Early in the morning, Shana came and knocked on Victor's room door.
This was the first time she had ever knocked on his door.
Victor rubbed his messy hair and opened the door for Shana.
"Uncle, Grandpa Muji and the others are here."
Victor was dazed for a moment, then he remembered they were coming to set up their stalls today.
This early?
Victor glanced at the time. It was just after six, not even seven o'clock.
Victor nodded, gestured for Shana to come in, and said he would go with her after he washed up.
Shana nodded.
She curiously walked into Victor's room. There was a dressing table that looked like it was for a woman. On it were photos of the Breeding House. She saw herself in them, and also a young woman holding a Glameow.
There were also a few boxes on the table, holding several strange-looking stones.
"Yip—"
The Vulpix opened its drowsy eyes and saw Shana.
"Yip?"
Wasn't I sleeping with Victor last night? How did I end up in Shana's room?
When Shana saw the Vulpix was awake, she scooped it into her arms in a move that had the true essence of Victor.
The Vulpix struggled a little, then relaxed and enjoyed Shana's pets.
He had to praise Shana's physical strength; not yet ten, and she could already hold three Pokémon at once.
"Tinkerbell, look, that's us!"
Shana saw a photo of just her and her Chingling.
It was also on Victor's dressing table. She giggled.
"Ching~"
The mirror reflected a happy, smiling, silver-haired girl with her hair down.
"What are you smiling about?"
Victor walked up behind Shana, took a hair tie from her hand, and skillfully tied her hair into two buns.
"Uncle, look, me and Tinkerbell!" she said, pointing at the photo of her and her Chingling, looking up at Victor.
Victor smiled gently.
"Uncle, who is this big sister?"
Victor looked over, his gaze softening. "That's my great-aunt. The previous owner of this Breeding House."
"Great-aunt?"
"Mhm."
Shana nodded, indicating she understood.
Victor bent down and picked Shana up.
He felt his arm strength was astonishing now; he could hold Shana, Vulpix, and Tinkerbell all at once without effort.
He glanced around the room. Gengar had disappeared somewhere again.
He carried Shana downstairs and out the main door. He was suddenly confronted by a large group of people.
He was confused, walked back inside, and then walked out again.
The crowd was still staring straight at him.
"..."
"Oh, Owner Victor, you're up! Were we too loud? Did we wake you?" the seed shop grandma asked in surprise.
Victor shook his head. He looked around and wondered if the entire population of Twinleaf Town had shown up.
Gary was talking to someone who looked like they were in charge.
And Gengar and the others were there, eating spicy strips and joining the commotion.
Everyone else was setting up their stalls. A long line of stalls stretched along both sides of the road, each one orderly.
...So, can anyone tell me what is going on?
Just then, Gary, Grandpa Muji, and the person in charge walked over.
"Owner, you're awake. This is the mayor of Twinleaf Town, Mr. Arthur."
Victor greeted him politely, then looked at Grandpa Muji.
"This is..."
"Gave you a fright, didn't it?" Grandpa Muji laughed heartily. "I arranged this."
"Ever since we started drinking the Breeding House's herbal tea, our health has improved a lot. Plus, you protected the forest and its Pokémon, and you're the only Breeding House between Twinleaf and Sandgem. So, I discussed it with my old friends, and we decided to come set up some stalls to help draw a crowd."
"Who knew the Mayor would find out? He told us we had to make it a grand event and started mobilizing the whole town. At first, we didn't think many people would come."
"Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy helped too. As soon as people heard it was for the Breeding House, they all agreed to join in."
Grandpa Muji swallowed, then continued, "Seeing so many participants, the Mayor decided everyone should come. Since summer is ending anyway, we'll hold a 'Breeding House Day' right after your tournament."
"Breeding House Day?" Victor was confused.
"Similar to a Summer Festival," Gary explained from the side.
"Right. But since it's being held in the name of the Breeding House, we're calling it 'Breeding House Day'," the mayor said.
"This was a last-minute decision, I hope you don't mind, Owner Victor. Of course, everything the Breeding House buys these next few days will be 50% off!" Mayor Arthur quickly added.
Victor laughed. "I have no problem with it, but I'm worried the distance is too great, you all—"
"Don't worry about that. We have our ways," the Mayor said quickly.
Victor nodded, chatted with him for a bit longer, and they exchanged ideas.
Victor then left, satisfied, to get ready for the tournament's opening ceremony.
Mayor Arthur watched him go and sighed in relief.
Setting aside his role as the owner, the Breeding House's herbal tea was incredibly effective and had few side effects. And, according to Joy and Jenny, he could even heal the emotional trauma of people and Pokémon, all while fighting off bad guys.
For Twinleaf Town, which wasn't too far away, this was truly wonderful news.
And this Breeding House... He looked up at it, recalling the "Spring Garden Party" held in the name of Pokémon that he had attended here in his youth. That was where he had met his very first Pokémon.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, pulling himself from his memories, and continued to direct the crowd, determined to make this "Breeding House Day" a success.
Meanwhile, Victor and Gary were checking in the tournament participants.
Victor, seeing that Gary was handling it better than he ever could, turned and walked away.
He went over to Gengar, who was still eating spicy strips.
"It's not good to eat so many spicy strips this early in the morning."
Gengar looked at the strips in its hand, threw them into its mouth, and then licked all five of its fingers clean.
It then put the lid on the container, popped it into its mouth (for storage), and pulled out a Golden Fruit Stick and a Cat's Ear crisp.
Fine, as long as you're happy.
"Victor."
Victor turned and saw a man holding a fishing rod, with a Buizel at his side.
"Ethan? You're here too?"
Victor walked over, smiling. Gengar floated along beside him.
"Haha, I heard you were holding a tournament and a Breeding House Day, so I brought my Buizel to join the fun."
He then pulled Victor over to a stall covered in fish.
"Look, this is my stall. Make sure to buy something. I'll give you a discount."
Looking at the fish, Victor laughed. "You got it."
By ten in the morning, all the competitors had checked in. The people of Twinleaf Town had finished setting up their stalls and had all gathered around. Victor stood on the stage, with Gengar beside him, a whistle hanging around its neck.
Looking at the dense crowd below, Victor suddenly felt a cold sweat.
Why are there suddenly so many people? He took a deep breath and struck the gong in his hand.
"I now declare, the first Breeding House tournament, the 'Gengar Cup,' officially open!"
...
Get 10 chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"