Inside the breeding house,
Lin Feng pushed open the window of his room, letting the silvery moonlight pour in like flowing water. The night sky glittered with stars, as dazzling as a painted canvas.
The little town was quiet at this hour, with only the occasional chirp of Pokémon breaking the silence.
Sitting on his bed, Lin Feng was pondering a question.
He was thinking about the Gardevoir cursed by Darkrai.
A curse was essentially a form of Dark-type energy, which, for Pokémon, constituted a negative status condition.
The curse afflicting Gardevoir was likely a trait connected to "Nightmare."
Curses of this sort weren't uncommon. One of the most famous Ghost-type curse moves was Destiny Bond a move that forces the opponent to share the user's fate if they're knocked out.
"I wonder… can my Verdant Force dispel something like that?"
Lin Feng murmured to himself, then shook his head.
Mild status conditions were one thing he could heal those and let the Pokémon recover naturally thanks to their powerful constitutions. But a curse laid on by Darkrai… he honestly wasn't confident he could handle that.
So, escaping such a curse might ultimately be up to Gardevoir herself.
Thinking of this, Lin Feng felt a pang of regret. He wished he'd given Gardevoir some Pokéblocks that could enhance resistance to negative conditions.
That way, Gardevoir might have been more inclined to stay.
"Well… no use dwelling on it. Let's check today's special gains instead."
With a soft sigh, Lin Feng didn't blame himself too much.
After all, everything that happened in the orchard earlier had been so sudden it was only natural that he hadn't thought of it in time.
[July 28: Profits – 255,600. Total funds: 1,004,000…]
Lum Berries (x5), Total stock: 24
Yache Berries (x12), Total stock: 36
Mid-tier Lum Berries (x3), Total stock: 7
…
It had become a nightly habit for Lin Feng to tally up his day's special rewards before preparing the next day's batch of Pokéblocks.
But tonight, after finishing his calculations, Lin Feng found himself entertaining a new idea.
Over the past few days, the incident with Gardevoir had drawn quite a few professional Trainers to the small town. All of them had fairly strong Pokémon.
Regular stamina-boosting Pokéblocks were good for raising a Pokémon's happiness, but the effects were ultimately limited.
And besides, no matter how delicious a Pokéblock might be, eating the same kind over and over would eventually lead to boredom.
That meant expanding the types and flavors of Pokéblocks he produced would be crucial for his next stage of development.
After all, for many Pokémon, nothing brought them greater joy than something that actually improved their strength.
"I'll start with a budget-friendly version of defensive Pokéblocks these next few days."
With that decision, Lin Feng headed to the kitchen. He retrieved some Cheri Berries picked earlier by Gardevoir, along with a bottle of Moomoo Milk he'd collected from Miltank.
He also pulled out two Lum Berries.
Lum Berries resembled guavas in appearance.
Even ordinary Lum Berries could sell for several thousand on the market.
Tonight, Lin Feng planned to use these two Lum Berries, mixing them with Sitrus Berries, Cheri Berries, and fresh Moomoo Milk to produce two different flavors fifty batches in total of defensive Pokéblocks.
"How much should I sell these for?"
Lin Feng fell into deep thought.
He couldn't price them too low, but he couldn't make them so expensive that only wealthy Trainers could afford them either. He wanted to keep them within reach for average Trainers maybe expensive enough to make them think twice, but not so costly as to be impossible.
"All right. Let's set one variety at ten thousand, and the other at twenty thousand."
In the end, Lin Feng settled on prices ten and twenty times higher than his usual stamina Pokéblocks.
The ten-thousand variant would be the Cheri Berry flavor, while the twenty-thousand one would feature the richer Moomoo Milk flavor.
Once he'd decided on pricing, Lin Feng got to work. He began by juicing the Cheri Berries and mixing them with Moomoo Milk as a base. Then he crushed the Lum Berries, heated the mixture…
About three hours later…
Two types of Pokéblocks, one red and one white, gleamed on the countertop before him.
**[C-Rank Lum Pokéblock — Made with a small amount of Lum Berries blended with Cheri and Sitrus Berries. Although the production process is somewhat basic, the craftsmanship is precise.
Culinary Effect: Upon consumption, this Pokéblock effectively restores a Pokémon's stamina while also boosting its defense.]**
**[C+ Rank Lum Pokéblock — Created with a small amount of Lum Berries, blended with Moomoo Milk and Sitrus Berries…
Culinary Effect: …]**
Both varieties shared similar effects, though the one made with Moomoo Milk boasted a slightly higher grade.
Rubbing his temples, Lin Feng glanced at the clock it was already eleven o'clock at night.
He let out a yawn.
Producing so many Pokéblocks by himself was definitely exhausting.
If demand kept growing, there was no way he could handle it alone…
"Maybe I should hire another breeder to help make Pokéblocks?"
The idea flashed through Lin Feng's mind, but he quickly shook his head.
He wasn't willing to share his Pokéblock formulas.
Human nature was unpredictable. There were some things he simply couldn't trust to others.
Pokémon, though… Pokémon were pure-hearted.
"Wait that's it! Pokémon!"
Lin Feng's eyes suddenly lit up.
Humans might not be reliable but some Pokémon were perfectly capable of producing Pokéblocks.
Most Pokémon struggled only because they didn't have the dexterity for delicate tasks.
But Psychic-type Pokémon could easily use their powers to substitute for human hands.
In fact, there were Psychic Pokémon capable of controlling data with incredible precision, able to mass-produce Pokéblocks at an industrial scale!
A towering, four-legged metallic silhouette rose in Lin Feng's mind, rapidly taking root and spreading like wild vines.
But then Lin Feng's enthusiasm deflated.
Metagross…
Where on earth was he supposed to find a Metagross?
Pokémon like that cost billions to raise properly.
He'd thought he was doing well, earning six figures a day.
Yet now he realized that the things he truly wanted were still far beyond his reach…
He sighed.
Money always seemed to vanish the moment you tried to spend it…
"Snivy~"
Beside him, Snivy, who'd stayed up quietly the whole time, noticed Lin Feng was finally done. With a warm, thoughtful gesture, Snivy extended a vine to offer him a glass of ice-cold Moomoo Milk.
"Thanks, Snivy."
Lin Feng crouched down, gently ruffled Snivy's head, then drank the milk. Feeling a bit refreshed, he went off to wash up and headed for bed.
Alolan Vulpix was already sprawled across the bed, fast asleep, a tiny bubble occasionally forming at the tip of its nose. It was clearly having sweet dreams.
Lin Feng crept onto the bed carefully, habitually checking the system's happiness notifications one last time. His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"That's odd… Bounsweet? Who'd go out of their way to catch an Alolan Pokémon like that?"
But he didn't dwell on the thought for long. He simply lay down beside Alolan Vulpix, a contented smile spreading across his face.
After all…
Who wouldn't love having an Ice-type Pokémon nearby in the summer especially when it came to sleeping?
Meanwhile, just outside the treehouse, Snivy licked its lips and quietly slipped inside for the night.
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