Chapter 406: Imitating Vanilla

Although the Trainer always preached "Pokémon equality," everyone knew you could annoy anyone on the team—except Jigglypuff. Even the Trainer himself dared not provoke Jigglypuff, a clear sign of how powerful it was.

If ranked by household status,

Jigglypuff was unquestionably number one, followed only by the Trainer.

As a "newcomer," it naturally sat at the very bottom—originally sharing that spot with Corsola, but now that Corsola had evolved into a Shiny Milotic, even seeing it made the Trainer sigh in admiration, and its status had naturally soared.

Thinking of its own failure to evolve, Poliwhirl couldn't help but feel melancholy.

It had once suggested to the Trainer that evolving with five hearts might work—but it was rejected.

"I'm afraid you'll get snatched away by Unit Zero, and I'm afraid that when you grow up, you'll look down on me."

The Trainer's "pitifully pleading" expression was still vivid in its mind.

Hearing this, Poliwhirl easily realized it wasn't expendable to the Trainer—and so it abandoned the idea of evolving with five hearts.

But…

Why was six hearts so hard to get!

Poliwhirl nearly let out a wail—but before it could, the Trainer's voice suddenly interrupted its thoughts.

"Poliwhirl?"

"Pah-ree!"

Poliwhirl snapped back to attention and found Jigglypuff had somehow emerged from its Poké Ball, holding a brand-new smartphone, both it and the Trainer watching curiously.

Baimu waved a hand in front of its face. "Tired? Want to rest back in your Poké Ball?"

"Pah-ree!"

Poliwhirl shook its head, eyes fixed on the smartphone.

The Trainer called it over to help judge which model was better. Jigglypuff had its own ideas, but like a wife wanting her husband's opinion on which dress looked best, it craved feedback from the Trainer and its companions.

Then it would decide for itself.

Feedback?

Just half-listening.

Baimu followed the principle of buying new electronics, never used ones. Though he had no strong grasp of Pokémon-world phone brands, after three minutes of online research, he went straight to the most famous store and bought the latest model.

Rich guy? No budget needed—just go all out.

Jigglypuff's current dilemma was color.

"Color can be swapped anytime with a phone case. Look over there." Baimu pointed to the wall, where row upon row of adorable phone cases instantly caught its attention.

"Kee-doh!"

Jigglypuff involuntarily drifted closer, dazzled by the dazzling array of phone cases.

Baimu glanced at the prices—and was equally blinded. "Ugh!"

Sure, he had money—but he'd never pay such outrageous prices. He'd rather buy a plain white case and DIY it himself—

"Kee-doh!"

Jigglypuff picked up two phone cases and turned to him with a radiant smile.

"Buy!"

Baimu nodded without hesitation.

Behind them, Poliwhirl stared in awe—this, then, was what household supremacy looked like.

In the end, Jigglypuff's new smartphone plus two phone cases totaled 280,000, and with internet packages and such, the full amount came to 300,000.

Hopefully it won't turn into a smartphone-addicted young lady.

Baimu glanced at Jigglypuff, already eager to fiddle with the phone, and Poliwhirl, already lost inside it, and simply returned to the hotel—so the creature wouldn't have to waste energy walking.

He also released the rest of his Pokémon—they'd been cooped up in their Poké Balls all day and needed to stretch their legs.

Steelix had been sent back to Huang Tie Town; after this battle, it would be in high spirits for a long while.

Bagon's mountain training grounds would surely feel more energized now.

Milotic no longer needed to stay constantly in water—but clearly, it felt more at ease near water, so Baimu specifically filled its bathtub to the brim.

"Mee-glo~"

Milotic splashed around in the water.

The Pokémon accompanying the shopping trip became Happiny.

"Happy~"

Happiny cheerfully carried its bamboo basket out the door, like a little girl gathering mushrooms—its dedicated tool for shopping and foraging.

Salamence, using its left and right heads, tugged at Baimu's sleeve, wanting to come along—but he refused.

"You've clung to me for two days straight. You need to learn independence."

He patted Salamence's central head. "Good boy. I'll be back with Happiny soon."

"Sah-sang…"

Salamence watched Baimu shut the door, looking utterly dejected.

—

Lizi Jin was huge.

So huge that even a single night couldn't cover it all.

So Baimu went only to the western district—a street packed with Pokémon-related gear and raw materials, highly rated online.

The reason? It didn't just carry Hoenn-region items; occasionally, rare goods from other regions appeared.

Like the herbs he needed to make perfumes.

Many of the interesting perfumes in his recently acquired formula required herbs found only in other regions—herbs that, without exception, were tropical species impossible to grow in Hoenn's climate.

Purely imported goods.

Even Alyssa, who owns the Green Pavilion, must regularly restock—her little greenhouse can't grow most of what she needs.

They arrived at the herb shop.

A pungent medicinal odor hit them straight on; both Baimu and Happiny wrinkled their noses.

But after a moment's adjustment, it became much more tolerable.

Especially Happiny, which quickly calmed down and began searching for the herbs it wanted; recently, it had received a medicinal cuisine recipe book from Baimu, and many of the dishes looked interesting—it really wanted to try them.

"Dear customer, what would you like today?"

The shopkeeper, dressed in a kimono, stepped out with a smile, a pipe dangling from his lips.

Baimu handed him a list. "Please help me find these herbs. Price is no issue—I want high quality."

The shopkeeper squinted, smoke curling around him, yet still clearly read the list. "Huh! These are all uncommon herbs!"

"If they were common, I wouldn't be coming to you."

"Ooh! I like hearing that! Do you know any regulars?"

"Not at all—I read online reviews and followed them here."

"The internet… ohhh…"

They walked among various herbs—fresh, dried, and already processed into medicines—each displayed before Baimu and Happiny.

Suddenly.

Baimu pointed to a weed-like herb. "Boss, what's this?"

Honestly, he thought it was just a weed—but there were countless herbs he didn't recognize, so he might as well ask the boss and expand his knowledge.

"This? This is wild oats."

"Wild oats?"

"Yeah. Usually fed to Kentaro, Miltank, and Ponyta. In the Kanto and Johto regions, it's as common as weeds, but hard to grow in Hoenn. If you have any of those Pokémon, buy some to feed them—it helps with digestive health."

"Hmm… what about that one?"

"That one is…"

As Baimu asked, the shopkeeper answered—repeatedly, without annoyance, even proactively explaining.

Though the quantity and value of herbs he was buying were indeed substantial, such patience was still commendable.

"Wait, is this a banana leaf?"

He stopped before a strange herb resembling a banana leaf, its interior and exterior displaying three distinct colors; its size was barely larger than a banana leaf.

The shopkeeper spotted it and exclaimed in surprise: "Mimic Vanilla? How did this end up here! Really!"

"Mimic Vanilla?"

Baimu pinched a leaf and examined it.

Herbs with such "special" names usually have effects in Pokémon battles—things like Electric Seed or Strong Herb.

"Yes, I imported this from Paldea. If a Pokémon consumes it during battle, it gains ability boosts equal to those of its opponent—very expensive."

The shopkeeper scratched his head. "And reportedly, it also helps Pokémon learn moves—it's wildly popular at breeding facilities!"

Baimu froze. "Learn moves? How?"

"I don't know the details—breeding facilities keep their secrets to themselves. Want to buy some and try it?" The shopkeeper grinned like a shrewd merchant.

"…I'll buy a small amount first."

He hesitated, then purchased a modest quantity.

Because, as the shopkeeper said, it was extremely expensive—if he bought it and found it useless, returning it would be troublesome.

Having obtained all the herbs on his list, plus the first-ever Mimic Vanilla, Baimu returned home fully loaded.

He'd visit other places later.

Right now, he was deeply curious about Mimic Vanilla.

Back at the hotel.

Gulpin leaned against the headboard, surrounded by plush toys, intensely scrolling on his phone, grinning broadly—Baimu couldn't help sneaking a look.

He was watching a 2D anime with Psyduck—the same kind as Sailor Moon.

It felt like spending 300,000 and buying Gulpin a video player.

Baimu shook his head and didn't interfere with how Gulpin used it.

"Kch! Kch! Kch!"

Behind him, Dragonite sneezed three times in a row, nearly spitting out its brain, and stared at Happiny's basket with fear, refusing to approach.

It shuffled slightly toward the trainer, got hit by the odor again, and let out a pitiful "Awooo!"

Sometimes, a too-sensitive nose isn't such a good thing.

Baimu took Happiny to the bathroom for a quick rinse; nearby, Milotic curled up in the bathtub, blowing bubbles—the room was so cramped, it was rather dull.

"…Tonight, I'll take you all out."

He murmured.

Milotic immediately smiled, coiling its serpent-like body around him. "Miglo~"

"No! Ah! I just changed my clothes!"

Baimu looked at his soaked T-shirt and sighed.

Milotic sheepishly stuck out its tongue and retreated into the bathtub, like a mermaid… or a sea serpent, kept captive in a tub.

After changing into fresh clothes, Baimu quickly searched for information on Mimic Vanilla.

What he found was shocking—a full research paper, written by none other than his old acquaintance, Dr. Kukui.

It recorded that certain Pokémon possess innate powerful moves called inherited moves, which cannot be learned or mastered through training.

Mimic Vanilla is suspected of enabling Pokémon to learn these special inherited moves from other Pokémon.

Then he pulled out several examples to support his argument.

For instance, common Pokémon like standard Rattata and Pidgey.

Dr. Kukui concluded that Mimicry Herb indeed has special effects on Pokémon learning moves—

No wonder he's a professor specializing in moves.

Baimu glanced over it briefly and understood most of it, since he already had some knowledge of the settings and peculiarities of inherited moves.

He lifted his head, took a deep breath, and his heart pounded as he looked at Bisharp, "Big Beast! Your Double-Edge Hammer has a solution!"

Mimicry Herb from the Paldea region is related to egg moves.

Then it's likely the egg move system has been "updated" again.

Starting from the eighth generation, Game Freak specifically introduced a mechanic allowing Pokémon to learn egg moves from other Pokémon of the same species.

It seems Mimicry Herb's function is to let Pokémon learn egg moves from non-same-species Pokémon— the other Pokémon likely doesn't need to know the egg move itself, only needs to have it in its move set.

"Gurrr?"

Bisharp leaned in, completely confused by what its trainer meant.

What does "solution" for Double-Edge Hammer mean?

So suddenly.

Baimu explained his hypothesis in detail to Bisharp, grinning, "I'll buy more Mimicry Herb soon and contact trainers whose Pokémon know Double-Edge Hammer!"

"Gurrr…"

Bisharp nodded, half-understanding.

It didn't have Baimu's experience of playing eight generations and over ten Pokémon games—it found its trainer's train of thought hard to grasp.

But since its trainer was so happy, it didn't overthink it.

Half an hour later.

Baimu bought another large pack of Mimicry Herb and asked Zheye for advice on which trainer in New Zi Jin City had a Pokémon that knew Double-Edge Hammer.

He believed Zheye, being more familiar with New Zi Jin City's trainer circle, could find a Pokémon that knew Double-Edge Hammer.

Despite Double-Edge Hammer's high power—equivalent to a Rock-type physical ultimate move—many Pokémon know it, from Nidoran and Onix down to Sunflora and Little Chaobei, and even the ancient bird he'd seen recently.

Unexpectedly, Zheye gave him a surprise.

Zheye: 'If it's Double-Edge Hammer, my Duraludon knows it. What's up?'

Baimu: 'Really? That's great! Let me tell you…'

He explained to Zheye about Mimicry Herb and his vision of having Bisharp learn Double-Edge Hammer.

Zheye: 'If it's just helping with move learning, I'm happy to assist—but is this Mimicry Herb really reliable? It seems expensive.'

Baimu: 'I want to seize every chance—I beg you!'

Zheye: 'No problem! May you succeed tomorrow!'

Baimu: 'Thank you!'

They agreed to begin learning Double-Edge Hammer tomorrow night.

Tonight, focus on preparing for tomorrow's Gym Challenge; based on past Gym Challenge results, Iron Spin likely won't use weak Pokémon this time.

He couldn't help recalling the self-destructing Magnemite he'd encountered upon arrival.

Will there be Rotom?

Baimu looked at the sleeping Gulpin playing with its phone, his thoughts swirling.