Pokemon: My Strange Pokemons

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Gratitude



"Don't do such dangerous things next time, got it?" Ethan tapped Eevee's head and scolded.

"Eevee."

Eevee obediently lowered its head and humbly admitted its mistake. Then, it turned around in a small circle and presented the side with the little pouch to Ethan.

"What's this? Did you find something just now?" Ethan asked, noticing the small bulge in the pouch.

"Eevee!" Eevee nodded happily, looking at Ethan with an expectant expression, clearly wanting praise.

"Good job!"

Ethan rubbed Eevee's ears and then opened the little pouch.

Inside was a small golden canister, with the label clearly reading [Silver Brand Gold Spray (Trial Version)].

Ethan was speechless. This tourist spot really scrimped on everything—just a gold spray, and it's the trial version.

That said, Ethan still dutifully placed it in the basket. After all, it could still be worth a few hundred Pokedollars.

The only use for this item was to attract wild Pokémon's attention in the wild.

Ethan didn't have any need for it right now, so he'd just sell it on the Magikarp platform for some extra cash.

However, Ethan was puzzled as to why Eevee had only taken two and then come back down. Even though this tree had only two golden Sitrus Pears, wasn't there also the regular Sitrus Pears?

In response to Ethan's question, Eevee gave him a disdainful look and pointed deeper into the forest.

The meaning was clear: Young man, think bigger!

How could you give up on the whole forest just because of one tree?

Ethan couldn't help but laugh at the little Eevee with big dreams, but still agreed with its decision.

It was nearly mealtime, so instead of leaving immediately, they decided to stop by a stream to have lunch.

...

Making a fire in the wild wasn't just inconvenient; it could also get them caught by forest rangers. Ethan opted for a simple solution.

Energy cubes, large bottles of tree fruit juice, Moo Moo milk, meat floss and egg yolk rice balls, and a packed lunch.

Everything was laid out on the grass, and it looked quite abundant.

Ethan took out his camera and filmed a wide-angle shot, muttering, "The usual, fans eat first~"

"Eevee."

Eevee thought her trainer was being so hypocritical—how could the fans eat? Were they supposed to dive into the screen?

Without hesitation, she pounced on the disposable cloth before Ethan could finish filming.

With her left paw clutching the rice ball, her right paw holding an energy cube, and a mouthful of fruit juice, she looked like she hadn't eaten in days.

"No one's fighting you for it, take your time, at least act a bit more ladylike." Ethan chuckled.

He was just joking. As a chef, there was nothing he loved more than seeing his cooking appreciated, especially by Eevee, who had been with him for so long.

But seeing how eagerly Eevee was eating, maybe becoming a food streamer might have some potential.

...

The smell of food attracted some Pokémon living by the stream, and an Emolga leapt from a tree, landing not far from Ethan.

"Chimo—" No doubt, this little one had come to beg for food.

Ethan had anticipated this and prepared extra food. He pulled out some energy cubes from the box.

"Chimo~ (Can I have more?)"

Looking at the energy cubes on the table—enough for Eevee's meal—Ethan gave a black-line expression. "That's enough for you. Eat it all first!"

"Chimo!"

Emolga's eyes lit up, and it called out to the others. Instantly, several yellow figures emerged from hiding and rushed over to feast.

Ethan took a closer look—Pikachu, Pachirisu, and more Emolga.

Wow, looks like the electric mouse family is having a meeting, huh?

In the time it took him to blink, the small pile of energy cubes was completely devoured.

"Chimo~"

"Pikachu!"

The electric mice asked for more food. Ethan sighed and poured out a little more. The box of pokeblocks was now half-empty.

"Last bit left, there's no food left at home, either."

It wasn't that Ethan was stingy, but when traveling, he needed to leave something for emergencies. What if something unexpected happened?

Ah, no, don't jinx it!

...

The electric mice weren't greedy. After finishing the food, they quickly scampered off.

Eevee stared at the Emolgas coming and going like the wind and murmured quietly.

"Eevee. (No greeting, so rude.)"

Ethan wasn't bothered. After eating, he started cleaning up, and Eevee, as always, helped by gathering the trash in one spot.

While they were busy, Emolga suddenly returned, holding something shiny in its mouth.

Emolga dropped the star-shaped shiny object in front of Ethan and proudly looked at him.

"Chimo~ (I, Emolga, never owe anyone. This is your payment for the food!)"

Ethan picked up the "payment" and examined it closely. It looked like a star fragment?

Wow, this was an important material for crafting energy restoration potions. A small piece like this could be worth several thousand Pokedollars!

The owner of the tourist spot, that miser, would never use such a precious item as a prize. It was likely something the Emolga family had gathered.

Ethan grinned and pocketed it. "Boss is generous, wishing the boss good health!"

With that, he handed the remaining half-box of energy cubes to Emolga.

Although the exchange wasn't exactly equal, this was the only thing of value Ethan had for the Emolgas.

"Chimo? (Is this for me?)"

Seeing Ethan, who had been stingy earlier, suddenly so generous, Emolga was a bit surprised.

Ethan smiled and replied, "Yes, the thing you gave me was really valuable!"

Upon hearing this, Emolga happily accepted the gift, and then called out to its companions hiding in the shadows to come and help carry the food.

Before leaving, Emolga waved at Ethan, "Chimo~ (Goodbye)."

Ethan responded, "Hurry up and finish the energy cubes, they have an expiration date."

A happy transaction was completed. Ethan and Eevee said goodbye to the Emolgas and set off once again.

After they left, a small gray fish that had been observing them from the stream for a while floated to the surface, releasing a few bubbles.

"Eevee?"

With its keen hearing, Eevee immediately turned its head. But all it saw was a quiet, flowing stream.

"What's wrong, Eevee?" Ethan asked, noticing Eevee's alertness.

"Eevee." Eevee shook its head, thinking maybe it had misheard.

The two continued their journey north.

...

Ethan realized that the Eevee he had casually picked up was like a treasure Pokémon. Its strengths seemed endless, always revealing something new.

Looking at the various Pokémon items in his basket, worth a few thousand Pokedollars altogether, Ethan decided he would actively participate in these activities from now on.

Otherwise, it would be such a waste of Eevee's amazing ability to sniff out Pokémon items!

Eevee huffed and puffed a few times, thinking to itself, with the level of skill those staff members have at hiding things, do they really think they can fool me, Eevee?

And this was just the appetizer. Bigger things were yet to come!

(End of Chapter)

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