Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House.
Compared to Barry, who was currently being battered by reality on the other side of the city, Amanda was smiling so much that her cheeks were beginning to ache.
There were simply too many customers.
Daniella and Gardevoir were already working nonstop at the reception desk, while the two self-service ordering machines never had a moment's rest.
Even that wasn't enough.
As a result, Amanda and Ryu had been recruited as temporary staff.
Hanson didn't even bother opening his own store that day and instead stayed at Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House to help.
Amanda glanced at her brother-in-law and laughed.
"At this rate, you won't need to open your own shop anymore. You might as well just work here."
"Don't even mention it..."
Hanson's expression instantly collapsed.
He ran a hand over his increasingly shiny scalp and nearly burst into tears. Looking at the lone strand of hair resting in his palm, he let out an exaggerated mournful cry.
"Goodbye, Eleven!"
The single hair drifted gently through the air.
"..."
Leon fell silent for a moment.
His brother had actually named one of his hairs.
Mr. Drama himself.
"Money x5
Moneeyeyy~"
Leon cheerfully hummed a tune as he walked away.
Meanwhile, another person who felt as if he were undergoing a quartering execution was Austin. His appointment schedule had already been booked solid for the next six months.
Judging from the current trend, bookings might even extend into next year.
Why?
The answer was simple.
He had a tag that a few others had.
The breeder who had personally cared for Cynthia's Garchomp.
In the past, Cynthia usually invited professional breeders directly to her home to care for Garchomp and her other Pokémon.
This time, however, Austin had performed the treatment publicly on the dunes outside the breeding house.
For Cynthia's fans, that was practically a historic event. Anyone familiar with Cynthia knew one thing. The Sinnoh Champion didn't maintain a public social media account.
As a result, her fans desperately collected every piece of information about her they could find online.
Videos of Austin caring for her Garchomp, Lucario, Glaceon, and the others had been uploaded by visiting customers.
Overnight, they exploded across PokéStream and other social media platforms on the Eevee Net.
The reasons were easy to identify.
Cynthia.
Garchomp.
Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House.
Professional breeding techniques.
And Austin himself.
Those five topics alone were enough to attract enormous attention.
To make matters worse, Blue, Wallace, and several other well-known Trainers had happily added fuel to the fire beneath the most popular videos.
The comment sections were in complete chaos.
Many viewers were left with only one conclusion.
This was awesome!
...
At the same time, Cynthia had just woken up. The situation unfolding outside was completely different from what she had imagined. In her mind, the visit should have been peaceful.
Austin, Dai Yui, Mizuki, and Shion spending time with their Pokémon.
Training.
Playing.
Relaxing.
A quiet and pleasant atmosphere.
Instead...
The entire breeding house was packed with people.
Cynthia rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"What's happening?"
"Why are there so many people?"
Unlike most Trainers, Cynthia rarely browsed PokéStream on the EeveeNet or similar applications.
Although she had quietly created an account the previous night called AncientPages and followed Austin, she still had no idea what had happened.
Unfortunately, nobody had time to explain.
Everyone was busy.
Just then, her Pokégear vibrated.
A message from Austin appeared.
Austin: [Don't come out for now. Most of the visitors are here because of you. We've told them you had something to do and have already left.]
Knowing Cynthia rarely used social media, Austin thoughtfully forwarded several videos as well.
The titles immediately left her speechless.
"First Ever Footage of Cynthia's Garchomp Receiving Professional Care!"
"What Does the Sinnoh Champion Do for Garchomp? Full Care Process Revealed!"
"The Breeder Trusted by Cynthia. How Skilled Is He Really?"
"The Breeder Trusted by Cynthia. How Skilled Is He Really?"
"..."
Cynthia stared at the screen in disbelief.
At that moment, another notification arrived.
It was a voice message from Diantha.
"Diantha?"
Cynthia opened it.
Diantha's amused voice immediately played through the speaker.
"The titles are quite entertaining."
"Blue and the others are still causing trouble in the comments."
Even through the recording, Cynthia could hear Diantha trying and failing to suppress her laughter.
A screenshot followed shortly afterward.
Blue: "This is the most professional Garchomp care I've ever seen."
Red: "+1"
Wallace: "+1"
Pewter Gym Leader Brock: "+1"
Below that were hundreds of additional replies.
The same user was enthusiastically explaining to everyone that Blue and Austin were acquainted in real life.
After reading everything, Cynthia lowered the Pokégear and sighed.
"...This looks troublesome."
A few curious fans would have been manageable. The problem was that there were far too many. She didn't want her presence to create difficulties for Austin's family.
...
By noon, the morning rush had finally slowed down. Everyone looked exhausted.
Cynthia approached Austin with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry."
"It seems I've caused quite a bit of trouble."
Austin smiled and shook his head.
"Actually, you solved one of our biggest problems."
"...?"
Cynthia blinked.
Confusion immediately appeared on her face.
She genuinely didn't understand what he meant.
After all, she had no idea that Crown Coronet Breeding House had recently started an aggressive price war against Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House.
Before Austin could explain, Leon suddenly appeared.
The golden Pokédollar symbols spinning in his eyes were moving faster than a jackpot machine.
"What trouble?"
"This isn't trouble!"
Leon pointed dramatically toward the crowd outside.
"Those are all walking Pokédollars!"
Amanda immediately adjusted her glasses and nodded seriously.
"He's right."
"Today's reservations alone have already exceeded our expectations."
Hanson stepped forward and tried to comfort Cynthia.
"This really isn't your fault."
"Who could have predicted that a customer would record the entire process and upload it online?"
Amanda clapped her hands.
"Everyone, keep up the good work!"
"If things continue like this, everyone gets a bonus this month!"
The moment the word bonus was spoken, the entire staff erupted with energy. Even the Pokémon became noticeably more enthusiastic. It was as though everyone had received a fresh boost of motivation.
Watching the scene unfold, Cynthia finally realized she had worried unnecessarily. Apparently, nobody here considered her presence a burden. If anything, they seemed delighted.
After thinking for a moment, Cynthia proposed a solution.
"Then I should probably meet everyone this afternoon."
"If the fans keep gathering outside, it will become difficult for everyone to work."
Dai Yui immediately raised his hand.
"Simple."
"We'll hold a fan signing event."
He paused.
"Actually, for someone like you, it should probably be called a fan meeting."
As a three-time Pokémon World Martial Arts Tournament Champion, Dai Yui was no stranger to large fan gatherings.
His own fanbase was substantial.
Seeing Cynthia hesitate, he confidently patted his chest.
"If you're willing, leave the organization to me."
"I know exactly how these events work."
Cynthia considered it for a few seconds before nodding.
That truly seemed like the best solution.
"Thank you, Mr. Dai Yui."
He waved dismissively.
"It's nothing."
"Besides, your Lucario has been helping train Incineroar these past few days."
"Consider this a repayment."
Incineroar immediately nodded.
"Incineroar!"
Austin laughed.
"Then I'll help too."
Dai Yui instantly entered organizer mode.
"Come on. First, we need to choose a venue."
After a brief inspection, he snapped his fingers.
"The cafeteria on the first floor."
"It has heating and a lot of seating."
"We can provide drinks, and the traffic flow will be easy to control."
Dai Yui folded his arms proudly.
"Sometimes I'm amazed by my own genius."
Dai Yui didn't have the usual humbleness of a martial artist in this moment.
Unfortunately, Austin couldn't find any flaws in the plan.
Dai Yui continued issuing instructions.
"For security, Garchomp and Lucario need to stay beside Cynthia."
"Then we'll assign several Pokémon to help maintain order."
He began counting on his fingers.
"Incineroar."
"Ryu."
"Machamp."
"Scizor."
"That should be enough."
After a moment of thought, he added:
"We'll also need someone to talk with the fans while they're waiting."
"Rimi would be perfect."
"She's organized, patient, and easy to approach."
Daniella was probably the most approachable person in the entire breeding house.
Unfortunately, she couldn't leave the front desk.
As for Nurse Joy, she was busy at the Pokémon Center and couldn't spare the time.
Rimi, on the other hand, normally handled warehouse inventory.
Since most customers today were simply making reservations, the warehouse wasn't particularly busy.
Everything quickly fell into place.
. . .
That afternoon.
The fan signing event officially began.
The first-floor cafeteria was packed.
Fans filled every available seat.
More people lined up outside the building.
Fortunately, the atmosphere remained orderly.
Standing near the entrance, Dai Yui picked up a loudspeaker.
"Everyone, please don't push!"
"Safety comes first!"
"Cynthia is right over there."
"She's not going anywhere."
The crowd immediately quieted down.
Dai Yui nodded in satisfaction before delivering the finishing blow.
"You don't want your idol to look at you in disappointment, do you?"
The entire line instantly became even more disciplined.
"..."
Watching the scene, Austin couldn't help but admire him.
At that exact moment, a familiar system notification suddenly appeared before Austin's eyes.
Ding!
[Side quest: I Really Didn't Want to Be a PokéStreamer (Stage 3) completed.]
[Reward calculation in progress...]
. . .
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