Chapter 325:
December 31st.
Today was the last day of the year.
As the first year inheriting the Breeding House came to a close, Hayashi Kaede felt this day held some commemorative significance.
So, early in the morning, he started bustling about with the Alcremie, Gardevoir, and Sister Indeedee.
He was going to make a birthday cake for every single Pokémon in the Breeding House!
There was no other way; the Breeding House had a large and varied number of Pokémon.
He didn't know every Pokémon's actual birthday.
But he did know some of their birthdays.
For example, Floragato was born on October 27th.
Alolan Ninetales was born on July 24th.
If Hayashi Kaede made the effort to prepare birthday cakes for them on those specific days, it might seem unfair to the other Pokémon whose birthdays were unknown.
So, he decided to simply designate this day as New Year's Day for all of them!
From now on, every Pokémon would celebrate on this day!
This way, any future Pokémon joining the big family wouldn't cause scheduling conflicts.
Essentially, it was about having a sense of ceremony regarding birthdays.
Hayashi Kaede was a bit lazy, but he also wanted his Pokémon to have what others had.
This was the only solution he could come up with.
The cakes were actually planned for tomorrow.
But the number that needed to be made was simply too massive, so preparations had to start today.
Soon, the Alcremie encountered a problem.
A Matcha Cream Alcremie quickly started going, "Alcremie, Alcremie..." (I'm out, I'm out, I can't produce anymore...)
"Alcremie..." (I'm out too...)
Then, one by one, all the Alcremie went on strike.
"Ha ha ha..."
Hayashi Kaede watched, laughing heartily, but also felt sorry for them so he told them to rest first. He then brought out restorative Energy Cubes to feed the little ones.
After feeding them, he went to bake the cake bases.
Each Pokémon had a different size, so the required cake bases varied greatly.
For Pidgeot, its cake base needed to be almost over a meter tall.
Once finished, Hayashi Kaede would have to cut it into pieces suitable for its beak size.
This was a major project, requiring significant time and effort.
Even with Gardevoir's help, they worked from morning until night.
…
Nighttime.
In the Kitchen.
Under the bright white lights, over a dozen Alcremie gathered together.
Beside them, Hayashi Kaede was packaging the completed cakes one by one. After all the packaging was done, he stored them in storage capsules.
Finally, he walked up to the Alcremie, picking them up one by one and placing them back into their bowls.
"Alright, Alcremie, you've all worked really hard today~"
"Alcremie~!" (Everyone will eat them tomorrow!)
"Alcremie~~" (It wasn't hard, not hard at all...)
"Alcremie..." (We made so, so many~)
Though the Alcremie had tired looks in their eyes, their faces were brimming with smiles.
They didn't know exactly how much cream they had produced today, and their bodies were exhausted, but the thought of everyone eating the cakes they helped make tomorrow filled them with happiness.
"Alright, be good now and get some proper rest."
Hayashi Kaede used his psychic powers to lift the sleepy little ones, bowls and all, and carried them into the house.
After bringing them inside, Gardevoir also came out of the kitchen.
"Gardevoir~" (The kitchen is all cleaned up~)
"Good, good, thank you for your hard work." Hayashi Kaede had been thinking about cleaning the kitchen himself, but since it was done, he didn't need to go back.
"So, what to do now?"
Hayashi Kaede pondered this question.
*Boom!*
A loud sound suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Woof woof woof!"
Along with it came Growlithe's incessant barking at the door.
Following the sound, Hayashi Kaede walked to the entrance.
He then realized that someone was setting off fireworks near the exit of Aogiri Town.
*Boom... Boom...*
One after another.
The sky was instantly half-lit by continuous bursts of colorful fireworks.
Hayashi Kaede smiled.
Every year around this time, both the town and Aogiri City set off fireworks.
He was used to it and didn't find it strange.
But Growlithe, standing at the door, was seeing such a splendid scene for the first time.
It kept barking at the door.
Its barks attracted more and more Pokémon: Alolan Ninetales, the Eevees, Floragato, Blaziken, Big Brother and Sister Indeedee...
They all stood beside Hayashi Kaede, admiring the fireworks in the sky.
Hayashi Kaede then had an idea.
Tomorrow was New Year's Day, and Mewtwo had been gone for over ten days.
With its speed, who knew where it was now? This was a good time to call and check in.
Perhaps it was telepathy, or maybe some other reason.
The moment Hayashi Kaede took out his phone, a call came through.
The number displayed was Mewtwo's.
His eyes lit up, and he answered without hesitation.
"Rotom~ Connected," came Rotom's voice from the other side.
The video feed opened, showing Mewtwo in its human-like form.
"Hey, Mewtwo."
Hayashi Kaede was in high spirits, waving in greeting.
Mewtwo on the other side seemed a bit stiff but still waved back in response.
"Where are you now?"
Hayashi Kaede started examining the background behind it.
The scenery behind Mewtwo was all Snow White, with visible continuous and towering, snow-capped mountains.
"Challenging the Legendary Golems," Mewtwo's reply was simple.
"The Legendary Golems? Regice?"
Hayashi Kaede was startled. If it was challenging the Legendary Golems, and considering the environment, it must be Regice.
"You know again."
A trace of helplessness flashed across Mewtwo's face.
Clearly, these Pokémon were all Legendary Pokémon from various regions.
But Hayashi Kaede seemed to know all about them.
Sometimes, Mewtwo really wondered if what Tapu Koko said back then was true.
Was Hayashi Kaede really a human? Or was he a Pokémon?
It felt like he was a Pokémon...
But soon, Mewtwo's focus shifted elsewhere.
"Today I saw many places setting off fireworks. I assume today must be some special holiday?"
"Hey, yes, it's the last day of the year. I was just thinking of calling you, and you beat me to it."
Hayashi Kaede explained.
At the same time, he felt a sense of relief.
He had thought that once Mewtwo left, if he didn't call, there would basically be no news.
But now it was also calling home!
However, both Hayashi Kaede and Mewtwo weren't particularly talkative, so their conversation didn't last long. The main point was knowing it was safe, followed by a few words of advice.
What made Hayashi Kaede feel a bit regretful and a pity was that there wouldn't be a cake for Mewtwo for the New Year's Day....
He couldn't very well have Dragonite mail one over, could he?