"Mm! This is really good—perfect balance in both texture and flavor. The gentle energy mixed with Moomoo Milk makes it ideal for newborn growth!"
Brock exclaimed as he tasted it.
"Then do you think there's any room for improvement?" Peter asked cautiously.
In the original story, Brock was a naturally gifted Pokémon Breeder, so Peter hoped to get some professional insight from him.
"Hm…" Brock thought for a moment. "To be honest, I couldn't make Pokéblocks this good myself. But from a breeder's perspective, there are only two possible directions for improvement. One is personalization—adjusting flavor and composition to better match each Pokémon's traits. The other is improving the raw materials themselves to increase energy purity."
"I see…" Peter sighed softly, a little disappointed.
He'd already tried both approaches.
The Berries he used were top-tier even by market standards, and every flavor profile was customized according to each Pokémon's development path. Even so, he still couldn't produce Intermediate-tier Pokéblocks.
As his team grew stronger, Buneary and Dolliv were no longer suited to subsist on Beginner Pokéblocks. He needed to acquire Intermediate ones—fast.
"Could it be… that I'll have to buy them directly from the Friendly Shop?" Peter frowned.
Buying wasn't impossible, but his expenses were already sky-high. Adding another long-term cost might mean crawling back to Whitney for financial support…
Just as he was mulling it over, Roark suddenly spoke up.
"If you want to make Intermediate Pokéblocks, you could try adding medicinal herbs."
"Huh?" Peter turned toward him immediately. "Gym Leader Roark, you're knowledgeable about this too?"
"It's not really a secret," Roark shrugged. "High-energy Pokéblocks usually require active ingredients. You might want to head to Eterna City and ask Gardenia—she knows plants better than most."
The moment those words left his mouth, Brock instantly went berserk.
"Gardenia?! The Eterna Gym Leader, Gardenia?! OHH—she's like a forest fairy herself! Just thinking about her ignites my unbreakable fighting spirit! Ahhh—Gardenia, I—AAAH!"
Before he could finish, Buneary leapt up and delivered a flying kick, sending Brock crashing into the distance.
Peter: "…"
Everyone else: "…"
As a veteran teammate, Ash Ketchum completely ignored Brock. Instead, his eyes sparkled as he stared at Buneary.
"So strong! I didn't know such a small bunny could be this powerful!"
Then, fired up, Ash declared, "I've decided! Peter—I want to challenge your Buneary!"
"Oh?" Peter raised an eyebrow. His gaze shifted to the Pokémon on Ash's shoulder, and a bold idea formed.
"Sure. But I want to fight Pikachu."
Ash grinned. "No problem! Pikachu and I won't lose to anyone, right Pikachu?"
"Pika-pika!"
…
A short while later, Peter stepped onto the battlefield, holding the still-nursing Indeedee in his arms.
Since the arena hadn't been cleared after Roark and Paul's match, Ash and Pikachu were allowed to borrow it.
Peter narrowed his eyes at the eager Ash across from him. At the same time, Pikachu's information appeared before him.
Pikachu ♂ | Lv. 33 (Advanced)
Ability: Static
(30% chance to paralyze on contact. Speed is halved, with a chance to be unable to move.)
Talent: ???
Moves: Classified
Description:
A lightning-hungry mouse that mysteriously has its level and moves "reset" every time it enters a new region. Shares an abnormally deep bond with its Trainer, Ash. Its combat power fluctuates wildly depending on mood and plot requirements, making it an extremely unpredictable opponent.
"…"
Peter's mouth twitched.
Yep.
This was peak Pika-god.
So it really does get refreshed every new region?
No wonder it eventually won the World Coronation Series—Journeys literally started from Kanto, not Galar!
Still, even with a level refresh, Pikachu wasn't something Buneary could normally handle.
Unless…
It acted.
After some thought, Peter crouched beside the little bunny and spoke solemnly.
"Buneary, this next battle is extremely, extremely important."
"Mi-chu?"
Buneary curled its ears, puzzled.
Isn't it just a yellow mouse that's everywhere like a stray dog?
As if sensing Buneary's thoughts, Peter sighed dramatically.
"That Pikachu once defeated the mighty Regice with a single move. It even fought Latios to a standstill."
"In other words," he added gravely,
"it could beat ten of you without breaking a sweat."
"Mi-chu?!"
Buneary jumped in shock, instantly clutching Peter's pant leg. It peeked nervously at Pikachu, ears shrinking back.
Peter noticed and suppressed a smile.
"Scared?" he continued. "If you can't beat it… then climbing Mt. Coronet to visit Grandma might never happen."
"Mi…"
Buneary hesitated.
Peter put on a regretful look.
"Yeah, makes sense. You're still young, after all. Maybe we should just forfeit. Worst case, we wait… seven or eight… maybe twenty years. Not that long, really."
Buneary froze.
That long?!
"Mi-chu~! (No way!)"
It shook its head furiously.
Peter laughed inwardly.
PUA: complete success.
"Actually…" he said gently,
"it's not like there's no way to beat it."
"Mi?"
Buneary's ears shot up.
"That Pikachu is strong, but its Speed isn't that impressive. If we dodge its attacks and wait until it runs out of stamina, we can win."
Buneary glanced at Pikachu doubtfully.
"Mi-chu? (Really?)"
"Of course!" Peter nodded firmly. "Buneary is the fastest Pokémon I've ever seen. Think about it—have you ever met anyone faster than you?"
His tone was calm, confident, absolute.
"Mi-chu!"
Buneary's fighting spirit ignited. It hopped onto the battlefield and shot Pikachu a disdainful glare.
In terms of Speed?
It had never lost.
"Pika?"
Pikachu blinked, confused.
What's with this bunny—scared one second, cocky the next?
Watching this, Peter couldn't stop smiling.
Of course, Pikachu wasn't slow at all.
In fact, Speed was its specialty. Its real weaknesses were stamina and defense.
The correct strategy would've been to use Dig—capitalize on type advantage and end the fight quickly.
But Peter deliberately chose the hardest possible path.
Electric-type moves had the fastest trajectories and sharpest execution of all attacks.
Dodging them purely with Speed?
Incredibly difficult.
"But…" Peter narrowed his eyes,
"that's exactly why it's worth doing."
On Buneary's status panel, the description line glowed clearly:
A Buneary on the verge of evolution. As its Speed Boost Ability awakens, its talent for Speed has been further unlocked—but it requires a perfect catalyst to achieve a leap in life tier.
That's right.
Standing across from Buneary wasn't the legendary Pikachu that had traveled across regions—
It was the perfectly selected training tool Peter had chosen for it.
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