Dax handed the egg over to Lucas, then scratched his head. "Huh? How come this one's yours?"
Lucas nodded earnestly. "Of course it is. We came here today because Master was helping me pick my next Pokémon."
Dax's face fell instantly. "Great. So I'm just a side quest."
"Haha, don't worry. I'll find you a good one." Auron clapped Dax on the shoulder reassuringly.
Then he turned to Lucas. "Get in touch with your family and see if they can track down a Bagon egg. Your next team member should basically be Salamence. I'll keep an eye out here too, but pseudo-legendary eggs are hard to come by in regular shops. Better to pull some strings."
Lucas nodded excitedly. "Got it, Master!"
"Alright, let's keep looking."
As Auron walked on, he was still thinking through Lucas's sandstorm team.
Gastrodon, Salamence, and Celesteela—that would be a near-perfect defensive core.
But this was the real world, not a game. You couldn't just build whatever team you wanted on paper.
The biggest problem was Celesteela. Auron hadn't heard of any Ultra Beast sightings anywhere in the world, so Celesteela was off the table. He'd have to find a substitute.
The only other Pokémon with the same Steel/Flying typing were Skarmory and Corviknight. Their stat totals couldn't match Celesteela's, but the type combination still made them perfectly serviceable as a defensive wall.
The main thing was that Celesteela had Leech Seed. That was the truly nasty part. Although Skarmory did have Roost, so it wasn't completely outclassed.
But Celesteela, as one of the heaviest Pokémon in existence, also got massive value from the Steel-type Heavy Slam. That move was extremely effective.
And being that heavy, it knowing Earthquake made perfect sense too. Ground-type Earthquake happened to cover Fire and Electric—both types that threatened it—while also punishing any Pokémon trying to trap it with the Magnet Pull Ability.
Sure, both Earthquake and Leech Seed could be blocked by Grass-types with shields up, but Celesteela also packed Flamethrower. That was the real headache.
So even though Skarmory had entry hazards and Roost—roughly comparable to Celesteela's Leech Seed—it couldn't match Celesteela's offensive coverage.
But there was no getting around it. Celesteela simply wasn't available for team-building right now. Skarmory would have to fill in.
With Swords Dance and the Flying-type Brave Bird, Skarmory's damage output was still respectable. The only thing it really lacked compared to Celesteela was a high-powered Steel-type STAB move.
"Hey, what are Auntie Ji's main Pokémon? Does she need something to shore up her defensive coverage or hit more types?"
Dax thought for a moment. "Probably not. Her main team is Gardevoir, Florges, Togekiss, Primarina, Clefable, and Galarian Rapidash."
"Nice." Auron gave an approving nod. "She's better than you. That lineup has no blind spots on offense."
Dax beamed with pride. "Naturally. She's my girl, after all!"
Auron curled his lip in disdain but didn't bother calling him out. This was the same guy who'd been oblivious to her feelings for decades. And he had the nerve to sound proud?
Dropping the subject, Auron continued scanning the shelves.
Tim's pick was done. Simon's was done. Lucas's was done. That left Serena and Lena.
For Serena, Auron actually wanted to find her either an Eevee or a Togepi.
Originally, his mom's Eevee would have been the perfect candidate for Sylveon evolution, but Eevee had chosen not to evolve. Mom doted on her and even gave her an Everstone, which meant Auron's Sylveon evolution theory remained unproven and couldn't be made public.
But this could work too. Get Serena an Eevee, and he'd have a test subject. Failing that, he could try with Auntie Ji's Eevee.
Though Auntie Ji was too far away, making the logistics uncertain. A different Fairy-type would probably be a safer bet for her.
If he happened to find a Togepi, though, he'd give that to Serena instead. After all, Auntie Ji already had a Togekiss.
In Auron's estimation, Togekiss and Serena were an absurdly good match. A person with the Super Luck trait paired with a Super Luck Togekiss? Every hit landing on a critical? Who could possibly handle that?
Sadly, Togepi was outrageously rare—on par with pseudo-legendaries. Otherwise, Auron would have wanted one for himself.
Forget changing his luck. A soft, adorable little creature like Togepi—who wouldn't love it?
"Hm?"
Speaking of soft and adorable—right on cue, Auron spotted another Pokémon that was every bit as cute as Togepi.
Pokémon: Milcery
Gender: Female
Type: Fairy
Ability: Sweet Veil (Emits a sweet aroma, preventing all ally Pokémon on the field from falling asleep.)
Quality: Orange
Base Moves: Aromatic Mist, Tackle.
Egg Moves: Baby-Doll Eyes, Last Resort.
"What is it?"
Dax leaned in to look. Having learned from last time, he didn't grab it right away. Instead, he checked the color of the patterns on the egg's shell first—and his pulse quickened. He was about to pick it up when—
*Smack!*
"Ow! What was that for?!"
The instant Dax reached out, Auron slapped his hand.
"What's the rush? I haven't even told you what Pokémon it is yet."
Dax's mouth twitched. "It's pink. That makes it Fairy-type."
Auron pressed a palm to his forehead in exasperation. "And you call yourself an Elite? Psychic-type egg patterns are also pink."
Dax narrowed his eyes, slung an arm around Auron's neck, and squeezed threateningly. "Are you trying to con me? I'm an Elite. I know the difference, alright? Patterns this soft and rosy are definitely Fairy-type."
"Oh yeah? Poison/Psychic dual-types are this exact shade of soft pink too. You didn't mention that, did you?" Auron wasn't the least bit intimidated by the headlock and fired right back.
Dax loosened his grip slightly, then pointed at the pink-patterned egg with a puzzled look. "Wait. Are you saying this is a Galarian Slowpoke egg?"
Auron looked at Dax with a sly smile. "I never said that."