Oliver rarely hardened his heart when speaking to Ralts.
In truth, from the very beginning, he never intended to actually deprive Ralts of a meal. It was still growing, and nutrition was the most important thing at this stage. Moreover, Ralts' performance the day before had already impressed him—perhaps it really was just too young, and training couldn't be rushed.
At this moment, Ralts was crying as it slowly pushed its small bowl toward Oliver.
Oliver had spent the entire morning guiding Milotic's training and making energy cubes without proper rest. Combined with skipping lunch, his face had already grown a little pale.
"Ralts… Ralts…"
Seeing Ralts' action, Oliver steeled his heart again and said:
"Since I've already decided on a punishment, how can I go back on it? Missing one lunch isn't a big deal, but when we set rules for ourselves, we must strictly follow them and not change them at will. Ralts, do you understand?"
Ralts nodded with tears in its eyes, then finished all the food in its bowl.
It didn't want to disappoint its Trainer.
It wanted to train seriously!
After putting down the bowl, Ralts walked to the training area from yesterday and began practicing its psychic power again.
For the entire afternoon, although Ralts felt extremely tired and exhausted, it didn't complain even once. It silently controlled its psychic power over and over again.
From barely lifting a 10-kg dumbbell yesterday, to gradually being able to swing it freely in the air—after a full day of exhaustion, seeing the satisfied look in its Trainer's eyes made everything feel worth it.
As Ralts' mindset changed, the system reward—Top-Tier Psychic-Type Energy Cube Crafting Experience—was also delivered.
However, Oliver didn't rush to use it.
First, he had only recently used Ralts' cultivation guide, and the massive amount of knowledge in his mind hadn't been fully digested yet.
Second, the ten top-tier Psychic-type energy cubes he already had weren't used up yet, so there was no immediate need to make more.
In fact, this entire situation was something Oliver improvised that morning when he saw Ralts refusing to get up. He deliberately acted it out so Ralts could understand that training wasn't a game—and that anything worth doing couldn't be abandoned halfway.
Of course, to make it convincing—and because his words truly came from the heart—Oliver really didn't eat lunch.
From morning until night, he was starving. That evening, Oliver ate three full bowls of rice in one go. Seeing Oliver wolf down his food, Ralts smiled happily.
From that day onward, even when Oliver went to school and wasn't home, Ralts would still follow the training plan Oliver set the night before—without missing a single day.
That day, the agreed delivery date with the Xiang Group finally arrived.
Oliver packed the 500 finished energy cubes into boxes and called the Alliance's exclusive courier for express delivery to Magic City.
At the same time, he contacted Xiang Yun again, informing him that he could now also provide top-tier Psychic-type energy cubes, and asked about the pricing.
When Xiang Yun heard this, he was shocked.
Psychic-type, Ghost-type, and Dragon-type Pokémon were the rarest—and naturally, energy cubes of these attributes were also the most expensive.
On the market, top-tier Psychic-type energy cubes were roughly twice the price of top-tier Water-type ones. Cultivators capable of making them were extremely rare.
Yet this "Scarlet" could provide them?
Whether Scarlet made them himself or received them from someone behind the scenes didn't matter—either way, the weight of the name Scarlet rose even higher in Xiang Yun's mind.
Xiang Yun offered a price of 100,000 Alliance Credits per cube for the Psychic-type energy cubes. The original supply agreement was adjusted:
From 200 Water-type cubes per month
To 100 Water-type + 100 Psychic-type cubes per month
The Xiang Group's monthly purchase amount increased from 10 million to 15 million Alliance Credits.
Oliver then used the system option for Top-Tier Psychic-Type Energy Cube Crafting Experience.
An enormous amount of knowledge flooded into his mind.
For a brief moment, Oliver felt like a supreme cultivator standing at the very peak of the world—top-tier Psychic-type energy cubes felt effortless to him now.
When he came back to his senses, Oliver placed an online order for the necessary materials. Just like before, they were all common, easily obtainable ingredients.
In the system's crafting knowledge, technique and control mattered far more than the materials themselves.
Soon, the Alliance courier delivered everything.
Oliver loaded the materials into the machine, closed his eyes, and recalled that familiar feeling.
Suddenly, the young man opened his eyes and began operating the machine—slow at first, then faster and faster.
The entire process flowed smoothly, like moving water.
When the machine was opened again, fresh Psychic-type energy cubes lay inside.
Just then, the door opened.
Ralts had followed the scent and curiously watched Oliver take the cubes out of the machine.
"Ralts?"
So that delicious food… comes from that strange machine?
Ralts thought quietly, trying hard not to show it on its face.
"Finished training, Ralts?" Oliver asked as he picked it up.
"Ralts!"
Finished!
"Good girl. Let's go play with Milotic."
One human and one Pokémon sat by the pool.
In the water, the serpentine Pokémon surged up and down. Though the pool wasn't large, the rippling waves striking the edge strangely gave the illusion of facing the vast ocean itself.
It was as if Milotic were truly stirring the seas.
Clearly, it had already grasped that unique presence.
Learning Surf was only a matter of time.
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