn't plan to open up his farm here in New Bark but rather somewhere close to Goldenrod City. Would you and Exeggutor terribly mind taking him along for your return trip?"

"Hmm, I did say I owed you a favor for that delicious Leppa pie, did I not? Sure, if he turns out to be a big customer as you suggest he will be, let's do it," Herbert agreed with a big grin. The favor he mentioned was just to make Pete a little less embarrassed, but Pete did recognize what a huge favor Herbert would grant him. Something he wouldn't forget.

"Great! Tell you what, Pete and I are done on the market anyway, how about I'll make you another pie as thank you? I'll give it to Pete for when he meets you for the travel back?"

"Delightful!"

"Thank you, Herbert. Where do I need to go and when will you leave?"

"Hmm, I usually leave around dinner time. But you won't have to meet me, I'll come to Elm's lab. That's where you're staying, correct?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"Good on ya. Keep the booklet until later and tell me what you want first for when we get to Violet City. See ya later then, Pete," Herbert said with a bright smile.

Vivian and Pete then decided to head back to the lab while Valentino said his farewell and left for the forest. But not before pressing a little gift he had gotten from somewhere in Pete's hand. It was a 'glad you joined the team and remember I'll be coming shortly to freeload at your place' gift according to Valentino.

When he opened it under Vivian's urging on their way back, it turned out to be a pair of nice binoculars. From someone who dedicated his life to researching the behavior of wild pokemon, it was a truly fitting gift.

Back at the lab, Pete started preparing lunch while Vivian put on an apron and showed Pete how to make the perfect Leppa pie.

At lunch, he got a gift from Fred and Becca, too. It was a book on how to properly compile, assess, and present research data in a report and a book on how to raise flying pokemon.

'Birds of a feather: Twenty tips on how each bird pokemon is unique' by Gym Leader Miles of Mistralton City, Unova. The name of the book was confusing because the idiom and the subtitle was very contrary, but Becca assured Pete it was a good read.

Fred also recognized that Pete didn't have a single flying pokemon and no eggs for one either, but Becca 'couldn't part' with any other book. It was the only one she had two off after a fatal birthday, resulting in her getting the same book from two different people. So he apologized in her stead, but Pete didn't mind in any case. It was sure to be a good read.

While spending some time on the patio with Benny and Vivian, Professor Elm eventually came outside with a gift of his own.

"Don't think I'm just a pokenerd and notice nothing around me once I'm in my element. When we opened that machine, I noticed how you looked at my toolbox," Professor Elm said as Pete opened his present to see a rather expensive looking toolbox.

"Thank you guys so much, but... you didn't have to gift me all these presents, you know?"

"Bah, it's only been a few days, but you've grown on me, Pete. You're a refreshing young man who's plenty likeable. And these gifts are just small things. Don't mind it too much. After all, we can't give you much else in the near future by how far you're going away, can we?

"I see, but like I said, thank you very much. It's been a pleasure getting to know you all," Pete said his heartfelt thanks.

"Hey Pete, they all got you something, so I did, too. Benny helped pick it," Vivian said as she handed Pete a paper bag.

"He didn't really, but he's gonna pout all day if I don't say it," Vivian whispered in Pete's ear as she got close.

When Pete got the present out, he had a good laugh. Professor Elm soon joined when he saw what it was, and Vivian was giggling the entire time from the very start.

Pete immediately slipped into his gift and gave Vivian a thumbs up. It was a dark blue kitchen apron with a Luvdisk on it, and it read 'Kiss the chef'.

"Now you have all the kitchenware you need," Vivian said with a laugh as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.