Love Potion

Mt. Coronet stretched endlessly, with a faint tremble still lingering in the air. The snow-capped peaks towered one after another in the morning sky.

Fluffy and heavy snowballs had accumulated on the leafless trees.

After leaving the academy, Darren walked back along the same path he took earlier. He was wearing his Mt. Coronet sports attire. After being busy all night yesterday, Darren was now heading to the commercial district of Snowpoint City.

The Swablu lazily perched on Darren's head, looking listless in the cold weather.

After spending the whole afternoon and night brewing "potions" on a whim, and traveling for a long time on mountain roads, Darren was in a very exhausted state. The two black circles under his eyes were the best evidence of his fatigue.

...

"Are you a visiting trainer?"

The shopkeeper took the small bottle that Darren handed over, revealing a look of distress. "perfume? You may have come to the wrong place. We don't purchase these... Even if it's some berries or herbs, we can buy them at market price as a help to trainers, but these things...I'm afraid they have no market here." The shopkeeper looked helpless.

"No market?"

"That's right."

Darren scanned the shop, seeing healing sprays, antidotes, thawing potions...mostly potions for Pokemon.

"This perfume of mine is also for Pokemon," said Darren.

"Well, it's a potion that can attract the opposite sex for Pokemon. I believe if you explain it to trainers, you can definitely sell it," Darren affirmed.

"???" The shopkeeper still looked skeptical and surprised. "Even so, this thing is not like berries or herbs. Those are natural, while your perfume is processed after the fact. I can't take that risk."

"Ugh..." Darren felt it was too complicated and troublesome.

"Does this work?" The only thing Darren could think of at this point was his breeder certificate.

The shopkeeper was obviously knowledgeable and his eyes widened immediately after seeing the certificate. He was somewhat incredulous. "You're a breeder."

"You possess a breeder certificate, then any potion may be given priority for purchase."

"I need to ask the store manager first."

Darren came to a small Pokemon store in Snowpoint City, where there were currently no large chain stores. Various private storefronts made profits by importing items such as antidotes and burn-healing potions.

There are also stores run by breeders, selling some of their own handmade commodities to make a living.

Darren is now broke, and no matter where he wants to go or how comfortable he wants to be outside, earning money first is the most important thing.

Yesterday, he exchanged some materials from the academy and made this bottle of "perfume" with the purpose of exchanging it for some money to cover his expenses when he goes out.

Venus's Love Potion.

This is the name of the perfume, and it is not Darren's original creation, but one of the potions from the database in Mt. Coronet Academy.

The source cannot be traced anymore, but the materials for the potion are very common, and the effect is also interesting. When Darren had nothing to do, he made it.

"There are probably not many people selling this kind of potion, right?"

Darren smiled. In the past, trainers rarely cared about their Pokemon's love life, but things are different now.

Several decades ago, trainers were like "soldiers" and needed to serve in the league to explore unknown lost areas. But now, with the rapid development of technology, only those "top combatants" can help the league explore.

Using numbers to pile up is a waste of resources for human development at present.

Now, Darren thinks that trainers are more like athletes from the past or certain special professions. However, they are more popular among the public and have a deeper impression. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are the most mainstream profession in this world.

Events like the Pokemon Contests, the Clubsplosion Tournament, and the Champion's Challenge often attract a lot of public attention. Trainers gradually became a trend and connected by a long economic chain.

Darren believed that in a few years, trainers will probably walk into every household as was portrayed in the original work.

Even now, trainers are not the league's exploration machines. They are more like a group of special people chasing their dreams.

Friendship, health, growth, appearance, and even love of Pokémon have become things that trainers are concerned about. Even if you're not a trainer, even in an ordinary family, you might keep a small Pokémon as a pet, friend, or family member.

Therefore, some potions that were not valued in the past, like Venus's Love Potion, or similar Potion, will eventually become popular again in every corner.

...

"Damn it, that greedy fat guy..."

Darren walked out of the store with a black expression on his face, feeling very unhappy.

He explained to the store owner about the commercial value of the Love Potion, but the other party was unimpressed.

Darren thought that after he talked about the prospects of Venus's Love Potion, the boss would cling to him and beg for cooperation, trying to keep him as a valued customer...

As a result, the boss only said that, out of respect for him as a Junior Breeder, he would reluctantly buy it and try to sell it to see the effect.

Darren was at a loss.

He only sold ten bottles for 400 pokedollars each.

Even the common detoxifying spray, which is made on an assembly line with common materials, was not much more expensive. This made Darren very depressed.

After all, it was made by a Junior Breeder, and the materials used were not ordinary. The price was beyond Darren's expectations... He originally thought that a bottle should sell for at least 1,000 pokedollars, no, 800 pokedollars, but the result...

When he thought of the supplements like Protein, Iron, and Calcium that were monopolized by big companies and sold for nearly 10,000 pokedollars per bottle by black market sellers, Darren couldn't help but feel helpless.

Others had tripled their profits, but he had just barely broken even.

Darren didn't earn any labor fees as a Junior Breeder.

Looking at the old banknotes in his hand, Darren's mouth twitched, feeling a little distressed. These were all credits earned from school, and he had to save them...

Walking on the street, Darren did not head towards the port. His current net worth was such that one boat ride would bring him back to where he was before.

The port of Snowpoint City is probably the liveliest place in the city because it is the only location that leads to the Battle Zone.

After the Battle Zone was established some years ago, most of the trainers in Sinnoh honed themselves there, challenging stronger opponents. It was the most concentrated area for Sinnoh trainers. In addition, there were many people from other regions.

As long as you are a trainer, you want to go to the Battle Zone and experience the countless battles between trainers.