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"..."
"..."
After repeatedly looking back and forth between the bowl of unnamed mush and the strange man in front of him, he swallowed hard, forced out a word of thanks to the Wizard, then took the bowl, closed his eyes, and drank it down in one gulp.
A bizarre taste instantly spread through his mouth. He covered his mouth tightly and nodded vigorously at the Wizard.
"Hurl... Thank you, it was really delicious, thanks."
"You're welcome." The Wizard said, sitting back down by the pot.
Interacting with people didn't seem to be as hard as he thought. Maybe because this continent was active with those equally magical Pokémon, it made him seem less like an outcast?
Thinking this, the Wizard sat by the pot and expressionlessly ate his dinner for the night.
Time flashed forward to the day Ron returned to Pelican Town. After receiving a bag of Stardrop Tea leaves as a gift from Ron, Ramos happily saw him off to the plaza.
"Are you leaving right now?"
"Yeah, I'll probably be back in about a month." Ron said, waving to the somewhat reluctant Ramos, then turned and boarded the ship heading for Pelican Town.
Watching him go, Ramos turned his back and slowly headed toward the Coumarine Gym.
He hadn't gone far when he noticed a young girl holding familiar packaging in her hands, asking people around about something.
"Excuse me, do you know where this is sold in Coumarine City?" the girl asked, holding up the Stardrop Tea.
A passerby shook their head, and the girl couldn't help but frown.
"Is something the matter?" Ramos walked up to the girl.
"Well, I heard it was bought in Lumiose City, from a man with an Indeedee." The girl thought for a moment and added, "They say he's very handsome, with a Froakie sitting on his shoulder."
It was said that to promote this tea, it was being test-marketed in Lumiose and Santalune Cities, and it was a specialty of Coumarine City.
"Ron?" Ramos muttered. "This tea won't officially go on sale until next month."
Hearing this, the girl lowered her head in disappointment.
She never imagined she would travel all the way from Lumiose City chasing a type of tea.
She had gotten it from a friend. Although her friend was a bit reluctant to part with it, because of its miraculous effects, they still chose to share a little with her.
And for some reason, just taking one sip would remind you of your favorite thing, and what everyone remembered was different.
If someone's favorite thing was a certain food, they could vaguely recall that deliciousness in the tea's aroma.
If someone's favorite was their family and friends, then while drinking the tea, they would recall the moments spent with them.
"Next month, right?"
"Yes." Ramos nodded.
"Then I'll come back next month. This is my contact info, could you notify me when it goes on sale?"
"Sure." Ramos said, noting down the girl's contact information. He had just watched the girl walk away and was thinking about what to do next when, from afar, he saw a crowd of people rushing over.
"Hello, is this tea sold here right now?"
"This is it! The tea that's going viral on the internet right now! They say it can make you remember deceased relatives, and even Pokémon!" One of them shoved a phone screen right in front of Ramos.
In the center of the screen was a woman with tears streaming down her face. She was sobbing, hugging a cup of tea, and chattering non-stop to the empty air.
"——" Ramos paused. "It has this effect too?"
He then coughed and said to the crowd, "I'm sorry, but this tea won't go on sale until next month at the latest. We will announce the specific release date online. There is none available here right now."
Hearing this, the crowd dispersed in frustration.
Meanwhile, Ron.
He had used a little clever trick for the sales this time. Relying on the gimmick of it being a "must-have for gifting," Ron specifically had Indeedee select people with stories to test-market the Stardrop Tea.
According to Ron's tests, the taste of Stardrop Tea wasn't limited to a specific food. Rather than just the taste of food, it was more like a precious moment in someone's memory.
Some people's favorites were food, while others' favorites were lost and irretrievable people or things, and the moments associated with them.
Calculating the future sales plan for Stardrop Tea, Ron slowly docked the ship at the port.
Coincidentally, he ran into Sailor, who was fishing with Willy.
"Rattata?" Seeing it was Ron, Sailor excitedly ran over and circled Ron.
"You're back? Thought you'd miss the Luau." Willy also reeled in his fishing rod and glanced at Leah, who was fishing with full concentration, and the Raccoon, who was fishing out of sheer compulsion.
"Yeah, looking at the time, the work over there was just finished, so I came back." Ron said, glancing over at Leah.
"Over there?" Willy suddenly laughed. "I heard that Raccoon has reached mating season and needs Fish and Smoked Fish to court another raccoon."
Normally, no matter who encountered this problem, they would probably just make it for the Raccoon. But Leah firmly believed in self-reliance. Even though the Raccoon begged endlessly, Leah still dragged it over to fish.
Willy generously lent them fishing rods and a Smoker, so they could process the fish after catching them.
Ron fell silent for a moment, remembering that there did seem to be a Raccoon NPC like this in the game.
He would often make harsh demands, and then give a trivial reward.
"Ron, you're back?" Leah looked up, saw Ron, and waved.
"Yeah, I'm back." Ron silently gave Leah a thumbs-up in his heart.
The Raccoon next to her stared in despair at the bobber floating up and down on the sea.
"Squeak, squeak——"
It got lucky with the fish running into someone who had a Smoker. But later, when it wants Dried Fruit or Jelly, surely she won't make it do it itself, right?
It calculated.
Indeedee next to them stared at the Raccoon for a while, then suddenly raised its head and called out to Ron.
Ron paused, then added, "If you need any processing equipment later, come to the farm anytime. We have Preserves Jars, Kegs, and Dehydrators."
"Squeak?"
The Raccoon snapped its head up and looked at Ron.
"Ah, thanks, but what would I need those for?" Leah paused. Realizing this was a good excuse to visit the farm, she added, "Ah, but if I do need them, I'll come over."
"Okay." Ron said, waved to Leah, and walked toward the farm.
Indeedee, however, looked at Leah, appearing thoughtful.
"Indeedee, indeed."
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