Takashi was worried. He had to reach a sales target of 20 million Mora within seven days, but without any wealthy customers coming in soon, it seemed impossible to meet the goal.
He had no choice but to change his strategy. After all, Lumine had a good reputation in Mondstadt. She had been honored as the Honorary Knight by the Knights of Favonius and was always out doing missions. Perhaps she could help promote his business for free.
The payment method could be flexible, but the amount was non-negotiable.
"How much do you have now?" Takashi asked.
Lumine checked her pockets, even turned Paimon upside down to see if she had stashed away any Mora. After confirming that Paimon didn't have a hidden stash, she calculated the total amount she had. "I have one million Mora in total."
There was still a one-million shortfall. Takashi thought they could write an IOU for the remaining amount.
"You can postpone the payment of the remaining one million Mora for a week. In addition, wherever you go, if anyone asks about Albatross, you have to help promote it for me."
Lumine's eyes sparkled as she hugged the Wingull close, rubbing her face affectionately against its feathers.
Paimon took this opportunity to bargain. "If I'm helping you advertise, shouldn't you pay me a service fee?"
Takashi lightly knocked on her little head. "If you keep daydreaming, you won't even get to touch Wingull."
Paimon turned her head, arms crossed, grumbling under her breath.
Seeing the Wingull squinting its eyes and bonding closely with Lumine, Takashi knew he didn't need to ask if the Wingull liked her and was willing to go with her.
One bird and one girl, they had bonded well and would surely live a happy life together.
Takashi also took a Pokédex and a Trainer Handbook, along with two pieces of advanced Pokéblocks, from the cabinet and handed them to Lumine. "The Pokédex will help you with most issues related to Pokémon you encounter, and the Trainer Handbook will teach you how to become a trainer. These Pokéblocks are food for Wingull."
Food?
Paimon, who had just turned her head away in arrogance, immediately flew over, eager to open the little box. Inside were purple Pokéblocks, cube-shaped like sugar cubes, which looked quite enticing.
Before Takashi could explain how to feed them, Paimon had already picked one up to taste it. Her face instantly turned purple, and she fell to the ground, limbs in the air.
"Paimon? Paimon?!" Lumine called out anxiously as even Paimon's halo fell to the floor.
"It's so bitter!" Paimon's eyes welled up with tears. She loved sweets, and the taste of this Pokéblock felt like a product straight out of a kitchen from hell.
Takashi then explained, "Pokémon food like Pokéblocks tastes different from what normal humans are used to. Each has their preferences, and as a trainer, it's essential to understand and make the kind of Pokéblocks that satisfy a Pokémon's tastes."
Lumine listened, a bit dazed by all the information. She picked up a small piece and tasted it herself, and yes, it was extremely bitter.
It was even more bitter than Xiangling's "dark cuisine."
She turned to look at Wingull, who had a Pokéblock in its beak and was eating it with relish, squinting happily and occasionally flapping its wings with a delighted "Wooo!"
Paimon rubbed her little head, got up from the ground, and pointed at Takashi. "Did you make me eat such bitter stuff on purpose? Are you trying to send me to the hospital? You have to take responsibility!"
Takashi thought to himself, "This little money-grubber, you were the one who rushed to grab it. Even a whole investigative team couldn't have stopped you, and now you're trying to extort some Mora from me?"
"Here, try this." Takashi generously took out some beginner-level sweet Pokéblocks, instantly winning over the little glutton, Paimon.
"Yum, yum..." Paimon took a few pieces and stuffed them into her mouth until her cheeks puffed up, enjoying every bite.
Lumine stood with her hands on her hips, shaking her head at Paimon. "You're such an embarrassment."
"How much do these cost, shopkeeper?" Lumine looked at the Mora she had left, feeling a headache coming on.
"These two advanced Pokéblocks are free, but the beginner ones are four thousand Mora. Let's just call it the medical fee for the little emergency."
Paimon put her hands on her hips and said with arrogance, "Since you put it that way, shopkeeper, I'll humbly accept."
Takashi then asked Lumine about her plans to devise a promotion strategy.
"I'm planning to gather some Whopperflower nectar soon, so I'll be staying in Mondstadt for a while before heading to Liyue for more gathering," Lumine replied.
"I see," Takashi nodded slightly. "Oh, and when you're looking for Whopperflowers in the wild, keep an eye out for jade and Chilan Berries (he showed her a picture). If you find any, bring them to me."
"Huh, what do you need these for?" Lumine asked, confused.
"I'm making Poké Balls. I'll make some for you later as well." Takashi realized it should have been a free gift in the first place, yet he was making Lumine run errands for him.
He thought to himself, "Looks like I've become just another greedy capitalist."
"Alright, no problem. If there's nothing else, we'll be on our way." Lumine left the Pokémon shop with Wingull and Paimon.
Takashi stretched and noticed the Master Ball on the sofa emitting a golden glow. Xerneas emerged from the Poké Ball.
"You seem a bit shy, don't you?" Takashi looked at Xerneas and asked.
"Yes," Xerneas nodded slightly. "I used to live in the forest, turning into a tree and sleeping for a thousand years. I've had very little contact with humans."
"That's alright. They're good people. You'll get used to it as you slowly get to know them."
"By the way, if you're planning to make Poké Balls, I can help you gather the berries and jade in the wild," Xerneas said gently.
"No rush. Let the travelers and adventurers of Mondstadt explore first."
Takashi looked at the list in the system shop:
- [Battle Simulation Room]: 10 million Mora.
- [Pokémon Training Center]: 10 million Mora.
- [Pokémon Health Center]: 10 million Mora.
- [Pokémon Nursery]: 10 million Mora.
- [Pokémon Merchandise Center]: 30 million Mora.
For now, everything was still in the initial stages. The foundation needed to be established well, and basic knowledge needed to be spread to over ninety percent of Mondstadt's residents. Everyone had to understand the concept of Pokémon rather than blindly attacking them.
A health center would become essential.
Takashi decided to buy the health center first and expand gradually.
Confirmation.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've obtained a Pokémon Health Center. If a Pokémon is injured, in danger, overly fatigued, or exhausted, all they need is to stay in the health center for one night to recover fully."
[Current Pokémon Health Center Size: Two Floors, 100 Square Meters, 10 Beds] (Upgradable) (Grade C) (Upgrade Cost: 30 Million Mora)
With a flash of light, an architectural projection appeared, resembling the outline of a portal. Takashi and Xerneas stepped through the door.
Behind the door was a spacious health center, where Nurse Joy and a Chansey stood at the reception desk, welcoming them with smiles.
"Welcome to the Pokémon Health Center."
On the left, a hallway led to patient rooms, with a small sofa in the corner for four or five people to sit. On the right, there was a data exchange machine for storing and exchanging Pokémon.
Although it looked much simpler than the Pokémon Centers from the anime, it had all the basic functions one might need.