Liyue Harbor
"Hey, when did this store open? Yesterday I went to this area to promote the business of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but I haven't seen it yet..."
A girl with twin ponytails put her hands on her hips and looked at the sign of the store in front of her, her signature plum blossom eyes flashing with interest.
She is the seventy-seventh generation Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao.
Whether it's the robe on her body or the hexagonal hat on her head, it shows an ancient and traditional temperament.
But the opposite is the hot pants.
Her two slender long legs fully revealed her youth and liveliness.
Hu Tao is just such a contradictory girl.
At a young age, she was already in charge of Liyue's funeral affairs, but her daily behavior was eccentric...
As far as advertising and getting business for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor... it was a disaster.
The residents of Liyue Harbor changed their minds after hearing this.
"When the big Hilichurl is sick, the two Hilichurls look at it; the third Hilichurl collects medicine, and the fourth Hilichurl moans~~"
Humming her masterpiece as a dark limerick poet of the alley style.
Hu Tao clasped her hands behind her back, swaying as she walked, and walked into this newly opened store with the sign clearly stating "Pokémon Home".
"Welcome——"
No one has seen it, but the sound has arrived.
The gentle voice has an inexplicably comforting aura.
"Ah, what a young shopkeeper~"
Hu Tao's plum blossom eyes became more interested when she saw the boy coming out from the back of the store.
She, the Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, had followed the old director since she was a child to learn arts and conduct funerals, and she was also good at reading people. Counting thousands.
If the ghosts at the junction of yin and yang are also included, she can be regarded as having a pair of piercing eyes in both the yin and yang worlds.
This boy is not much older than her, with simple clothes, clean temperament, and eyes that are like that guest, Zhongli, who hides a heart-stopping wisdom and profundity.
"Hello."
After saying hello, Hu Tao suddenly changed from today's business-promoting style.
He didn't plan to come to the door to promote the funeral activities, discounts, group shopping, and so on.
Instead, he observed the circle quite carefully in the store.
Then Hu Tao was a little confused.
There were a lot of "equipment" and "devices" that she couldn't understand.
Those cabinet-sized machine lumps had the style of high-end precision instruments from Fontaine, and they were expensive at first sight.
But... What are the Pokémon on the signboard of the store? After looking around, Hu Tao still didn't understand the business content of this new store, and her heart was filled with questions. Although it had only been open for one day, this is not the first time that Hiroshi has seen guests express similar doubts. But this time is different. Hiroshi really didn't expect that a popular character came to his door.
"Hello, our store is mainly engaged in Pokémon business, including breeding, training, battles and very important initial Pokémon sales..."
Hu Tao still didn't understand.
"That... ahem, what I want to ask is..."
"What is Pokémon?"
Hiroshi was very leisurely, showing the store manager's calm smile.
"It's a bit difficult to explain."
"However, you can think of Pokémon as beings and pets with elemental powers."
"However, Pokémon possess extremely high intelligence and need to invest resources and energy in their cultivation. Just like the owners of a Vision, they also need constant special training to become stronger."
Hu Tao was a little disappointed when she heard this.
A pet with elemental power.
Ah this.
In the continent of Teyvat, elemental life is not a rare species.
Just talking about slimes, there are five major categories: wind, fire, water, earth and grass.
In the wild, that's it, it's all over the map.
Once you kill one wave, another wave will be nourished by the elemental soil.
When Hiroshi saw Hu Tao's expression, he knew what she was thinking and shrugged:
"Those are monsters, and they are not very intelligent."
"If there is no growth potential, it is not worth spending time and resources to cultivate!"
Observing Hu Tao's reaction, Hiroshi also worked hard for this first customer and a good business, and decided to throw a big secret to attract her.
"Let's put it this way, do you know Barbatos, the God of Wind?"
"Yes, that's the ruler of Mondstadt. His true form is actually a wind spirit..."
"You see what I mean, 'Pokémon' are not monsters, let alone slimes."
"They are magical species favored by heaven and earth, with infinite possibilities and futures. Some legendary Pokémon have even taken over the authority of gods and are no weaker than the Seven Archons!"
Hu Tao is a skilled salesman.
At this time, she was stunned by Hiroshi's big secret and the revelation.
Mondstadt's Wind God, the body is a wind spirit?
Hold the grass!!
If the news is true, that is definitely big news.
The whole people of Teyvat are getting excited.
But after hearing Hiroshi's words, the legendary Pokémon are not inferior to the seven rulers of Teyvat.
Hu Tao suddenly changed color, and murmured with emotion:
"...Is it really that powerful?!"
Seeing the quirky Hu Tao, she rarely showed a serious face.
Hiroshi secretly smiled.
He sells all day long, but he didn't expect that one day he would be counter-sold.
This is the first business of the opening, solid!
Hu Tao's reaction and expression are a tempting signal.
"Come on, Director Hu, this is the 'Pokémon Illustrated Book', you can start to draw your initial Pokémon..."
Hiroshi handed Hu Tao a tablet-like device on the table and added an explanation.
"There are a total of 905 types of Pokémon in the 'Pokémon Illustrated Book'."
"The best thing about our store is that it has a complete range of products. It is possible to draw any kind of initial Pokémon."
"Please note in advance that each initial Pokémon has a different selling price based on its race and qualification attributes."
"Furthermore, I suggest you determine your 'initial Pokémon' as soon as you draw it, rather than drawing it repeatedly. Believe in fate and destiny!"
Hu Tao opened her plum blossom pupils wide and was shocked.
"There are actually 905 kinds of Pokémon?"
Raising the illustrated book on the tablet in her hand, Hu Tao continued to have question marks on her forehead.
The equipment was too advanced, and she didn't know how to operate it!
"How to use this?"
Seeing this, Hiroshi slapped his forehead.
"After registering and logging in, you will be forced to enter the initial sprite extraction step."
Hu Tao did as she was told.
Suddenly, frames of unidentified Pokémon flashed across the tablet illustration.
Looking at the strange shadows in the frames, including reptiles and flying ones, Hu Tao couldn't help but feel nervous. Her heart lifted to her throat.
"What initial Pokémon will I draw?"
Beep!
There was a soft sound, and the frame was fixed.
Hu Tao held her breath and looked.
On the picture where the darkness faded, there was a newborn Pokémon with a round head and a round brain, short arms and legs, chubby, although the mouth was wide open and full of sharp... Teeth, but with a strange cuteness.
"Aiyah? What is this little thing?" Hu Tao blinked her plum blossom eyes, poking the screen with her finger. "It looks silly, yet it has a rather... mischievous grin. It suits me!"
Hiroshi leaned over to take a look, and his eyebrows raised slightly.
"Oh! Congratulations, Director Hu. Your luck is truly consistent with your profession." Hiroshi chuckled, recognizing the purple, round-bodied figure immediately. "This is Gengar. Well, to be precise, this is its final evolution form, but the system seems to have drawn you a special one. It is a dual-type Pokémon: Ghost and Poison."
"Ghost type?!" Hu Tao jumped up, her twin ponytails bouncing. She clapped her hands together, looking delighted. "A Ghost Pokémon! Oh, this is fate! This is absolutely fate! Does it help with crossing over spirits? Or maybe burying people?"
"It... mostly likes to play pranks and scare people," Hiroshi explained with a sweat drop. "But yes, it is a spiritual entity."
Just then, a deep, resonant voice echoed directly inside Hiroshi's mind, causing him to stiffen slightly.
["Master, this human female... she carries the heavy scent of the grave. Yet, she is lively. A strange contradiction. Should I incinerate her if she causes trouble?"]
Hiroshi quickly thought back, 'No! Zekrom, stay in the back! She's a customer! And don't use Fusion Bolt indoors!'
Hidden in the distorted space of the shop's back room, Zekrom, the Deep Black Pokémon, snorted, its red eyes glowing in the dark. It had been granted by the System to protect Hiroshi and the shop's integrity. While it found humans fragile, it obeyed Hiroshi completely.
Ignoring the legendary dragon grumbling in his head, Hiroshi turned around and pulled out a sleek, red device from the counter. It looked like a high-tech glass pane encased in a red shell.
"Since you are our first customer to successfully draw a Pokémon, this is a complimentary gift from the store," Hiroshi said, handing it to her.
"Ooh? What's this? A talisman?" Hu Tao took it, flipping it over.
"This is a Pokédex, but it's the latest smartphone model," Hiroshi explained, tapping the screen to wake it up. "It records Pokémon data, but it also functions as a communication device, a camera, and a map. It's much more convenient than anything in Teyvat. Every customer who buys a Pokémon gets one."
Hu Tao's eyes lit up as the screen glowed. "A box that glows and records souls? Hehe, Hiroshi, you really do have good treasures here! If you ever die, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor will give you a fifty percent discount! No, free of charge!"
Hiroshi forced a polite smile. "I'll... keep that in mind."