Miles tapped the Poké Ball.
Where the red light bloomed, Roselia bowed elegantly, his brightly colored flower buds exuding a sweet fragrance in the rainy mist.
“Enjoy, Roselia.”
Miles pushed the Occa Berry Latte in front of Roselia.
Roselia used his rose-like buds to hold the cup, the light purple liquid reflecting his delicate facial markings.
In terms of strength, Roselia was definitely not as strong as Whimsicott, but that deep-seated elegance surprised Shane a little.
To think that the somewhat disheveled Mr.
Miles had such an elegant Pokémon.
Mr.
Miles must have poured a lot of love into Roselia.
Whimsicott leaned in curiously to sniff.
He remembered that the bitterness of this cup was stronger than the Oran Berry Latte.
*’It doesn’t taste good.’*
“Rose…” Roselia took a small sip, letting out a soft, satisfied hum from his throat.
Miles took a sip of his iced Americano and raised an eyebrow.
“You might look young, but I never expected the coffee you make to taste this amazing!”
“I am a Breeder, after all.
I can’t let my manual skills fall behind,” Shane replied.
“Rose!” Roselia suddenly clutched his chest as warm golden specks of light seeped from the gaps in his buds.
Miles hurriedly stood up.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“This Occa Berry Latte can slightly increase a Pokémon’s resistance to Fire-type moves.
There will be a noticeable improvement after digesting it, and over time, the accumulated resistance will be quite substantial.”
Whimsicott circled around Roselia; he had reacted the exact same way back then.
It had the same effect as eating the Pokéblocks given by Professor Doran, but coffee wasn’t as tasty as Pokéblocks.
Under the lights, Miles’s pupils trembled slightly.
Miles had assumed Shane was just an ordinary Intermediate Breeder.
After all, there was a considerable number of Intermediate Breeders in Donghuang, and the only difference between Shane and the rest was his youth.
He hadn’t taken the detailed explanations on the menu seriously.
He never expected his breeding skills to be this strong.
A single cup of coffee could noticeably increase a Pokémon’s resistance—that was terrifying.
This was something only an Advanced Breeder could achieve, right?
And it only cost a little over five thousand Alliance Coins a cup.
If utilized properly, it could be highly profitable.
Miles said, somewhat excitedly, “Manager, do you realize your breeding skills are terrifyingly good?
If this coffee were mass-produced, it would be an absolute gold mine.”
“Of course I know, but I just want to sell coffee.
The shop doesn’t accept breeding commissions.”
The underlying meaning was that Shane wouldn’t mass-produce the coffee, nor would he sell the recipe.
Miles understood.
He also had a dream of becoming a Trainer, but unfortunately, despite obtaining a Trainer’s license, he couldn’t even defeat the first Gym, so he had no choice but to give up on his dream.
But with the help of this coffee, maybe his dream could come true?
After all, the coffee was much cheaper than Pokéblocks and professional Breeder services.
Miles swallowed hard and pulled out his Alliance Card.
“Two more cups!”
“Whimsi!”
Whimsicott hopped onto the cash register and patted the scanner.
Shane collected another ten thousand or so Alliance Coins and made two more Occa Berry Lattes.
After drinking them, Roselia felt the same sensation as before—comfortable, his whole body feeling completely relaxed.
But by the third cup, the feeling was noticeably weaker than the first.
“That’s the limit,” Shane said, stopping Miles from ordering another refill.
“If too much coffee is consumed at once, the body can’t fully digest it.
I suggest you go back and help Roselia digest it properly.”
“How should I train him?” Miles blurted out.
Whimsicott suddenly jumped onto Roselia’s shoulder and gently patted his back with his little paws, just like how Shane rubbed his tummy.
“Normal digestion is fine,” Shane said, scooping Whimsicott back into his arms.
“If you’re looking for breeding services, you can find other Breeders.
This shop doesn’t accept breeding commissions.”
As the sound of the rain gradually subsided, Miles expressed his deep gratitude.
“Thank you for your help!
I will definitely come again.”
Whimsicott clung to the glass door and waved his cottony tail, while Roselia’s buds bloomed into a parting watery ripple at the street corner.
“We look forward to your next visit!”
The soft click of the glass door closing shut out the sound of the rain.
Whimsicott jumped onto the bar counter, propping up his chubby cheeks with his cottony paws as he looked at Shane.
He didn’t understand why Shane refused Miles’s breeding request.
The money Shane made from a single commission could easily cover a month’s worth of Intermediate Pokéblocks for him, and hadn’t he frequently accepted commissions from classmates while at school?
If he continued accepting commissions, he could definitely earn more money!
That way, they wouldn’t be short on money anymore.
“Are you wondering why I don’t accept commissions?
Because running a shop requires rules,” Shane said, brushing over Whimsicott’s fluffed-up fluff.
The warm light from the bar cast fan-shaped shadows over his eyelashes.
“If I accepted breeding commissions…”
He looked at the old photo of his grandmother on the wall.
“…the coffee shop would exist in name only.”
Right now, Shane not only needed to run the coffee shop but also prepare for the Advanced Breeder exam, all while getting ready for his upcoming life as a graduate student.
The money they had now was enough to maintain their daily lives and breeding expenses, so there was no need to continue taking on breeding commissions.
Whimsicott’s ears suddenly drooped.
“Besides,” Shane suddenly pinched his soft cheek, “a Pokémon can digest a maximum of two cups of special blend coffee at a time.”
Shane drew a diagram in the ledger.
If Miles took the opportunity to resell the coffee, Shane would be worked to the bone like a machine.
“Whimsi?” Whimsicott picked up a pencil and drew a crooked sun next to the two cups…
well, it was supposed to be a stick figure.
“Right.
Once more customers come…”
Whimsicott suddenly pointed at the empty booths.
Raindrops were meandering down the glass windows, refracting the neon signs into fragmented patches of light.
After Miles left, there were no more customers in the shop.
It was raining today, so there wasn’t even anyone coming in for regular coffee.
If they wanted to make money, they had to get people to walk through the door first.
Shane smiled bitterly.
With no reputation right now, it was indeed a tricky situation to handle.
“How about shooting a promotional video?”
*’Will that work?’* Whimsicott tilted his head.
Shane didn’t know either, but short videos were very popular right now.
What if he went viral?
After all, a person always needed to dream big.
Action followed thought.
Whimsicott immediately leaped onto the counter, holding the phone high with his cottony paws.
In the frame, Shane operated the siphon coffee maker rigidly, his explanation as flat as a laboratory report.
Stop!
In the playback, the silhouette of Whimsicott tilting his head and yawning was more eye-catching than the coffee.
It had absolutely no appeal.
Shooting a video was useless!
Shane held Whimsicott and opened the YouTube page.
Various content creators’ videos were recommended.
Diantha’s new movie promotion, Nessa appearing on a fashion magazine—each easily breaking tens of millions of likes, with some even reaching hundreds of millions.
YouTube was an app used across several regions, and its daily active user count was staggeringly high.
Shane continued scrolling through videos until a cozy channel popped up—a Pikachu and a young girl sharing a lotus leaf umbrella, with water droplets bursting into golden fireworks against its cheek pouches.
“Cozy daily life…” Shane muttered.
Whimsicott suddenly squeezed into his arms.
“Shall we give it a try?” The electronic light reflected in the young man’s eyes.
Whimsicott immediately cupped his chin, mimicking his thoughtful expression.
What could they film?
Whimsicott struck a thinking pose.
Shane sighed.
“Forget it, I’ll just make dinner.
What do you want to eat tonight?”
*’Dinner!’*
Speaking of dinner, Whimsicott instantly got excited.
Sweet and sour ribs, braised pork tenderloin, shrimp meatballs—he wanted to eat them all.
Before Whimsicott could even say what he wanted, drool uncooperatively trickled down from the corner of his mouth.
Well…
alright.
He didn’t even need to hear it to know that Shane already knew what Whimsicott wanted to eat.
Time to head up to the second floor.
Shane gently wiped the drool from the corner of Whimsicott’s mouth.
“Let’s go, you little glutton.
I’ll make something delicious today!”
To the kitchen, to cook!