Join my p@treon for more chapters
p@treon.com/Tempest_29
Evan was a little confused.
"These Pokémon snacks, Gardevoir, where do they come from?"
He looked at Gardevoir, who was happily eating energy cubes and snacks. Unable to resist his curiosity, Evan walked over. He handed the notebook in his hand to Isla and asked her to send the missing materials to him through the internet.
Then, he picked up the Pokémon snacks and examined them. Isla, now holding the notebook, looked at him and sighed.
"Brother Evan, you should start using your tablet to record things," she said. "I'll get it set up for you tomorrow. Honestly, you can just download the software and avoid all the trouble of typing on your phone."
She glanced at what Evan had written and shook her head.
"Wouldn't it be easier to use a tablet or a phone with proper software? One tap and it's all saved. No hassle."
Hearing her complaint, Evan gave her a blank stare before returning his attention to the snacks in his hands. He replied dismissively, "I just didn't think of it. Fine, I'll sort it out tomorrow. Don't worry about it."
Then he turned his gaze to Gardevoir. "Gardevoir, who gave you these snacks? And are they high-end snacks?" His tone was filled with curiosity.
These Pokémon snacks were premium products, highly popular among Pokémon but ridiculously expensive in the market. While they had no practical effects, they were incredibly appealing to Pokémon. Offering these treats to a greedy Pokémon could easily win their favor.
Evan recalled hearing about a wealthy trainer who used such methods to gain her Pokémon's loyalty almost instantly. He glanced around the table and noticed that every Pokémon had some of these snacks in their possession.
Munchlax had already devoured its share and was now staring longingly at Lucario's portion. Evan, however, paid no attention to Munchlax's antics. Instead, he focused on solving the mystery of who had gifted Gardevoir these snacks.
"What kind of breeder spends so much on snacks like these?" Evan muttered to himself. "Even though they're insanely expensive, who would actually go through with it? No wonder sales for these things are terrible."
The more he thought about it, the more puzzled he became. While Evan had considered making effective snacks himself, the materials required—such as those for Rare Candy—were absurdly hard to find. It was almost impossible to gather the necessary ingredients.
"Maybe I could figure it out if I ever run into Mew," Evan thought with a sigh.
After all, making Rare Candy requires the leaves of the Tree of Beginning.
Can ordinary people even grasp this kind of thing? I doubt it. Most people have no idea what the Tree of Beginning is, let alone its significance. Only a handful of the Alliance's top personnel are even aware of its existence. After all, they have connections with mythical Pokémon, and many secrets can only be learned from them.
When Gardevoir heard Evan's question, he didn't hesitate to respond. Instead, he explained with surprising honesty.
"The Gym owner gave them to us," Gardevoir said. "She seems to know Violet, and she was interested in meeting you. These snacks were from her. She also said she would visit you soon."
Listening to Gardevoir's words, Evan nodded. "I see. So, is this Gym owner a breeder too? Must be quite leisurely to focus on studying snacks like this. Wouldn't it be more productive to make energy cubes seriously?"
He shook his head in exasperation. "Researching expensive snacks that only rich trainers would buy is such a waste of effort."
Still, as he watched Gardevoir and the others enjoy their treats so much, Evan couldn't help but make some mental calculations. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to prepare some for his own Pokémon. He had the knowledge to make high-quality Pokémon snacks, and he was confident he could outdo the Gym owner in terms of quality.
But the cost of materials was exorbitant, and the return on investment was low. Evan usually avoided making these things unless absolutely necessary. The last time he tried, he had plucked all the leaves off an Exeggutor to create a pudding. The poor Pokémon's leaves hadn't grown back yet.
Returning the snacks to Gardevoir, Evan turned to Isla and the others. "Let's go eat. We can deal with this later," he said. "The day after tomorrow, we've got a guest coming over. Supposedly, they're a master who specializes in using Fairy-types. We'll need to customize some top-tier Fairy energy cubes. Let's see if we can secure this order."
Hearing this, Isla and the others perked up immediately. The prospect of a big order meant dividends for everyone, and earning money was always a good motivator.
After dinner, Isla quickly sent over the files Evan had asked her to process earlier. He forwarded them to the supplier, requesting delivery by tomorrow.
With everything settled, Evan turned his attention back to Gardevoir. Something had been bothering him.
"So," he asked, "how did you trick that Dragonite? And why would you deceive it in the first place?"
Thinking of that Dragonite working tirelessly like a factory machine, Evan couldn't help but want to complain.
"It's like it's out there every day just looking for jobs and working shifts in a factory," he muttered to himself.
When Gardevoir heard Evan's question, she smiled and replied cheerfully.
"Well, I still want you, my dear trainer, to participate in this year's national competition," she said sweetly. "Since Pikachu and the others aren't strong enough yet, we have no choice but to find some foreign aid."
As soon as Gardevoir said this, Pikachu let out an indignant cry.
"Pika-pikachu!!"
Evan glanced at the little Pokémon, whose ears drooped slightly. It wasn't its fault. Pikachu was still just a baby and hadn't even been born a year ago.
Evan sighed and turned to Gardevoir. "Looking for foreign aid? Really? Thanks for figuring this out without me," he said, shaking his head.
The absurdity of the situation nearly made him laugh. His Pokémon were recruiting strong Pokémon to compete on his behalf, all while he remained clueless. He could almost imagine it as the plot of a novel.
Evan pictured it: his Pokémon secretly gathering their powerful friends, dragging him along to participate in the Alliance competition, and eventually winning the title of Elite Champion. He wouldn't even realize it until he saw himself on TV.
"Well, that would be outrageous," Evan thought, his mouth twitching slightly as he turned back to Gardevoir.
"Next time you plan something like this," he said firmly, "please let me know in advance. Don't wait until it's already done to tell me. It's very frustrating."
Gardevoir blinked innocently and smiled. "Of course! I'll let you know next time."
Evan could only groan internally. Next time? God forbid there's a next time. He couldn't figure out where Gardevoir had picked up such audacity.
Blanching, Evan rubbed his temples. "Please don't say, 'for sure next time.' That's not comforting at all!"
He sighed deeply. "I can't believe this. My Pokémon is truly one of a kind."
With that, he walked off, muttering to himself about the ridiculousness of it all, while Gardevoir followed behind, as cheerful as ever.