After talking it over, Brian's mother decided to quit her job and help him set up the shop. At first, both of his parents were against the idea and wanted Brian to go to college first. But because Brian was stubborn, his mother finally resigned from her job to support him.
The next day, they went looking for a shop to rent.
Brian: "Why are you coming too, Dad? Don't you still have work?"
Leon: "Isn't this about my son's future—choosing not to go to college? Of course I have to come," he said with a teasing smile.
Brian: "Haha, Dad, isn't your son going to make our family rich?"
Leon: "Yeah, yeah… my son's on his way to making us rich."
They headed south along Arca City's Golden Road, a busy area lined with clothing stores, Pokémon food shops, and restaurants.
Brian's family had already searched online for a promising location, and now they were checking it in person.
Brian: "Is this the place?"
He looked at a medium-sized, two-story shop. It seemed decent enough—especially since this would only be temporary.
Leon: "Yes, this is it. Looks good."
While they were talking, a man walked toward them.
Man: "Hello? Are you Mr. Leon?"
Leon: "I'm Leon. And you are?"
Man: "Tatsu Matsumoto. I'm in charge of renting this shophouse."
Leon: "Ah, hello. I'm Leon Culler. This is my wife, and next to her is my son—he'll be running the shop."
Tatsu: "Ah, young people are always ambitious. Well then, let's go in and have a look."
Inside, the place felt even more spacious than it looked from outside. The family was pleased.
Tatsu: "So? Are you satisfied?"
Leon: "What do you think?" he asked Brian.
Brian: "Yeah… I'm quite satisfied. It'll do."
Leon: "What's the rental price?"
Tatsu: "Monthly rent is twenty thousand Alliance coins."
Leon glanced at Brian, who gave a small nod.
Leon: "We'll take it for a one-year lease."
Tatsu: "Alright, please sign here. Payment through AllianChat?"
Leon: "Yes."
After completing the payment, they contacted an interior designer.
Three days later, the whole family went to the shop to clean it and buy ingredients for making energy cubes. For two days straight, Brian and his mother worked on producing them.
Fiona: "This should be enough for a month," she said, sealing the last batch in its packaging.
Brian: "Yes, but I still want to test it on a Grass-type Pokémon first. Then we can open in two days."
Fiona: "If it's for Grass-types, we can test it right now."
She smiled, taking out a Poké Ball.
Pokémon: SkiddoType: GrassGender: FemaleAbility: Sap SipperQuality: YellowLevel: 20Moves: Growth, Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Worry Seed, Synthesis
Skiddo was a solid Grass-type Pokémon—once it evolved into Gogoat, it would be even stronger.
Brian: "Since when did you have this Pokémon?"
Fiona: "About five months ago. I got it from my brother. You were too busy studying back then, and Skiddo rarely left its Poké Ball."
Brian: "Oh, Uncle James sent it? Is he a trainer like Uncle Baron?"
Fiona: "No, your uncle's just a farmer—he runs the family business from before Pokémon existed."
Brian knew his mother's family had been farmers before Pokémon appeared, but he hadn't expected them to still farm and raise livestock. And the Pokémon his uncle sent over were always strong.
Brian: "Here, Skiddo—want to try this?" He held out an energy cube.
The Skiddo's eyes lit up, mouth drooling, though it hesitated and looked toward Fiona for permission.
Fiona: "Go on, eat it."
Skiddo: "Mee-mee!"
It gobbled the cube eagerly.
Fiona: "Looks like it works."
Brian: "Yes, tomorrow we can start selling."
The next day, two young women were walking along the Golden Road.
Su Mei: "Shi Yun, is there anywhere else selling energy cubes? The Samyun Company's high-quality ones are sold out."
Shi Yun: "Arca City has a lot of Grass-type users, so only the low-quality ones are left. You should know that, Su Mei. Still, maybe we'll find a shop with some stock."
After a long walk to the end of the street, they spotted a sign for a Pokémon shop. With low expectations, they went in.
Su Mei: "Hello, do you have Grass-type energy cubes?"
Brian: "Yes. How much do you need?" he replied lazily—until they asked the price. When he told them, they complained it was expensive, even though Brian had already explained it was higher quality than the market standard.
Su Mei: "Can we check the quality first?"
Brian: "Sure."
He handed them a sample. Having compared it to market products the day before, Brian knew his was clearly better.
Su Mei: "This is very good. I'll take ten."
Brian: "That'll be fifty thousand Alliance coins," he said, handing over the packages.
Su Mei: "Thanks." She paid without hesitation—it wasn't expensive to her at all.
Shi Yun: "Do you have any for Fire-types?"
Brian: "Sorry, only Grass-type for now."
Shi Yun: "When will you have them?"
Brian: "Not sure, but you can check our website—we post updates on new products there."
Before opening the shop, Brian had paid someone to build the website. He knew it would help spread the word.
Shi Yun: "Alright, I'll check later. We'll get going now."
Brian: "Take care—come again!"
Brian happily saw them off. They were his first customers. After them, ten more people came by. He worked until the afternoon before heading home, while his mother left at midday to prepare dinner.
When Brian got home, he fed Eevee, intending to check its level—when he noticed two new messages in his inbox. His heart raced as he opened them.
A picture of green candy and a prescription appeared.
Congratulations! You've received 12 Rare Candies (Grass-type Pokémon only) and a recipe for Normal-type Energy Cubes.
Brian froze. He'd guessed he might get a reward, but not one this incredible. With this, he could quickly raise a Pokémon's strength. He suspected it came from selling the Grass-type cubes.
"If I sell Normal-type energy cubes, I'll get Rare Candies for Normal-types… Eevee will get stronger in no time."