"A good start."
Ron said, patting the completely bewildered Gus on the shoulder.
"Like I said, this kind of thing is perfect for people who don't have the time to cook and spend most of their time out in the wild." He said, handing a meal pack to one of the anglers.
Meanwhile, at Leah's cabin.
Leah stretched and came out of her cabin. Just as she was about to take a deep breath of the summer air—a mix of heat, leaves, and the sweet scent of flowers, as usual—she smelled a familiar yet unfamiliar food aroma.
She fell silent for a moment, turned her head, and saw that the group of people by the river who had been gearing up to win the fishing championship, and had even set up tents by the river last night, were now gathered around having a picnic.
"Uh——" She opened her mouth, about to say something, when something tugged at her feet.
"Squeak——" The Raccoon offered up a Raccoon Hat, then took out the wooden board it had been carrying, pointed at the pictures on it, and squeaked at Leah.
——
With their previous interactions as experience, the Raccoon now knew Leah's temperament inside and out. It hadn't even specified exactly what it wanted; instead, it had carved every possible useful item onto the entire board.
"Hmm——a Juice, and a Pickle?" Leah frowned, then asked, "Why? Aren't you already a family of——"
She turned her head and glanced at the tails and little heads poking out of the tree stump, counting them. "A family of four already?"
"Squeak?" The Raccoon argued with a disapproving expression.
The stump was built so big, how could you not stuff a little raccoon into every hole!
"——" Leah couldn't help but lean against the doorframe. "No way. These things can't be found in the wild anywhere. You're definitely doing this on purpose."
The Raccoon immediately got anxious, bouncing around with its paws flailing.
It then pushed the Raccoon Hat toward Leah's hands again, pointed at the pattern scratched out below with its claw, and squeaked toward the farm.
"What's this?" Leah frowned, trying to make it out.
So the Raccoon's claw scratched on the board again.
"Fairy Dust... sprinkle it on a machine... and you instantly get the product..." Leah asked. "What would I need this for?"
The hat was at least somewhat justifiable—at least wearing it in winter would be warm.
The Raccoon gestured frantically.
"You can... give... it to someone who needs it?" Leah froze for a moment. Under the Raccoon's repeated hints, she looked toward the farm not far away.
Leah had never thought about it from this angle. She stared blankly for a moment, then looked down at the board.
"Then I'm still not buying ready-made for you. Let's go buy seeds, and you can grow them yourself."
Hearing this, the Raccoon slowly crossed out the 5 it had originally marked next to the Fairy Dust and changed it to 1.
"And I still have to pay to help you buy them." Leah couldn't help but say.
So the Raccoon, with a grave expression, changed the 1 to a 2.
Seeing this, Leah laughed. "And I still have to lend you my Kegs and Preserves Jars, otherwise you can't make Juice or Pickles at all."
The Raccoon slowly raised its head and added another mark under the 2.
If the Raccoon had to personally grow them, adding any more would be going too far, wouldn't it?
The Raccoon stared into Leah's eyes, doing its utmost to convey its attitude through its expression.
If it's at full price, the Raccoon would rather go find Cave Carrots in the mines itself!
"Alright, let's leave it at that." Leah looked over the row of crops needed, and agreed. "I'll go to Pierre's to buy the seeds later."
If they started planting today, the Radishes would be just right—they'd mature by the end of summer.
Pondering this, Leah took another glance at the Fairy Dust on the board.
Truth be told, she had been wanting to give Ron something, but she always felt like she couldn't come up with anything suitable.
If it were before, she might have prepared some wood carvings or her own paintings.
But after confirming that she liked Ron, rather than the things she liked and found meaningful, she began to consider whether these things were actually what Ron needed, and whether they would cause him trouble.
This was a lesson she had learned from her ex-boyfriend.
When her ex-boyfriend arrogantly insulted her with money, it made her sick. So if she used art to guilt-trip Ron, wouldn't that be the same thing?
Of course, if the feelings were mutual, that would be a different story.
But right now, it was clearly a buyer's market.
Leah had never overthought things this much before. Love always made people anxious about gains and losses.
Thinking this, she headed toward Pierre's Grocery Store.
In the summer, the grocery store's business was already not great, and after the Pokémon Center opened, it had gotten even worse.
Pierre was currently sitting in the corner watching TV, not even noticing that Leah had come in. He was staring intently at the screen, completely motionless.
"The one who passed the first round of review this time is... Abigail!"
Hearing the voice, Leah froze for a moment. She carefully walked over and took a look at the screen.
"Um——is this——" She asked somewhat uncertainly, "A recording of Abigail's first Pokémon Contest?"
"Ah!" Pierre jumped, looking at Leah awkwardly.
"Do you miss Abigail?" Leah asked.
"Just bored, watching." Pierre answered uncomfortably.
Leah smiled, placed the seeds on the counter, and changed the subject. "Just these two, how much in total?"
Pierre rang her up somewhat absentmindedly. He then remembered something he had heard today, and couldn't help but ask, "By the way, have you heard about the meal packs Gus's saloon recently launched?"
"Meal packs?"
"Somewhat similar to the Pokémon Center's ready-to-eat meals, but with Gus's cooking." Pierre glanced in the direction of Caroline's sunroom, then whispered, "I'll give you money, could you help me buy some later?"
"Hmm?" Leah looked at Pierre in confusion.
"If the taste is decent, I want to order some for Abigail." Pierre replied.
Meanwhile, in the Sinnoh region.
After filling the pot with water, the Wizard placed it over the campfire and waited for the water to boil.
"Indeedee." Indeedee called out, taking out the ingredients brought from the farm one by one from the Wizard's backpack, then squatting by the river to wash them.
"Pii?"
Caterpie looked at the Wizard, then at Indeedee, and slowly crawled toward Indeedee.
How long are you staying here?
Caterpie asked, looking at the vegetable leaves Indeedee was currently prepping.
"Indeedee." Indeedee soaked the leaves in the water for a bit, shook off the water droplets, held them up to Caterpie's mouth, and then continued prepping.
Learning that Indeedee wouldn't be staying for long, Caterpie chewed the leaves in its mouth with a grave expression, pondering the possibility of growing hands and feet.
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