The alarm clock rang. Victor sat up, rubbing his eyes, feeling a bit groggy.
"Gengar..."
Gengar was hanging upside down, only its upper half visible, peeking out from the ceiling as it looked at Victor with sleepy eyes.
Victor took a moment to wake up, his throat feeling a bit sore. He looked at Gengar. "You can sleep in a little longer. I'll call you when dinner is ready."
He then twisted his waist, which let out a series of cracks, and instantly felt much better.
Gengar shook its head and came down from the ceiling. It wasn't going to sleep anymore. It mimicked Victor and twisted its... waist?
No sound.
"Tch."
"Gengar?! Σ(°Д°; "
Gengar floated back, put its hands on Victor's neck, and with a crooked smile, asked if he was just laughing at it again.
Victor reached out and quickly gave its tail a tug.
Psssssshhhh...
Watching the deflating Gengar, Victor nodded in satisfaction.
A one-move counter-kill!
After playing with Gengar for a bit, Victor turned and went downstairs.
"Jenny?"
He saw her sitting next to Shana, watching TV. She was holding the Petilil, and Shana was holding the Vulpix.
"Uncle, you're awake," Shana said, turning her head.
"I am. I'm about to make you all some dinner."
"Big Sister Jenny got here at noon."
Hearing this, Victor nodded and looked at Jenny.
"Staying for dinner?"
"Why else would I be sitting here?" she replied with a laugh.
Victor laughed as well. "No problem. Just a moment."
He then called out, "Gengar, Mime Jr., come give me a hand."
He took out the dried bamboo shoots he had prepared a while ago and used all of them to make a lavish dinner, along with a variety of flavorful Poffins.
"Everyone, dinner's ready!"
Hearing the call, Dali quickly ran into the kitchen, carried the round table out to the yard, while Erli and the others helped bring out the dishes.
While serving the rice, Victor had Gengar go invite the Vespiquen to eat with them, though he wasn't sure if it would come.
Usually, he just had Gengar deliver Poffins to it. It didn't seem to like crowds and might not be used to human food. However, it always accepted the Poffins without hesitation, since it had a hand in making them, after all.
The Staravia flew back just in time.
Just as Victor thought the Vespiquen wouldn't come, Gengar's figure appeared, with the Vespiquen following behind.
But it was clearly troubled.
Seeing that it seemed to be in some difficulty, Victor asked, "Vespiquen, what's wrong?"
The Vespiquen looked at him with its crimson eyes and then let out a cry.
"Ves..."
Emmm... can't understand.
Victor focused his attention.
[Vespiquen]
...
[Mood: Dejected]
[Status: Troubled]
[Friendship: 100 (You are comrades-in-arms, regardless of any blessing.)]
[Introduction: The original swarm lost their queen in the fire and also lost some Combee. Now, the swarm in the forest lacks a queen to rule them, and they are desperate for this Vespiquen to return to their hive. However, the Vespiquen seems to only want to stay at the Breeding House?]
Reading the text, Victor understood.
"Is it about the swarm?" he asked.
The Vespiquen looked at him in shock, then nodded.
"Then why don't you go ask them if they'd like to move to the Breeding House and live here with you?"
"Ves?"
Is that okay?
"Of course it's okay. The Breeding House and our friends in the forest are already partners, aren't we?" Victor said with a smile.
Watching the Vespiquen's happily departing back, Victor and Gengar exchanged a grin.
Great. Now we'll have even more honey to eat.
"I don't know what you two are smiling about, but I know you're definitely up to no good," Jenny said, putting a piece of dried bamboo shoot in her mouth and chewing with satisfaction.
"I'm not, I didn't, it's impossible. You can't just accuse a good person," Victor fired back with a rapid-fire denial.
Jenny rolled her eyes, then ignored him and went back to eating, continuously putting more food on Shana's plate.
"Big Sister Jenny, I can't eat this much," Shana's weak voice protested. Victor looked at her bowl; it was piled high.
"Gengar..." Gengar picked up a piece of dried bamboo shoot. The thought that it might not be able to eat such delicious bamboo anymore made its mood sink.
"What are you thinking so much for? Just eat. We can always plant more later," Victor said, stuffing the bamboo shoot into its mouth.
Gengar chewed and nodded repeatedly.
"Gengar—"
That's true.
Victor looked down at the Arcanine that was burying its face in its food and gave it a gentle kick.
The Arcanine's entire face plunged into its Poffins. It turned to look at Victor.
"Arf?"
Victor seized the opportunity, grabbed its head, and gave it a good ruffle.
The fur felt amazing!
"Arf?" The Arcanine looked at Victor, completely baffled.
"What're you lookin' at?" Victor asked, giving it a gentle flick on the head.
"Arf?!"
What'm I lookin' at? I'm lookin' at you!
With that, the Arcanine ignored Victor, picked up its bowl, and ran further away to continue feasting.
Seeing that the Arcanine was ignoring him and that the Vespiquen had returned with its swarm to eat, Victor sighed helplessly and went back to his own meal.
After dinner, the dishwashing was left to Gengar and Mime Jr., while Victor and Jenny sat and chatted.
"We caught a lot of Pokémon hunters this time and rescued a number of Pokémon. Some are from other parts of Sinnoh, and some are from other regions. We've already reported it to the League and asked them to help us find out who the missing Pokémon belong to, so we can return them."
Jenny took a sip of the milk tea Shana handed her.
Victor nodded. "What about the wild Pokémon?"
"That's why I came to see you today. After some discussion, we've decided that for these wild Pokémon, and for some who we can't find the owners for right now, we'll board some of them at Professor Rowan's lab, and we'd like to board the rest here with you. After all, you run a Breeding House."
"Here with us?"
"Yes. Because some of the Pokémon have been left with considerable trauma from this incident, and you happen to have experience in this area."
"Of course, it's not without its benefits. We also found some Pokémon Eggs among their things. We can provide you with some of them, free of charge. As for the wild Pokémon boarded here, once their condition improves, you can either release them back into the wild or help them find a trainer."
Victor listened and began to think.
Jenny didn't rush him, just quietly sipped her tea and played with the Petilil, Vulpix, and the others.
Getting some free Pokémon Eggs is a good deal. As for the wild Pokémon, Gengar and the others can help take care of them. And Jenny said I could help them find a trainer... does that mean I can sell them?
If that was the case, it would be a good thing.
But if it was, Victor would definitely ask for their opinions first. If they wanted to go with a trainer, they could. If not, they could return to the wild. After all, they were originally free.
His only concern was whether he could handle the extra work. After a moment's thought, he decided to agree.
"No problem. But... can I get first pick of the Pokémon Eggs?" Victor asked Jenny, a bit embarrassed.
"I already asked for you. No problem. They'll be delivered tomorrow."
"Thanks, Jenny," Victor said, his heart warming.
"Hahahaha! You kid. Just make me some more delicious food and send it over from time to time," Jenny laughed, giving his shoulder a punch. She then stood up and left with her Arcanine.
"Tomorrow! They'll bring them over tomorrow!"
Victor saw her to the door. When the Arcanine got on the motorcycle, it instantly sagged.
"I'm not taking the motorcycle next time," Jenny said, then twisted the throttle and drove off.
Closing the door, Victor returned to the backyard and saw Gengar and the Vespiquen whispering secretively. When they saw him, they both nodded and then separated.
Gengar floated over to Victor, while the Vespiquen flew towards the forest.
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