"Good morning, Petilil."
Victor saw that the Petilil in his arms was awake. He paused what he was doing and smiled as he wished it a good morning.
"Lili."
The Petilil's sweet voice reached his ears, and Victor was momentarily stunned.
[Breeder 4: Under your excellent care, the Petilil has successfully taken a step forward and overcome its fear.]
[Received Petilil's gift: Miracle Seed.]
[Miracle Seed: When a Pokémon holding this item uses a Grass-type move, its power is boosted.]
Looking at the seed resting on the leaves atop the Petilil's head, Victor picked it up. He held it up to the morning sun; its texture was clear and beautiful.
"Am I going to have to fleece all of my Breeding House's items from my Pokémon?" Victor thought to himself, then put the Miracle Seed away.
"I've heard Miracle Seeds can also be used in cooking. I wonder how they taste," Victor murmured.
Hearing this, the nearby Gengar instantly appeared at his side.
"Gengar—"
"No, that would be too extravagant. We need to use this to make money."
Victor pushed the drooling Gengar away and handed it the scissors. He then set the Petilil down and went over to the well to connect a hose.
He had the Torterra lie down and began to rinse it with the hose.
The Torterra closed its eyes, enjoying the spray of the water. Gengar, meanwhile, had procured a towel and some body wash from somewhere and was taking a bath at the side.
Victor rolled his eyes at the sight of the bubble-covered Gengar, then turned the hose towards the Petilil. He covered the nozzle with his hand to soften the stream and gently watered it.
Once Gengar was mostly done, he aimed the hose at it and squeezed the nozzle with his thumb.
Fwoosh~
The jet of water sent Gengar flying.
Watching the Gengar play dead, and looking at the Petilil and the others, Victor stood holding the hose in the warm morning sun and suddenly felt the urge to capture this moment forever.
After the morning wash, Victor instructed Gengar to clean up, then went back to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
While breakfast was cooking, he took a moment to message Laura and, on her recommendation, bought a camera and some picture frames.
After breakfast, Gengar dutifully went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, while the other Pokémon either patrolled the backyard or sunbathed.
Victor returned to the front, opened the main doors, hung the "Open for Business" sign, and then lay back in the chair in front of the counter, reading the Poffin recipe book he had received as a reward.
After washing the dishes, Gengar floated out to the backyard to check on the herb and vegetable gardens. It then went to pester the Vespiquen and its followers for a bit, and finally played with the Petilil for a while before returning to the front. It phased through the wall and saw Victor completely absorbed in the book in his hands. The fan nearby gently blew his bangs, and the whole scene felt incredibly peaceful and beautiful.
Gengar grinned and chuckled softly, then picked up a broom and began to quietly sweep the Breeding House.
From the corner of his eye, Victor saw Gengar sweeping with its little butt wiggling. He smiled, then returned his focus to the book.
I'm really starting to love this kind of life, he thought to himself. Even if I haven't made any money yet.
...
Twinleaf Town.
Officer Jenny walked out of a villa and nodded to the couple standing at the gate.
The couple, overjoyed, hurried inside.
Nurse Joy handed a bottle of water to Jenny as she approached. Jenny took it and drank more than half in one go.
"This is the third time this week," Jenny complained to her best friend.
Joy folded her hands in front of her, looked at her friend, and said with a smile, "You've worked hard."
"I think we need to find a way to solve this permanently."
Hearing Jenny's words, Joy nodded in agreement.
"But emotional problems aren't so easily solved," Joy sighed.
Standing in the shade, Joy looked up at the second floor of the villa. A very delicate little girl lived there.
But because her parents were away for long periods, and the caretaker they had hired was abusive, she had developed severe psychological trauma.
She didn't dare speak to anyone and was afraid to go outside.
By the time her parents found out and rushed back, her condition was already severe.
They immediately quit their jobs and took her everywhere seeking treatment, but the results were negligible. In fact, it only made her more afraid of people.
She would often hide in corners of the house, refusing to come out no matter how her parents called or tried to comfort her.
Because she and Jenny used to visit the girl often, they were now the only ones who could calm her down.
This week, the situation had gotten worse.
Only one of them could go in at a time.
Joy sighed. She didn't know who to turn to for help.
As Joy was lost in thought, the couple came out of the villa.
They thanked her and Jenny profusely.
"Has little Shana's condition improved at all?" a voice called out from outside the villa gate.
They turned to see the kind elderly woman from the seed shop standing there.
The couple nodded sadly, sighed, and began to talk with the old woman.
Joy remembered her; she ran the seed shop.
The old woman talked with the couple for a moment, then sighed. "Such a wonderful child."
She turned to leave, but an image of a young face flashed in her mind, and she paused.
She turned back and said, "If you're willing, you could try taking her to that newly opened Breeding House. I took my old man there yesterday, and the results were surprisingly good."
With that, she left.
Hearing this, Joy was stunned. The story of the Petilil immediately came to her mind.
"Joy, do you think she means..."
Hearing Jenny's voice, Joy snapped back to reality, looked at her, and nodded.
"Victor can do that, too?" Jenny asked with a frown.
Joy told her the story of the Petilil.
After hearing the story, Jenny thought for a moment, then said, "I think it's worth a try. What do you think?"
Joy considered it for a moment as well, then nodded.
After agreeing on a plan, one of them went to discuss it with the couple, while the other took out her phone to ask for Victor's opinion.
After getting Victor's reply, Joy glanced at Jenny. Jenny nodded, went into the villa, and came out a short while later with a delicate little girl.
They all got into a car and followed Jenny's motorcycle towards the Breeding House.
Back at the Breeding House, Victor lay in his chair, staring at his phone, lost in thought.
Gengar sat beside him, watching The Adventures of Ditto.
"A little girl who's been traumatized?" Victor murmured to himself. He wasn't confident he could handle this.
On the other end of the phone, Joy had just told him to do his best.
Victor sat up. The Gengar beside him looked over at him.
He explained the situation to Gengar, planning to discuss with it how they should handle this.
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