Su Yu spent several hours organizing more than a dozen mid- to low-tier Energy Cube formulas.
His plan was simple: register them as patents and turn them into profit.
In this world, patent protection was extremely strict. Anyone applying for a patent had to submit physical samples for verification. Only after the authorities confirmed that the formula was entirely original—and did not overlap with any existing records in the patent database—would the certificate be issued.
Once approved, the patent would belong exclusively to the applicant for five years. During that period, only the patent holder could legally manufacture and sell the product for profit.
After five years, however, the patent would expire. The formula would become public knowledge, and anyone could use it freely. At that point, the original creator would have no legal recourse.
But five years was more than enough for Su Yu.
After all, he wasn't short on formulas.
He had countless Energy Cube recipes stored in his mind. Even if one was reverse-engineered, he could simply release another.
No big deal.
After reviewing the formulas one last time, Su Yu nodded to himself.
The next step was producing samples.
Fortunately, the ingredients required were all fairly common. He could easily source them from the orphanage's orchard. Even the rarest ingredient—Beedrill Honey—could be found in the back mountains if he looked carefully.
As long as he had the raw materials, making the cubes wouldn't be a problem.
It was still early.
He decided to gather the ingredients first.
Su Yu stood up, went downstairs, grabbed a few tools, and headed toward the back mountain orchard.
The moment the kids saw what he was doing, several of them immediately perked up.
"Brother Su Yu, where are you going?"
"To pick fruit?"
"I'm coming too!"
"Wait for me!"
They quickly caught on to his destination.
The orchard.
Before Su Yu could say anything, a group of small figures had already gathered behind him.
Seeing this, Su Yu didn't refuse.
"Alright, we'll go together," he said calmly."But don't run around. Got it?"
Though he was willing to bring them along, a warning was still necessary.
The back mountain wasn't entirely safe. Wild Pokémon lived there, and some even sneaked into the orchard from time to time to steal fruit.
Fortunately, the kids were familiar with the rules.
Even without Su Yu's reminder, they knew better.
They immediately nodded one after another.
"We know, Brother Su Yu!"
"We'll behave!"
"Yeah, yeah, we come here all the time!"
"What if we run into Beedrill?"
"We're not stupid!"
Their chatter filled the air.
Su Yu couldn't help but smile.
"Alright, let's go," he said."We'll pick some fruit today and make Energy Cubes tomorrow."
"Move out!"
With that, Su Yu set off.
The kids instantly became even more excited when they heard about Energy Cubes.
"Huh?"
"Brother Su Yu, you can make Energy Cubes?"
"Dummy, Brother Su Yu already graduated!"
"Of course he can make them!"
"If you sell them, we'll have money!"
"I want candied tree fruit!"
"I want Moo Moo Milk too!"
"Brother Su Yu, can you buy it for us?"
(ˉ﹃ˉ)
As they spoke, some of them were already drooling.
Su Yu felt a headache coming on.
"Alright, alright," he said helplessly."When I make money, I'll buy them for you."
"For now, help me pick fruit."
He unconsciously quickened his pace.
Truth be told, he didn't mind indulging them.
In the future, he would still need their help.
Aside from studying, these kids were also his assistants.
Before long, they arrived at the orchard.
Rows of fruit trees stretched out before them, neatly arranged. Oran Berries, Lum Berries, Sitrus Berries—common but essential ingredients—hung heavily from the branches.
Su Yu quickly gave instructions.
"I need Oran Berries, Sitrus Berries, Mago Berries, Razz Berries, and Qualot Berries."
"You all know what those look like, right?"
The kids nodded eagerly.
"We know!"
"We'll pick them now!"
They scattered immediately, darting between the trees.
Su Yu chuckled and joined them.
Of course, those weren't the only ingredients he needed. He also required Pumpkin Berries, Drash Berries, Nutpea Berries, and several other specialty fruits.
Milk wasn't an issue—the orphanage had plenty.
After more than half an hour of work, Su Yu finally gathered everything he needed.
After checking the baskets, he spoke again.
"That's enough for now."
"You take these back first."
"I'm going into the forest to find something else."
"And remember—don't wander off."
"W–Wait!!"
Suddenly, Su Yu froze.
"What are you holding?"
In the arms of one little girl was a small, yellow creature.
Su Yu's eyes widened.
"…That's a Pichu!"
The girl lifted it up proudly.
It was unconscious.
Su Yu stared at the bump on its head.
"…Who did this?"
Someone had clearly knocked it out with a stone and brought it back.
His expression darkened.
No matter how small it was, Pichu was still a Pokémon—and one that constantly leaked electricity. If it had been awake, someone could've been seriously injured.
How were these kids so bold?
The girl panicked and immediately set Pichu down.
"Brother Su Yu…"
"Xiaoqing!"
Su Yu suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
When he was younger, hadn't he done the same thing?
Knocking out a Pidgey and dragging it home—only to get beaten up when it woke up.
Back then, the Pokémon in the back mountain had been tricked by him more than once.
Thinking of that, Su Yu's mouth twitched.
Seeing his expression, the kids grew nervous.
Su Yu sighed.
"Alright," he said."I'm not angry."
"But don't attack Pokémon casually again. Understand?"
"If you don't knock them out, you'll be the ones getting hurt."
"You could even lose your lives."
These kids still lacked proper awareness.
Seriously… why is safety education so lacking?