Shane held his phone while Whimsicott wiped down the counter.
Professor Doran’s voice came through the receiver.
“You are the most talented student we’ve had in over a decade.
This is a rare opportunity.
Breeders are fighting tooth and nail to attend Master Wallace’s seminar in the Hoenn region…”
“Professor, I’ve already made up my mind.” He brushed his hand over the dusty espresso machine.
Twenty-one years ago, he had crossed over into the Donghuang region—a world filled with Pokémon—as an abandoned infant.
Grandma Hazel had taken him in, raising him until he became the youngest intermediate breeder at Magic City University by the age of eighteen.
Grandma Hazel had just passed away, and the seminar followed immediately after.
He had no choice but to make a decision.
Shane looked at the peeling wood grain on the window frame.
His grandmother had used this coffee shop to raise him, a soul from another world.
Now that she was gone, he couldn’t let the shop disappear with her.
“Alright then.
I’ll send you some materials after the seminar ends.
Report back to me on your studies when the semester starts.”
“Understood, Professor.”
As he hung up, Whimsicott let out a soft cry and held up a yellowed notebook.
It was his grandmother’s coffee recipe book.
Shane chuckled softly.
“Do you want some?”
“El-fu!” Whimsicott cheered.
Whimsicott had always hated bitter things, but she had never tasted coffee before and wanted to give it a try.
The rich aroma of grinding coffee beans filled the air.
Shane crushed a sweet Lum Berry and stirred it into hot milk, adding a sugar cube.
Otherwise, the bitterness would be too strong for Whimsicott to handle.
Grandma Hazel’s coffee recipes and his own breeder knowledge intertwined in his mind.
A sweet Lum Berry…
perhaps it could neutralize the bitterness?
White steam rose from the two cups of latte.
Whimsicott held her cup and took a sip.
Her cotton-like body suddenly puffed up and curled.
A hot current rolled down Shane’s throat, and a wave of warmth spread from his stomach to his limbs.
Something wasn’t right.
This effect far exceeded the natural capabilities of a Lum Berry.
This was no ordinary coffee!
When he looked up at Whimsicott, a string of information appeared before him.
[Whimsicott] Type: Grass, Fairy Gender: Female Ability: Prankster Moves: Leech Seed, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Cotton Spore, Protect, Sunny Day, Encore, Taunt, Fake Tears, Tailwind, Moonblast, Energy Ball, Cotton Guard, Giga Drain, Solar Beam…
Status: So comfortable, so comfortable (Hot Latte Status: Slightly alleviates own abnormal status conditions) Affection: 100 (Shane is the easiest person to tease!)
Shane froze.
Was this his cheat ability?
Was it an effect born from blending his breeder skills with coffee brewing?
This was simply…
too ordinary.
There were plenty of dishes with nurturing effects.
Poffins, curries, and the like could all achieve similar results, and most high-level breeders could make them.
It just seemed that infusing these effects into coffee was slightly stronger and easier to do.
Still, compared to other protagonists, wasn’t this a bit weak?
Smack!
A wad of cotton hit him right on the nose.
Whimsicott was waving her empty cup and blinking slyly, the fluff on her head trembling slightly with the movement.
“El-fu!”
His attention was drawn back to Whimsicott.
He pinched her cheek playfully.
“Was the coffee good?”
“El-fu!” she replied happily.
Whimsicott was the starter Pokémon he had received upon entering university.
To nurture Whimsicott to her absolute limits, Shane had spent more than half of his various scholarships buying TMs and items.
As a result, Whimsicott was exceptionally well-trained.
Students majoring in Pokémon battling would often seek Shane out to team up for double battles.
Shane figured that if his battle sense matched his breeding skills, ninety-nine percent of the battle department at Magic City University wouldn’t be able to defeat him.
Unfortunately, heaven didn’t grant him every talent.
Shane knew he simply wasn’t cut out for Pokémon battles.
At the very least, he had never even managed to beat his close friends.
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Shane hugged Whimsicott.
“From now on, we’ll be running this coffee shop while I work on my master’s degree.”
He rubbed Whimsicott’s cheeks, which were warm and soft from the coffee.
Whimsicott purred and nuzzled against his chin.
“El-fu!”
Under the dim, warm light of the counter, the coffee-stained recipe book lay quietly open.
After cleaning up the inside of the shop, Shane carried Whimsicott to the backyard.
He pushed open the creaking wooden door, but the sight before him left him stunned.
The familiar small courtyard was gone, replaced by a vast expanse of grassland and a lush forest.
“El?”
Whimsicott poked her head out from his arms.
“Is this…
an alternate dimension?” Shane muttered to himself, his heart rate picking up.
“A double cheat?”
Holding Whimsicott, he stepped into this entirely new world.
The green grass beneath his feet was soft and dense, carrying the fresh scent of earth.
With a soft cry, Whimsicott leaped gracefully from his arms.
The little cotton-like creature stepped onto the grass, looking around in curiosity.
Shane followed closely beside her, his gaze sweeping across the miraculous space.
The grassland stretched into the distance, meeting the forest.
A winding stream could be faintly seen reflecting the dim light, and the silhouettes of rolling mountains loomed even further beyond.
It was clearly a complete and comfortable ecosystem.
“Whimsicott, look!” His voice was filled with the thrill of discovering hidden treasure.
Whimsicott immediately hurried over.
Shane carefully identified the plants.
“Pecha Berries, Chesto Berries, Cheri Berries…
and over there, that’s a rare Custap Berry!”
He led Whimsicott through the woods.
When his eyes landed on a tree bearing peculiar fruit at the edge of the forest, Shane was utterly shocked and couldn’t help but gasp.
“My god, Salac Berries!
There are actually two Salac Berry trees here!”
He remembered the grueling application process at Magic City University.
A breeding major might not even get enough berries approved for a week’s worth of experiments, yet here were two trees actively bearing fruit!
Immense joy instantly washed over him.
“Whimsicott, we’re going to be rich!”
“El-fu!”
Whimsicott cried out happily as he rubbed her head, her large eyes curving into happy crescents.
Shane quickly pulled out his tablet and sat on the ground, while Whimsicott obediently snuggled up against his leg.
He recorded the rich variety of berries in the ecosystem while feeling the warm body heat radiating from Whimsicott.
The backyard produced rare berries, and the coffee shop brewed magical coffee.
Combining the two made his dream of earning money to nurture Pokémon incredibly clear and viable.
Making Pokéblocks was far more difficult than brewing coffee.
A single cup of coffee could bring out two hundred percent of a berry’s effects, making it much more cost-effective.
Shane gently stroked the fluff on top of Whimsicott’s head.
“From now on, this is our secret base, Whimsicott.”
After finishing his notes, Shane held Whimsicott and took another look around the vibrant yet unusually quiet space.
Aside from the rustling of leaves in the wind and the babbling of the stream, there were no other sounds.
“It seems this ecosystem isn’t quite complete yet.
There are only plants and no Pokémon companions.
It feels like something is missing.
Once we settle in, we’ll find a chance to bring some Pokémon to live here and liven the place up.”
“El-fu!”
Shane started picking the ripe berries, with Whimsicott helping by his side.
For the particularly rare varieties, Shane collected them, separated the seeds, and replanted them in suitable soil.
Whimsicott used her little paws to help dig the dirt.
Returning to the coffee shop with a bountiful harvest, Shane felt a deep sense of satisfaction as he looked at the clean storefront and the fully stocked ingredients.
The equipment was ready, and everything was in place.
All that was left was to open for business.
“Whimsicott,” Shane said, picking up the little creature who was busy cleaning the dirt off her paws.
“We can officially open the shop in a few days.”
“El!
Fu!”
“However, the grand opening will have to wait a few more days.
That’s because I still need to head back to Magic City University and get my undergraduate thesis defense out of the way first.”
Even though Shane had already secured early admission as a graduate student at Magic City University, his undergraduate thesis defense was still pending.
It was unavoidable.
Damn thesis defense.