"Here I come, here I come!"
After washing up, Hayashi Kaede rushed to the door, calling out,
"Rotom, remember to take the photo!"
"Loto~"
Rotom activated its recording function.
Its current task, assigned by Hayashi Kaede, was to film and edit videos in preparation for developing his social media account.
As soon as he opened the door, Hayashi Kaede froze in surprise—
there were already dozens of people gathered outside.
It was only six o'clock in the morning.
Some people sat right at the doorstep, while others rested along the Bluestone Path.
Among them, a few were holding selfie sticks, speaking animatedly to their cameras.
"Here we are, folks! The Breeding House in Aogiri Town is finally open! Let's head in and see what's so special about this little shop!"
A young man sitting on the steps at the entrance saw the door finally open and immediately moved to step inside.
"Wait, wait."
Hayashi Kaede blocked the way, then quickly hung a wooden sign on the door:
"Each person is limited to purchasing three of each type of Energy Cube per day."
It was a necessary precaution.
Looking at the crowd outside, Hayashi Kaede suspected that if he didn't impose a limit, the Energy Cubes he'd prepared the night before would be gone in minutes.
What he really wanted was for as many Pokémon as possible to try the cubes he made—after all, every time he encountered a new Pokémon, he would receive a special reward.
"Huh? Boss, you just opened your shop and already set this rule? Aren't you afraid people won't come to buy in the future?"
The young man who had been about to enter looked taken aback.
The customers behind him frowned as well.
No opening promotions, and already rules? That didn't feel very welcoming.
But Hayashi Kaede answered sincerely.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't expect everyone to arrive so early, so I didn't prepare much. To make sure every Pokémon gets a chance to try them, and to avoid disappointing those who come later, I hope you can understand."
As the saying goes—people rarely hit someone who greets them with a smile.
His genuine tone eased the tension, and the frowns softened.
Plus, Hayashi Kaede, looking around seventeen or eighteen with a naturally pleasant face, didn't seem like someone worth arguing with.
Without more fuss, they began stepping inside.
The layout of the cultivation house was simple.
Glass counters, much like those in a bakery, displayed neat rows of Energy Cubes inside, with sample pieces placed on trays outside for tasting.
On the shelves to either side were spicy tomatoes, peaches, oranges, and vegetables picked fresh from the plantation.
There wasn't much else to sell at this early stage.
"Oh my god, we've made it inside, folks! The first thing we see—Energy Cubes! Look at the shine, the bounce… these look incredible. But of course, the real test is how the Pokémon react when they eat them!"
"Manager, can my Pokémon try one?"
Hayashi Kaede nodded. "Of course. Just… if your Pokémon is large, I don't recommend calling it out inside."
The young man agreed, took out a Poké Ball, and released a Beedrill.
Seeing someone ready to test the product, the other customers turned to watch.
Pokémon are perceptive creatures—they can often tell whether food benefits them and just how much.
The young man picked up a Physical Energy Cube made from Sitrus berry and handed it to Beedrill.
It grasped the cube delicately with one stinger and ate it in one bite.
Buzzz…
The moment the cube hit its mouth, Beedrill froze—only the hum of its wings remained.
"What's wrong, Beedrill?" its trainer asked, frowning.
Then—
[Congratulations to the host for increasing Beedrill's happiness from 20% to 60%. Reward: ten bags of fertilizer, three Rare Candies, and one Dragon Clear Berry (long-term consumption increases a Pokémon's defense stat).]
The voice echoed in Hayashi Kaede's mind.
Beedrill suddenly sprang into action, turning to its trainer and pointing insistently at the Energy Cubes with its stinger.
It was exactly like a girlfriend at a watermelon stall saying: We're not going home without one of these.
"Does it really taste that good?"
The young man holding the selfie stick looked stunned, but quickly turned back to the camera.
"You can see for yourselves—my Beedrill really likes these! This one's labeled as a Stamina Energy Cube, meant to restore stamina after battles."
"Chat, I'm buying one to review for you guys!"
"Boss, how much for one portion?"
"One thousand PokéDollars," Hayashi Kaede replied without hesitation.
The young man blinked.
One portion weighed only about a pound—enough for a Pokémon for three days at most. A thousand wasn't cheap.
But if it could really restore a significant amount of stamina quickly… for trainers traveling outdoors year-round, it would be a must-have.
Whether it was the real deal was still unknown.
With a testing mindset, the young man bought one portion and hurried out—planning to come back within half an hour to expose the shop if it turned out fake, while riding the wave of online attention.
The others, seeing this, also called out their Pokémon to try the samples.
After tasting, most bought at least one portion for their partners.
What Hayashi Kaede didn't expect was that although only a few customers had come in the early morning, after eight o'clock, more and more people began arriving.
Some bought two portions, others three—the maximum allowed.
A few even bought vegetables from the display shelves to take home.
By about 9:30 a.m., every Energy Cube in the shop was sold out.
Just then, a hurried figure appeared at the door—
It was the young live streamer who had been the very first to try them.