After finishing up, it was about time for lunch. Eichi went to eat with Tetsu, then returned to the dormitory to prepare lunch for Beedrill and Scyther.
He took out their Pokémon food and Pokéblocks from his backpack.
Once everything was ready, he realized that his Pokémon food was completely used up. Checking his backpack carefully, he confirmed that he had run out of Pokémon food and Pokéblocks.
He'd been so busy with classes and learning breeding knowledge over the past two weeks that he'd forgotten to restock their supplies.
Looks like it was time to head to Silver Town to buy some, and maybe take a stroll while he was there.
***
After his nap, Eichi left the academy and walked down the mountain. Since the start of the term, he hadn't gone out except for one meal shortly after arriving.
Tetsu had mentioned once in conversation that Silver Town had everything; whatever you could find in other big cities, you could find there too.
So, if you wanted to buy something, just taking a walk around town would be enough.
The town was lively at this hour, mostly filled with students. Since it was Sunday, many came out to shop and relax.
Various snack stalls and small trinket vendors lined the streets, with sounds of bargaining and street hawkers calling out filling the air.
It was bustling and full of a pleasant Sunday atmosphere.
Tetsu had told him before that the shop selling Pokémon food and Pokéblocks in Silver Town was called Snorlax Food Store.
After wandering around for a bit, he finally found it. The Snorlax Food Store was a three-story building, with a huge Snorlax painted above its entrance. The store resembled a large supermarket from his previous life.
He saw many students going in and out; even from outside, he could see the place was quite crowded.
Eichi stepped inside. Near the entrance was a map of the entire store: the first floor sold food for humans, the second floor sold Pokémon food, and the third floor sold Pokéblocks.
He didn't hurry upstairs right away. Instead, he took a quick look around the first floor. Some of the food looked quite delicious, and unable to resist, he bought a few packs.
After checking out, he went up to the second floor. The Johto Region wasn't the same as the Kanto Region, so he wasn't sure if the brand of Pokémon food his Pokémon liked was available here.
The layout and shelf arrangement were a bit different from Kanto's, but it was easier to find things here. However, after searching for a while, he couldn't find any Beedrill food, though Scyther's was available.
He called over a clerk, who smiled and asked, "Hello, student, how may I help you?"
Eichi took out a bag of Beedrill food from his backpack and asked, "Do you have this brand of Pokémon food here?"
The clerk examined the packaging and thought for a moment. "I'm sorry, we don't carry this brand of Pokémon food here."
A bit disappointed, he said, "It's fine, I'll look around some more."
Since that brand wasn't available, he'd just have to find another one.
In the Bug-type section, Eichi started selecting. After studying breeding for so long, he had some skill in choosing Pokémon food.
Here, Pokémon food samples were available for tasting, and each product display had a small tray in front where Pokémon could try it.
Eichi tested a few varieties himself. They tasted awful to him, but were apparently delicious to Pokémon.
After going through several samples, he found a few good ones.
Now, it was time to use his Bug Force.
Channeling his inner Bug Force, Eichi had become increasingly proficient at controlling it. The amount within him was also steadily growing.
He transformed and adjusted the energy, infusing it into several types of Pokémon food.
Then, he released Beedrill to taste them one by one. After Beedrill tried a few, Eichi asked, "Which flavor feels better and has the best effect?"
Beedrill took a moment to sense the changes within its body and reached a conclusion.
Three of them tasted good, but the third one had the best effect.
Since Beedrill preferred the third, Eichi called over the clerk and asked her to pack ten large bags each of Beedrill's and Scyther's food.
After paying, Eichi went up to the third floor to purchase Pokéblocks.
The third floor was clearly smaller than the first and second floors, but its design, shelves, and layout were much more refined.
The shelves looked somewhat high-tech and were very convenient to use.
Eichi began selecting Pokéblocks for his Pokémon. Fortunately, they had exactly the ones Beedrill needed, so he didn't have to look for substitutes. Scyther's were available as well.
That was good news. Just as he was looking around, someone suddenly called out to him.
"Hello, student."
Turning around, Eichi saw a man in his thirties wearing large round glasses and casual clothes.
The man looked at Eichi with curiosity. Eichi asked, "Hello, can I help you?"
Adjusting his glasses, the man said, "I noticed your choices seem very deliberate, and the Pokéblocks you picked are quite good. I'm curious, did you choose them yourself, or did someone recommend them?"
Eichi replied honestly, "Oh, I picked them myself."
The man was surprised. "You picked them yourself? How did you do that?"
Eichi blinked. "Just what others taught me before, plus what I learned from books. That's all."
The man nodded thoughtfully. "I see you're wearing the Silver Academy uniform. You must be a student from the Breeding Department, right?"
Eichi shook his head. "No, I'm from the Battle Department."
The man's eyes widened. "You're not a Breeding major? Then your breeding knowledge, you learned it yourself? Or did someone at home teach you?"
Eichi said, "Someone taught me at first. Now I study on my own."
The man smiled. "That's impressive. For someone your age to be able to select suitable Pokéblocks for their own Pokémon, it's quite rare."
He then slapped his forehead lightly. "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Kant. I'm a teacher in the Breeding Department at Silver Academy. And you are?"
Eichi replied, "I'm Yoshino Eichi, a student from Silver Academy, Battle Department, Class 2-1."
Kant smiled warmly. "Eichi, if you ever have any questions about breeding, come find me in the Breeding Department building, second-floor office."
Eichi nodded. "Alright, thank you. I'll be sure to visit."