Looking at the composed boy with reddish-brown spiky hair before him, Victor was a little surprised.
You're already in the Sinnoh region. Does that mean Ash will be arriving soon too? Victor thought to himself.
After all, Ash had only traveled to the Sinnoh region because his Pikachu had lost to this boy's Electivire, and then headed to Sinnoh because of something the boy had said.
His strength certainly made him Ash's rival, and early on, he was the one constantly pushing Ash to grow.
"Hello, my name is Gary Oak," Gary greeted him politely.
"Victor," Victor stated his name, then asked Gary, "So, is there anything you need?"
Hearing Victor's question, Gary hesitated for a moment, then began:
"I'm a Pokémon Researcher. After finishing my travels in the Sinnoh region, I went to Professor Rowan's lab in Sandgem Town. I was planning to say goodbye to him and return to the Kanto region, but Professor Rowan suggested that, if possible, I should come to the Breeding House to observe and learn."
Gary was exceptionally polite towards the young man before him.
"I was wondering if I could—"
Before he could finish, he saw a Gengar phase through the wall and float over.
"Gengar?" (A customer?)
"One moment," Victor said to the Gengar beside him. He then turned back to Gary. "Sorry, what was the last thing you said? I didn't quite catch it."
Gary repeated his request.
"I was wondering if I could possibly take a look around the Breeding House? Please."
Feeling the powerful energy emanating from the Gengar and seeing the photo with Sinnoh Champion Cynthia displayed on the counter, Gary couldn't help but assume Victor was a formidable trainer.
"I see..." Victor paused, then nodded. "Of course, you can."
"Thank you very much." Gary bowed.
It seemed that since becoming a Pokémon Researcher, Gary had become much more reserved and composed. Looking at the exceptionally polite Gary before him, Victor couldn't help but think.
"Owner Victor, may I ask what region this Pokémon is from? It's not listed in the Sinnoh Pokédex," Gary asked, pointing to the Petilil.
Hearing Gary's question, Victor returned to the present, looked at the Petilil on the counter, smiled, and picked it up.
"Her? She's a Petilil from the Unova region. Isn't she cute?" Victor gently adjusted the trimmed leaves on its head as he asked with a smile.
The Petilil let out a sweet cry; it loved when Victor fussed with the leaves on its head.
Victor then glanced at the Umbreon at Gary's feet, noting its moveset.
"An Umbreon? It's quite strong," Victor couldn't help but remark.
As expected of Ash's rival, its Umbreon has an impressive moveset.
Hearing Victor praise his Umbreon, Gary couldn't help but smile too.
"Eon~"
"Come on, I'll give you a tour of my Breeding House."
Victor, holding the Petilil, turned and went through the door behind the counter, leading Gary through the kitchen and into the backyard.
The moment Gary stepped into the yard, he saw numerous Pokémon playing together.
"Are all these the Breeding House's Pokémon?" he asked curiously.
"Most of them are forest Pokémon, not from the Breeding House. They just come here to play," Victor explained.
"Forest Pokémon? Aren't you worried..." Gary trailed off. His own grandfather's lab housed many trainers' Pokémon, and dealing with personality clashes was already a huge hassle. Even with many assistants, Professor Oak often had headaches.
This Breeding House actually allowed wild Pokémon to just come in? Weren't they afraid of potential losses or damage?
Victor knew what Gary was thinking. He continued walking forward as he answered, "The Breeding House and the forest are friends, so we don't need to worry about any losses."
"Friends?"
Victor stopped and called out loudly.
"Everyone!"
All the Pokémon looked over and ran towards him. Gengar, with a slightly resentful expression, took the Poffins Victor gave it and distributed them one by one.
Watching the orderly Pokémon, Gary was surprised. He wouldn't have been shocked if they were caught Pokémon, but these were wild.
Victor then looked towards the few Pokémon that had been emotionally scarred. Seeing a stranger next to Victor, they hesitated to come closer.
Victor walked over to them, holding the Petilil.
Gary and his Umbreon followed behind.
Victor went up to the Roselia, put the Petilil down, and began speaking softly to it.
Gary stood a short distance away. He heard Victor's gentle voice and observed the Roselia's condition.
He then followed Victor as he went to check on the other Pokémon in similar situations.
After Victor finished, Gary walked with him away from those Pokémon before asking, "Are they...?"
"They came to the Breeding House a few days ago. We rescued them from Pokémon Hunters," Victor explained quietly, recounting their stories before pausing.
He continued, "So, we're letting them stay here at the Breeding House, letting the other Pokémon play with them, and slowly helping them heal."
"At the same time, I hope they can recover here and then choose the life they want for themselves."
"That's the hope of everyone here at the Breeding House."
Gary didn't respond immediately.
As Professor Oak's grandson, he had grown up surrounded by Pokémon. He had also been a trainer before choosing to become a researcher.
Therefore, he could sense the resistance the traumatized Pokémon had towards him, and their acceptance of Victor.
So, Victor's words weren't just empty talk.
"Uncle." Shana ran over with her Tinkerbell and the others.
"Is this big brother here to board a Pokémon?" she asked, looking at Gary beside Victor.
Victor shook his head. "No, he's just here to visit our Breeding House."
Shana said, "Oh," then cautiously asked Gary, "Big brother, can we play with it for a while? It's so pretty."
Gary followed Shana's pointing finger to his Umbreon, then looked at the cute girl with silver buns and a princess dress, and smiled, nodding.
"Of course, you can."
Getting permission, Shana took the Umbreon back to the big tree by the swing set to play.
Victor watched Shana's back, then quietly told Gary about her and the Petilil's stories.
Finally, Victor said, "Actually, I originally opened this Breeding House just to fulfill my great-aunt's last wish. But somewhere along the way, I seem to have become someone that many rely on. Without me, maybe they wouldn't have recovered for a long time. And without Shana, Gengar, and the others, this Breeding House probably wouldn't have stayed open this long. So, the relationship between humans and Pokémon... it's definitely not just about hierarchy."
Victor said this pointedly, directing his words at Gary.
Because, as far as Victor knew, this was precisely the period when Gary was re-evaluating his views on his relationship with Pokémon, which is why he said it.
It could also be considered a small prank on his part—giving Ash's rival a bit of guidance that wasn't exactly guidance.
Gary looked at the Gengar beside Victor, then over towards Shana, then towards the Petilil, and finally took in the entire Breeding House, remaining silent for a long time.
...
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