"In order to catch a Loknes, you'll have to agree to a trade," the little man says, arching one bushy brown eyebrow.

A trade? Now you know he's a screwball.

"You can't do that," you tell him, shaking your head. "The developers of Monsuta GO haven't released trading yet. The feature's been detected in the coding, but it's not available to the public."

His head tilts to the side, his dark eyes dancing with amusement. "I wasn't talking about that kind of trade. I have no use for your make-believe monsters. I have something much bigger in mind."

What he's saying isn't possible. There's no bartering in Monsuta GO. You're stuck with what you're stuck with. If you want to catch them all, you have to keep playing. End of story.

Still, you can't stop the question. "Like what?"

"I'm glad you asked." He puffs out his chest, the buttons of his shirt straining to stay in place. "What I'm interested in has nothing to do with childish games. What I want is something you take for granted every day."

You wait for him to continue, but he's clearly not planning to. He's baiting you, engaging your interest. Feeding you full of intrigue until you're ready to burst. To your annoyance, you comply, morbid curiosity getting the best of you. "What is it that you want?"

He ignores your irked tone and runs his index finger along the brim of his hat. "It's simple really. I'm looking for something of great importance to you, yet something you fail to appreciate."

For a moment you forget reason and all rules of the game. You focus on his request, your forehead creasing with bewilderment. "Why would you want something that's important to me? Why not ask for something that's important to you?"

The man shrugs. "I'm a collector of sorts. And I'm especially interested in possessions of true value. What one man takes for granted another man cherishes." He stares at you, his beady eyes intense and probing. "I realize this may be difficult to imagine, but I've made these types of trades before. Quite successfully, I might add. If you don't believe me, why not give it a try? What's the worst that could happen?"

What's the worst that could happen? An endless rush of melodramas churn through your head. For starters, he could kidnap you. Stuff you into a car and not let you out. Drive you to some gloomy, deserted location and hurt you. Or even worse ... kill you. Chop you into tiny bite-size pieces and feed you to his cats. He looks like a crazy cat person. Mischievous. Shifty. Flamboyant. If push came to shove, you could probably take him — he's awfully short and not in the greatest of shape.

But why take that risk? Your eyes dart around nervously, planning an escape.

Suddenly he laughs, and you flinch as though you've been slapped. "What's so funny?" you demand.

"You! The look on your face is priceless. I can see all of the crazy thoughts swirling around inside your head," he says, his pudgy fingers tracing circles in the air alongside his temples. "You don't trust me, and I suppose you don't have a reason to. But what I'm offering is true. If you trade me something that's important to you, something you take for granted, I will get you your Loknes."

"How?" The question escapes before you can stop it.

He gives you a slow smile. Or is it a smirk? "See that Monsuta Stop over there?" He nods to the side. "If you spin it, it will reward you with one solid, golden egg. Nothing more, nothing less. And inside of that egg will be your Loknes."

You stand tall, pushing your shoulders back in defiance. "First of all, the 10K eggs in Monsuta GO are white with purple polka-dots. There's no such thing as a solid-colored egg, much less a golden one. And second, there aren't any Monsuta Stops around here. I've been playing this game for six months and I know for a fact there are none —"

You stop mid-sentence as you glance down at your phone, your jaw dropping in shock. Right there, directly in front of your red-suited avatar, is a Monsuta Stop. A Monsuta Stop you know wasn't there before. Your eyes reconnect with his and your mouth opens a little wider.

His expression says I told you so, only he doesn't say the words out loud. Instead, he tips the brim of his hat and looks you in the eye. "Well ... do you want to play?"

You take another glance at the revolving blue globe on your screen and shiver. But not from the cold.