Soon, Mayor Quinn arrived at the Breeding House.
"Shopkeeper Lucas."
A voice came from the doorway, and Lucas quickly stood up to welcome Mayor Quinn in.
Gothorita served two cups of hot tea.
Mayor Quinn took a small sip.
Then, he asked Lucas what he meant by what he said on the phone earlier.
Lucas revealed all of his thoughts.
"I noticed that the road from Twinleaf Town directly to Sandgem Town has many potholes, so I plan to fill them in and then compact the road to prevent accidents."
Mayor Quinn nodded.
"At the same time, I'll trim the trees on both sides of the road; some have grown into the middle of the road.
I want to plan it out so they look aesthetically pleasing and don't affect traffic."
"Also, I've noticed many empty plots around the Breeding House that have been abandoned for a long time and are overgrown with weeds.
I'm also preparing to tidy them up so that if there are any events in the future, we'll have more and better venues to use."
Mayor Quinn nodded.
Lucas suddenly thought of the various events he often saw in anime.
"I think if this road is repaired, I might be able to host many events."
Vulpix came to Lucas, jumped onto his lap, and then lay down.
Lucas gently stroked the fur on its body.
Vulpix closed its eyes comfortably.
"In such comfortable and peaceful days, holding an event to bring everyone together, in my opinion, is a very beautiful thing."
Lucas took a sip of tea and said softly.
He was someone who preferred lively atmospheres.
He enjoyed the quiet and peaceful life at the Breeding House, but he also liked it when many people and Pokémon occasionally gathered, chatted, and played happily.
Lively and full of genuine emotion.
Just like the Breeding Day event.
Humans and Pokémon coexisted harmoniously, leaving each other with beautiful memories.
Listening to Lucas's ideas, Mayor Quinn picked up his cup and took another sip of hot tea.
"But this road is very long, and the cost of repairing it would be unaffordable."
Lucas relayed his conversation with the person in charge to Mayor Quinn.
"You mean, we just need to loosen the soil, fill it in, and then compact and solidify the other areas?"
Lucas nodded.
"That might work."
Mayor Quinn pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, then we'll go with your idea.
I'll discuss it with the Mayor of Sandgem Town, and we'll apply for funding.
Twinleaf Town and Sandgem Town will each contribute half."
Mayor Quinn clapped his hands.
"Our Breeding House—"
Lucas was about to speak when Mayor Quinn interrupted him.
"The repair work on both sides of the road and the proposed modifications for those abandoned plots will be handled by your Breeding House."
"Since you can design and manage the Breeding House so well, you should be able to complete this task too.
What do you think?"
Lucas couldn't get a word in.
He pondered for a moment.
Then he nodded.
Saving a little money is good.
If the funding application goes through, everyone will be happy.
If not, he would mobilize the Pokémon to work on it little by little; they would eventually finish it.
"No problem."
Mayor Quinn nodded, then pulled out his phone and called the Mayor of Sandgem Town.
He began discussing the matter with him right beside Lucas.
After an intense discussion, the matter was finally decided.
The funding application was processed quickly and was successful right away.
Then Mayor Quinn bid farewell to Lucas and walked out the door.
At the same time, he was on the phone with a renovation company, discussing all the details.
After seeing Mayor Quinn off, Lucas let out a sigh of relief.
Then he collapsed into the lounge area.
"That's great, everyone."
Gengar and the others echoed their agreement.
Finally, Lucas glanced at the time; it was still early, so he took out the wood he had dried some time ago.
He sat on the floor of the lounge area.
Holding his tools, he began to carve little by little.
Using the techniques he learned from Grandma's tool list,
the wood quickly began to take on a distinct outline in his hands.
First to be completed was a small Gengar.
With its small body, Lucas intentionally carved it to be a bit plump.
Next were Lilligant, Marill, Mime Jr., Vulpix, Gothorita, and the others…
By the time all the wood carvings were finished, it was past three in the morning.
Lucas glanced at the time and twisted his neck.
Crack.
It was terribly sore.
He looked up and found himself surrounded by Pokémon.
Mime Jr. was sleeping next to Gothorita, covered by the small blanket Gothorita had gotten for it.
It was still holding Marill's tail in its hand.
Marill was sleeping sprawled out beside Mime Jr.
Roselia was leaning against Lilligant, sleeping soundly, and Lilligant also had her eyes closed.
Her lips were still slightly curved, as if she was having a sweet dream.
Gothorita sat beside Mime Jr., giving Lucas a small smile.
Vulpix was lying on a chair, its tail twitching.
It mumbled something, and also smacked its lips.
Marill and the others were patrolling the backyard, while Vespiquen guarded her beehive.
Seeing this, Lucas's heart warmed.
Looking at the Pokémon accompanying him, not disturbing him, just gathered around him.
Under the lamplight, the emotions they conveyed to Lucas made him very happy.
Gengar floated to Lucas's side and softly spoke.
"Gengar—"
Are you done?
"Hmm, why didn't you let them go back to their rooms to sleep?"
Lucas tugged at its mouth.
He asked softly.
"Gengar—
They said they wanted to stay with you.
Lucas said nothing more, instead picking up Gengar's wood carving and handing it to him.
"This is for you.
Be happy every day."
Gengar took the wood carving, looked at the carving of himself in his hand, then looked at Lucas.
His gaze was gentle as he looked at him.
"Gengar—
Ever since I met Lucas, I've always been very happy!
Then, a Lick landed on him.
Lucas was still helplessly closing his eyes, preparing to wipe the drool from his face.
But then he realized he was paralyzed.
"Paralyzed—why am I paralyzed again—"
Lucas's voice startled Lilligant and the others, and then the Breeding House descended into chaos once more.
Finally, Gengar skillfully pulled out a Cheri Berry and popped it into Lucas's mouth.
"Gengar"
I was prepared, hehe.
Lucas recovered after a while.
He angrily tugged on Gengar's tail, making him float erratically in the air like a deflated balloon, then handed the carved wood carvings one by one to Lilligant and the others.
They took the wood carvings, feeling the emotions contained within them.
"Lilligant ~"
He played with them for a while, then sent them back to sleep.
He returned to his room, showered, dried his hair, and lay down on the bed.
He closed his eyes and slept.
[Lucas's Special Wood Carving (Learned from Grandma): Wood carving technique learned from Grandma's tool list, which can slightly improve a Pokémon's mood.]
[May you all be happy every day: Lucas infused his emotions and his sincerest wishes for the Pokémon into it, so there is only a very small chance that the Pokémon's mood will fall into a slump.]
[Wood Carving and Emotion: Represents Lucas's sincerest blessings for the Pokémon.
Where Lucas is, that is home.
No matter where you are, your Pokémon will always accurately find your direction.]
[Thank you, Lucas—Breeding House Pokémon]
[We love you, Lucas—Breeding House Pokémon]
Lucas's lips curved slightly.
"I love you all too.
Good night, sweet dreams."
"Gengar"
The ceiling glowed red, then disappeared.
....
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