The department store was not large, but its shelves by the entrance were stocked with fresh vegetables, Berries, and several kinds of local specialty meat, all looking especially tempting beneath the setting sun.
Xinhai picked out a rack of ribs, several pounds of fresh vegetables, a bag of plump Berries, and some ingredients Pokémon enjoyed.
The shop owner was an elderly man with graying hair. Seeing that Xinhai had bought quite a lot, he slipped an extra handful of scallions into the bag. "Young man, these were grown at home. They're on the house."
"Thank you very much." Xinhai smiled, thanked him, paid, and left the shop carrying the heavy bag of ingredients.
The bag was quite weighty, but that solid sense of abundance made him feel comfortable inside.
By the time he returned to his room at the Pokémon Center, the twilight beyond the window had already faded into pale purple.
Xinhai set the bag of ingredients on the kitchen counter, then placed the small Spatial Backpack slung across his chest on the table as well. He unzipped it and took out several items he kept on hand, putting them away properly.
He walked to the center of the living room, removed all the Poké Balls from his waist, and pressed their release buttons one by one.
Rays of red light flashed in succession as his companions appeared throughout the spacious area between the living room and bedroom.
Eevee emerged from its Poké Ball still slightly groggy. It padded twice across the sofa, found the most comfortable spot, and curled into a ball;
Blaziken stood in the center of the living room, leisurely rolling its shoulders and neck;
Charizard went to the window, spreading and then folding its enormous wings. Its teal wing membranes gleamed with a gentle luster