Chapter 421:
"???"
"Huh?"
That one sentence left the two youngster present momentarily stunned.
Then, before Kaede could even react, Rosalie beside him quickly realized what her mom was about to say next.
She hurriedly tugged at her mom. "What nonsense are you talking! Kaede is here to choose the promised Happiny. Let's hurry and find one for him!"
"What nonsense? I'm just asking a question. What are you going on about?"
Unexpectedly, Rosalie's mom seemed unwilling to back down either, addressing her daughter. "I wasn't asking you. Why are you getting so flustered?"
Kaede: "???"
"Huh?... I don't care about all that. He's here on business, so let's just go!"
Rosalie clearly couldn't win the argument with her mom, so she chose to change the topic outright.
"Fine, fine. Follow me then."
The woman reluctantly nodded, giving Kaede an apologetic smile, then turned and walked towards the shed.
Rosalie, lingering a bit behind, let out a sigh of relief and turned to Kaede with a look of apology. "My mom's just like that— an extrovert. She loved gossiping when she traveled before. Don't mind her..."
But before she could finish, a voice came from inside.
"Rosalie, I can hear you!"
"Okay, okay, I know..."
Rosalie called back before catching up to her mom.
She didn't forget to motion for Kaede and Meowscarada to follow.
Kaede couldn't help but shake his head, thinking to himself as he followed from behind.
*'...Such a youthful mindset...'*
Following Rosalie into the shed, the first sight that met his eyes was a series of treatment pods similar to those in a Pokémon Center.
Several Chansey moved among these treatment pods.
Inside the pods were pink Pokémon eggs.
Round, plump eggs paired with round, plump Blissey, making the outside green scenery instantly transform into a pink atmosphere inside.
"These are all late-hatching Happiny eggs. They haven't hatched yet."
Rosalie's mom began explaining to Kaede "Even though Blissey evolve from Chansey smelling the Luck Incense, every Blissey gives birth on different days, so this situation occurs."
"The already-born Happiny are over here."
"Mhm, mhm..."
Kaede nodded while observing the information for these Happiny eggs.
[Pokémon: Happiny Egg]
[Mother: A four-year-old Blissey.]
[Aptitude: Blue]
[Egg Move: Heal Bell]
Looking all the way, most Happiny eggs had similar info panels.
Following the others, after some turns, they soon arrived in front of a room.
As soon as the door opened, a chorus of soft, gentle voices spilled out.
"Fwaa fwaa..."
Small, square-ish cribs, larger than typical baby cribs, each holding three to five Happiny, appeared before Kaede's eyes.
There were about thirty such cribs.
Meaning there were over a hundred Happiny here? Plus the unhatched eggs outside, the number might approach two or three hundred?
Kaede was shocked.
If this many Happiny hatched every year, wouldn't that mean countless Blissey after a few years?
*Egg after egg, egg after egg, wouldn't there be large amount of them...*
Perhaps noticing Kaede's surprise, Rosalie's mom at the front spoke up. "It's because the company started collaborating with the League this year. In previous years, we didn't have this many Happiny hatching. This year, we also gathered some retired veteran employees and had their Blissey participate in production..."
"Huh?"
Before her mom could finish, Rosalie chimed in to explain.
"It's like this. Dad's company has been around for quite a while, right? But one crucial factor for Chansey evolving into Blissey is feeling happiness! So, Dad once thought of a solution: let every trusted employee have a Chansey by their side..."
Listening to Rosalie's detailed explanation, Kaede understood the business model.
Her father's food company specialized in egg products from Blissey.
But clearly, eggs produced by Blissey were superior in both nutritional value and the "happy" emotional effect compared to those from Chansey.
So, the problem arose here.
They needed to research how to make Chansey evolve as much as possible.
They finally discovered that Chansey were most likely to evolve when they felt happy.
But with so many Chansey, each an individual, making every single one feel happy was nearly impossible.
So, Rosalie's father made a bold decision: let veteran employees take care of a Chansey, or even take a Happiny home, to experience the little joys of family life.
This move single-handedly revitalized the company, even causing its business to expand rapidly. Now it's in a thriving growth period.
Even in the League's research on Pokémon evolution, it was Rosalie's father's company that provided specific materials and evolutionary insights.
And this year, they caught up with the League's new policy regarding rookie Trainers receiving their first Pokémon.
Their Happiny officially joined the roster of first Pokémon for rookie Trainers!
This move had many benefits.
It could increase their family's reputation while also making Happiny, a Pokémon species, not limited to just Pokémon Centers or hospitals. Ordinary Trainers could now own a Happiny and handle minor injuries during their journeys themselves!
Hence, the phrase "gathering retired veteran employees' Blissey to participate in breeding."
"Impressive..."
Hearing this story, Kaede couldn't help but praise.
"Alright, alright. Kaede, you seem to run a... food-selling Breeding House, right? So, before choosing your desired Happiny, could Auntie ask a favor of you?"
After listening to her daughter recount the entire success story, Rosalie's mom gently shook her head, then looked at Kaede, her expression turning serious.
"Please go ahead." Kaede also became more formal.
"It's this: after Kaede takes a Happiny and raises it into a Chansey or Blissey, please do not sell any products made from its eggs, okay?"