"It really wasn't that impressive."
Yushu felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
Honestly, he had only taken over caring for these Pokémon a few days ago. Saying he liked them might still be a stretch; it was more a sense of responsibility.
After all, every one of them was injured. He couldn't just turn a blind eye.
Kaixin smiled and held out her hand.
"I'm Kaixin, a junior Pokémon Breeder. I run a Pokémon Day Care in town. If you have any questions in the future, feel free to come to me."
"I can still help a little with raising Pokémon."
"I'm Yushu. I just came back to town, and I'm running my family's ranch now."
Yushu shook her hand, a thought stirring in his mind.
A Pokémon Breeder... now that was a scarce resource. Ash had managed to travel far and wide for so many years in the original story largely thanks to having a Pokémon Breeder by his side.
Especially Brock.
Although Brock had never explicitly said what rank he was, his skills were at least those of an intermediate Pokémon Breeder.
Otherwise, why would every passerby who appeared have to comment on how shiny Pikachu's fur was and how well it had been raised?
Did anyone really think that was Ash's doing?
Stick with Ash, and you'd probably be eating sandwiches three meals a day.
"So someone's taken over that ranch to the north! What a shame. I was planning to rent it."
Kaixin was a little surprised.
Yushu replied, "You're welcome to visit anytime."
"I'll hold you to that."
"Hey!"
Kurokawa stood behind the counter, bracing both hands against it. "Are you two planning to keep chatting? You're putting me in a pretty awkward spot here."
"What? Yushu just got here and he's already buying so much from you. As the owner, you won't even treat him to a cup of tea?"
Kaixin gave him a sidelong glance, a hint of teasing in her voice.
"Of course I will. Absolutely."
The shopkeeper Kurokawa sighed helplessly and turned to pour some tea.
The three sat down, and Kurokawa poured Yushu and Kaixin a cup each. The fragrance of tea curled upward.
"Thanks, boss."
Yushu lifted his cup and took a sip.
The tea was good, mellow and sweet on the tongue, with a lingering aftertaste. It was much better than the tea bags he usually drank.
"That's more like it."
Kaixin also picked up her cup and began tasting the tea.
Kurokawa steered the conversation back on track.
"Yushu, my friend, now that we've had our tea, let's keep talking."
"I really wasn't ripping you off on that machine. But since we're from the same town, I'll knock a thousand off. Twenty-one thousand. That's already my lowest price."
Yushu was a little speechless.
And that wasn't ripping him off? He'd knocked off a thousand just like that. Looked like there was quite a profit margin.
Beside him, Kaixin calmly chimed in.
"Eighteen thousand!"
Yushu's brow twitched.
Another expert had entered the fray?
"No can do. Five hundred more off, at most."
Kurokawa pulled a long face, looking as though she were asking for his life.
"Seventeen thousand!"
"I really can't go any lower. Any lower and I'll be selling at a loss."
"Aren't you afraid we won't buy it?"
"I am! But I'm even more afraid of not making money! Rules can be established again once they're gone! Once money's gone, it's really gone!"
"If you won't sell, I'll take Yushu and leave. I heard the next town is having a sale. A similar machine only costs..."
Kaixin made to get up.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Kurokawa couldn't keep up the act anymore. "Final price, eighteen thousand! And I'll throw in a jin of Oran Berries!"
"Deal!"
Kaixin immediately sat back down and turned to Yushu with a faint smile. "Yushu, time to pay."
"Oh, right."
Still dazed, Yushu took out his wallet and swiped his card, the whole process flowing seamlessly.
From twenty-two thousand down to eighteen thousand, with a jin of Oran Berries thrown in. That had saved him four thousand in one go.
What a thoroughly satisfying round of haggling.
"Couldn't you have come a little later? If you hadn't shown up, Yushu was already about to pay."
After collecting the money, Kurokawa gave Kaixin a resentful look.
Kaixin showed no mercy. "I just like seeing you lose out. And get me some Pecha Berries. Someone's boarded a Croagunk with me, so I'm stocking up."
"All right, all right. I'll get them."
The shopkeeper Kurokawa turned to fetch the Pecha Berries, but the corners of his mouth curved upward almost imperceptibly.
Fooled you.
You might get a little bargain, but I never take a loss.
Of course, Kaixin knew that too.
Who actually sold things at cost? Kurokawa was probably still making two or three thousand.
At the entrance, Yushu gathered his purchases together, then turned to thank Kaixin again. "Thanks, Kaixin. You really helped me out today."
Kaixin smiled gently.
"You're welcome. Come by my Pokémon Day Care when you have time. It's not often someone my age comes to town."
"I'm your age too, you know. Why don't you hang out with me?" Kurokawa poked his head out from behind them.
"You? Just mind your shop."
Kaixin tossed those words back without turning around.
Yushu waved to Kurokawa. "I'll be going too, then, Boss Kurokawa."
"Sure. Come see me next time you need anything."
Since he had bought so much, he had arranged for the shop to deliver most of it to the ranch later, but there were still a few things he had to carry back himself.
Luckily, he had Staraptor!
"Star..."
Staraptor let out a strained cry, its voice clearly showing the effort.
Shopping bags hung all over its body: on its back, from its talons, and even around its neck.
It looked more like a moving shelf.
It was Staraptor, a warrior of the skies, a fighter who had battled countless opponents in the air.
And now its mission was... to be a shopping bag?
Grumbling aside, it still persevered without giving up.
Because Yushu had said he would give it extra Berries with its meal once they got back.
Dignity was precious, but extra food was worth even more.
Yushu nodded in satisfaction.
Staraptor was pretty useful after all. Sure enough, every Pokémon had its own value.
By the time they returned to the ranch, it was already noon.
"I'm back-"
"Star-"
Staraptor collapsed straight onto the ground, its wings spread out as though its soul had left its body.
The other Pokémon exchanged looks as they watched Staraptor lying there so feebly.
Was this guy's stamina really that bad?
It hadn't even done any work. All it had done was go shopping, and now it was like this.
If you actually made it work, wouldn't it die on the spot?
Staraptor rolled its eyes, not bothering to explain.
Feed me peanuts.
After lunch, the Berry machine arrived too.
The brand-new machine was carried into the kitchen and placed on the counter against the wall.
Yushu rubbed his hands together and began his Pokéblock-making project.
"First, Miltank's. Pecha Berries as the main ingredient, paired with Lum Berries and Wepear Berries."
He studied the suggestions the Eye of Detection had given him, including the detailed explanations.
Miltank's problem was blocked meridians coupled with poor circulation.
Pecha Berries could detoxify, helping metabolize the toxins accumulated in the body. This was the main ingredient.
Lum Berries could invigorate the blood and improve circulation, speeding up the clearing of blockages.
Wepear Berries could restore stamina, providing energy to support the recovery process.
"This recipe... makes much more sense than those single-Berry recipes Kurokawa gave me."
Yushu had discovered a whole new world.
The recipes Kurokawa had given him all used a single type of Berry. Their effect was simply to refine Berries into Pokéblocks, with only one function.
But the recipes provided by the Eye of Detection combined several types of Berries. Different Berries would produce synergistic effects, making one plus one greater than two.
It felt a bit like refining pills.
First-grade alchemist Yushu! Making his official debut today!