"So, when did you get here?" Victor asked again.
"Big Sister Cynthia, look at me, look at me!" Shana's voice came from the distance.
She ran over, holding a sand sculpture.
Before Victor's astonished eyes, she presented it to Cynthia.
How are you running while holding a sand sculpture?
Isn't it falling apart?
Cynthia carefully examined the Q-version Gengar that Shana had built and smiled gently.
"It's so cute, Shana. You did a great job!"
Cynthia praised her. Shana nodded happily, then turned and ran back.
"Wait a minute! I'll make you an even better one!" she shouted, running off with the sand sculpture.
"Hey, I haven't—"
Victor held out his hand, wanting to say he hadn't seen it yet.
But Shana ignored him and ran off.
So that's how it is. Cynthia's here, so you don't need your uncle anymore?
Cynthia, seeing this, covered her mouth and laughed.
"I arrived last night," she said.
Victor turned his head and looked at her.
The small wooden tag he had given her was tied to her snowy-white wrist.
"I was on my way back from the Hoenn region yesterday and passed by here. I figured I've been working so hard for so long, it was a good time to sneak off and take a break," Cynthia continued.
"Am I not welcome?" she asked, glancing at Victor. She then picked up a Pachirisu that was on her shoulder and began to stroke it in her lap.
"How could that be? You're very welcome. Right, Gengar?"
"Gen— Gen-GAR!!!"
A shout from Gengar, mixed with the enraged buzzing of the Vespiquen, came from the distance.
Victor just remembered Gengar wasn't next to him.
Cynthia smiled but didn't say any more.
And Victor, seeing that she wasn't talking, didn't speak either.
The two of them just sat there quietly, drinking the tea Gothita had prepared and eating the desserts.
Victor suddenly realized that when he was with Cynthia, he rarely felt the need to fill the silence.
It was as if they had a strange, unspoken understanding.
But Victor really liked this kind of interaction.
Holding a Pokémon, sitting together, enjoying the breeze and the sun, drinking tea, eating dessert, and only occasionally saying a few words.
"The Breeding House seems to have changed a lot."
Her cool, mature voice pulled Victor from his thoughts.
He looked at Cynthia and found her watching him.
"I mean, there seem to be a lot more wild Pokémon here?"
Victor reached out and stroked Vulpix's tail. "It's probably because they feel I saved the forest they live in, so they've become friends with the Breeding House."
"Friends?"
"Yes, friends."
Cynthia smiled, which infected Victor, and he smiled too.
Cynthia petted the Pachirisu in her lap, which looked a little dazed.
"The encounter between people and Pokémon is a wonderful thing, isn't it?"
Victor nodded. He then began to tell her, in broad strokes, what had happened at the Breeding House since she had left.
Cynthia listened quietly, her hands stroking the Pachirisu with infinite gentleness.
Pachirisu: Mom, I think I've met the human I'm going to love for the rest of my life...
The Pachirisu closed its eyes.
She's so different from that pervert...
An autumn breeze blew past. Victor shivered, which made him pause.
Vulpix quickly snuggled deeper into his lap, trying to give him more warmth.
As he stroked it, it relaxed and lay comfortably in his arms, listening to him and Cynthia talk.
Nearby, Lilligant, Gothita, and the others seemed to be able to join the conversation as well.
Vulpix suddenly thought, If I grow up...
...will I be able to join their conversation?
If I grow up, will I be able to give Victor more warmth?
If I grow up, can I protect Victor just like Gengar and Lilligant?
It then thought about the day Victor had returned with Shana, riding on the Rapidash, his smile so happy.
I suddenly really want to grow up fast, so I can do more things for Victor.
Feeling the shift in the Vulpix's mood, Victor looked down at it.
Seeing the concern in his eyes, Vulpix shook its head.
Victor smiled, pinched its small nose, and continued talking to Cynthia.
"The Breeding Path?" Cynthia said, then looked at her Garchomp. "A 'Breeding Path' to correspond with the 'Champion Road'?"
Victor's eyes went wide.
"How could that be?"
He immediately issued a three-part denial. "I'm not, I don't know, I didn't."
"Victor, I've always believed in you," Cynthia said.
Victor stopped shaking his head, stunned.
"You will become an excellent Breeder." Her voice was soft, but exceptionally firm.
"You won't let your Pokémon down."
Hearing her words, Victor picked up the milk tea Gothita had poured for him. He didn't see that Gothita had swapped his cup at lightning speed.
"Who knows?" he said, then tilted his head back and took a big gulp of... "milk tea"—
His eyes instantly shot open, wide as saucers.
He swallowed, then looked down at Gothita, who was standing by the table.
Gothita pointed at Lilligant.
"Goth~" (She made me do it.)
Lilligant, seeing Victor look at her, didn't hesitate for a second.
She immediately put on a sweet smile.
"Lili~" Her voice was just as sweet.
Hey! It's not right to act cute when you've done something wrong!
Victor wasn't falling for it. Lilligant, seeing this, could only look at Dali (Machoke).
Victor turned his head to look at Dali.
Dali, who had been enjoying the show, froze, realizing everyone was looking at it.
"Machoke?"
Huh? Me?
Seeing Lilligant's signal, Dali nodded firmly.
"Machoke!"
Yeah, it was me! What about it?
It then picked up the cup of herbal tea and held it out to Victor.
Its other two arms were cracking their knuckles.
It was a clear "drink it, or else."
Victor tearfully drank another cup of the herbal tea.
There was no Sweet Honey this time.
Vulpix leaped from Victor's lap and ran towards the Rapidash.
Victor watched its small figure go, a flash of worry in his eyes, but he quickly let it go.
Whatever Vulpix decides, I'll support it.
...
He had to admit, Gothita's herbal tea was very effective. At dinner, Victor ate a huge bowl of rice.
After saying goodbye to Cynthia and Shana, Victor went back to his room. He came out of the shower and found Vulpix sitting on the dressing table, staring at a box.
Vulpix was looking at the Fire Stone inside, which was full of energy, lost in thought.
It finally recalled its conversation with the Rapidash.
It reached out its paw, moving closer to the stone.
"Are you sure you've thought this through?"
Victor's voice startled it, and it snatched its paw back.
It looked up at him.
"Yip?"
"I'm asking, are you sure you've decided? You're ready to grow up?"
Victor sat on the edge of the bed, and Gengar immediately sat down next to him.
He looked at the Vulpix on the dressing table. "Maybe the reason you want to grow up is because of me. But, Vulpix, I hope this is what you truly want."
Victor picked up the Vulpix.
"Perhaps everyone has to grow up one day, and you're no exception."
"But I hope that it's what you want for yourself."
"The truth is, the adult world isn't all that wonderful. But... I will work hard with all of you to make it more wonderful."
Looking into Victor's eyes, Vulpix's own eyes instantly filled with tears.
It had always thought that Victor got sick because of it, because it couldn't give him enough warmth. It also felt it couldn't ride him like the Rapidash.
Victor gently pressed his forehead against Vulpix's.
"It's okay, Vulpix. You have me. All you need to do is be happy."
"You can leave the rest to me, Gengar, and the others."
Hearing Victor's words, it nodded.
"Yip~"
It didn't want to grow up so fast, either.
If I grow up, I won't be able to tug on Victor's pant leg. I won't be able to lie on his lap. And I definitely won't be able to snuggle into his arms.
Thinking this, Vulpix fell asleep in Victor's warm embrace.
Victor placed it on the bed and lay down himself.
The room's lighting changed.
"Gengar."
"Gengar?"
What's wrong?
"Nothing. Just calling your name."
Victor closed his eyes.
"Gengar."
"Gengar?"
"Gengar."
"Gengar?"
"Gengar."
"Gengar?"
No matter what, Gengar always answers me right away.
"Never mind."
"Gengar."
"Goodnight."
"Sweet dreams."
"Gengar—" Victor, goodnight, sweet dreams!
A red light flashed and then disappeared.
...
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