Emolga's Repayment

"Don't do anything that dangerous again, got it?" Xia Chen tapped Eevee on the head and scolded her.

"Vee."

Eevee obediently lowered her head and humbly admitted her mistake. Then she turned halfway around, presenting the side with the little cloth pouch to Xia Chen.

"What's this? Did you find something just now?" Xia Chen asked, looking at the slightly bulging pouch.

"Vee!" Eevee nodded happily, her face practically begging for praise.

"Great job!"

Xia Chen rubbed Eevee's ears, then opened her little cloth pouch.

Inside was a tiny golden canister. Printed on it were the words: [Silph Co. Golden Spray (Trial Size)].

Xia Chen was speechless. This tourist area was unbelievably stingy. It was just Golden Spray, and they had even made it a trial size.

Complaints aside, Xia Chen honestly put it into the basket. It was worth at least a few hundred.

Its only use was attracting the attention of wild Pokémon in the wilderness.

Xia Chen had no need for it at the moment. He could just list it on Magikarp Platform later and trade it for money.

What puzzled Xia Chen, though, was why Eevee had come down after picking only two. Even if this tree had only borne two Golden Pineapple Berries, weren't there still ordinary Pineapple Berries?

Faced with Xia Chen's question, Eevee gave him a disdainful look and pointed deeper into the forest.

The meaning was obvious. Young man, think bigger!

How could they give up the entire forest just because of one tree?

Xia Chen looked amusedly at the ambitious little Eevee and ultimately agreed with her choice.

But it was about time for lunch, so rather than setting off immediately, they found a spot beside a stream to prepare their meal.

Starting a fire and cooking in the wild was not only inconvenient, but could also get them caught by forest rangers, so Xia Chen kept everything simple.

Pokéblocks, a large bottle of Berry Juice, Moomoo Milk, the pork floss and egg yolk rice balls he had made that morning, and a bento.

Spread across the grass, it looked quite plentiful.

Xia Chen took out his camera for a panoramic shot, muttering, "Same old rule, the fans eat first~"

"Vee."

Eevee thought her Trainer was really hypocritical. How were the fans supposed to eat? Crawl through the screen?

She certainly did not hold back. Before Xia Chen had even finished filming, she pounced onto the disposable picnic cloth.

Her left paw grabbed a rice ball, her right paw picked up a Pokéblock, and she took a huge gulp of Berry Juice, looking like a starving ghost reborn.

"No one's taking it from you. Eat slowly. At least try to act like a lady," Xia Chen said with a laugh.

He was only joking. As a cook, what he loved most was seeing others appreciate his food, especially Eevee, who had been by his side for so long.

Still, Eevee made the food look so appetizing that she would probably do well as a food streamer.

The scent of food attracted the Pokémon living by the stream. An Emolga leaped down from a tree and landed not far from Xia Chen.

"Emo—" Without question, this little cutie had come begging for food.

Since he had come out here, Xia Chen had naturally expected this. He had deliberately prepared extra, so he poured some Pokéblocks out of the box.

"Emo~ (Can I have a little more?)"

Looking at the pile of Pokéblocks on the cloth, enough for Eevee's entire meal, Xia Chen's face darkened. "That's enough for you. Finish that first!"

"Emo!"

Emolga's eyes lit up. She turned around and called out, and several yellow figures immediately emerged from hiding and ran over to feast.

Xia Chen took a closer look. Pikachu, Pachirisu, Plusle, and Minun.

Good grief, was this an electric rodent family meeting?

In the brief moment Xia Chen stood there stunned, the small pile of Pokéblocks was wiped out completely.

"Emo~"

"Pika!"

The electric rodents begged for food again. Xia Chen helplessly poured out a little more, leaving only half a box of Pokéblocks.

"This is the last bit. Even the landlord has no surplus grain left."

It was not that Xia Chen was stingy. When traveling outside, he had to keep some emergency supplies for himself in case something happened.

Ah, spit, absolutely no jinxing it!

The electric rodents were not greedy. After finishing that portion, they scampered away in a flash.

Eevee blankly watched the Emolga and the others come and go like the wind, quietly muttering.

"Vee. (They didn't even say goodbye. So rude.)"

Xia Chen did not feel much about it. After lunch, he began cleaning up, while Eevee thoughtfully piled the trash together.

The man and Eevee were busy when that Emolga suddenly returned, carrying something bright and shiny in her mouth.

Emolga tossed the star-shaped shining item in front of Xia Chen, then looked at him proudly.

"Emo~ (I, Emolga, never owe anyone anything. This is payment for the meal!)"

Xia Chen picked up the "meal payment" and examined it carefully. Was it a Star Piece?

Whoa, this was one of the key materials for making energy restoration medicine. A piece this small was probably worth several thousand!

That Scrooge of a tourist area owner would definitely be too reluctant to use something so valuable as a prize. Emolga and the others must have collected it themselves.

Xia Chen happily put it away. "Boss is generous! May the boss enjoy good health!"

As he spoke, he handed the remaining half-box of Pokéblocks to Emolga.

Though the value was still unequal, this was the only thing Xia Chen had on him that held any value for Emolga and the others.

"Emo? (This is for me?)"

Seeing Xia Chen, who had seemed so stingy just moments ago, suddenly become so generous, Emolga was a little overwhelmed.

Xia Chen replied with a smile, "Yep. What you gave me just now is very valuable!"

Only after hearing that did Emolga happily accept it. She then called over her companions, who had been peeking from the shadows, to help carry it away.

Before leaving, Emolga turned back and waved at Xia Chen. "Emo~ (Goodbye.)"

Xia Chen responded, "Finish those Pokéblocks quickly. They have an expiration date."

A transaction that delighted both sides was complete. Xia Chen and Eevee bid farewell to Emolga and the others, then set off once more.

After Xia Chen left, a little gray fish that had observed Xia Chen and Eevee for a long time surfaced in the clear stream, blowing several strings of bubbles.

"Vee?"

Eevee's sharp hearing caught the strange sound, and she quickly turned around. Yet all she saw was a quietly flowing stream.

"What is it, Eevee?" Xia Chen asked, seeing how alert she was.

"Vee." Eevee shook her head, thinking that perhaps she had heard wrong.

The man and Eevee continued north.

Xia Chen discovered that the Eevee he had casually picked up was practically a treasure Pokémon. It felt as though her good qualities could never be fully unearthed.

Looking at the assorted Pokémon items in the basket, which together were worth several thousand, Xia Chen decided that he would definitely participate actively in events like this from now on.

Otherwise, it would be such a waste of Eevee's inexplicable sense for sniffing out Pokémon items!

Eevee gave two proud humphs. Did the staff really think their amateur hiding skills could fool Eevee's eyes?

And this was only an appetizer. Next up—

The big one was coming!