Registration was simple: just fill out the form and pay a 1,000 PokéDollar deposit. This fee was meant to ensure that Trainers showed up on time. After all, once a match had been scheduled, a no-show would create an awkward situation. Paying in advance made a psychological difference—people were more likely to remember their commitments.
Of course, after the competition, the organizers would refund the money.
Once Hayashi Kaede completed his registration, it was nearly ten in the morning. He thought for a moment and decided to do some shopping before heading back. Following a familiar route through HappyMart, he went to the Berry section and picked up ingredients for maintaining energy cubes. Then, glancing at the Snivy in his arms, he asked, "Do you need anything?"
"Snivy?" she tilted her head.
She shook it gently. Having only observed humans from the forest's edge before, she had never seen a place like HappyMart. However, she was quietly intrigued by the way people used those small, square devices—phones—to make purchases.
"Should I buy another Rotom?" Hayashi Kaede murmured, falling into thought.
For a Gym or Breeding House, Rotom was the ideal assistant—handling everything from data recording and weather forecasting to monitoring soil humidity. Best of all, it didn't count toward a Trainer's Pokémon limit.
But the thought quickly passed.
"I'll buy one when I have more money."
The inheritance from his parents was dwindling. As of yesterday, he had about 320,000 PokéDollars left, while a Rotom cost 250,000. He needed to reserve funds for emergencies. Besides, the current size of his Plantation wasn't that big—he could still manage it alone.
On the way back, he passed a rack of pasture seeds. After a brief moment of thought, he picked some up. Better to grow pasture than let the land go to weeds. He recalled that in Magnolia Village, which was under the jurisdiction of Aogiri Town, someone operated a Miltank farm and occasionally purchased dried pasture. Even if they didn't buy from him, growing it himself would be useful.
He had long thought about raising milk-producing Miltank. A proper Breeding House couldn't rely on just one or two Pokémon species. Some Alliance-certified Breeding Houses raised dozens of species and even served as a starting point for new Trainers to select their first Pokémon.
Of course, that would be a lot of work.
In some ways, being a Breeder was like being an office worker.
(Sadness~)
After picking up all his supplies, Hayashi Kaede took Snivy out for steak. However, she remarked with a quiet, "Snivy…"—clearly unimpressed.
It didn't taste as good as the noodles he made.
Hayashi Kaede chuckled. What a joke. He was a God-tier Breeder!
In this world, due to the overwhelming dominance of Pokémon, most ordinary animals had become extinct. The few remaining species lived only under human conservation programs.
Back home, Hayashi Kaede's first task was to craft a fresh batch of maintenance energy cubes for Feebas. It was a familiar process—within ten minutes, the cubes were ready.
Maintenance Energy Cube
Grade: C
Ingredients: Beauty Berries, Spot-Removing Grass
Long-term benefits: Smooth, glossy skin/scales
Cooking Effect: Enhances the effects of both ingredients. After consumption, Charm +15% for 1 hour.
"Huh?" Hayashi Kaede blinked in surprise. "Charm stat? How is that even measured? Does it affect humans too?"
He crushed a warm energy cube and dropped it into the tank. Feebas eagerly consumed it.
A transformation began.
Hayashi Kaede rubbed his eyes. Feebas really did look more beautiful. Its scales were smoother, transitioning from dark gray to a milky white. Even its eyes seemed more expressive.
The improvement was dramatic.
"This effective, huh?"
"Snivy, want to try one?" he offered another cube.
She accepted it happily. The change wasn't as obvious, but she did look a bit glossier.
"Looks like evolution is only a few days away."
Later, Hayashi Kaede removed Feebas from the tank to inspect her condition. The once-bumpy patches were visibly improving. He smiled with satisfaction.
Once she evolved into Milotic, he could finally slack off a little.
Summer temperatures remained high. Newly planted crops needed daily watering—especially with added fertilizer, which increased the water requirement. If Hayashi Kaede had to do all that alone, he'd be stuck in the Plantation every day.
That's where Milotic would come in—ideal for irrigation.
But for now…
He looked at the shimmering heat waves outside and sighed before stepping out into them.
Just as he feared, although the crops had been planted last night and seedlings had grown to about ten centimeters, their leaves were already starting to wilt.
Snivy trotted alongside him. Seeing the overgrown fields, she got to work pulling weeds—no pretense this time. Her speed had clearly improved.
"Wait, Snivy—don't pull them yet. Come here."
"Snivy?" She paused, thinking she had been caught faking effort again, and walked over hesitantly. "Snivy…" (I'll pull the rest super fast…)
"Huh? No, it's not that. I'm going to teach you something useful."
Excitedly, Hayashi Kaede pulled out a green disc from his system inventory. According to the system, all he had to do was press it to a Grass-type Pokémon, and they would instantly learn the move.
Species didn't matter.
Snivy sighed in relief—only to be stunned as the knowledge of Grassy Terrain rushed into her mind.
A moment later, she instinctively used the move.
Green energy burst forth.
The two plots she had weeded yesterday were suddenly blanketed in lush greenery again.
Snivy stared at the flourishing grass in silence, her face darkening.