A simple map; there are actually more towns.
There are quite a few towns between Celestic Town and Snowpoint City.
“The next stop is Celestic Town.
Passengers reaching their destination, please disembark in time.”
Levi took a train from Lihai Town, south of Snowpoint City, and returned to Celestic Town.
Not having a Flying-type Pokémon is still quite inconvenient.
While Arcanine can be ridden, and Metang isn’t incapable of flying, it’s not as stable as Metagross.
The Pokémon Nursery sometimes needs to send Pokémon to people, which occasionally requires a Flying-type Pokémon.
However, this problem will be solved once Metang evolves.
Celestic Town.
It was November, and snow was falling heavily from the sky.
Breath was visible in the cold air as people spoke.
Celestic Town is small but very famous.
This is not only because the ancestral shrine in the center of the town can be traced back to ancient times and preserves the history of Sinnoh in its entirety, but also because it is the hometown of the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia.
Levi hadn’t been back to Celestic Town for over half a year, but everything here was still so familiar.
“Fresh Moomoo Milk!”
“Sweet Honey brewed by Combee!”
The calls of shopkeepers and stall owners along the street were endless, making it seem like a bustling market.
The only difference was that most of them had Pokémon with them.
“Levi, you’re back!
Come and have a taste!”
The enthusiastic uncles and aunties kept calling out to Levi, inviting him to try their food.
“I’m back.
No rush, another day!”
Levi and Lucario held meat skewers in one hand and waved with the other.
“Levi, Lucario, you’re back!”
A sneaky figure jumped up from behind and tapped Levi and Lucario on the shoulders.
They had sensed her long ago but didn’t expose her.
“Makino-nee, long time no see.”
“Lucario!”
(Long time no see!)
Standing before Levi was a young woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a cotton-padded jacket and a cotton hat.
Her name was Makino Yume.
Levi had always called her Makino-nee.
The passing crowd did not hinder their conversation.
“Why are you back so suddenly?”
“My journey is over, I’m back to visit Grandpa.”
“Come, come, come!”
Makino grabbed one with each hand and dragged Levi and Lucario to her stall.
Perched on a chair was a Farfetch’d with smooth, soft feathers, its plump body completely covering its webbed feet.
“Quack!”
Seeing Levi and Lucario, the Farfetch’d raised its leek and greeted them.
“Long time no see, Farfetch’d.”
“Perfect, I just made some jubilife muffins.
Take a few more back for Grandpa Leon to eat.”
Without waiting for an answer, Makino intended to box them up for Levi and Lucario.
The jubilife muffin is a snack made from berries and other ingredients, similar to a sweet cake or bread.
It resembles a poffin, but it is not the same.
Muffins are soft and fluffy, while poffins are crispy biscuits.
Although it bears the name of Jubilife City in Sinnoh, it is actually a specialty of the Galar region.
jubilife muffins are not very famous yet, so it surprised Levi that Makino-nee knew how to make them.
Levi and Lucario stepped back simultaneously, tacitly crossing their arms in front of them to form an ‘X’.
“We have to pay.”
(That’s right.)
Makino widened her eyes: “What money?
Grandpa Leon takes such good care of me!”
“Otherwise, we’re leaving.”
Levi gave a thumbs-up, pointing in the direction of his home.
Makino pouted, finally deflating like a punctured ball.
Levi did a rough count; there were only about a dozen muffins.
After he and Lucario each tried one, Levi waved his hand grandly, “Makino-nee, I’ll take them all.
I’ll bring them back for Grandpa and the Pokémon to eat.”
While Makino helped him box them up, Levi asked: “Makino-nee, why did you start making these?”
Makino used to sell raw ingredients directly, and the old man had always bought ingredients from her.
Makino’s family background was poor; her parents passed away early, and her grandparents were also gone, but she still lived optimistically.
This was the reason why Levi’s grandfather helped her.
Makino smiled: “There’s no competition.
I’m the only one here who knows how to make jubilife muffins.
I went and learned how to make them specifically.”
Levi gave a thumbs-up: “Good thinking.”
Makino put her hands on her hips, very proudly: “Of course!”
Makino’s culinary skills were truly excellent; this jubilife muffin she made was definitely better than what Levi could make.
“Then I’ll head home first.
Let’s hang out again when you’re free.”
“Alright, hurry along!”
After bidding farewell to Makino-nee, a ‘ding’ sound rang in his mind, and another side quest was added.
Makino-nee’s Trouble (Optional): The berries in Makino-nee’s Berry fields have recently been stolen and eaten by unidentified Pokémon.
Please help her resolve this trouble.
Quest Reward: pokémon item lottery ticket * 1
Still so unwilling to trouble others.
Levi looked back at Makino, who was busy packing up her stall, and shook his head helplessly.
“Lucario, we’ll go find Makino-nee tomorrow.”
“Lucario!”
Even without the reward, he should go help.
…
The old house had a small courtyard, surrounded by a waist-high bamboo fence.
From afar, Levi could see a plump, purple Gengar sitting at the doorway, happily eating noodles.
Upon closer inspection, it was beef noodles.
The braised beef was rich in color and cut into large chunks.
The aroma wafted into his nostrils; it was his grandfather’s handiwork.
“You can’t eat that, Gengar, you’ll get sluggish!
Let me help you share the burden!”
“Gengar!” (๑╹◡╹)ﾉ”
Gengar, who was originally grinning foolishly, noticed Levi staring at its beef noodles and hurriedly backed away several steps while holding the bowl.
“Gengar!
Gengar!”
Lucario dutifully acted as the interpreter: (There’s more in the kitchen, go get it yourself.)
“Gengar, where is Grandpa?”
Gengar pointed to the backyard with its short finger, “Gengar!”
“Come out, Arcanine, Metang!”
Levi threw two Luxury Balls, letting Arcanine and Metang come out of the balls.
“Awoo~~”
Upon landing, Arcanine shook its body, and the fluffy mane around its neck fluttered in the wind.
Arcanine twitched its nose and ran toward the kitchen following the scent, disappearing in a flash.
Its speed was staggering.
“You have to use Extreme Speed just to eat noodles?!”
“Bika!”
Metang, on the other hand, immediately looked around to check the environment.
Metang was born in the wild, and because it was a Shiny Pokémon, its living environment was harsher, making its personality more cautious.
“This is my home, don’t worry.”
“Bika.”
Gengar, acting like an old friend, pulled a bottle of iced cola from its mouth and approached the silver Metang, “Gengar, Gengar?”
Lucario couldn’t keep a straight face anymore.
Gengar meant: Friend, want some?
“…” Metang had black lines all over its head.
On the way to the backyard, Levi heard his grandfather’s voice.
“Arcanine, it’s you.
Is Levi back?”
“Awoo~”
“Alright, alright, I’ll serve you some.”
A sturdy old man with black hair, wearing a cotton-padded jacket and looking full of energy, walked out of the kitchen and met Levi head-on.
“Grandpa.”
“Why are you back so suddenly?”
Levi said with a serious face: “I want to come back and learn breeding and cooking from you.”
As soon as Levi finished speaking, a mechanical female voice rang in his mind: [Ding, you have a new side quest.]