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"Hey, hey, I say, Steven, are you really okay with this?"
Lucas, carrying a basket full of vegetables picked from the vegetable garden, couldn't help but ask when he passed by the garden and saw Steven hugging two Pachirisu and sniffing them intensely.
This was so different from the decent and handsome Steven I knew when we first met...
Steven looked up. "It can't be helped. You know, it's hard to find wild Pokémon that are this friendly with people in the wild, let alone such well-behaved ones, and they are so clean, too."
Most Pokémon in the wild are hostile toward humans. There are some that are more docile, but very few Pokémon can be like the ones in the backyard of the Breeding House, treating the humans in the backyard as good friends, allowing them to pet them and hold them in their arms.
For example, that certain Pachirisu that likes to call out "Mama" frequently.
It was often held in the arms of the Breeding House's owner, who would press his face hard against its belly and take a deep sniff.
Steven lay on the armchair that originally belonged to Lucas, rocking gently, and said in a very comfortable tone: "Sometimes I really want to buy the Breeding House."
"Nope, you can just give up on that idea."
Lucas refused without hesitation.
"I know there's no way you'd sell it, so I gave up on that thought. Later, I wondered if I should buy some other Pokémon Day Cares."
"So, did you buy any?"
Lucas took two carrots out of the basket, which had already been washed with water, and tossed one to Steven.
Steven caught the carrot in a bit of a scramble and looked at Lucas with a questioning look in his eyes.
Steven watched as Lucas just took the carrot and took a bite, asking him.
Steven hesitated for a moment, frowned, brought the carrot to his mouth, and took a bite.
It was actually quite sweet.
The juice was plentiful, and the texture was crisp.
After swallowing the carrot in his mouth, Steven took another bite before speaking: "No, who else besides you can build a Breeding House like this?"
"Anyway, you can come whenever you want, didn't you say that?"
"Instead of buying a Breeding House, you might as well give the money to me, and I'll give you better service."
"That makes sense. How about I buy the Breeding House, and you work for me? You can fill in the salary yourself."
Steven said nonchalantly.
I can fill in the salary myself? What a rich snob...
"In your dreams."
"If that doesn't work, I can buy another Breeding House, and you can be a manager?"
"Do I look like a Gengar to you?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I don't know Double Team, so how can I be a manager for you?"
"What a pity..."
"Goodbye."
Lucas carried the basket and walked straight into the kitchen.
"Wait a second, get me two more."
"None left, go dig them yourself."
Watching Lucas's retreating figure, Steven shook his head and laughed. After finishing the carrot in his hand, he stood up and walked toward the planting area.
He had originally thought it was just Lucas's cooking skills that were amazing, but he didn't expect the produce grown in the Breeding House to taste this good as well.
The carrots were just like fruit, fresh and juicy, and the texture was great.
Let's go dig up ten more! Steven thought to himself.
Lucas, who had returned to the kitchen, suddenly felt a chill on his back.
Why do I feel like someone is targeting me with malice?
Lucas thought to himself.
He turned back to look, but found nothing.
Could it be that I'm overthinking it?
It couldn't be that the plantation was dismantled, could it?
Lucas scratched his head.
How could that be? No one likes that crappy place full of plants anyway.
Thinking of this, Lucas began to seriously prepare a nutritious meal for Dratini.
A pink Dratini... So cute!
Thinking that the pink Dratini would evolve into a pink Dragonair, and then into a green Dragonite, Lucas felt incredibly frustrated.
The way he chopped the carrots became more forceful.
You developers, what were you thinking!
Bang!
"imai——"
The sound startled the Alcremie who was studying nearby.
Lucas came back to his senses, turned his head to look at the startled Alcremie, who was currently hiding near the faucet, trembling as it looked at him.
Lucas quickly put down the kitchen knife in his hand, put on a gentle smile, and opened his arms.
Alcremie hesitated for a moment, then opened its arms and ran toward Lucas.
Lucas took Alcremie into his arms, feeling its alluring fragrance. He pressed his finger against its little nose. "I scared you, didn't I? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."
Seeing Lucas apologizing to it, Alcremie also revealed a sweet smile.
"imai~"
It's okay~
After playing with Alcremie for a while, Lucas continued to make lunch.
"Time to eat!"
Lucas called everyone to eat.
After the meal, the task of bathing was left to Gengar and the others. Lucas sat in the lounge area waiting for customers to arrive, and Steven also sat in the lounge area for the first time in a long while.
"It seems like the customer traffic is gradually decreasing."
Steven looked outside the Breeding House door, pinched a cat ear with his fingers, put it into his mouth, and spoke.
Lucas nodded. "After all, so many days have passed, and I've been working overtime every day. There aren't many pokémon eggs left in the incubator room. If the number of people doesn't drop, I'd really have to go elsewhere to buy pokémon eggs."
Lucas said.
He had already sold nearly two hundred pokémon eggs. What was displayed in the incubator room was the last batch of pokémon eggs sent by the League. If it were as busy as the previous few days, he would really have to pay out of his own pocket to buy them from elsewhere.
Holding the pink Dratini he had snatched from Tomoyo in his arms, ignoring Tomoyo's resentful look, Lucas smiled and said: "Let's see how business is today. If the customer traffic isn't high, let's go watch the Lily of the Valley Conference live tonight. We'll close the Breeding House for a few days as a holiday for ourselves."
Everyone and the Pokémon who were watching the live broadcast of the Lily of the Valley Conference turned their heads to look at Lucas.
Lucas responded with a smile.
"Do you want to go?"
"Yes!"
"Super want to!"
"Gen gengar"
Watch the match!
"Ma Machamp"
Fight!
"We're going to be spectators, you know."
Machoke immediately deflated.
When Ash appeared, Lucas took a look at Ash's match. As expected, he also easily advanced to the top 32.
In that case, is tomorrow the selection for the top 16?
Lucas stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Tomorrow the top 16, the day after the top 8, the third day is the top 4, the fourth day the semifinals, the fifth day the finals.
One, two, three, four... Great, there's a five-day holiday!
Lucas jumped for joy on the spot.
Lucas returned the Dratini to Shauna, went to the backyard, and called Cynthia to talk about this matter.
After hanging up the phone, Lucas saw Mrs. Fujino walk out.
"Um, Lucas, Mr. Fujino and I won't go."
Mrs. Fujino said.
"Ah? You're not going? Why?"
Lucas was a bit surprised and also very curious.
"It's better if we stay to watch the shop. There are still so many Pokémon in the Breeding House that need care, and maybe there are people who want to come and buy pokémon eggs."
Mrs. Fujino explained.
"The Pokémon in the Breeding House will be fine living in the backyard for a few days, and it's fine to close the shop for a few days, too."
Lucas persuaded.
"It's not like that, Lucas. The grandparents in Twinleaf Town are looking forward to the Moomoo Milk and goat milk every day. And there are some children who want to buy pokémon eggs as soon as possible to hatch them and go on a journey. Maybe they have been looking forward to this day for a long time, and we don't want to let them down. Besides, isn't there a lot of demand for the herbal tea service? We can help make all of these."
Mrs. Fujino smiled and said: "We don't want to let them down either."
"Then the match..."
"It's okay, Lucas. We can just watch the match on TV; it's the same, it might just be a little bit late. But most importantly, it's about helping others and serving others, isn't it?"
Mrs. Fujino looked at the backyard. "Isn't that exactly what you told us? The delivery service is about serving with love."
Without realizing it, seeing so many Pokémon in the backyard, she, who used to hate Pokémon very much, had also started to like these cute Pokémon.
"Is that so? Then... I'll leave it to you."
Lucas bowed slightly.
"Leave it to us, have a wonderful holiday."
"That's not certain yet. If it suddenly gets busy in the afternoon, I still won't be able to leave."
"Then let's see? I don't think that will happen."
Mrs. Fujino said with a smile.
"I hope so too."
Lucas said with a smile, then walked back to the Breeding House.
Mrs. Fujino continued standing in the backyard, listening to the sounds of Pokémon playing around her. Her eyes watched the white, red, black, and gray Pokémon of all kinds in the yard, and the corners of her mouth never once fell.
"Pappa~" A Pachirisu skillfully climbed onto Mrs. Fujino's shoulder and handed her a berry it had picked from the berries area and washed.
"Oh? Is this for me to eat? Thank you, Pachirisu, you are really cute."
Mrs. Fujino quickly took the berry, placed it in her palm, and closed both hands. She placed her thumbs on both sides of the berry and applied slight pressure, breaking it into two halves.
"Let's have half each."
Mrs. Fujino handed the half-berry to the Pachirisu. The Pachirisu didn't stand on ceremony; it took it, revealed its large front teeth, and began to gnaw.
Watching the Pachirisu standing on her shoulder, happily eating the berry, Mrs. Fujino felt even happier. She picked up her own half of the berry and began to gnaw on it as well.
Lily of the Valley Conference, office.
Seeing Cynthia walk in from outside the door, Lucian shifted his gaze from the screen to her.
"Is Lucas still too busy to come?"
Cynthia leaned back and sat on the sofa, watching the battle currently happening on the screen. Her voice was cool and clear, "He said if the Breeding House isn't busy today, he'll rush over from the Breeding House tonight. He should be able to make it in time for tomorrow's round of 16."
Flint and Aaron, who were nearby, quickly scooted over to make room for Cynthia on the sofa.
"Tonight?" Lucian frowned, "Do I need to help him book a hotel?"
"I remember the Boss Lady reserved a room for him, didn't she? Shouldn't need to book one, right?" Aaron's voice rang out, and Lucian looked at Cynthia.
Cynthia didn't even turn her head; she was eating the special snacks from the Breeding House that she had taken from Garchomp, nodding as she ate.
Flint: (Drooling ————) I want to eat that too ————
"Um, Boss Lady ————" Just as Flint opened his mouth, he noticed Garchomp turning to look at him, its gaze fierce enough to kill.
"What's wrong?" Cynthia turned her head and looked at Flint.
Flint retracted the finger he had been pointing at the snacks in her arms and shook his head. "No ———— It's nothing ————"
Cynthia immediately turned her head back and continued watching the battle on the screen.
"Are we going out tomorrow?" After a long while, Cynthia asked.
In the office, Aaron, Flint, and Grandma Bertha all looked at Lucian.
"According to the regulations, yes. After all, tomorrow is the round of 16, and the matches starting from tomorrow should enter the white-hot stage. The league requires us to sit in specific seats to cheer on the contestants." Lucian pushed up his glasses and said.
Cynthia nodded again.
"Ah? We have to go out and sit there tomorrow? It's so embarrassing being watched by so many people ————" Aaron lay on the sofa, wailing.
Being watched by thousands of people in the entire venue was like torture for the socially anxious Aaron.
"And this year's conference has so many powerful opponents ———— like this one, Heatran. Being able to enter such a legendary Pokémon in the tournament is basically cheating, isn't it? If he wins the championship and challenges me, what should I do?" Aaron pointed at the Trainer on the screen commanding Heatran and said.
"I'm a Bug-type Elite, I can't fight that at all."
"Don't worry, Aaron, they might not necessarily choose you." Flint comforted Aaron.
"How is that possible? After all, I'm the weakest of the Elite Four ————" Aaron sighed in resignation.
"He might not necessarily win the championship," Lucian said, "Have you forgotten? There's another one who owns a Darkrai."
Just then, the screen showed the footage of Tobias appearing.
"I remember him. Like the previous Trainer, he only commanded one Darkrai and defeated all of the opponent's Pokémon," Flint said.
"Heatran is one thing, but there's also Darkrai ———— Could all of their Pokémon be these legendary Pokémon?" Aaron wailed again.
"Alright, alright, Aaron boy, don't be nervous. Look at me, I'm not nervous at all." Grandma Bertha comforted Aaron from the side.
Aaron turned his head to look at Grandma Bertha and found that she was still dressed in her cool attire.
"That's different, Grandma, you're an optimist by nature."
"Hahaha, I didn't expect you to figure that out." Grandma Bertha laughed heartily.
On the other side, at the Breeding House in the night.
"Lilli~" It's packed~ Lilligant and Gothitelle came downstairs carrying the packed luggage and said to Lucas.
Mr. and Mrs. Fujino had also packed clothes for Shauna.
"So you guys aren't going either?" Lucas asked, looking at Staraptor, Rhyperior, Machoke, Vex, and Vespiquen and the others.
They all shook their heads. "Bi." You guys go ahead.
Vespiquen would not leave its hive, which meant Vespiquen could not travel far with Lucas.
Lucas opened his arms and gave Vespiquen a big hug. Vespiquen's wings stiffened. It turned its head away.
The Yuan couple also sent over the things Tomoyo had asked to be prepared.
Lucas glanced around. This time, he was taking Gengar, Machoke, Lilligant, Gothitelle, Ninetales, Mime Jr., Latias, the Meowstic siblings, Roserade, Zorua, Munchlax, and Snorunt with him.
There was also Shauna, Chimecho, Rapidash, as well as Tomoyo and the pink Dratini.
Lucas looked at Staraptor, "What about you? You're not going either?"
Staraptor glanced at Vespiquen and then shook its head.
Lucas: ?!!! No way?!!! Staraptor, you guy ————
Finally, Lucas looked at Steven, "What about you? Steven-san, do you want to go together?"
Steven smiled and shook his head, "I think I'll pass. I want to stay at the Breeding House to sunbathe and enjoy Alcremie's desserts. I'll just watch the finals on TV; it's the same."
"Alright then." "imai." Bye-bye. Alcremie waved goodbye sweetly.
Alcremie didn't like crowded places; it preferred to quietly research and make desserts.
"Then I'll leave the Breeding House to you," Lucas said, bowing.
"Leave it to us," Mr. and Mrs. Fujino said.
"How are you getting there?" Steven noticed a problem and asked.
"Do you want me to have my mom and dad send a helicopter over?" Tomoyo raised her little hand and asked.
Lucas: ———— Almost forgot, you are the wealthy young lady Tomoyo.
"No need, I have a way. Follow me."
Lucas shook his head, then raised his left hand. Immediately after, in Steven's shocked eyes, the portal to the Distortion World opened.
"Well then, goodbye, everyone. See you in a few days."
Lucas walked in first, and Shauna grabbed Tomoyo's little hand and rushed in.
"Let's go~" The portal closed.
Steven couldn't help but shake his head. "This ———— is really Lucas's style ————"
Lucas led Shauna and the others past Giratina, then walked into the newly opened portal to the Lily of the Valley Conference side of the Distortion World.
Giratina: ———— What do you think this place is?! An Anywhere Door, right?! I'm shaking with rage!
Giratina was furious. "Lucas, you ————"
"Thank you, Uncle Giratina, mwah~" Shauna blew a sweet flying kiss to Giratina.
"Uncle Giratina, mwah~" Tomoyo followed closely behind.
Giratina instantly narrowed its eyes. Oh~ Little Shauna, Little Tomoyo, my sunshine, my little birds, my spring flowers~
"You what?" Lucas turned around, puzzled, looking at Giratina.
"I said have a safe trip, and take good care of Shauna and Tomoyo."
"You're nagging; do I need you to tell me that?" Lucas rolled his eyes and then stepped out of the portal.
On the other side of the portal, a blonde woman wearing a trench coat stood with her hands in her pockets, with a Garchomp standing beside her.
"I'm here," Lucas said softly.
Cynthia smiled and opened her arms. Lucas also opened his arms and went to meet her.
And then he realized Cynthia had walked past him and embraced Shauna and Tomoyo.
"Little Shauna, Little Tomoyo, did you miss me?" "Yes!" "I did too!"
Lucas: ————
Gengar: "Gen gengar~" Hahaha, your nose fell off. Gengar took out a red nose and handed it to Lucas.
"Nagging, you're hurting my eyes!" Lucas huffed.