"It is just over this hill," said Max. "Once we get to the top, we should be able to see it."
"Really?" Lily exclaimed. She dashed ahead of the rest of the team. Lily reached the top of the hill and gazed across the other side. What she saw did not disappoint. Nestled between thick forests stood a massive, sprawling, colorful city next to the glistening blue ocean. Two rivers flowed through Miloa into the vast ocean, one of them being the Rokon River which the group traveled alongside for a day to get to Miloa, and the other river flowing in from the hills and through the forests across from them.
Max extended his paw towards the city. "That is my beloved home, the city-state of Miloa. A brilliant center of trade, culture, intellectualism, and prosperity!"
"And I hope to bring some of that success back home to Kyukonais," said Helena. "Now that the nobles of Solardie will be meeting in Kyukonais every month, we should be able to attract merchants to set up shops and sell the countless luxury goods that come to Miloa from all across the world. Even better, there are tons of food suppliers who bring food to the city from places where it's easy to grow. I want to get some pokémon to start selling food in Kyukonais so we can free up our villagers from the endless, boring cycle of growing grain in our warm climate. There are so many more interesting crops that we could grow instead."
"Really? Ooh, what kind of crops?" Lily asked, perking up with a little hop. In her mind, anything had to be better than boring old grain.
"There are lots of different berries that pokémon from across the world sell in Miloa that are known as spices for preserving food and making better flavors," Helena explained. "There are also berries that are used to make different kinds of sugar. It'll be great if we can grow those. I'm also hoping we can grow the ingredients for coffee."
"Coffee?" Lily asked.
"It is a brown drink made primarily from roasted Chesto beans, which currently only grow in a few places. The taste is rather unique; some like it very much while others mix in various sugars or spices," Max described. "Taste aside, the main allure of coffee is its ability to keep one awake and alert. Some even swear that the exotic beverage makes them think more sharply."
"I can take you to a coffee house so you can try it!" Terry offered.
"Let's see, we need luxury goods, food suppliers, new plants," Helena listed off. "What else? Oh yeah, we need to talk to a lot of banks, too."
"That sounds like a lot of work," Chadwyck grumbled.
"It will be," Helena said with a nod. "But don't worry, I'll handle it all. You all have worked so hard helping me take on the bandits and supporting me this whole time, so go have fun in Miloa! Chadwyck, there's plenty of nice bars that you can hang out at."
"Really?" Chadwyck exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. "Argh, but I'm supposed to be your bodyguard…"
"This is your first time in Miloa, right? Seriously, go enjoy yourself. I'll be fine. There's no one dangerous in Miloa anyway," Helena insisted. She even pulled out a sack of coins from their cart and tossed it to Chadwyck.
Chadwyck caught the money in his claws and grinned. "Wow, thanks!"
"Lily, there's so much you can explore and admire in the city. Terry, can you show her around?" Helena asked.
"Of course!" said Terry. "This will be so fun!"
"Yay! I'm so excited!" Lily cheered.
"And Max, you should go stay with your family," Helena suggested.
"You are sure you do not want my assistance in negotiating with the merchants?" Max asked.
"I'll be fine on my own," Helena promised. "You have familial obligations, don't you?"
"I suppose so," Max admitted. "Alright, I shall meet up with you all before we head back to Kyukonais."
"Great! Now let's have some fun in Miloa!" Helena declared, leading the way down the hill into the magnificent center of trade.
Lily's ears twitched about and her tail swished to and fro as she followed Terry through the magnificent market streets of Miloa. Vendors selling colorful goods and musicians playing lively music filled both sides of every road. Even better than the sights were the smells. The various aromas wafting out of the many restaurants tickled Lily's nose and made her wonder what she was missing out on. Terry brought Lily to a restaurant where they made curry with potatoes, rice, and many different sauces, some spicy and some sweet. It was the most delicious and exciting food the Leafeon had ever had!
Exploring the markets, they found colorful blankets and draperies, exquisite porcelain dining sets, and marvelously crafted furniture. After leaving the market streets, their next destination was the docks. They trotted down a lane towards the docks, Lily marveling at a sturdy wooden ship with gigantic light beige sails. Terry suddenly made a turn down a small side street.
"Where are we going?" Lily asked.
"I know a place with a perfect view. Come on!" He started jogging away.
Lily followed Terry down the street; at the end, the bricks stopped, and a dirt path continued into some woods. The trail took a turn and started going up a hill. At the top, Lily could see the crimson sunset through the trees.
"I used to come here all the time to admire the sunset and enjoy the sea breeze. Helena and Max always got bored and said there were better things to do, like study or train." Terry reached the top and sat down, turning his head back. "Well, what do you think?"
Lily stopped in her tracks, gazing at the scene before her. They were at the crest of the hill with an expansive view of the harbor with tall, healthy trees on each side. The sky was a mix of orange, red, and pink mixed together. The ocean held a blue backdrop while also reflecting the sky's colors. The city nuzzled the hilled forests across the valley. Where the land met the sea, decorated piers extended far out into the wavy waters. Lily could see so many different ships from here, every one of them unique and pretty in their own way. In the middle of the scene, Terry sat there with a smile, his tail wagging, the ocean breeze gently ruffling his ears and whiskers.
"Perfect…" Lily breathed.
"I knew you'd like it!" Terry laughed. "Come sit over here and feel the breeze." He walked over and yanked Lily's paw.
Lily sat down next to Terry, fidgeting a bit, her throat feeling a little dry. The cool sea breeze came by, ruffling her thin, broad ears and the leaf on her forehead. She closed her eyes and stuck her head forward with a smile. "Y-you're right about the breeze… it's so calming," Lily said. She shook her head and started taking a better look at the ships.
"I wonder where all these ships are coming from," Lily thought aloud.
"You're in luck! I wondered the same thing before, so I started asking the sailors. I can generally tell where a ship is from based on its design." He started pointing out various ships and describing what their homelands were like based on stories he'd heard from the sailors.
Lily's tail started to wag as she imagined all those different places. Soon, they decided to go down to the docks so that Lily could talk to the sailors herself!
"Today was so much fun!" Lily said for at least the tenth time. "I never could have imagined such an exciting place like Miloa existed!"
"We haven't even scratched the surface of what's out there to explore," Terry said. "We can check out more places tomorrow!"
"Wait, where are we going to sleep?" Lily asked.
"Our apartment, silly," Terry laughed. "Oh, I guess we didn't mention earlier. We used to live in a small apartment near the university while my parents had us go to school here," Terry explained.
The sky had turned dark by now, but lanterns lit the sides of the busiest streets so pokémon could still navigate around the city. Terry led the way to their apartment.
When they climbed the stairs and went inside, they saw Helena sitting on a couch looking over various papers spread out across a table. Helena perked up when they arrived. "Did you have a good time, Lily?" she asked.
"Totally!" Lily chirped. "Terry showed me so many cool places and things!"
"I'm glad to hear it. I knew your adventurous heart would love Miloa," Helena smiled.
"How did you do today?" Lily asked.
"Eh, some… mixed results," Helena sighed. "I was able to convince some merchants to sell their luxury goods in Kyukonais with the promise that nobles would be around to buy them, but most were skeptical. I then spoke with pokémon who ran Chesto farms from far away. They insisted that Chesto could only grow where they come from and no other climate could support it, which was disappointing. It was a similar story with the spice and sugar berries..."
"Aw, that sucks. I don't think I can live off of bread anymore after the amazing food we tried here," Lily said sheepishly.
"Don't worry, I have plenty of other plans," Helena reassured with a smile. "Tomorrow, let's go to the University of Miloa. There are some professors and researchers who I think can help us. Alright, I'm going to bed," she said with a yawn. "I was waiting for you two to get here…"
Terry grabbed Lily's paw and tugged her. "Check out our room!"
Inside the bedroom were two beds, one on each side. The left one had golden-beige colored sheets, while the right one had red-orange sheets to match the fur of their owners. The room had various crude paintings on the walls and a bookshelf full of books of all kinds of colors and sizes.
Lily smiled as her eyes passed over the pleasantly decorated bedroom until something dawned on her. "Wait, so you two lived together here by yourselves? J-just the two of you?"
"Pfft, of course not!" Terry laughed. "My parents had a nice old Audino come by and take care of us," he explained.
"How old were you guys when you started coming to, uh, 'school,' is that what you called it?" Lily asked.
"Since we were eleven," Helena said. Then Helena realized that Lily probably didn't know what school was like. She started explaining it to Lily, but Terry kept interjecting with funny or stupid stories from their past, which Helena couldn't stop but laugh at. Eventually, Helena said she wanted to sleep but promised to tell Lily more tomorrow.
"Um, should I sleep on the couch? I don't want to intrude on you guys' room…" Lily trailed off, looking from Terry to Helena, then her paws. Her stomach felt like it was grumbling even though she had eaten more than enough.
"No way, that couch is so old," Helena said.
"We have a luxury sleeping bag for you," Terry said, fishing out a puffy, navy blue sleeping bag with a white stripe from the closet. "This is what Max would use for sleepovers. I promise it's comfy!"
"O-oh, thanks!" Lily said with a smile and a slight hop.
"Alright, good night, you two," Helena yawned. "I've got another big day tomorrow."
"You sure you don't want help?" Terry asked.
"Nah, I want you two to enjoy your time in the city!" Helena insisted.
Lily curled up in her cozy sleeping bag in the middle of the bedroom between Helena's and Terry's beds. No matter which way she lied, she couldn't shake off a flutter in her stomach. She peered at Terry, thinking about how much fun she had with him today but also his long history with Helena.
Terry opened his eyes slightly, the moonlight from the window reflecting off the Torracat's yellow eyes to give them a rather handsome glow. His ears perked up slightly when he caught Lily's averted gaze. "Hey Lily," Terry whispered. "I dare you to pull on one of Helena's tails," he snickered.
"Shut up, Terry," Helena mumbled.
The next day, the three friends headed to the University of Miloa. For some reason, Helena felt something off about Lily, as if the Leafeon was troubled about something. There wasn't anything wrong, per se; she just seemed like she was less springy than usual. That all went away once they reached the university, though. Lily was immediately blown away by the magnificent architecture all around them. There were stone archways, grand buildings, and colorful decorations as far as the eye could see.
They toured around the campus for a bit until they reached a large building with a banner that read "Department of Biology." While Terry and Lily continued exploring, Helena headed inside. She navigated through the halls full of classrooms and laboratories until she arrived at an office and knocked on the door. A Linoone opened it.
"Good morning, Professor Lydia," Helena greeted.
"Oh, Princess Helena. Right, right, I read your letter this morning. Come on in," said the Linoone professor.
Helena took a seat across from the professor's desk. Various exotic-looking plants were all over the biology professor's office, which gave the room a pleasant smell. "I'm looking forward to speaking with you about new agricultural opportunities for Kyukonais," Helena said.
"Yes, yes, we will get to that," said Professor Lydia with a lighthearted smile. "But first, how are you doing, dear?"
"I'm okay," Helena said.
"Are you sure? I just recently heard of your father's passing; it was all so sudden. You should take it easy on yourself," the Linoone encouraged.
"No need to dwindle on the past; we just need to keep moving forward," Helena asserted. Professor Lydia probably thought she was referring to her familial loss, but she actually meant putting her father's feeble rule behind her and ushering in a new era.
"And I heard that a relative took the throne instead of you. What happened, if I may ask? I hope you are alright."
"The nobles of the realm don't care about merit or fitness to rule. They chose my cowardly foreign cousin to be their king so they won't have to answer any demands. I at least got control over the capital province. It's not a kingdom, but it's better than nothing. For now, I will put all of my efforts into making Kyukonais a shining beacon of magnificence."
"I see. Well, it is good to hear that my ever-ambitious student is at peace and has some concrete plans in mind," Professor Lydia said warmly. "Alright, so you are looking to introduce new crops to Kyukonais, correct?"
"Yes, I want my province to produce something other than plain wheat," said Helena. "Our climate is similar to places that grow and export sugar, coffee, and spices. I'd like to know how I can approach growing those."
"Ah, the three pillars of contemporary international cuisine, and also the cash crops of the world," Professor Lydia remarked. "Well, some would say it is impossible. They currently only grow in their respective origin regions, hence the high prices."
"I heard those words all day yesterday," Helena groaned.
The Linoone chuckled. "I wouldn't fault those merchants for wanting to keep their competitive advantage. Make no mistake, there is something special about those places other than climate. My research has shown that the soil's composition and condition vastly affect a plant's ability to flourish. The soil in Kyukonais may not match the soil in other places where these crops are exclusively grown."
"So is it possible to alter the soil to make it suitable?" Helena asked.
"Always one step ahead of me," Professor Lydia laughed. "Yes, I see you truly did read my publications. Through the precise use of Rototiller, I was able to condition my soil to grow plants from all across the world to decorate this lovely office of mine. Now, not many pokémon can learn Rototiller, but further research showed that similar results could be made through a combination of Dig for conditioning and various poison, grass, and water moves for tuning the composition. My team has proven the results on a small scale here in the university gardens."
"Would you be willing to employ your techniques on a large farm in Kyukonais?" Helena asked. "I will finance it."
"Absolutely," said Professor Lydia. "Nothing would make me more pleased than seeing my research put to work. However, there are a lot of steps we need to take before we get to that point."
"Like what?" Helena asked.
"First off, do you have unused farmland that is available for the project?"
"Of course, there is an entire province's worth of land," said Helena.
"Under your direct ownership?" the professor pressed.
"Hmm, I have control of the city, but the farmland is… owned by local nobles. I guess I didn't consider that… I'll have to burn down some forests to create new farmland," she decided.
"My heart cries out at such wastage," the Linoone said, clutching her chest with her paws half-jokingly. "Before you do that, you should talk with my colleagues in the physics and chemistry departments. I am sure they will have ideas for what to do with all of the potential lumber in the forests before you burn it down. Let us pay them a visit!"
Helena went with Professor Lydia to meet with two other esteemed researchers: Professor Mason, a Manectric and esteemed physicist, and Professor Arlo, an Ariados and innovative chemist. Professor Arlo jumped at the opportunity to build a massive water-powered sawmill along the Rokon River for cutting up logs efficiently and fueling construction efforts. He had previously designed a smaller water-powered sawmill in Miloa but was restricted in how big he could go with his revolutionary new design. Professor Arlo said he had some ideas in the works on how he could use the leftovers of the sawmill to produce high-quality paper.
There was one glaring issue with all of these ambitions, though. "These projects are going to require pokémon to be trained to use their moves in special ways to produce successful results," Professor Arlo pointed out. "Will you be able to provide a dedicated workforce?"
"Certainly," said Helena. "I am sure the villagers would rather work for me over laboring on their lords' inadequate wheat farms."
"And if they stop producing food, how will they eat?" asked Professor Lydia.
"Hmm. I will talk with Miloa's food suppliers and get some of them to do business in Kyukonais," Helena decided.
"Get that sorted out and come back to us promptly. I am eager to begin the designs!" Professor Arlo exclaimed.
"Make sure you do your due diligence as well," Professor Lydia added. "We cannot start unless everything is in place."
"I will make sure of it," Helena promised. "Thank you all!" With that, Helena left the university to seek out potential food suppliers, feeling like glory was just around the corner.
Terry led Lily past a courtyard and through a corridor with walls lined with drawings depicting pokémon using all kinds of moves. There was a Tyranitar creating a menacing Stone Edge, a Porygon-Z summoning a colorful Tri Attack, and so many more. While Lily fell behind admiring the paintings, Terry walked into an office near the end of the colorful corridor. Inside it sat a Smeargle with glasses who was examining a painting.
"Hi Professor Samir!" Terry greeted.
The Smeargle peered up from his work and smiled. "Why, my ever-creative pupil, Theodore! What a pleasant surprise," the Smeargle said. "How goes it for you, young fellow?"
"I'm doing great! I've found so many new ways to use Substitute since I was last here!" Terry exclaimed. "I brought a friend to admire your awesome paintings. She's still out there right now," Terry chuckled. "And as an added bonus, she knows Leaf Blade! You haven't painted Leaf Blade yet, right?"
"That I have not," Professor Samir said, slowly getting out of his seat. He and Terry headed down the corridor to where Lily was currently admiring a painting of a majestic Serperior. The Serperior was positioned at the top of a mountain against a beautiful blue sky with fluffy white clouds as a backdrop. Two green vines sprouted out from the sides of the Serperior's neck before bending towards the portrait's viewer as if they were about to lash out of the canvas.
"Lily, meet the artist - Professor Samir! Professor, this is my friend Lily."
"Hiya! These paintings are amazing!" Lily praised.
"Why thank you, young lady," the old Smeargle chuckled. "I am sure you are referring to their inherent beauty, but these paintings are remarkable in more ways than one. These paintings are more than just aesthetically pleasing works of art; they also serve as a vector for move acquisition!"
"Huh?" Lily questioned.
"You see, we Smeargle have the ability to understand how to use any move. However, it is quite difficult to perform moves using so many different techniques and energies, especially since we are not specialized in any particular power. To remember everything, we embed all that information into a sketch. By looking at my past sketches of pokémon using moves, I can recall how to perform all kinds of moves."
"Wow, that… almost sounds too good to be true," Lily admitted.
"It gets even better!" Terry exclaimed.
"Indeed," Professor Samir chuckled. "Through the research of many talented pokémon here at the University of Miloa, we were able to find a way for me to share my powers with everyone! I painted each and every one of these elaborate paintings in a way that holds all the information needed to use a move. By touching one with a little help from me, you can learn a new move!"
"Yup! I learned Substitute and Flame Burst from those paintings over there!" Terry added, pointing out a drawing of a Greninja using Substitute and a Simisear using Flame Burst.
"I can learn anything from these paintings?!" Lily gasped. She started swiveling in place to take in more paintings.
"Well, with some restrictions…"
"Can I learn to breathe fire like Terry?" Lily immediately asked. "I love the way Terry does his Flame Burst! It's so cool!"
"You mean so hot!" Terry corrected.
Professor Samir chuckled. "That would be rather adventurous for a grass-type," he said. "Unfortunately, you cannot stray too far from what your species is traditionally known to perform. Sadly, I do not know of any grass-type that has succeeded in taming the wild beast that is fire."
"Aw…"
"And also, the learning process is not going to be as simple as 1, 2, and… poof! My painting can get you started, but it will take weeks or months of practice for the move to be fully functioning."
"That's okay! I'll work as hard as I can to get a new and exciting move!"
"Excellent! Well then, how about you browse the paintings for a move that piques your interest and is not drastically divergent from your existing abilities."
"How about this one?" Lily asked, pointing at the Serperior painting. "I knew some pokémon in my village who could use Vine Whip and their vines were really useful."
"An excellent choice. That painting features a mighty emperor from a faraway land overseas," said Professor Samir. He walked up to the painting and touched the bottom gently with his tail. He stared at the painting intently, and both his tail and the painting started to glow green as the Smeargle recalled how to use Vine Whip through the energy of his artwork. He nodded his head several times as the instructions returned to him.
"Come here and gently touch the bottom of the painting," he instructed.
Lily approached the glowing green painting and grazed the bottom of the canvas with the back of her paw, not wanting to disturb such a wondrous work of art. She felt a faint energy course through her body; it felt similar to her grass powers but slightly different nonetheless.
Next, they headed to the courtyard where Professor Samir spent a while working with Lily to try and produce a Vine Whip using the instructions that the Smeargle had learned from the Serperior in the picture long ago. After a long time, Lily could only make a tiny vine sprout out from a shoulder similar to one of her leaves and couldn't control it. The Vine Whip felt super weird compared to the Leaf Blade she knew and loved; it was like growing two extra tails! She resolved to work hard on controlling her new vines.
"Now, Theodore mentioned earlier that you possess the secrets of Leaf Blade," said the professor. "May I have permission to illustrate a painting of you and your Leaf Blade?"
"Absolutely!" Lily agreed.
"That will mean other pokémon may learn to use your technique. Are you okay with that?" he asked.
"Of course! I find that really cool," she replied.
"Excellent! Then allow me to bring a canvas."
While Professor Samir was away from the courtyard, Terry and Lily had some fun trying to create the best pose to showcase Lily's Leaf Blade. Once the Smeargle set his canvas and easel, he started painting with his tail, which would change color on a whim as he painted. He also asked Lily tons of questions about the intricate details of her Leaf Blade, things that Lily and Terry never would have considered while using their natural moves. As the Smeargle painted and took in the instructions, his tail glowed with the power of Sketch, embedding those move details into the painting.
"And… finished!" Professor Samir announced. "Come take a look. Is it up to your standard?"
"Wow!" Lily exclaimed, admiring the painting of herself and her Leaf Blade. "It's perfect!"
"And now… watch this!" the elderly Smeargle exclaimed. "Leaf Blade!" He raised his tail up in the air, and it slowly turned bright green and extended into the shape of a sword. Then he raised his arm up and made another bright green Leaf Blade extend out of his hand, just like how Lily did it with her forepaws.
"Wow, you can make a Leaf Blade out of your arm already? It took me forever to figure out how to make one outside of my tail," Lily remarked.
"It is all thanks to your own technique," Professor Samir chuckled. "This painting will be able to teach all kinds of pokémon your techniques. With some hard work and dedication on their part, of course. I am sure many pokémon will be interested in your Leaf Blade. Thank you so much for your contribution to my move gallery!"
"Thank you, Professor! I can't wait until I get my Vine Whip working! It's going to be so fun!"
Helena stood at a market stand selling rice with a banner titled "Velenadu Guild." She was trying to negotiate with the pokémon running the stand.
"I hate to break it to you, Princess, but your kingdom is… how should we say it? Poor," the Gumshoos deadpanned. "It doesn't make financial sense for my guild to transport our products to Kyukonais when we know that your citizens won't be able to afford our food at anywhere near the prices that we sell for here."
"You don't export anything valuable," a Copperajah added. "How are we going to do good business?"
Helena gritted her teeth, hearing the same story for at least the tenth time today. "I need food imports in order to get started. Then we will be able to produce more profitable goods than you can imagine. If you become Kyukonais's supplier, I promise it will pay off for you in the long run."
"How long until your province becomes profitable?" the Gumshoos asked.
"One year, at most," Helena answered.
"Alright, so two years, realistically," the Copperajah asserted. "There is far too much risk involved. We are not willing to take the loss."
"Fine," Helena grunted. "Off to the next one…"
"I have an idea," said a Bibarel at the back of the stand. "How about we sell a set amount of food stock directly to you, Princess? You can pay us upfront, and we'll deliver the rice to you in Kyukonais. You get food for your citizens, we get our sales. It's a win-win!" The other merchants started nodding at that idea.
"I don't have the funds to feed an entire province," Helena said.
"Then you better come up with it!" the suppliers jeered.
"I will… consider it. How long will the offer stand?"
"If it's guaranteed sales, come to us anytime! Show us the money first, and we'll ramp up supplies for you."
Helena spent the rest of the day going through all of the banks in Miloa, looking for investors. Unfortunately, the bankers mostly gave the same remarks as the merchants, with some added snobbiness to boot. No one wanted to invest in the future of Kyukonais because if Helena's efforts failed, they would face massive losses. It was a discouraging night for the princess.
Her mood swung positively once she met up with Terry, Lily, and Max at a coffee house, though. Or maybe it was the coffee. It also helped that at the stage in the coffee house, a Kadabra was reading out loud one of Helena's favorite books, Blazing Courage. Most of the patrons were listening to the Kadabra tell the tales of a Riolu, Vulpix, and their friends growing up and having all sorts of fun, troubles, and cuteness. To Helena, the best part was that one of the main characters was a Vulpix and a princess just like her!
Lily was especially enthralled by the storytelling. "How does that Kadabra come up with such an amazing story and remember all of it?" the Leafeon wondered, sitting on the edge of her seat with her tail swishing merrily.
"She's reading a book, silly!" Terry laughed. When Lily blinked his way, he gasped with widened eyes. "You've never read a book…" he whimpered, clutching his chest with his paw dramatically.
Helena smacked Terry on the head with one of her tails, then explained reading and writing to Lily, pointing to the name of the coffee house written across the side of the wall as an example.
"So the whole story is all in that… thing?" Lily asked in amazement. "You don't have to remember everything in your head?"
"Yep!" said Terry. "And there are so many different stories written in books. I'll show you some of our books later. You don't know what you're missing!"
"Oh, but I don't know how to read…" Lily sighed.
"I'll teach you!" Terry promised.
Lily smiled widely. "Thanks," she said. "Is it hard?"
"That is an interesting question," Max remarked with an intrigued glint in his eyes. "For someone who learned to read at a very early age, it is practically second nature, like running or using very basic moves of one's type. Objectively, however, reading could be viewed as quite complicated."
"Does everyone here read books?" Lily asked. "I saw those… 'letters' that you pointed out all over the city today, now that I think about it…"
"Yes, most pokémon in Miloa are taught how to read and we do have writing all over the city," said Max. "With a big city like Miloa, we need street signs to know where to go and places need names and signs to identify themselves. As for books, though, unfortunately, books are still pretty expensive to make right now, so not everyone has them. That is why many pokémon come to places like this coffee house to listen to stories. The thing is, writing them by hand takes a long time, although there is something called a printing press that was recently invented which makes the writing much faster. However, the paper is also pretty hard to make."
"Max, that reminds me," Helena spoke up. "The professors I spoke with have a project in the works to produce paper in Kyukonais."
"That would be amazing!" Terry exclaimed. "Think of all the books we could make…"
"The problem is they need workers. But if my villagers start working on new farms and factories, they'll need food. None of the food suppliers in Miloa would agree to sell in Kyukonais, so I have to personally buy the food from them and give it to potential workers until we can start selling stuff. But to get started, I need money…" There was an awkward silence until Helena bit the bullet and said, "Can you ask your father for a loan? I tried so many banks already today with no luck."
"Hmm…" Max sighed, resting his elbows on the table and pressing his head on his paws. "I will make an earnest attempt, but sadly, my father was not entirely enthused by my account of my activities since I was last home…"
"Oh…" Helena said, her ears flopping.
"Worry not, my friend," Max reassured her. "Regardless of my father's stance, I will happily continue to aid you in uplifting Kyukonais. If a loan from my father will aid our efforts, I will secure it."
Max's father was practically the same height and appearance as Max himself - tiny compared to most pokémon. And yet, the elder Meowstic held a pompous, cutthroat air to himself, in stark contrast to his younger, inquisitive counterpart.
"You do not believe in Princess Helena? She is royalty," Max tried saying.
"Royalty means nothing from an investment standpoint. If you are the king of a festering swamp, are you really the king of anything?"
"Kyukonais is not a festering swamp," Max insisted. "I have seen the potential firsthand. That is the purpose of sending an appraiser to a potential area of investment, is it not? Is that not why you allowed me to be our bank's appraiser of Solardie?"
"An appraiser must look at areas objectively. According to your reports, there are no current exports and no skilled labor base," Max's father quoted, crossing his arms.
"You must not underestimate the powers of innovation and loyalty," Max argued. "There are plans to grow highly valuable crops with new techniques proven by some of the best researchers in the world. I have worked with them during my time at the University of Miloa. I have also spoken with the villagers in Kyukonais. They have been terrorized by bandits and raiders their whole lives with no one to help them until Helena did the impossible. I do not think even Helena fully comprehends the loyalty she has earned from her villagers after she solved their problems. If Helena says she needs them to start new industries, they will do their very best to make it a success. I have spoken with them. I am sure of it," Max declared.
"You are not sure of anything," Max's father countered. "Pokémon are not reliable. They cannot replace numbers. I should never have allowed you to squander several months frolicking with your former schoolmates in the middle of nowhere. I shall reassign you to seek new investments in Haxony at once."
"Did my grandfather not create our bank for the purpose of giving new businesses the starting capital they need to create new value for society?" Max questioned. "What I am proposing is the same concept, but at the scale of an entire province. It is perfectly aligned with our roots!"
"Back then, your grandfather could not compete with the large banks to secure the safest investments. Now that we are one of the largest banks, I do not intend to squander my father's hard work by taking up risky investments."
"So you will not consider issuing a loan to Helena?" Max asked with a sigh.
"Absolutely not," said Max's father. "Your appraisal of Solardie is over. There will be no investments. You are to travel to the capital of Haxony now. I have already arranged a place of residence for you and a list of starting contacts."
Max clenched his ears tighter and stared down at his fiddling paws. "Very well, Father…"
The following day, Max met up with the rest of the team at the outskirts of Miloa, where they were waiting for him. Chadwyck looked like he had gotten into a few sparring matches, but he held his signature cocky smirk even higher. Lily was soaking in the city and ocean view as much as she could before they headed out. Helena spotted Max with a grin and a hopeful look in her eyes.
"Did you get the loan?" Helena asked.
"Sadly, no…" Max lamented, slouching his back. "My father refuses to invest in anything even remotely risky. Put simply, he does not believe in us. I am sorry."
"It's okay," said Helena. "I may have another way to come up with the initial funds."
"My father also wants me to go to the capital of Haxony to find new investments for him."
"Seriously? Don't leave us!" Terry cried.
"I would not dream of it," Max said with a smirk, standing up straight. "I do hope our coming efforts in Kyukonais are a wild success, or else my father may abandon me."
"Since when did you turn so rebellious?" Helena laughed.
"Perhaps a large chunk of you has rubbed off on me," Max quipped. "But besides that, I know we will succeed. I believe in our professors and the villagers of Kyukonais!"
"That's right! I will turn Kyukonais into a center of trade just like Miloa!" Helena cheered. And with that, the team started on the path up the Rokon River back to Kyukonais.
A/N 3/7/2022: Believe it or not, Leafeon does not learn Vine Whip! Therefore, I had to come up with some sketchy way for Lily to learn it. Even more mind-blowing, Ninetales doesn't learn Psychic! Even though it learns Extrasensory as a level-up move, which is not even a TM, Ninetales the mystical fox pokémon officially does not learn Psychic. I swear I remember my Ninetales in HeartGold knowing Psychic, but it must have been Extrasensory all along.
Blazing Courage by Orange Orenji is one of my favorite stories on this site and a major source of inspiration for all my stories. It follows the tale of a Riolu named Cobalt and his friends as they grow up. Tons of awesome characters, wholesomeness, and drama. The beginning of the story might be slightly rough around the edges but stick around and the quality jumps significantly. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Check it out when you have a chance! There's a link on my profile page (along with many other recommendations).