Back at the Breeding House, Victor carried the seeds to the herb and vegetable gardens.
After planting the seeds according to the grandmother's instructions, Victor said to the Machoke, "I'll be troubling you to look after the herbs and vegetables from now on, to make sure they don't get eaten by any bird Pokémon."
The Machoke's eyes widened with serious intent. They understood the importance of these seeds.
Their gazes immediately darted around, searching for any Pokémon that might pose a threat.
Seeing their intense reaction, Victor couldn't help but chuckle. "No need to be so worried," he said. "You just have to make sure the bird Pokémon don't eat them. Gengar will handle the watering. Right, Gengar?"
He turned to the Gengar beside him and saw that it had already pulled a Blastoise-themed watering can from its dimensional stomach, eager to get started.
After teaching Gengar how to water the plants, Victor went to get the Petilil.
"Petilil, when you have free time, you can come over here too. The soil here is also very rich. You can try to gather your grass energy here to help the plants grow faster."
Hearing Victor's words, the Petilil looked at the tilled earth with an equally serious expression.
"Lili."
Seeing how much they seemed to enjoy these tasks, Victor didn't say anything more. He just clapped his hands together. "Then I'll leave it in your capable hands, everyone."
"Machoke."
"Gengar."
"Lili."
After all that was done, the groceries he had purchased arrived. Victor put the food away in the freezer, then took some out to make a hearty lunch. After the meal, Gengar, as usual, washed the dishes while Victor went to the front of the Breeding House, opened the main doors, hung the "Open for Business" sign, and sat quietly at the counter waiting for customers.
He was engrossed in a book about how to make Poffins.
After a long while, the Breeding House welcomed two guests.
The white-haired grandmother from the seed shop arrived, leading a listless old man by the hand. They stood at the entrance, looking at the sign and the open doors.
"Old dear, it really is open," the grandfather said.
"Why would that young man lie to us? Come on, let's go inside," the grandmother said, pulling her husband into the Breeding House.
"Old dear, are you sure this will work..."
The grandfather's words trailed off as he saw a purple Pokémon float in front of them.
"Gengar?"
"May I help you?"
Looking at the well-behaved Gengar, the grandfather was a bit taken aback.
"Grandma, you're here," Victor said, putting down his book and walking over to Gengar's side.
"So you really are the one running this place. You mentioned an herbal tea this morning, didn't you? I brought my old man over to see," the grandmother said. Although her kind face was smiling, there was still a clear trace of worry in her eyes.
Victor nodded, led the grandmother and her husband to a pair of chairs, and asked Gengar to look after them while he went into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Victor took out the dried Petilil leaves, placed them in a clay pot, added water, and put it on the fire to boil.
In the main hall, the grandmother looked at Gengar and asked gently, "Child, you must be his Pokémon, right? How long have you two known each other?"
Gengar nodded, then held up one hand, showing five fingers.
"Gengar."
"Only five days? It looks like you're very fond of him."
Hearing the grandmother's words, Gengar broke into a wide grin, revealing a full set of white teeth.
"Gengar."
"Victor is very fond of Gengar, too."
Sensing the emotion radiating from Gengar, much of the grandmother's worry faded.
The human and the Pokémon then began to chat animatedly.
The grandfather, meanwhile, dozed off in his chair. Hearing the sound of his wife talking with a Pokémon for so long, he felt a sense of trance. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her like this. Listening to the continuous murmur of their voices, he slowly drifted into a deep sleep.
In his dream, he saw the day he first met his wife. Back then, he was full of ambition, wanting to become a great Pokémon Breeder. Later, because of a single Pokémon, he formed a deep connection with her, and they eventually decided to spend their lives together...
Deep in his dream, the grandfather felt someone nudging him. He slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the face of the young girl from his dream. But now, her hair was silver with frost, and her face was lined with wrinkles.
But she was still as beautiful and moving as ever.
"Old dear, you're so beautiful," the grandfather said, looking at the familiar face before him.
"You old fool, what nonsense are you spouting now," his wife replied, reaching out to gently pinch his arm.
"..."
This public display of affection is warming my heart, Victor thought, unable to stop a smile from forming as he watched the elderly couple banter.
A lifelong love was always a beautiful and precious thing.
"Hurry and get up. The young man has finished brewing the herbal tea," his wife urged.
Only then did the grandfather look at Victor, who was holding a steaming bowl of herbal tea.
The grandmother took the bowl from Victor and gently blew on it.
In truth, Victor had already poured the tea back and forth between two bowls to cool it down.
But for now, he stood beside Gengar, quietly watching the grandmother cool the tea before handing it to her husband.
This, he thought, this is the ideal Pokémon world.
He glanced at the Gengar beside him and gently pulled at the corners of its mouth.
"It's a good thing I have Gengar here with me."
Victor was genuinely grateful. Gengar had given him the most important thing for opening a Breeding House here: companionship.
That was one of the main reasons Victor had been so determined to renovate the place—partly for his great-aunt, and partly for Gengar.
"Gengar."
Its mouth was pulled into a smile, but it didn't mind. In fact, it loved it when Victor played with it like this. It stuck out its long, crimson tongue and laughed heartily.
The grandfather took the herbal tea from his wife, tested the temperature, and then drank it all in one gulp.
Victor and the grandmother watched him intently.
"So bitter..." the grandfather said, but then his eyes widened in disbelief. He stood up straight.
"I haven't felt this energetic in a long time," he said, stretching his body. He was still quite healthy, but his lack of spirit had made him seem frail. After drinking Victor's Petilil herbal tea, everything felt better.
"It looks like it worked," Victor said with a smile.
"Yes! I don't know how long it's been since I've seen him so full of life," the grandmother said, tears welling in her eyes as she watched her husband move about.
He was as vibrant as the day they first met.
"Thank you, young man," the grandfather said, walking over to Victor with sincere gratitude. The grandmother thanked him as well.
Victor accepted their thanks with a clear conscience.
"But what exactly is this 'herbal tea'? I've never heard of it before," the grandfather asked, puzzled.
"'Herbal tea' is what we call it in the Eastern Alliance. It's similar to traditional medicine, but with a few differences," Victor explained with a smile. "My great-aunt taught me."
Thinking that they might have known his great-aunt, he added, "She was the previous owner of this Breeding House."
"Oh, my! Jasmine was your great-aunt?" the grandmother exclaimed in surprise.
Victor smiled and nodded.
He then learned a little more about his great-aunt from the elderly couple. Just as Laura and the others had said, in their words, his great-aunt was a person everyone admired.
Victor went back to the kitchen, poured the remaining Petilil herbal tea into a bottle, and packed it together with a few dried leaves for the grandmother.
He taught her how to brew the tea from the leaves. He gave her a four-day supply, which, added to today's, made a total of five days. The price was 500 Alliance Dollars per day, but Victor only charged her 2000.
After saying goodbye to the couple, Victor handed the money to Gengar for it to use as spending money. He then looked at the prompt before his eyes.
[Breeder 2: A Breeder must always pay attention to a Pokémon's mood and condition. Of course, a truly outstanding Breeder should not limit their care to just Pokémon.]
[The girl and the boy met, came to know each other, and spent their lives together because of Pokémon. Thank you for solving the problem that had long troubled them. They created beautiful and happy memories traveling together in their youth. Now, they have left a piece of that happiness and beauty for you.]
[Received the Grandfather and Grandmother's Joint Blessing: For the next week, your luck seems to have improved.]
[The Grandfather and Grandmother have also left you a gift. Come and see: a Lucky Egg.]
[Lucky Egg: An egg filled with happiness. A Pokémon holding it will gain a small boost to the experience points it receives.]
Reading the series of prompts, Victor couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Just then, Gengar finished stashing the money and phased through the wall to his side.
"Gengar, I think I'm starting to understand what kind of Breeder I'm meant to be."
Before Gengar could reply, Victor continued, "It seems like selling herbal tea is a good business choice for the Breeding House, too."
"Gengar?"
Gengar was a little confused, but it quickly pushed the confusion aside.
"Gengar~"
"Whatever Victor does, I'll be there with him~"