In the early morning, Victor climbed out of bed, turned off the light, and went out onto the balcony to stretch.
He looked out at the slightly misty backyard, feeling the morning dew in the air and smelling the fragrance of fresh grass. His mood was wonderful.
Ever since coming here, his daily routine had become more and more regular, and his mood had improved immensely. There was no overtime, no useless socializing, and no annoying work. Perhaps this was the true beauty of the Pokémon world.
"Gengar—" Gengar floated out, rubbing its eyes.
After greeting Gengar, the human and the Pokémon quietly enjoyed the morning silence together.
Dali, along with Erli and Sanli, was already up and busy, though Victor wasn't sure what they were doing. They looked up and waved a greeting to him.
Victor waved back.
"Lili..."
The commotion woke the Petilil. It looked at Victor and Gengar and greeted them with a soft, sweet voice.
"Morning, Petilil. Did you sleep well last night?"
"Gengar~"
Victor looked at the Petilil in its flowerpot. Dewdrops clung to the leaves on its head, and their color was even deeper than yesterday, though they were a bit messy again.
It looked to be in good spirits.
With that in mind, Victor checked the Petilil's status again.
[Petilil]
[Type: Grass]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Chlorophyll]
[Known Moves: Absorb, Growth, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Synthesis.]
[Mood: Joyful]
[Status: Overcoming sadness, Moving towards the light]
[Friendship: 60-90 (I'll do my best.)]
[Introduction: Thank you for leaving the light on for me last night. I'll work hard to help!]
Victor nodded, praised it a few times, and then took Gengar to get ready for the day.
The Petilil was watching the distant, slowly bustling world when it suddenly felt a strange sensation on the leaves of its head.
"Lili?"
The Petilil tilted its body back to look up and saw Victor carefully trimming its leaves with a pair of scissors.
After he finished, Victor looked at the now round, full, and beautifully trimmed Petilil, placed a hand on his chin, and nodded. "What do you think, Gengar? Isn't it cute?"
"Gengar~" Gengar copied Victor's gesture, nodding in agreement.
Feeling the warmth coming from Victor and Gengar, the Petilil was deeply moved. The leaves on its head once again fell away and regrew, bundling up into a ball.
Then, they unfurled, revealing a round tuber resting inside.
[Breeder 1: A qualified Breeder never ignores a Pokémon's feelings and emotions. The Petilil has escaped from despair and is beginning to move towards a brighter tomorrow. Received Petilil's gift: Absorb Bulb]
[Absorb Bulb: When a Pokémon holding this item is hit by a Water-type move, its Special Attack is raised.]
[Thank you, Victor. And you too, Gengar. —Petilil]
After reading the text that appeared before him, Victor picked up the Absorb Bulb. "Is this a gift for me?"
The Petilil swayed its body, confirming that it was.
"Thank you, Petilil," Victor said with a smile. He then trimmed its leaves a little more before carrying it over to the lake to let it sunbathe peacefully.
He then returned to the kitchen to make breakfast for Gengar, the Machoke, and himself.
Like most Grass-type Pokémon, eating wasn't a necessity for Petilil; it could thrive with just sunlight and water.
After breakfast, Victor was modifying the business sign when Gengar floated over, holding the leaves the Petilil had shed.
"Gengar?"
"What do I do with these?"
Victor looked at the leaves in its hand and recalled the Pokédex entry for Petilil. It said the leaves on its head were a popular medicinal ingredient. If dried and brewed, drinking the tea would instantly revitalize a person, and it also had excellent insect-repellent properties.
Victor took a leaf and bit into it.
A bitter taste instantly filled his mouth, but his mind cleared, and he felt wide awake in the blink of an eye.
"In that case, they might be pretty good for making herbal tea, right?" Victor mused, rubbing his chin. He then asked Gengar to take the remaining leaves to dry.
After finishing the modifications to the sign, he placed it outside, officially declaring the Breeding House open for business.
...
At that moment, on a forest path, sunlight dappled through the leaves, scattering across the ground and onto Ethan's hair and body.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked into the distance, where he saw a house with its doors wide open.
He remembered that place. A grandmother used to live there, and he had even played there as a child. But the place eventually closed down, and he never came back. Yesterday, however, he heard a rumor that it had reopened.
So, he had come to see if it was true.
He arrived at the entrance and looked at the wooden sign next to the door. It read:
[Gengar's Happy Paradise (Breeding House)]
[Service 1: Pokémon Boarding.]
[Service 2: Pokémon Egg Sales.]
[Service 3: Rare Item Sales: Absorb Bulb]
[Service 4: Custom Toy Sales: Wooden Carvings]
[Gengar's Tip: It's hot today! We recommend our "Petilil Herbal Tea."]
"It... really is open?" Ethan murmured to himself as he read the services. Just then, he saw a purple Pokémon float towards him.
"Gengar?"
Victor was lying back in a chair, reading a book on herbal medicine. Hearing Gengar's voice, he looked up and saw a man standing outside the entrance.
He quickly asked Gengar to welcome the guest inside, then stood up. "Hello, I'm Victor, the owner of this Breeding House. How may I help you?"
Ethan followed Gengar inside. He looked at the interior, which was completely different from what he remembered, and was lost in thought for a moment. He only snapped out of it when he heard Victor's voice.
"Hello, my name is Ethan. I'd like to buy a Pokémon Egg. I heard you sell them here."
Hearing this, Victor nodded and said with a smile, "Of course. Mr. Ethan, do you have a specific Pokémon Egg you'd like to purchase?"
"Well..." Ethan hadn't really thought about what kind of Pokémon he wanted.
"You can also choose by type of need. For example, if you want to be a trainer, you could purchase a stronger Pokémon. Or, if you're looking for companionship, you could get a gentler one."
Ethan's eyes lit up. "I want a Pokémon to go fishing with me," he said quickly.
"Fishing? So you're quite the avid fisherman, Mr. Ethan," Victor remarked.
"To be honest with you, I only just moved back to Twinleaf Town a little while ago. I spent my childhood studying, then went to high school, then university, and then I started working. I never had a Pokémon of my own. After working for a few years and saving up some money, I decided I didn't want to live that exhausting life anymore, so I quit my job."
Ethan scratched the back of his head and smiled. "I came back to Twinleaf Town and started spending my days by the sea, watching others fish. I developed an interest in it, so I wanted to buy a Pokémon to keep me company while I fish. Yesterday, I heard from Officer Jenny that a Breeding House had reopened here, so I came to check it out."
"Fishing is a fine hobby. To be honest, Mr. Ethan, I was thinking of taking Gengar fishing myself sometime soon," Victor said as he led Ethan towards the incubator room. "By the way, this is still the same Breeding House as before, it just has a new owner. The previous owner was my great-aunt."
Ethan understood now.
"Since you're looking for a fishing partner, a Water-type Pokémon would be best. How about a Buizel?" Victor suggested, pointing to the Buizel egg to Ethan.
"A Buizel..." Ethan remembered seeing the orange Pokémon before—it looked cool and strong.
"Alright, I'll take the Buizel," Ethan nodded, then asked, "How much is it?"
"One hundred thousand Alliance Dollars," Victor replied. Buizel weren't particularly rare, so the price was quite reasonable.
"Okay, I'll take it." Ethan nodded, his eyes fixed on the Pokémon Egg in Victor's hands.
Victor took the stethoscope from Gengar and, in front of Ethan, carefully examined the Buizel egg.
[Buizel Egg]
[Hatching Progress: 24/30]
"It's very healthy, and it should hatch in just a few days," Victor said with a smile. He then packed an incubator and some other necessary supplies, handed them to Ethan, and gave him some important care instructions.
Ethan carefully held the incubator containing the Buizel egg and paid for it.
Victor saw his first customer out of the Breeding House and watched him leave, holding the incubator.
"This is great, Gengar. We finally have a customer," Victor said, relieved. He playfully pulled at the corners of the Gengar's mouth beside him.
"Gen... Gengar... ╮(‵▽′)╭"