Another day passed.
Early in the morning, right after breakfast, Chen Shi was forced out the door by Mew to buy ice cream.
The reason was simple—
All the ice cream at home had been wiped out.
And the several boxes Chen Shi had promised earlier? Still nowhere to be seen.
Mew refused to let it slide. It made it very clear—if Chen Shi didn't bring back ice cream today, it would beat him up.
Left with no choice, Chen Shi could only agree.
So early that morning, he set out—Jirachi in his arms, an Eevee perched on his shoulder, and Togekiss following behind him.
Togekiss had insisted on coming after hearing they were going to buy ice cream.
Chen Shi knew exactly what it was after—but didn't bother stopping it.
Verdanturf Town might be small, but as the saying goes, small sparrow, all the organs are there.
Anything you needed could still be found here.
The Chen family farm wasn't far from town either, so Chen Shi didn't bother asking Dragapult or the others for a ride.
He decided to walk.
A casual stroll—good for digestion.
"Chen Shi, where are we going?" Jirachi asked curiously.
The little one had been dragged out of bed early and was still half-asleep.
"We're going to buy ice cream," Chen Shi explained. "You know, that cold, sweet thing."
What he didn't realize—
Jirachi might forget everything else, but it would never forget food.
The moment it heard "ice cream," its eyes lit up, sparkling.
"Really?!"
"We're going to eat ice cream?!"
"Toge~!"
Togekiss chimed in eagerly.
Ever since meeting Chen Shi, this had been the toughest period of its life.
Training every day was nothing new—it had always trained like that.
But before, after every session, it would always get sweet, delicious ice cream as a reward.
No matter how hard training was, it had been happy.
Now?
Ever since Mew showed up, ice cream had become a rare luxury.
Only occasionally—like that time it went to Mauville City with Jirachi—did it get a taste.
And chances like that were few and far between.
So when it heard Chen Shi was going to buy ice cream today—
It followed without hesitation.
Chen Shi glanced at the overly enthusiastic Togekiss and chuckled.
Of course he knew it had been craving ice cream.
Truthfully, if he had asked, Mew wouldn't have hogged all of it.
But he had deliberately not said anything.
Just to teach this mischievous bird a small lesson.
Still…
If this went on any longer, Togekiss might actually get depressed.
Better buy more this time.
Before long, the outline of Verdanturf Town came into view.
As they got closer, a few pedestrians appeared along the road.
Once inside town, some familiar faces greeted him warmly.
"Well, if it isn't Chen Lao's grandson—Chen Shi! You've grown so much. I heard you made quite a name for yourself recently. Impressive!"
"Isn't that right? My grandson told me you won some kind of championship. Amazing!"
"Huh? My son said he became some kind of professor… Why does none of this match up? One moment it's champion, the next it's professor."
"Whatever it is, the kid's done well!"
Chen Shi smiled and greeted them back one by one.
These were all neighbors—people who had watched him grow up.
Verdanturf Town wasn't crowded in the mornings.
A few children ran around, laughing and playing.
Just as he was about to head to the biggest shop in town to buy ice cream—
A voice called out from behind him.
"Chen-ge! You're back too?"
Chen Shi turned around, slightly surprised.
"Yuko? You're back as well?"
"Why didn't you come visit?"
The one who called out to him was Yuko.
Her home was here too—he just hadn't expected her to return.
Yuko lowered her head, unsure how to respond.
She couldn't exactly say—
I knew Cynthia was at your house, so I felt awkward going…
So she quickly came up with an excuse.
"I came back because of the Hoenn Secret Realm," she said softly. "But I only just arrived. The house needs cleaning, so I haven't had time to visit Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen yet."
"I see," Chen Shi nodded with a smile. "Come by when you're free. Don't be shy."
"By the way… where are you headed?"
Yuko scratched her head awkwardly. "I just went out for breakfast. I'm heading back now—didn't expect to run into you."
She had been traveling in Kalos for a long time. Her house had been empty for ages—
The kitchen wasn't usable yet, so she had to eat out.
"Alright then. I've got something to do, so I'll head off first."
"Come visit when you have time. My grandparents were just talking about you the other day."
"Okay, Chen-ge. See you!"
Yuko didn't try to keep him. She watched him leave before turning away herself.
…
"Boss! How much ice cream do you have? I'll take all of it—pack everything!"
The moment he entered the shop, Chen Shi called out boldly.
The shopkeeper froze for a second—then broke into a wide smile.
"Sir, we have quite a lot of ice cream here. Are you sure you want all of it?"
"All of it. Pack it up."
Chen Shi pulled out a spatial backpack he had prepared specifically for this.
The shopkeeper hesitated slightly before reminding him, "We have many different flavors. Are you certain you want everything?"
Chen Shi nodded. "That's right. I don't care about flavors—I want it all."
Mew and Togekiss loved all of them anyway.
Flavor wasn't an issue.
He planned to buy a large batch this time—
So Mew wouldn't be able to monopolize everything again.
Besides, there was a cold storage room in the lab at home used for preserving Berries.
Storage wouldn't be a problem.
Hearing his firm answer, the shopkeeper's last bit of hesitation vanished.
Grinning, he grabbed the backpack and hurried off to pack the ice cream.
Verdanturf Town had plenty of kids, so ice cream usually sold well—
But the weather was turning cooler.
Soon, it would become harder to sell.
Being able to clear out all stock in one go?
That was a dream deal.
…
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