Su Yu watched the aunties ride off on their electric scooters, smiling faintly but not dwelling on it for long. Instead, he returned to the breeding house and threw himself back into work. Taking out his phone, he contacted the tree fruit suppliers in the group chat Chen Xier had created earlier, quickly arranging visits to their shops for the next day. With the procurement plans settled, his attention shifted back to something more immediate—training Ralts.
Ralts still had room to grow. His goal was clear: evolution into Gardevoir. Of the remaining custom energy cubes, only Absol's set was still pending, and that could wait until he found the right materials tomorrow. For now, with a rare pocket of free time, Su Yu decided to focus on battle training. His method was straightforward and brutal—real combat. Ralts and Pikachu were paired up and left to fight freely, with Su Yu acting as nothing more than a referee. He gave no commands, no hints, only stepping in once both Pokémon were exhausted and collapsed.
At that point, Su Yu calmly recalled them into their Poké Balls, placed them into the treatment machine, added medicine, and activated it. A few minutes later, both Pokémon were restored and standing in front of him again, lively as ever. Su Yu looked at them seriously and told them to recall the battle they had just fought. Where they made mistakes, where they hesitated, where they acted foolishly—those were things only they could truly understand.
Then his gaze locked onto Pikachu, and the complaints began. Pikachu's battle style was reckless to a fault—charging straight in again and again, only to be flung away repeatedly by Ralts's Confusion. Even when it finally managed to close the distance, what then? A Nuzzle to the face? Not only did it fail to paralyze Ralts, it got thrown away immediately afterward. Su Yu pointed out bluntly that if Pikachu had mastered Iron Tail at that moment, the outcome would have been completely different. And if close combat wasn't working, why not switch to Thunderbolt instead of stubbornly insisting on head-on collisions?
What annoyed Su Yu most was the final exchange—both Pokémon fainting together. Pikachu had unleashed Thunderbolt at the exact moment it was hit by Ralts's Psychic attack, taking its opponent down but knocking itself out in the process. A mutual knockout might look heroic, but in real combat it was nothing more than stupidity. Pikachu lowered its head under the barrage of criticism, clearly taking the lesson to heart.
After venting, Su Yu let out a sigh and waved them off. He told them to rest for now and fight more carefully in the future. Skills needed to be learned, strategies refined. The back mountains were full of wild Pokémon—there would always be opponents to train against. Until more Pokémon joined the breeding house, they would have to rely on themselves.
Pikachu nodded seriously, letting out a determined cry before running straight toward the back mountain, eager to train. Ralts followed soon after, teleporting away in a flash. Watching their retreating figures, Su Yu smiled faintly and began a patrol of the orchard. The tree fruits were growing well, and Pokémon could be seen moving between the trees—some pulling weeds, others catching pests. The scene filled him with quiet satisfaction. These Pokémon truly earned their meals.
After confirming everything was in order, Su Yu returned to the breeding house and began thinking further ahead. Now that funds were flowing steadily, perhaps it was time to expand. Purchasing Pokémon eggs legally and hatching them might be the best next step. Not only would it grow the breeding house, but he might even find some Pokémon perfectly suited to stay with him. Since he was already going out shopping tomorrow, it made sense to add eggs to the list.
Later, as evening approached, Su Yu instructed the assistants to start distributing energy cubes. Pokémon soon gathered in the yard at the familiar sound. Watching the scene, Su Yu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Feeding them manually like this wasn't efficient. A proper storage warehouse would be better—one stocked with energy cubes that could be dispensed automatically. The Pokémon could feed themselves when hungry, saving time and effort. The best place to build it would be near the orchard. He made a mental note to contact a construction team tomorrow.
As these plans formed in his mind, a voice called out, telling him it was time for dinner. Su Yu immediately set his work aside and led everyone back to the orphanage. The children had already gathered, sitting neatly at the table, eyes glued to the food. Tonight's spread was especially rich, and several of the kids were practically drooling.
They urged Su Yu to hurry, refusing to eat without him. When he finally sat down, dinner officially began. During the meal, Aunt Wang and the others finally learned just how much money Su Yu had made. When Xiaoyu casually mentioned "over a hundred million," Aunt Wang nearly froze. The idea that a few months' worth of energy cubes could cost that much completely shattered their worldview. Were Pokémon being raised, or were they devouring gold?
It took a long explanation before the aunties finally understood why top-tier Pokémon required such staggering expenses. Even so, the shock lingered—but mixed with it was relief. If Su Yu could earn this much legitimately, then the future of the orphanage, and the children within it, was brighter than ever.