Returning to the Breeding House, Gengar and the others had just unloaded the baskets, pouring out the bamboo shoots and savory mushrooms, when Mime Jr. ran over to Victor with a piece of paper.
"Mime, Mime Jr.~"
"What is it, Mime Jr.?"
Victor took the paper. On it were two phone numbers, with a line of text written below.
Seeing the note that said "wants to buy Pokémon Eggs," he figured a customer must have come while he was out. Mime Jr. had greeted them, and upon learning they wanted to buy eggs, it had given them a piece of paper to write down their information so Victor could handle it upon his return.
"Our Mime Jr. is just too smart."
Victor praised Mime Jr. for having already learned how to greet customers on his behalf.
"Mime, mime." Mime Jr. closed its eyes and then pointed to its big sister beside it, indicating that it was the Petilil's idea.
"Petilil is amazing, too. You're both so wonderful."
"Lili~"
He gave them both a gentle flick on the forehead. He then asked Mime Jr. to go to the kitchen and help prepare lunch, while he called the customers back to tell them they could come by in the afternoon to purchase their eggs.
Mime Jr. nodded and ran towards the kitchen.
A moment later, it came staggering back out, carrying ice cream and soda.
Victor hung up the phone, took the tray from it, and handed the treats to Cynthia, Gengar, and the others.
After delivering the ice cream and soda, Mime Jr. ran back to the kitchen, with the Petilil following close behind.
"Looks like I need to find an assistant for Mime Jr.," Victor thought to himself, looking at the Mime Jr. that was running around so much it was practically smoking.
He then went to the warehouse, found two small knives, and on his way past the counter, saw the Petilil sitting there, facing the main door.
"Oh, Petilil, are you helping me greet customers?"
"Lili~" The Petilil looked at Victor, let out a sweet cry, and nodded.
"Thank you. Our Petilil is so cute." Victor's heart warmed. He reached out and gently stroked its trimmed leaves. "I'll make you all something delicious tonight."
"Lili~"
Back in the yard, he had Erli go to the front to watch over the Petilil, while he himself pulled up a small stool and, wearing gloves, began to peel the bamboo shoots.
"Gengar?"
"Can't we eat them yet?"
Gengar, holding a soda in one hand and chewing on the straw, held out its other hand, offering the straw of the second soda to Victor's lips.
Slurp.
Victor took a big gulp, then looked at Gengar and explained, "We have to peel them first, and then process them. That's what makes them taste even more delicious."
Cynthia was sitting on the nearby swing. Her Garchomp and Lucario stood behind her, pushing her gently.
After finishing her ice cream, Cynthia called out, "Gengar, we're going to train. Do you all want to join?"
"Gengar—"
Coming!
Gengar finished its soda, glanced at the cup in its hand meant for Victor, thought for a moment, and then took a big gulp to "help" Victor with his share. It then placed the two empty cups at Victor's feet and hurried over to Cynthia with Dali.
Looking at the two empty cups at his feet and Gengar's retreating back, Victor sighed helplessly and continued to process the bamboo shoots.
After he finished, and after eating the lunch that Mime Jr. had prepared, Victor moved a long-abandoned water tank, placing it next to the stove he had built. He measured it out, drilled a few holes in the bottom, and converted it into a makeshift crock pot-like oven.
Later, he would make bamboo-tube rice, hooking the bamboo tubes and hanging them inside to cook.
Just as he finished the modifications, he heard the Petilil's call from the front.
It was the customers from the morning. Victor introduced some Pokémon Eggs to them based on their needs.
In the end, he sold one Shinx egg and one Wurmple egg.
As he was seeing them off, Victor noticed that there were more trainers passing by today.
"Owner, I'm here."
Victor looked up and saw it was the man with glasses who had boarded his Torterra and the others.
"I've come to pick up my Torterra and the others. I'm preparing to do some special training before entering the League Conference," the man said as he arrived at the entrance. He noticed that the wooden sign now listed some additional services, like herbal tea and move tutoring.
It seems the Breeding House is fully back in business, he thought.
"Please wait a moment."
Victor welcomed the man into the Breeding House, had Mime Jr. look after him, and then picked up the Petilil and went to the backyard.
"Petilil, it's time to say goodbye to Torterra," Victor said, gently stroking its head.
"Lili~" The Petilil swayed in his arms, indicating that it was okay.
It knew that the Torterra had its own family and its own things it needed to do, just like it once did. It knew it would have to leave eventually.
"It's okay. We'll welcome many more family and friends in the future."
The Petilil didn't say anything to Victor's comforting words.
It had already found its most precious family.
After letting the Petilil say its goodbyes to the Torterra and the others, Victor recalled them into their Poké Balls and handed them to the man with glasses.
He calculated the fee. They had been boarded for fifteen days, at ten thousand Alliance Dollars a day, for a total of one hundred and fifty thousand.
Afterward, he asked why there were so many trainers around lately. He was told that with the League Conference about to start, some were returning home to rest and get into peak condition, while others were adjusting their teams before starting their next round of Gym challenges.
"Goodbye, owner."
"Goodbye. Please come again."
Victor looked down at the Petilil in his arms. "Come on," he said. "Let's go make you all something delicious."
"Lili~"
Victor hung the "Closed" sign, then carried the Petilil back to the yard. He found Gengar with its head stuck inside the modified water tank, its two short legs kicking furiously in the air.
He walked over and gave its tail a tug, then handed the Petilil to Cynthia, who held out her arms. He then began to prepare that night's dinner.
"Everyone, tonight we're having a delicious bamboo shoot feast!"
"Gengar!"
"Machoke~"
"Grawr."
...
Victor looked at all the Pokémon in the yard and smiled silently.
Without even realizing it, I've already gotten on good terms with Cynthia's Pokémon.
He then asked her Garchomp to cut the bamboo stalks he had brought back into sections and then split them in half.
Seeing Victor hold a bamboo stalk up to it with blinking eyes, the Garchomp extended a scythe-like claw, held it to Victor's neck, and then slowly slid it down, cutting the bamboo into the exact shape he needed.
The whole process made Victor break out in a cold sweat. He quickly cleaned out the inside of the bamboo, then placed washed rice and bamboo shoots inside, added some seasoning, wrapped it tightly with wire, hooked it, and placed it inside the already heated crock-pot water tank.
Next, he began to prepare other dishes made with bamboo shoots.
As dishes like stir-fried bamboo with meat and savory mushroom and bamboo soup were brought to the table one after another, a fragrant aroma also began to waft from the crock pot.
Victor used tongs to take out the bamboo tubes and opened them one by one.
The beautifully colored bamboo-tube rice, with the fresh fragrance of bamboo, was officially ready.
Watching them stare at the food on the table without even blinking, Victor laughed and raised his glass of soda.
"Alright everyone, let's eat!"
"Thank you for the meal!"
"Gengar— (muffled)"
"Grawr!"
"Machoke."
...
"Everyone, look up and say cheese!"
Click~
A new photo was placed on the counter.
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