Chapter 5: The Decline of the Town
"Grow rapidly!"
Summer watched as the saplings on the empty ground in front of him quickly grew, and a stout Coba Fruit Tree appeared in his sight.
The tree was hung with blue-colored fruits. Summer intended to reach out and pick two to taste, but he remembered something and hesitated with his hand suspended in the air.
"I remember the taste of Coba Fruit is bitter and astringent. Maybe I should give up."
"Rawr~"
Grookey made a sound, seeming to want to try the taste of Coba Fruit.
"Really? The taste of this fruit isn't very good."
Grookey nodded, firm in its attitude. Unable to refuse, Summer reluctantly picked one and handed it to Grookey. Grookey took a bite, but the Coba Fruit remained intact.
"Oh, its skin is very hard."
Hearing Summer's words, Grookey didn't give up. It continued to rub its teeth back and forth until it finally broke a hole. Blue juice sprayed out from the hole, filling Grookey's mouth with a bitter taste.
Its little face twisted into a grimace, holding the Coba Fruit far away, it extended its tongue in disgust, which was now dyed blue from the fruit.
"I warned you already. Let's leave this kind of fruit to Pokémon that can enjoy it."
Summer showed a helpless expression. Coba Fruit actually had another function, which was as a natural dye.
It contained rich blue pigments internally, dyeing fabrics into a sky blue color. This fabric was very high-grade and popular in any region.
"Which means it's quite valuable. Well, let's forget about it for now. Solving the ecological problems in the forest is more important."
Grookey still hadn't recovered and kept using its little hands to scrape its tongue, trying to eliminate the bitterness.
"Eat a Fluffruit. The sour taste is better than the bitterness."
Summer magically took out a Fluffruit, and Grookey gratefully accepted it, then started to enjoy it with large bites.
"But always eating fruits isn't enough. We should go to the nearby town after all."
The skill uses for today have already been exhausted, and there are no tools to make bird nests. Well, I hope there's still balance left on that bank card; otherwise, I can only sell fruits.
Summer made up his mind to head to the nearby town. He and Grookey returned to the cabin to retrieve the bank card and the old phone, then put on their backpacks and set off on the only path.
He had seen the three-dimensional map of Sunset Forest, and the northern exit of this path led to Spikemuth Town.
In Summer's memory, Spikemuth Town was unable to undergo Gigantamax transformation due to its distance from power spots, so there was no need to build a stadium specifically for Gigantamax battles.
Originally secluded, coupled with the absence of a stadium, this small town was gradually declining. You see, everything in Galar is linked to battles. Without highly entertaining Gigantamax battles, it couldn't attract spectators.
Without spectators, there was no investment value, and Spikemuth Town became a discarded piece in Galar's development. If it didn't show itself in the future, its Gym qualification would probably be revoked by the League.
"So this is Spikemuth Town."
The town had only one long main road, lined with shops built closely together. But most of them had either closed down or were shuttered. There was no prosperity of the past, only a sense of decay.
As Summer entered the town's gate, he found that there was a narrow passage between each house on this street, which could only accommodate one person passing through at a time. As he glanced over, he couldn't see the end of the street. Trying to walk through, he found three different intersections at the end, like a maze.
Feeling like he would get lost if he continued, Summer chose to return to the original street. Just as he stepped out of the alley, he encountered three oddly dressed guys.
Metal accessories, punk outfits, and the raised image of Marley, there was no mistaking it; they were Team Yell.
"Outsider? Why are you sneaking around?" The leader of Team Yell looked at Summer with hostile eyes, then questioned.
"It's simple. Because it's my first time here, so I'm curious."
"Uh, you're a strange person. As long as you haven't done anything wrong." His eyes became strange, then the female member of Team Yell behind him urged impatiently.
"Hey, let's go, Piers's concert is about to start."
The three turned around to leave. The concert was more important for now.
"Excuse me, I have one more question. Where can I withdraw money with this card?" Summer stopped the three.
"Ah, go to the Pokémon Center. You can do everything there." Team Yell replied impatiently, then quickly ran off.
"Pokémon Center." Summer looked at the familiar building in front of him. "It's right in front of me."
Summer entered the Pokémon Center, and the moment he pushed open the door, he felt a different atmosphere. The bright interior, the welcoming smile of Nurse Joy, was completely different from the outside world of Spikemuth Town.
"Hello, may I help you with anything?" Nurse Joy showed a professional smile.
"Well, please check the balance of this card for me."
Summer handed the bank card to Nurse Joy, who took it and inserted it into the machine behind her, then looked at the screen and read out the numbers:
"Well, it's a total of fifty thousand League Points. Would you like to transfer it to your phone account?"
"Can I exchange it for cash?" Summer asked.
"Of course, please wait a moment."
Nurse Joy tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and then the machine spat out ten bills. She neatly arranged the bills and handed them to Summer along with the bank card.
Fortunately, there was money inside. Summer took the bills, but he didn't know the prices of things in this world yet. He needed to practice to find out.
With this thought in mind, he approached a friendly shop next to him and inquired:
"How much are Poké Balls and Potions?"
Summer was greeted by a chubby cashier, who had a very friendly face.
"Poké Balls are 300 points each, and Potions are 700 points each."
"Then please give me ten Poké Balls and ten Potions."
"Got it." The cashier walked to the counter and took out the items Summer needed, packed them in a blue bag, and handed them to him. "Here are the items you need, and I'll give you an extra commemorative Poké Ball."
Living in the Pokémon world, how could one do without Poké Balls? Potions were also very important. They lived in the wild most of the time, so it would be troublesome if they got injured.
Summer handed over two bills, took the bag, and left the Pokémon Center with Grookey.
"Grookey, are you feeling hungry? Let's solve lunch first."
Grookey raised its hands in agreement. Summer looked for a restaurant selling food along the street, but these shops were either tightly locked or had their shutters down, and
the advertisements on the walls had long since yellowed.
"The feeling of a declining town isn't good." Summer sighed and continued forward until he found a restaurant that was still open.
The restaurant's owner was an old man, and the menu was very simple, with only curry and fish and chips.
Summer ordered a large portion of curry and enjoyed it with Grookey. This curry only cost 300 League Points, equivalent to a Poké Ball, showing that a Trainer's expenses were indeed substantial. Fortunately, I'm a forest ranger.
He scooped up a spoonful of curry and sent it into his mouth. First, there was the unique aroma, then the faint sweetness mingled with the stimulating spiciness, and the taste of the ingredients burst forth like a perfect performance in the mouth, making it irresistible to devour.
Before long, Summer and Grookey had finished a large plate of curry, showing satisfied expressions.
"Boss, your curry is really delicious." Summer praised sincerely.
"Hmm, thank you for the compliment. This was the hottest curry in Spikemuth Town back then, with people queuing up for a whole street!" The owner showed a proud expression, then suddenly became melancholic.
"My son inherited my craft and went to the big city. He's doing well now, but I'm left here with this small shop. Hmph, I won't go anywhere. Spikemuth Town is my hometown, how can I abandon it just because it's declining!" The owner's voice was filled with indignation.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said those gloomy words to a customer. However, this declining town also has its treasures, you know? Do you know Piers? He's the one I watched grow up."
"That guy's singing voice pierces the soul. He's definitely a singing genius, so as an old man, I recommend you go and listen to him." The owner took away the plate, smiled at Summer, and said.
Summer left a thank-you and promised to check it out before leaving the restaurant.
The old man looked at the declining street and clenched the plate, muttering to himself in a low voice:
"This kind of genius is trying every means to revive Spikemuth Town, so of course, I have to stay!"
(End of this chapter)