Pokemon: Making pokemon stronger through happiness
Chapter 33: The Crowded Shop
"Here I come, here I come!"
After washing up, Hayashi Kaede rushed to the door, calling out, šš£š²ššØš²šš»š¼šÆš²š.š°šš¦
"Rotom, remember to take the photo!"
"Loto~"
Rotom activated its recording function.
Its current task, assigned by Hayashi Kaede, was to film and edit videos in preparation for developing his social media account.
As soon as he opened the door, Hayashi Kaede froze in surpriseā
there were already dozens of people gathered outside.
It was only six oāclock in the morning.
Some people sat right at the doorstep, while others rested along the Bluestone Path.
Among them, a few were holding selfie sticks, speaking animatedly to their cameras.
"Here we are, folks! The Breeding House in Aogiri Town is finally open! Letās head in and see whatās so special about this little shop!"
A young man sitting on the steps at the entrance saw the door finally open and immediately moved to step inside.
"Wait, wait."
Hayashi Kaede blocked the way, then quickly hung a wooden sign on the door:
"Each person is limited to purchasing three of each type of Energy Cube per day."
It was a necessary precaution.
Looking at the crowd outside, Hayashi Kaede suspected that if he didnāt impose a limit, the Energy Cubes heād prepared the night before would be gone in minutes.
What he really wanted was for as many PokĆ©mon as possible to try the cubes he madeāafter all, every time he encountered a new PokĆ©mon, he would receive a special reward.
"Huh? Boss, you just opened your shop and already set this rule? Arenāt you afraid people wonāt come to buy in the future?"
The young man who had been about to enter looked taken aback.
The customers behind him frowned as well.
No opening promotions, and already rules? That didnāt feel very welcoming.
But Hayashi Kaede answered sincerely.
"Sorry, sorry, I didnāt expect everyone to arrive so early, so I didnāt prepare much. To make sure every PokĆ©mon gets a chance to try them, and to avoid disappointing those who come later, I hope you can understand."
As the saying goesāpeople rarely hit someone who greets them with a smile.
His genuine tone eased the tension, and the frowns softened.
Plus, Hayashi Kaede, looking around seventeen or eighteen with a naturally pleasant face, didnāt seem like someone worth arguing with.
Without more fuss, they began stepping inside.
The layout of the cultivation house was simple.
Glass counters, much like those in a bakery, displayed neat rows of Energy Cubes inside, with sample pieces placed on trays outside for tasting.
On the shelves to either side were spicy tomatoes, peaches, oranges, and vegetables picked fresh from the plantation.
There wasnāt much else to sell at this early stage.
"Oh my god, weāve made it inside, folks! The first thing we seeāEnergy Cubes! Look at the shine, the bounce... these look incredible. But of course, the real test is how the PokĆ©mon react when they eat them!"
"Manager, can my PokƩmon try one?"
Hayashi Kaede nodded. "Of course. Just... if your PokĆ©mon is large, I donāt recommend calling it out inside."
The young man agreed, took out a PokƩ Ball, and released a Beedrill.
Seeing someone ready to test the product, the other customers turned to watch.
PokĆ©mon are perceptive creaturesāthey can often tell whether food benefits them and just how much.
The young man picked up a Physical Energy Cube made from Sitrus berry and handed it to Beedrill.
It grasped the cube delicately with one stinger and ate it in one bite.
Buzzz...
The moment the cube hit its mouth, Beedrill frozeāonly the hum of its wings remained.
"Whatās wrong, Beedrill?" its trainer asked, frowning.
Thenā
[Congratulations to the host for increasing Beedrillās happiness from 20% to 60%. Reward: ten bags of fertilizer, three Rare Candies, and one Dragon Clear Berry (long-term consumption increases a PokĆ©monās defense stat).]
The voice echoed in Hayashi Kaedeās mind.
Beedrill suddenly sprang into action, turning to its trainer and pointing insistently at the Energy Cubes with its stinger.
It was exactly like a girlfriend at a watermelon stall saying: Weāre not going home without one of these.
"Does it really taste that good?"
The young man holding the selfie stick looked stunned, but quickly turned back to the camera.
"You can see for yourselvesāmy Beedrill really likes these! This oneās labeled as a Stamina Energy Cube, meant to restore stamina after battles."
"Chat, Iām buying one to review for you guys!"
"Boss, how much for one portion?"
"One thousand PokƩDollars," Hayashi Kaede replied without hesitation.
The young man blinked.
One portion weighed only about a poundāenough for a PokĆ©mon for three days at most. A thousand wasnāt cheap.
But if it could really restore a significant amount of stamina quickly... for trainers traveling outdoors year-round, it would be a must-have.
Whether it was the real deal was still unknown.
With a testing mindset, the young man bought one portion and hurried outāplanning to come back within half an hour to expose the shop if it turned out fake, while riding the wave of online attention.
The others, seeing this, also called out their PokƩmon to try the samples.
After tasting, most bought at least one portion for their partners.
What Hayashi Kaede didnāt expect was that although only a few customers had come in the early morning, after eight oāclock, more and more people began arriving.
Some bought two portions, others threeāthe maximum allowed.
A few even bought vegetables from the display shelves to take home.
By about 9:30 a.m., every Energy Cube in the shop was sold out.
Just then, a hurried figure appeared at the doorā
It was the young live streamer who had been the very first to try them.