Two Gym Leaders, and a Professor well-known in the academic circles.
Uh… Misty is still traveling right now, so the Cerulean Gym probably isn't being run by her, but that's not important.
Whether it's the Cerulean Gym returning to its right track or the performances held daily by her three sisters, they all have some connection to Water-type Pokémon.
As long as you're raising Pokémon, Pokéblocks always come in handy.
Brock is a Breeder, so he values these things even more when it comes to raising Pokemon.
Breeders don't mind using these things when raising Pokémon—whether it's Pokéblocks or Poffins, they're all made from Berries.
Humans have just further refined them using technology to make them work more effectively, and there's no harm to Pokémon.
And both Gym Leaders aren't short on money. The only reason they couldn't come up with the money for the bike while traveling is because they don't carry cash. A long-established Gym is essentially a family business—they're definitely not lacking money.
And as for Professor Oak, whom Ash is familiar with—that goes even more so. As a renowned professor in the field, Samuel Oak has wide-ranging connections and receives large sums of funding from the League.
"Wait, how much would the shipping cost from Illumina to Kanto?"
The Pokéblock made by Rowan is at best of good quality, but it's still essentially just a Pokéblock, not some bugged item like Rare Candy that levels you up when eaten.
Right now, Rowan doesn't have a stable supply chain or a distribution network.
Without production capacity, trying to sell them across regions in bits and pieces—after subtracting shipping fees and other costs—might mean losing money at first.
Besides, this isn't some special recipe that only Rowan can make using his own Pokéblock Kit. The output isn't high; it's enough for his own Pokémon, but it's a bit lacking for doing business.
"Maybe I could make a little pocket money, but turning it into a big business won't be easy. It's tricky. But even if it doesn't work out as a business, expanding my network could still help. Who knows when it might come in handy?"
In a world where Pokémon exist, powerful Trainers naturally hold higher social status. Champions of various regions also have a lot of say in different matters.
Picking up a notebook and sketching a few things, Rowan ultimately decided to stick with the original plan, though his goals had shifted a bit.
The money he had on hand was still enough to last for a while. But if he couldn't find a source of income soon… then he'd just have to take Nekomi to challenge Gyms and earn prize money.
Registered Trainers can receive a certain amount of prize money after winning a Gym challenge.
The same Gym will not issue prize money to the same Trainer more than once. Prize money distribution stops once the Trainer has challenged eight Gyms in total.
The Illumina League officially recognizes a total of twenty-four Gyms, which is similar to the Galar region. The eight strongest Gyms are called Major Division Gyms, and the rest are called Minor Division Gyms.
Besides dealing with challengers, Gym Leaders also battle every year to determine new rankings. According to information online, there is really a Major Division Gym nearby, a Ground type, which fits his specialty.
Grass Type's coverage isn't wide. Ground Type is one of the few types both weak to and resistant to Grass Type.
Of course, with Nekomi's Ability, she actually has a broader coverage against different types.
Rowan picked up his phone and ordered some Berries. Since he wasn't sure what flavors the other Pokémon might like, he bought some of each: sour, spicy, bitter, sweet, and dry.
[New Shopping Festival Promotion: During the promotion period, users can enjoy one free trial of Dragonite Express Delivery. Your order will be delivered to the nearest location shortly—please ensure someone is at home...]
Hmm, looks like someone already turned using special Pokémon for express delivery into a service. Makes perfect sense—this is a world that's developed around Pokémon for so many years, so locals would naturally understand how to use them best.
After placing the order, it took over twenty minutes to sort and prepare the items for shipment. Five minutes after the status updated to "Out for Delivery," a dark silhouette appeared outside Rowan's window.
"Delivery! Open your window and take your delivery!"
Outside the window, a delivery man dressed like a WWII pilot was straddling the back of a Pokémon.
Orange skin, creamy belly, chubby body with small wings—that's Dragonite, nicknamed "Fatty."
Dragonite's short, stubby arms were holding a thermal container, which was clearly the package for this delivery.
"So your 'Dragonite Express Delivery'... actually uses Dragonite, huh? Is the job standard really this high these days?"
"Assigned by higher-ups. Apparently there's some collaboration going on with Johto recently. If there's any issue with the product, please call this number.
Have a great day, and please leave a five-star review."
After dropping off the goods, the delivery guy patted Dragonite on the back, and the two disappeared into the sky.
Dragonite—a powerful Pokémon with intelligence comparable to humans, capable of circling the globe in just sixteen hours. With Dragonite's help, global one-day delivery becomes a simple matter.
Rowan originally thought this was like Sea Cucumber Fried Rice or Zero Soy Sauce stuff—where "Dragonite" was just the name of the delivery service, and the actual delivery had nothing to do with Dragonite. [TN: Rowan here is referring to deceptive marketing or branding tactic that relies on wordplay or literal interpretations of names to mislead consumers. For example: Sea Cucumber Fried Rice where Sea Cucumber or Hai Shen is the name of a person.]
He hadn't expected them to be so honest—there really was a Dragonite helping out.
"Johto… Dragon Tamer clan? Is this a Dragonite team-building trip from the Dragon's Den? Or did they come to Illumina's own Dragon's Den for matchmaking?"
Illumina's Pokémon mostly come from the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh region, and naturally, it also has its own Dragonite habitats.
"A pre-World Championship promotion? Can't be that the Dragon Tamer clan is short on money…"
Rowan thought it over but still couldn't figure out what those higher-ups were thinking. Still, the service was convenient—just expensive.
He glanced at the original price list and immediately gave up on using that convenient and fast service again. At least for now, it wasn't suitable for someone like him.
"Can't afford it… I'll wait for the next discount promotion. Nekomi! What flavor of Pokéblock do you want?"
"Meow... meow! (Ninety percent sweet, ten percent sour… and extra Pecha Berry!)"
"Got it. Hopefully I'm remembering the process right."
The machine was idiot-proof to operate, just like the item in the games. You just tossed in the Berries with the desired flavors, input the settings, and the machine would automatically separate the components of the Berries and synthesize the required Pokéblocks.
As the machine began to run, all the freshly bought Berries were used up and turned into a full tray of colorful blocks.
"Shoot, I forgot to sort them!"
Some of the blocks were as translucent as crystals, and some even had visible layers of different colors inside. But after being mixed together, Rowan couldn't remember what flavor each one was anymore.
Nekomi, on the other hand, expertly picked those pink-colored blocks, pressed them into a candy ball with her paws, and started licking it happily.
"Humans can eat Berries, so Pokéblocks should be fine too. Let's try this one."
Each of the blocks gave off a fresh, fruity aroma. But since Rowan didn't have a Pokémon's nose, he couldn't tell the flavors apart—he could only go by color.
In the end, he picked a Pokéblock that was mostly yellow, decorated with little red petals.
"…Chilly green mango flavor."
Rowan's expression instantly twisted. This flavor was just too unique for him. And it was right at that moment that a notification sound came from his email inbox…