Chapter 39:
Looking at the table full of delicious food, Mewtwo couldn't help swallowing.
It looked delicious.
"Come on," Hayashi Kaede handed energy cubes to Servine and Pidgeotto, then walked to the refrigerator and took out a large bottle of chilled Sitrus Berry juice he'd prepared earlier.
He poured a glass each for Servine, Mewtwo, and himself.
[B-grade Iced Drink – Made from fresh Sitrus Berries with a touch of lemon juice to balance sweetness and bring out a rich fruity aroma.
Effect: A refreshing drink that slightly increases happiness.]
Servine ate comfortably, sipping juice from time to time.
Pidgeotto was a bit reserved at first, but eventually gave in to the delicious aroma and began to eat happily.
Mewtwo hesitated. At Hayashi Kaede's invitation, it sat down, learned how to hold chopsticks, and started eating like a human.
[Congratulations to the host for increasing Mewtwo's happiness from 10% → 30%.
Reward: one bag of premium fertilizer and one bent soup spoon.]
It then picked up the Sitrus Berry juice and began to drink, though it wasn't sure why.
That night,
After clearing the dishes, Hayashi Kaede made a bed for Mewtwo and went back to making energy cubes.
The next morning…
Just after dawn, a crowd had already gathered outside. Hayashi Kaede brought out all the energy cubes he'd made, preparing to restock the counter.
Mewtwo, who had risen early as well, saw this and immediately used its psychic powers to levitate the cubes and organize them in the air.
Hayashi Kaede smiled. "Your psychic control is amazing. You can manage all of them so precisely."
He let Mewtwo finish placing the cubes into their proper displays.
What would've taken Hayashi Kaede and Servine half an hour took Mewtwo ten seconds.
Looking at the cube supply—nearly double yesterday's—Hayashi Kaede nodded in satisfaction. His breeding house could definitely handle today's rush!
At that moment, the front door opened.
Takagi Megumi, energized and ready, shouted, "Make way, everyone! Line up, don't push! Why are there so many people…"
But when the doors were fully open, even Hayashi Kaede was momentarily stunned.
Logically, hype is highest on day one. Demand usually dips afterward.
But the crowd today had doubled compared to yesterday.
Most of them were people from the previous day—returning customers.
Even though it was only the second day, people were waking up even earlier, eager to get in line.
"Guys, this is the store!" shouted Akira again, holding up a selfie stick for his livestream. "This place had me up at 4:30 a.m.!"
He rushed forward and shouted, "Boss! Three stamina cubes, please!"
"Coming~!" Takagi Megumi grabbed a bag, glanced at the labels in front of each cube stack, and prepared to pack the order.
But Hayashi Kaede called out, pointing to the counter at the entrance.
"That's your workstation. Just weigh each customer's cubes and collect the payment."
Takagi Megumi blinked. "Huh? That's it?"
Hayashi Kaede nodded.
Most of these customers had seen his video and knew he was the breeder behind this store. They trusted the quality, so they just grabbed what they wanted.
Even though the stock had increased dramatically today, it was still first-come, first-served.
Takagi Megumi pursed her lips nervously. With people lining up and spending thousands, her mind blanked out.
So much money...
Some were even buying berries and veggies by the kilo.
She had a sudden thought: Is it really this easy to make money?
But she knew better.
In Aogiri Town, money wasn't easy to earn.
The Wilderness Area was remote. Most trainers avoided it. There was no Pokémon Center. Transportation was poor. It took 30 minutes just to reach the city.
Most adults worked elsewhere. Kids who made it into a Trainer Academy rarely came back.
When she was little—before Uncle Hayashi and Aunt Ye disappeared—the town had been more lively.
Uncle Hayashi's energy cubes were well-known. Trainers came from the city just to buy them.
Back then, her mother even ran a small Pokémon rescue station. Trainers hurt in the Wilderness Area would come for treatment. Life was easier.
But after Uncle and Aunt disappeared, everything declined…
Aogiri Town was slowly dying.
Could Brother Kaede bring it back to life?
The thought appeared in her mind.
Watching Takagi Megumi working seamlessly, Hayashi Kaede nodded, then turned to take Mewtwo on a walk through the plantation.
The watermelon seedlings had already grown over a meter long.
At this rate, they'd bear fruit in five or six days.
The grass he cut yesterday had already regrown to one-third its height.
Clearly…
He could raise some Miltank or Gogoat, produce fresh milk, and take his god-tier cooking even further.
He made a mental note to contact the breeders over in Magnolia Village.
The breeding house also needed to expand.
These thoughts flowed through his mind—
"Is this just ordinary life?"
Mewtwo's voice broke the silence.
"It's just part of it," Hayashi Kaede replied. "There's more to see. Want to take a walk and find out what else ordinary people are doing at this hour?"