Austin Black had only one thought right now.
Am I really some kind of second-generation rich kid, just like Ethan said?
A system from the heavens, luxury cars, beautiful women throwing themselves at him, legendary Pokémon appearing uninvited, financial empires bending to his will, aura in bountiful amounts—
Narrator: Cough, wrong script.
The moment Austin remembered the 30 million his father borrowed from his uncle, his daydream shattered instantly.
A Staravia fluttered into a nearby tree, a Budew burrowed into the dirt, and a Burmy dangled lazily from a branch.
A few Pokémon could be seen wandering around the yard.
Austin guessed they were wild, given how quickly they grew wary when the car approached.
"Is this place open?" he asked.
Amanda nodded. "It's fenced off, but there are a few gaps. Wild Pokémon slip in and out sometimes."
His uncle, Hanson, added with a laugh, "So when you start taking in Pokémon from other Trainers, make sure none of them sneak out. But our Austin's always been careful, so I'm not too worried."
Hanson drove on, introducing the Breeding House as they headed toward the central building.
"The Breeding House covers about 1.2 square kilometers in total. It's divided into five environments: foothills, forest, lake, wetland, and dunes."
Austin blinked. "You call this a Breeding House? This looks more like a Breeding Base."
His uncle laughed heartily. "Smart as always, Austin. The Mayor of Jubilife City thinks so, too. You'll understand once we get inside."
Leon sounded downright excited. "And if things go well, we might even expand!"
Clearly, his father was full of confidence.
Expand?
Austin was starting to understand just how important the Mayor considered this project.
Maybe he wanted to turn the Breeding Base into Jubilife's new calling card. If he could pull that off during his term, it would definitely be a feather in his political cap.
When the car finally stopped, Austin, his parents, and Ryu all got out.
Red maples and cherry blossom trees lined both sides of the house. Thick vines hung from the branches, forming swings that swayed gently in the breeze.
Seeing how open and spacious the area was, Austin tossed out two Luxury Balls.
Metang scanned the surroundings cautiously with its psychic power, uneasy in such a vast space.
Agni, on the other hand, charged straight toward a swing.
The huge Arcanine barked happily and tried to test the swing's strength with its own weight.
"You can't get on that—it'll break!"
Thankfully, Austin—who now had the physique of a superhuman—managed to hold Agni back.
"Arca?"
Agni tilted his head, eyes wide and innocent.
When did my Trainer get so strong?
Hanson, Leon, and Amanda all shared the same dumbfounded expression.
"Son, since when did you get this strong?" Leon asked.
Austin shrugged. "Just kept training while I was home. Guess it paid off."
Leon eyed his son's lean frame, then looked down at his own belly. He patted it, scratched his head, and laughed boisterously, "I guess all those late-night snacks might have done me in."
Leon didn't dwell on it for long, though. Watching Agni happily roll on the grass with his tongue out, he nodded with satisfaction.
"You all come out too!"
Both of Austin's parents tossed their Poké Balls, releasing four bursts of red light.
Machamp and Scizor belonged to his father; Ninetales and Gardevoir were his mother's.
"From now on," Leon said proudly, "this will be our new home."
"Scizor!" Scizor nodded coolly.
"Cha!" Machamp responded, striking an over-the-top bodybuilding pose.
Everyone was used to it—Machamp's personality was exactly like Leon's: showy, upbeat, and endlessly confident.
"Gar~devoir," Gardevoir greeted Amanda telepathically, hands pressed together.
"Nine~" Ninetales brushed against Amanda's palm affectionately.
Ryu nodded toward Austin.
(We'll explore a bit.)
"Don't wander too far," Austin reminded.
Ryu acknowledged him with a calm nod, then turned to Agni and Metang. Together, the trio set off to explore the lush grounds of the new Breeding Base.
Strange."
Watching Ryu and the others disappear into the distance, Austin couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
Before he could think more about it, his uncle's voice cut through his thoughts.
"The middle building is where you'll be living," Hanson explained. "The left wing is the warehouse and power room, and the right wing is the special training grounds."
In the center of the Breeding Base stood a mansion-like structure made up of three connected buildings. The middle was lower while the two sides rose higher, forming an "H" shape from above.
Austin raised an eyebrow. "Training grounds? That sounds expensive."
His uncle nodded with a small grin. " As I said before, the Mayor of Jubilife City is very supportive of this Breeding Base. You could say it was sold to us at half-price—or half-gift."
Leon chuckled and patted Austin on the shoulder with his broad, fan-like hand.
"Don't worry, son! From now on, the only thing we'll need to cover is maintenance. And even that comes with Alliance subsidies."
Austin smiled wryly. Sometimes, he couldn't tell if his father's optimism was a blessing or a curse.
Still, everything so far seemed within reason—until he noticed a building tucked to the left rear of the estate.
It was unmistakable.
A Pokémon Center.
Complete with its signature red roof, automatic glass doors, and even a resident Nurse Joy.
Standing in front was a young woman with soft pink hair and a bright, friendly smile.
"Hello, everyone! I'm the Nurse Joy assigned here permanently," she said warmly. "And this is my partner, Chansey."
"Chansey~!" the round Pokémon waved cheerfully.
She looked fairly young—probably fresh out of nursing school.
Amanda stepped forward and shook her hand politely. "Please take care of us in the future."
Joy laughed softly. "Likewise! I'll be counting on all of you, too."
Austin blinked in disbelief. "Wait—this place even needs a Nurse Joy?"
Joy nodded, still smiling. "Yes. There are plenty of wild Pokémon in the surrounding areas, and part of my duty is to look after them as well."
Even wild Pokémon deserved care. It reminded Austin of the stories he'd heard growing up—trainers like Ash and his friends rushing injured Pokémon to the nearest Center.
And out here, in the suburbs, the nearest Center was quite a distance away.
"Breeders and Pokémon doctors specialize in different things," Joy explained. "So, the Alliance decided to station me here to support your work."
While Austin and his parents toured their new home, Ryu and the others were huddled together in the shade of a maple tree—conspiring.
As the natural leader, Ryu gathered Agni and Metang for a serious discussion.
"Lucario, Lucario."
(Austin's family invested a lot to build this place. We should do what we can to help.)
"Nine?" Agni tilted his head. (Help? How?)
(Besides helping around the Base, we could also…) Ryu's eyes glinted as he laid out his plan.
"Arcanine!" Agni barked excitedly. (Good idea!)
Metang hovered silently for a moment, its supercomputer-like mind processing Ryu's words before nodding in agreement.
"Metang."
Agni grinned, tail wagging as he raised a paw.
Ryu's expression was firm as he extended his right paw.
Agni placed his massive paw on top, and Metang lowered its steel limb to complete the stack.
"Lucario!"
"Arcanine!"
"Metang!"
( Meeting adjourned. We'll act tomorrow.)
. . .
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