The wooden door creaked open, and the figure standing outside made Shane freeze slightly.
Magic City Gym Leader Nova leaned against the doorframe.
Her hair was disheveled, her expensive silk shirt rumpled, and heavy dark circles hung under her eyes.
“Gym Leader Nova?” Shane stepped aside to let her in.
Nova stumbled in and collapsed into a seat, massaging her throbbing temples.
“Shane?
So this cafe is yours…”
She hoarsely loosened her collar.
“Just get me a latte, anything to wake me up.”
“Want to try the Oran Berry special?” Shane picked up a golden-orange berry.
“It’s very effective for restoring stamina.”
“Sure, sure…” She waved her hand wearily, but before she even finished speaking, she suddenly slammed her fist onto the table!
Bang!
Whimsicott was so startled he puffed up into a giant fluffball, while Shane silently steadied the rattling coffee cups.
“Right, you’re close with Kade, aren’t you?” Nova’s eyes burned with fury.
“That bastard has been bringing twelve varsity team members to challenge my Gym in shifts these past few days!
From five in the morning to eight at night!”
She yanked back her sleeve to reveal her Trainer wristband, which was densely packed with battle records.
“Two of my Gym referees have already collapsed from exhaustion!
Does he think I’m some kind of battling machine?!”
Shane lowered his eyes and continued grinding the beans.
The hiss of the steam wand frothing the milk drowned out her complaints.
He knew this was going to cause trouble.
Sure enough, they were treating it like a dojo-crashing crusade.
By the time the white porcelain cup was pushed in front of her, Nova had cursed Kade out several times before finally calming down.
Just as she was about to drink, she noticed something unusual.
“Berries in coffee?
Is this even drinkable?”
“It’s three thousand six hundred a cup, so of course it’s drinkable.” Shane tapped the price board with his fingertip.
“That’s highway robbery!”
“Try it and you’ll see if it’s worth the price.”
Nova drank coffee frequently and was quite the connoisseur.
She wasn’t short on money.
As the head of the Magic City Gym, the Donghuang Alliance allocated her three hundred million in funding every year.
Even after deducting the costs for students, Gym maintenance, and renovations, she still took home a hefty salary.
Still, a coffee for 3,600 Alliance Dollars was undeniably expensive.
If it tasted bad, she was going straight to the Magic City Regulatory Bureau to report him!
Nova gave him a deadpan stare, took a half-sip, and suddenly froze.
A warm current spread from her stomach to her limbs, and her tense shoulders and neck relaxed as if she were soaking in a hot spring.
“Is this…
the effect of the Oran Berry?” She swirled the cup in disbelief.
“Eating it directly takes at least half an hour to kick in, but this…”
It was soothing and refreshing.
She felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
“This is my special blend.
It has the stamina-restoring effects of an Oran Berry, but it works much better than eating one raw.”
“It’s that potent?”
In the Donghuang region, anyone who wanted to own multiple Pokémon needed at least a Junior Breeder certificate; otherwise, they were limited to raising a maximum of three.
The requirements for Gym Leaders were even stricter, demanding at least an Intermediate Breeder certification.
Both were Intermediate Breeders.
Yet, she never could have imagined preparing Berries like this.
“Do you have any other coffees?”
“Of course.”
Whimsicott hopped onto the menu stand, slapping the gold-foiled descriptions of the special drinks.
Nova scanned the lines, reading phrases like ‘Increases Elemental Resistance’ and ‘Enhances Base Stats.’
This was absolutely absurd.
Was this really something an Intermediate Breeder could accomplish?
“I’ll take one of each of these five premium lattes!”
Shane rubbed his nose.
“Sorry, Kade and his team cleared me out an hour ago.”
Nova was speechless.
Just hearing Kade’s name gave her a headache.
“These Berries are rare, as you know.”
Nova could only accept her fate.
Those Berries were indeed rare.
After finishing the Oran Berry latte, she felt much better physically, and her mood had significantly improved.
“Then I’ll pre-order the next batch.
Save those five cups for me and deliver them to the Magic City Gym, how about that?”
“That’s not very convenient.
I’m the only one running the shop, and I don’t feel comfortable letting Whimsicott go by himself.”
Nova stared at him.
A vein throbbed on her forehead.
She took a deep breath.
“Double the price!”
“When do you need them?”
Nova’s mouth twitched at how quickly Shane changed his tune for money.
“Anytime between eight in the morning and six in the evening, on any day.
Oh, and you are absolutely not allowed to bring Kade.”
“Deal.”
After finishing her coffee, Nova stretched lazily and was about to leave when Shane stopped her.
“Gym Leader Nova, that will be 3,600 Alliance Dollars, please.”
Nova paused.
“I recall your teacher asking me to give you some breeding methods for your Whimsicott.
Do you not want them anymore?”
Shane was speechless.
Crap, she had him checkmated.
Nova swiped her card to pay, then waved the black card between her fingers.
“With such a handsome face, don’t just focus on money.
Careful, or no girl will want you, and you’ll end up old and alone—”
“Elfuun!”
Whimsicott furiously rolled up a rag and hurled it at the door, but Nova was already gone.
That despicable bad woman!
Shane wouldn’t end up unwanted.
He, Whimsicott, would stay by Shane’s side forever.
Hmph!
Shane didn’t mind Nova’s words at all.
The future could wait; right now, the most important thing was making money!
“Whimsicott, let’s have a good meal!” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Elfuun!” ‘I want to eat…
something spicy.’
“Spicy?
You got it!”
Shane tied on his apron, and Whimsicott’s cottony paws gently nudged his elbow.
He looked down and saw the little guy holding up his phone, the screen glowing.
“You want to film another video?” Shane asked.
Whimsicott nodded.
“Alright, then I’ll leave it to the great director, Whimsicott.”
Shane took the phone, found a tripod, and set it up steadily in the corner of the kitchen.
The camera framed the kitchen counter and half of the dining table.
He pressed the record button, and a red light began to blink.
Whimsicott leaped gracefully onto a clean section of the counter and pushed over a bowl of chicken wings.
Shane turned on the faucet, letting the water wash over the wings.
He dried his hands, heated the pan, and poured in some oil.
The chicken wings slid into the pan with a sizzle.
Their skin quickly tightened, taking on a golden, crispy edge.
“Whimsicott, could you hand me the seasoning bottles, please?”
“Elfuun.” ‘Coming.’
Whimsicott passed the bottles over.
With a flick of his wrist, Shane drizzled in light and dark soy sauce, stirring everything evenly.
The dark sauce coated the wings.
He poured in cola, and the brown liquid instantly boiled and bubbled.
Dense bubbles rose and popped, releasing a rich, sweet aroma mixed with the scent of meat.
Shane covered the pan with a lid and turned down the heat.
He turned around to prep the tofu.
Blocks of tender white tofu slid into another pan of warm oil, frying until both sides were slightly golden.
Whimsicott had already pushed a bowl of minced meat to his side.
The minced meat went into the pan, quickly browning as he stirred it apart, followed by minced ginger and garlic to bring out the fragrance.
Shane poured in a pre-mixed sauce of light soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, and starch.
The sauce quickly thickened and turned glossy, coating the tofu and minced meat.
“Elfuun!” ‘Smells so good!
Shane’s cooking is getting better and better.’
“Careful, it’s about to come out of the pan.”
He sprinkled a handful of bright green chopped scallions, turned off the heat, and plated the dish.
Finally, the iced lemonade.
Ice cubes, lemon slices, cold water, and a touch of honey.
A gentle stir, and it was done.
The three items were brought to the dining table: amber, glossy cola chicken wings; tender tofu coated in a rich, dark minced meat sauce; and the pitcher of lemonade.
Shane took off his apron and sat down across from Whimsicott at the table.
“Let’s dig in.”
“Elfuun!”
Shane picked up a chicken wing with his chopsticks.
The sounds of chewing, the occasional clink of utensils against plates, and the subtle noise of a straw stirring the lemonade filled the air.
Whimsicott would occasionally look up at the phone still recording, his orange eyes reflecting the warm yellow light and Shane’s quiet profile.
Shane took a sip of ice water, the coolness sliding down his throat.
“Elfuun.” ‘Days like this are really nice.’