The bicycle rolled all the way into the scenic area, swaying leisurely along until it reached a small storefront.
After parking the bike, Blake took out his key and opened the rolling shutter, revealing a little shop that had already been prepared inside.
A horseshoe-shaped glass counter sat in the middle, displaying all kinds of accessories.
The walls had been painted sea blue, matching the unified décor shared by all the row shops in the area.
After all, this was a seaside scenic district.
Various photographs hung on the walls.
Some showed Blake, some showed his parents, and some featured people even older than them.
All of them were photos taken with others, and those people had once received help from Blake’s family.
As for what the shop sold, it specialized in all kinds of charms.
That’s right—charms.
Oval Charms, Shiny Charms, Catching Charms, Exp.
Charms, and besides those, there were also family-made charms passed down through Blake’s household, such as Safety Charms, Substitute Charms, Health Charms, and more.
Every one of them had been handmade by Blake.
Aside from their ability to exorcise spirits, his family had also inherited the craft of making charms, and Blake’s little shop existed precisely to sell them.
Of course, as a family known for exorcism and guiding Ghost-type Pokémon, they could also make Cleanse Tags and Spell Tags.
However, those were not easy to produce.
Unless someone placed a custom order, Blake would not simply leave them sitting in the store.
“So the renovation’s already finished.”
Nessa looked around the small shop.
It was clean, tidy, and very much to her taste.
“It was actually finished half a month ago.
Restocking took a bit longer.
Give me a hand and put these into the cabinet on the other side.”
As Blake spoke, he took out several boxes.
They were filled with pearl necklaces.
After all, many people did not understand the effects of charms, so he still needed to prepare some things that could attract tourists at a glance.
Pearl necklaces were a good choice.
For Hulbury, ordinary pearls were not exactly rare, unless they were exceptionally large Pearls or special pearls produced by Clamperl.
“Got it.
Oh, right, when my dad came back last time, he managed to get a pearl from a Clamperl.
It was unbelievably pretty.”
Looking at the pearl necklaces in the boxes made Nessa suddenly remember the pearl they had at home.
“Clamperl pearls aren’t easy to get.
They live in the deep sea, and they’re extremely sensitive to hostile intent.
If someone approaches them with bad intentions, there’s no way they’ll be able to get a pearl.
Your dad was really lucky.”
Blake sighed with genuine admiration.
“Yeah, my dad said the same thing.
Too bad that Clamperl didn’t want to be caught, so it didn’t come back with him.
Speaking of which, isn’t Gastly close to evolving?”
As Nessa spoke, she looked toward Gastly, who was helping with Psychic.
Although Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar could all learn Psychic, very few Gastly actually mastered the move.
In most cases, a Gastly’s mental strength simply was not enough.
“If we’re being honest, Gastly could have evolved a long time ago.
He’s the one who wanted to strengthen his so called ‘foundation’ a bit more first.
This guy only gets this careful when it has something to do with his strength.”
Blake smiled and stroked Gastly’s cold body.
“Gastly!
ヽ(￣▽￣)ノ”
Gastly laughed happily.
Although his Trainer was not a full-time professional Trainer, Gastly himself still loved battling.
He had even gone out of his way to learn from his senior—Blake’s father’s Gengar.
After all, Blake would definitely inherit the family tradition in the future, and Gastly wanted to become his strongest support!
“Chewtle is close to evolving too, but my teacher also said there’s no need to rush.
Letting a Pokémon stay in its first stage for a little longer only helps them.”
After placing the last box properly, Nessa picked up Chewtle beside her and held it in her arms.
“That’s right.
Leaving aside the fact that a Pokémon’s first stage may learn some moves that its evolved form can’t, it’s also very beneficial for their development.”
After arriving in this world, Blake had initially believed that his knowledge would let him overwhelm everyone with ease.
Later, however, he realized just how wrong he had been.
The real world was not a game or an anime.
Pokémon were not data, nor were they images on a screen.
They were living, breathing beings.
For example, in the games and anime, Pokémon could battle and train soon after being born.
But how could real life work that way?
Newborns were fragile.
If a newly hatched Pokémon was overtrained, the impact on its body would be almost irreversible.
In milder cases, it could lead to developmental issues such as slow growth or a smaller build.
In more serious cases, it could result in injury, illness, or even an inability to evolve, not to mention the psychological problems that could follow.
Take Blake’s Gastly, for instance.
According to the Pokédex, a Gastly’s usual height, including the spread of its black gas, was around 1.3 meters.
Blake’s Gastly, however, was already between 1.5 and 1.6 meters, almost comparable to a Haunter.
Part of that was because Gastly was the product of generations of careful breeding within the family, but Blake’s care and feeding since Gastly was young had also played a major role.
On top of that, there were the ratios and combinations of various foods to consider.
A Pokémon’s own personality could affect its tastes as well, and learning how to balance their diet alone had already given Blake plenty of headaches.
Fortunately, it was not a problem for Pokémon to eat some ordinary human food, but Energy Blocks were still a necessity.
Not everyone had Professor Oak or Brock around to help take care of their Pokémon.
“Don’t worry, I know.”
Nessa smiled and picked up the remote, turning on the shop’s television.
Meanwhile, Blake walked over to his small workbench and began processing a new Exp.
Charm.
After working for a while, he threaded the finished charm onto a pendant and looked up, only to find Nessa completely absorbed in the movie playing on television.
It was Meowth in Boots.
On the screen, a Meowth walking on two legs and wearing boots was holding a rapier while facing off against a Midnight Form Lycanroc.
Behind them, an Espurr was cheering him on.
Just as the battle reached its peak, the scene suddenly changed.
“Aaaagh!
What was that for?!
It was just getting to the best part!”
The sudden interruption made Nessa cry out in frustration.
“Shh—look!
This seems important.”
Blake interrupted Nessa’s wail.
Although he fully understood how annoying it felt to be cut off at the critical moment, the figure now appearing on television made it obvious that this was no small matter.
On the screen, inside what was clearly a brand-new stadium, a man around thirty years old waved to the crowd.
He wore a silver-gray suit, had neatly parted hair, and sported a rather flashy little mustache.
“Ladies and gentlemen!
I am Rose, Chairman of the Galar League!
To all our guests here today and to all our friends watching from home, thank you for waiting!”
As Rose called out, the broadcast cut to the audience at the venue.
“The long-awaited Gym Challenge is about to begin!
Only extraordinary Trainers who earn the approval of all eight Gym Leaders and collect all eight Gym Badges will qualify to enter the Champion Cup and challenge our Champion!”
As Rose spoke, he raised a hand toward the rear.
A man in a suit, looking almost ninety percent identical to Rose, smiled at the camera.
However, anyone with eyes could tell how forced that smile was.
“So who will that person be?”
The broadcast cut back to Rose.
He pointed toward the distant entrance tunnel, where young boys and girls in matching uniforms began walking out one after another.
These were the Trainers participating in this year’s Gym Challenge.
“Let us wait and see!
Oh, right!
I nearly forgot to mention something important!
Starting this year, we will officially be introducing Dynamax battles!
All newly built battle venues will be equipped with Dynamax energy amplifiers and spectator protection systems!
Anyone with questions may check the official website for details!
But for now, let us cheer for all our challengers!”
When Rose finished speaking, he was the first to clap.
In the next moment, applause erupted throughout the entire stadium, sending blessings and encouragement to the young Trainers on the field.
“This year’s Gym Challenge?
It looks really grand.”
Nessa’s earlier anger had vanished as she spoke in surprised tone.
“It does.
There are quite a few promising kids this year.
I heard that both the Chairman and the Champion issued recommendation letters this time, and all of them are children who set out on their journeys at the age of ten.”
At that moment, a gentle female voice came from behind them, and Nessa quickly turned around.
“Teacher!”