Chapter 17: Festival

"August 17, Sunny."

"Fourteen days since I picked up Eevee. The Dragon Gem Kai lost to me last time finally sold. Who would've thought second-hand stuff could still fetch 50,000? The extravagance of the Draken family never disappoints."

"Uncle finally sent money a few days ago, but last month's video views were generally only 200,000 to 300,000, so the revenue wasn't much. Fortunately, Brock brought a big wave of attention this month. The future looks bright!"

"My follower count has broken 200,000. While the views for each video aren't as high as that one episode, they're almost double the previous ones. But constantly shooting the same theme—forget whether the audience gets bored, I'll eventually run out of material. Gotta figure out a new direction."

"Eevee's training is going smoothly. It's already mastered Work Up and Echoed Voice, and its performance on the training machine has improved significantly. However, its progress with Baby-Doll Eyes is slow, probably due to insufficient Fairy-type energy."

"I checked the prices of Fairy Gems—they start at 200,000. Are these gems made of gold?! Mark my words, someday I'll open my own company. Forget it; this is just infuriating!"

"Just kidding. Once I get my paycheck next month, I'll buy one no matter what. Eevee mustn't suffer! That said, being a trainer is really no easy feat."

Ethan closed his diary and leaned back in his chair, zoning out.

Being a trainer is a bottomless pit. No matter how much money you earn, it's never enough.

In just two weeks, he had already spent over 100,000 on Eevee. Though apart from the Fairy Gem, there wouldn't be any significant expenses in the near future, there was still Eevee's continuous development to consider. Not to mention, he'd eventually have to raise other Pokémon.

As the saying goes, "Open new sources of income and cut unnecessary expenses." Cutting back was impossible—he had to find a way to expand his income. Relying on video revenue alone was too slow.

He racked his brain, recalling how other transmigrators had built their wealth:

Make games?

No capital or technical skills.

Rip off songs or movies?

Yeah, right. Translating the tunes and images in his head into reality was a whole other story.

Write novels?

Forget it. Too time-consuming and effort-intensive, and even then, who's to say anyone would read them?

Unable to come up with anything, Ethan gave up and searched on the Psyduck Wiki: "How to make quick money."

The first result: An ad for Greedy Legends.

The second result: A short video ad.

The third result: An ad for phone-based side gigs.

Hopeless. Totally unreliable.

Defeated, Ethan flopped onto his bed behind the computer desk in a "lazy" pose, becoming a trainer devoid of ambition.

Meanwhile, Eevee, gazing at the still-lit computer screen, fell deep into thought.

Back when they explored together in their past life, they had discovered many hidden treasure troves. The nearest and least dangerous one—where was it again?

The next day dawned bright and sunny—a perfect day for training.

With a new day came new beginnings. Ethan opened his eyes, shook off last night's gloom, and stretched by the window.

From the living room, the sound of the TV drifted in. Ethan wasn't surprised.

Clearly, it wasn't because he forgot to turn off the TV, nor was it a burglar—it was Eevee.

For some reason, Eevee had recently developed the habit of watching the news every morning. Whenever Ethan went out, Eevee would watch with rapt attention, as if it genuinely understood.

Ethan didn't interfere. Watching the news, though peculiar, was a better hobby than being addicted to games or nibbling on scorched catnip.

Leaving Eevee in the living room, Ethan headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Today's breakfast was simple: sandwiches stuffed with meat, eggs, and berries. For Eevee, MooMoo Milk with honey and some PokeBlocks were a must.

Amid the faint clatter of breakfast preparation, Ethan could still hear snippets of the news from the living room.

"Diancie's new film Xerneas grosses over one billion on its opening day. The movie is based on the Fairy Aura incident in the Kalos region last year..."

"'Gym Challenges Too Hard' has become a hot topic. Many trainers complain about the rising difficulty of Valoria gym exams. The Flowing Fire Gym Leader of Lunara City argues this increase is necessary to boost Valorian trainers' global competitiveness..."

"And now, for local news: Miranda Mountain's annual Pear Festival has begun! Visitors are welcome to join in the festivities, featuring many fun and engaging activities..."

"Eevee?"

Ethan was distracted by the news when Eevee's soft voice interrupted him.

Looking down, he saw Eevee tugging at his pant leg, gazing up at him with those big, shiny eyes.

"What is it? Spit it out."

After half a month together, Ethan had learned to recognize this look—it meant Eevee wanted something.

"Vee~!"

Eevee pulled on his pant leg, gesturing towards the TV.

The screen was still advertising the Pear Festival. Ethan suddenly understood.

"You want to go to the Pear Festival?"

"Vee!" Eevee nodded eagerly, eyes filled with anticipation.

Thinking it over, Ethan realized that aside from a trip to the battle park, he hadn't really taken Eevee out for fun. With their training schedule as grueling as a 9-to-9 workday, it wouldn't hurt to unwind.

"Alright," Ethan said decisively. "I'll book tickets after breakfast."

"Vee~!"

Eevee cheered, but Ethan didn't notice the sly grin that crept onto Eevee's face when his back was turned.

Though Ethan wanted to invite Rosa and her Snivy, she was stuck managing her father's clinic in his absence.

In the end, Ethan only bought tickets for himself and Eevee, priced at 1,000 each.

The high price came with perks: the "pears" at the festival weren't just ordinary berries but included rarer variants like Valoria's region fruit called Phoenix Pears or they might encounter a rare golden Sitrus Berry.

If they were lucky enough to find one, the ticket would pay for itself.

Still, Ethan didn't hold out much hope. This event attracted trainers from all over the city and neighboring regions, bringing along their exceptional Pokémon.

Flying, swimming, digging—there was no terrain these Pokémon couldn't traverse.

Ethan and Eevee, a pair of rookies, would be lucky to enjoy the scenery and maybe pick a few berries for PokeBlocks to boost Eevee's stamina.

Tickets were only available for the festival's last day, meaning they'd likely be left with scraps. Even ordinary Fong Pears might be hard to come by.

Patreon: RockyRoad891