Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, three days were gone, and once again, the sun hung high in the sky at noon.
Over these three days, Pikachu, Frogadier, and Pidgeotto had trained relentlessly—chasing one another day after day. Because their strength had grown too quickly during the previous period, their foundations had been somewhat unstable.
Now, after three days of intense basic training to consolidate their foundations, combined with skill training to improve power control, their realms had completely stabilized.
Pikachu — LV.30 (Intermediate Tier)Frogadier — LV.31 (Advanced Tier)Pidgeotto — LV.32 (Advanced Tier)
Although none of the three had increased in level, compared to three days ago, their true combat power had undergone a qualitative leap.
As for Magikarp and Feebas, the two hadn't undergone any formal training during these three days.
However, after learning an attacking move, Magikarp had become far more confident and courageous than before. And Feebas, after Ash personally helped her with makeup, now dared to head out into the wild openly, interacting and socializing with other wild Pokémon—her confidence completely transformed.
It could be said that although neither of them had trained seriously yet and their raw strength hadn't changed much, their personalities had undergone tremendous shifts.
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[Shiny Magikarp]
Level: LV.5 (Beginner Tier)Type: WaterPersonality: Timid → Confident, BraveAbility: Swift SwimHidden Ability: RattledPokémon Potential:Blue (Perfect) +0.9%Moves (Copyable):Novice (17/100): Splash
…..
[Shiny Feebas]
Level: LV.5 (Beginner Tier)Type: WaterPersonality: Inferior → Confident, CheerfulAbility: Swift SwimHidden Ability: AdaptabilityPokémon Potential:Blue (Perfect) +0.9%Moves (Copyable):Novice (15/100): Splash
On the system panels of both Pokémon, the Personality field had clearly begun shifting:
→ Confident & Brave→ Confident & Cheerful
In Ash's eyes, these changes in personality were far more worth celebrating than any increase in strength.
"Gulu~!"
"Valor, this is the retro smoky eye look Green helped me design this morning. What do you think—does it look good?"
Inside the second-floor room, Lumina blinked her eyes happily, asking the Magikarp beside her.
"Hwa-hwa~!!"
"It looks amazing! Lumina, you're the most beautiful Feebas I've ever seen—no exceptions!!"
"Gulu~ hehe~ Thanks, Valor! I think so too~!"
"Alright, Lumina."
"It's good to be confident about your appearance, but you can't become obsessed with looks—and you definitely can't get vain."
Ash smiled as he reminded her while watching Lumina admire herself endlessly through the glass fish tank.
"Beauty without strength is like a flower—one storm, and it withers."
"And for a Trainer's Pokémon, true strength is the most dazzling form of beauty. Besides, without enough power, you won't be able to evolve into Milotic."
"Gulu~!"
"Don't worry, Big Brother Ash. I'll become not only the most beautiful Pokémon, but also a Pokémon with powerful strength!"
"By then, I'll be Lumina-chan—the perfect combination of looks and power!"
"Hahaha, alright," Ash replied with a laugh, clearly pleased by Lumina's confidence.
…
"Rotom, it's been three days now," Ash said calmly.
"During these three days, the Kanto families that previously signed contracts with us have all sent them back one after another."
"The Tsuchihara Family, however, hasn't brought up cooperation even once. Since they truly seem sincere and want to build a good relationship with us, it's only right that we respond in kind."
"Contact the Tsuchihara Family. Tell them we've freed up some order capacity and ask whether they're interested in cooperating on the 'Magikarp + Tackle' project."
"As for the order price—let them decide it themselves."
"OK~ Loto!!" Rotom replied promptly from the computer.
-----
Seafoam Island · Tsuchihara Family Residence
"Uncle Katsuta, didn't you say that you and the clan head personally sent Ash a generous gift?"
"It's already been three days, and there hasn't been any movement from Ash's side at all…"
"You don't think he took the gift and decided not to do anything, do you?"
Inside Katsuta's office, a young man in his early twenties handed over documents for signature while asking worriedly.
"…That…"
Hearing this, Katsuta remembered his uncle Tsuchihara Hiken's words—be patient—yet even so, he couldn't help feeling uneasy himself.
Although his uncle had said that if five days passed without Ash making a move, they would proactively reach out, only three days had passed so far—but Katsuta was already feeling restless.
Bzzz—!
Just as Katsuta was at a loss for words, the phone on his desk suddenly rang.
After answering and exchanging just a few sentences, Katsuta's expression quickly shifted from gloomy to radiant.
"Uncle Katsuta, whose call was that? You look so happy," the young man asked curiously.
"Speak of the devil," Katsuta laughed.
"It was Ash. He said he has room to take new orders now and asked whether we'd like to cooperate."
"Help me postpone the upcoming meeting, Henri. I need to discuss the cooperation details with the clan head immediately."
"Haha! What did I say?"
"Ash isn't the kind of person who forgets favors. Since he accepted our gift, he was bound to remember our goodwill."
"If we had pushed for cooperation immediately after giving the gift, our relationship with Ash would've turned into a purely transactional one."
"But now? Look at the goodwill he's showing us."
Hearing Katsuta relay the news, Tsuchihara Hiken couldn't help but smile broadly.
"Yes, Uncle, you were right."
"This time, Ash approached us for cooperation—and even let us decide the order price ourselves."
"What do you think would be appropriate?" Katsuta asked seriously.
"Hmm…"
Tsuchihara Hiken pondered briefly, then his smile deepened.
"Earlier, we offended Ash by intercepting his profits. Sending that gift helped us recover some goodwill."
"Even so, he deliberately waited three days before proposing cooperation—clearly to test our sincerity."
"And now, he lets us set the price ourselves. That's another test."
"Tell me—have you ever seen a business deal where the client gets to decide the price?"
Katsuta nodded slowly.
"Then, Uncle… what do you suggest we do?"
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T/N:
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