Chapter 10: Which Pokémon Needs 50kg of Intermediate Food for a Meal?
Ye Yinchuan took out his phone and ordered a roasted chicken.
"Delivery food nowadays really is getting more and more expensive!"
Looking at the whole roasted chicken, the lowest price was at least 50 yuan.
Having lived frugally, Ye Yinchuan couldn't help but feel a little sting in his heart.
After thinking it over, he decided to buy just half of it for 26 yuan.
Two bowls of rice at 4 yuan each brought the total, with packaging and delivery fees, to 34.5 yuan.
It smelled delicious and was enough to treat both himself and his Snorlax.
Although Ye Yinchuan believed he had the ability to earn money, after facing the harsh realities of life, he understood one thing—
That is, the money you have in your hands is truly your own.
Right now, he'd only earned a little over a thousand yuan. If he spent it all carelessly, he'd have no way to handle any emergencies.
He really didn't want to go back to those days when his balance was under thirty yuan, and even buying a steamed bun required counting his change.
In the future, he wanted to save enough to raise his Snorlax properly and buy a house for himself.
Renting was never truly his, and one day, if they kicked him out, he'd have to pack up and leave.
And his own house, with his ideal decoration, would really feel like home!
"If everything goes smoothly, I'll definitely move Snorlax into a big house, preferably a villa! After all, if Snorlax evolves into a Snorlax, a small house won't do. Oh, and I need to get the door custom-made, so even if Snorlax evolves, it can go in and out without any issues—not getting stuck or needing to bend down."
Ye Yinchuan had already regarded Snorlax as family, so it was only natural that his future plans included Snorlax.
"I'll buy some Pokémon food. For Snorlax, I'll go for the mixed intermediate food. It can't be from a cheap brand, so this one from Golden Crown should do."
Ye Yinchuan decided to buy some Pokémon food online for Snorlax.
These artificial foods are usually divided into three levels—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—corresponding to the Pokémon's evolution stages. The higher the level and evolution, the higher the energy consumption, and the food must be of a higher level.
Usually, Pokémon that haven't evolved can make do with beginner food.
But Snorlax, being a big eater, needed to have intermediate food to ensure proper nutrition.
"Golden Crown" was a mid-to-high-end Pokémon food brand, with the price for one kilogram of mixed intermediate food at 25 yuan.
Theoretically, Snorlax would need to eat the same amount of food as its weight, around 200 kilograms.
But because of the high energy content of the intermediate food, 50 kilograms would suffice to meet its nutritional needs.
This meant that to properly feed Snorlax with quality food, Ye Yinchuan would need to pay 1,250 yuan a day for meals!
"Ugh…"
Ye Yinchuan was startled when he did the math.
It turned out that the money he earned from his first livestream wasn't even enough to feed Snorlax for a whole day!
His earlier decision to avoid splurging seemed very wise now.
Of course, Snorlax could continue going hungry or scavenging for leftovers and garbage, and life would go on.
But it could lead to malnutrition and stomach issues.
Although Snorlax had a strong digestive system, eating junk food daily could lead to poisoning.
Ye Yinchuan treated Snorlax like family, so how could he let it go hungry or eat scraps just because it had a big appetite?
Unfortunately, his current finances were limited.
"Forget it... I'll go for a cheaper brand."
Ye Yinchuan had planned to give Snorlax the best food, but his financial situation didn't allow for that, so he had to make a compromise.
Luckily, Golden Crown also had a sub-brand called Silver Crown.
The same one kilogram of mixed intermediate food cost only 13 yuan, almost half the price.
It was cheaper because it used lower-quality materials and scraps, but the food's safety and hygiene should still be fine.
With this, Ye Yinchuan could limit Snorlax's daily food costs to 650 yuan.
If he could maintain the income level from his first livestream, Snorlax would be able to eat well, and he might even be able to save some money.
After doing the math, Ye Yinchuan finally smiled.
The Pokémon food ordered online would take at least one day to arrive, but Snorlax hadn't had a proper meal today.
Though this situation had been going on for some time, now that he was earning, he couldn't let Snorlax suffer any longer.
Ye Yinchuan checked the local delivery options for the same brand and level of Pokémon food. The price was 15 yuan per kilogram, 2 yuan more expensive than online.
He didn't have enough money to afford it.
"Does that mean Snorlax has to go to bed hungry today?"
Looking over at the sleeping Snorlax, Ye Yinchuan heard its stomach growling.
Seeing its somewhat emaciated appearance from prolonged hunger, Ye Yinchuan couldn't bear it.
But then he had an idea.
"Right! Although I was kicked out of the guild, I still have half a month's salary!"
Ye Yinchuan hurriedly opened WeChat and saw a transfer from Hu Yue.
The amount was 800 yuan, a little more than expected—probably to make it a round number.
The message read:
Yinchuan, this matter was on me and the guild. Please take this 800. If you want to keep livestreaming, I'll see if I can find something suitable for you. Life is often not what we wish for, but it's important to have someone to share your struggles. Little Chuan, keep going, I believe in you!"
Reading these encouraging words, Ye Yinchuan felt warmth in his heart.
Not many people cared about him in this world, and he and Hu Yue had only met online—one looking for a job, the other recruiting streamers. They'd never even met in person, only had a video interview.
For her to say these things was already rare.
He replied:
"Thanks, Sis. I've decided to go solo."
After receiving the 800 yuan, Ye Yinchuan ordered 50 kilograms of local Pokémon food.
"There's not much left."
Looking at his balance, which was barely over 500 yuan, Ye Yinchuan felt a bit of pressure.
Raising a big eater Pokémon like this wasn't something most people could afford!
Who has a Pokémon that eats 50 kilograms of food in one sitting?
He'd just made a small profit from his livestream, and now, before the hot roasted chicken even arrived, he was almost back to square one!
Though he grumbled inside, Ye Yinchuan didn't complain too much—this was his own choice.
Next, he just had to work hard to earn more! The pressure was motivation!
To give his family, or rather, his "child," normal food was no big deal, right?
Having sorted everything out, Ye Yinchuan looked over at Snorlax.
The little guy, who had been neglected while he livestreamed, was lying quietly, not crying or causing trouble.
Its body rose and fell as it slept soundly, and just looking at it brought a sense of peace.
"No wonder the birthrate among young people is dropping. Having a child might make you feel like a concubine in the cold palace, but raising a Pokémon? That's just so sweet!"
Ye Yinchuan gently stroked Snorlax, eyes full of affection and tenderness, especially for its two big, bouncy rabbit ears—so lively and perfect for a good tug.
Although the system's reputation level had increased to level 2, unlocking the exclusive skill Super Influence, Ye Yinchuan wasn't in a rush to use it. The influence points wouldn't disappear, and he could wait until Snorlax woke up to use it.
He tried to move Snorlax to the bed but found it was too heavy to lift.
"Snorlax's average weight is 105 kilograms. Even though mine's a bit underweight due to malnutrition, it still weighs about 80 kilograms…"
It was reasonable that Ye Yinchuan couldn't lift it, given he himself was malnourished!
He grabbed a blanket and draped it over Snorlax, admiring it for a moment before lying down beside it.
Having a big baby next to you, feeling its warmth and breathing—it was truly comforting.
Before long, drowsiness overcame Ye Yinchuan, and his eyelids slowly drooped.