Lumine saw Paimon not only openly fighting for food with Pokémon in front of others, but also getting dizzy from the bitterness of the Pokéblock. Her face flushed red in embarrassment, and she quickly put the boxes into her spatial backpack, dragging Paimon away. "Shopkeeper, I'll work hard to find the jade for you."
Takashi turned his head and smiled at Xerneas.
Xerneas squinted its eyes. "That little one never learns her lesson."
Takashi placed the iron ore, white iron ore, crystal ore, and Ball Fruit that Lumine had brought on the table. He pinched his chin, thinking for a moment. "Xerneas, do you think we could make Poké Balls with these materials?"
"We could give it a try."
Takashi looked at the system task. The mission of **[Accumulating Sales of 20 Million Mora in 7 Days]** had already been completed.
He could activate a ten-pull again.
He thought to himself, he wasn't Kurt from Azalea Town, who could make Poké Balls out of Apricorns.
At first, he was just giving it a try, but Lumine actually managed to bring back a fruit.
The Poké Balls in the Pokémon store were innate, so they couldn't be used to capture other Pokémon.
Now, if he could get a Poké Ball manufacturing machine or learn how to make Poké Balls, he could start producing them himself.
This would have a great impact on promoting Pokémon in the future.
Thinking of this, Takashi felt sure of his idea. He closed his eyes and pressed the ten-pull button (supposedly, this increased the chance of getting good items).
As ten purple lights flashed across the sky, Takashi knew his luck was as bad as always.
"Congratulations, you've received [Poké Ball Crafting: Beginner to Mastery] (C-level)."
"Congratulations, you've received [Poké Ball Synthesis Machine] (C-level)."
"Congratulations, you've received [Potion Making Guide] (C-level)."
"Congratulations, you've received premium Pokéblocks."
"Congratulations, you've received..."
"..."
Takashi paused, stunned. Just when he needed a pillow, one showed up.
He had just been thinking about how to make Poké Balls, and now he'd received a manual.
And there was also the method for making potions—he could make them right away and send them to Master Diluc, so his investment would have some return.
Maybe Diluc would even come back for more next time.
However, upon seeing the rest of the rewards—all familiar premium Pokéblocks, seven in total—Takashi sighed.
At this rate, Pokéblocks would be as common as Sunsettias in the wild.
Takashi opened his eyes and found himself standing before a cooking station-like setup. On the left was a small furnace, about the size of a microwave. On the right was an old-fashioned brick-and-stone platform, with a set of tools for hammering: tongs, an iron awl, and a hammer harder than diamond (as described).
Each item was labeled, just in case Takashi didn't understand.
**[Poké Ball Synthesis Machine]**
**[Current Status: Good]**
**[Grade: C]** (Upgradeable) (Upgrade cost: 30 million Mora)
Next to the iron platform were the books "Potion Making Guide" and "Poké Ball Crafting: Beginner to Mastery," as well as seven boxes containing premium Pokéblocks.
Takashi handed the seven boxes to Xerneas, asking it to help place them on the shelf. Then he picked up the books, sat back on the sofa, and began to read.
The moment he sat down and opened the books, a bright glow emanated from within, and a flood of knowledge surged into his mind.
"Ding."
"Congratulations, you have mastered [Poké Ball Crafting: Beginner to Mastery] (C-level)."
"Congratulations, you have mastered [Potion Making Guide] (C-level)."
Takashi's mouth curled up slightly. "Is that it?"
Xerneas, holding an orange fruit in its mouth, placed it in Takashi's hand, its soothing voice resonating.
"Want me to light the fire for you?"
"That would be great." Takashi, now familiar with the basic method of making Poké Balls, decided to use the fruit that Lumine brought back to give it a try.
First, he needed to put the fruit into the furnace and melt it at a high temperature, completely removing the solid core, then recast it into two hollow hemispherical shells. After that, he would add other ores to the melting process.
Then, once taken out, he would place it on the platform and use the awl, tongs, and hammer to finely craft the outer shell.
Finally, he would embed the melted jade (ore) into it, thus completing the production of a standard Poké Ball.
This was the simplest and most primitive production method.
The books also recorded methods for crafting other types of Poké Balls, but without enough materials, he could only make a basic one for now.
Takashi and Xerneas worked from dusk till sunset, exhausted by the effort. The furnace was like a large steamer, and they were both nearly cooked alive.
At last, they completed a Poké Ball. However, being the first attempt, its appearance wasn't exactly flattering.
Theoretically, a standard Poké Ball had a smooth red-and-white exterior without any roughness.
But at least the button on this Poké Ball worked, allowing it to enlarge, shrink, and store a Pokémon. It could be considered a success.
Takashi wiped the soot from Xerneas' eye corner and smiled at it. "We did it."
"Wonderful," Xerneas replied, its eyes half-closed, its antlers glowing in beautiful rainbow colors.
Currently, this **[Poké Ball Synthesis Machine]** was at a primitive level, and they had to rely on traditional craftsmanship, making Poké Balls one by one.
It couldn't match the level of modern factories that produced Poké Balls en masse, like popping out litter after litter.
Now that he owned a **[Pokémon Center]** and a **[Poké Ball Synthesis Machine]**, Takashi knew where his future income would go.
Takashi decided to temporarily close up shop. He and Xerneas would take the Poké Ball, dinner, fishing rod, and bait to Cider Lake to enjoy the night view and see if they could find any Pokémon to test the newly made Poké Ball.
Takashi went to the nearby Good Hunter restaurant to take away a serving of Fiery Meat Sauce Noodles, a Satisfying Salad, and premium Pokéblocks for Xerneas, then sat on Xerneas' back.
The antlers on Xerneas' head glowed in vibrant colors. With a quick teleport, Takashi and Xerneas appeared outside Mondstadt, on a small island in the middle of Cider Lake.
The vast lake surface shimmered under the moonlight, unchanged for centuries. The water was clear enough to see to the bottom, its taste cool and sweet, like fine cider—hence its name.
Takashi and Xerneas sat on the grass, enjoying the cool evening breeze as they had dinner.
After eating, Takashi took out the bait he'd prepared earlier, cast it into the lake, and stuck the rod into the ground, waiting for a bite.
He then gestured to Xerneas, who was still munching on a Pokéblock. "You know, I once caught a fish around here. It was this big."
With that, Takashi extended his arm and casually draped it over Xerneas' neck.
Xerneas chuckled softly, "You really know how to charm, don't you?"