"Shana, come have a glass of honey water."
Victor called out to Shana, who was sitting on the grass by the lake.
Shana placed her egg on the grass and ran over to him.
"It's sweet. I hope you have a happy day today," Victor said, handing her the cup and gently patting her small head.
Shana took the cup and took a small sip.
Her little eyes went wide and round as the sweet flavor spread across her taste buds.
She drank the whole cup in one go, handed it back to Victor, and then ran back to her egg, sitting quietly beside the Petilil.
From a distance, it was a picturesque scene: a giant tortoise, a small, adorable little girl sitting beside it, a tiny Pokémon next to her, and an egg held in her arms.
After breakfast, Victor had Gengar clean up. He then trimmed the Petilil's leaves and told Shana and her mother to stand back a bit. He connected a soft hose, turned on the tap, and with a press of his thumb, a stream of water shot towards the Torterra.
The difference today was that Gengar wasn't bathing at the side.
It was probably shy because Shana and her mother were there.
Thinking this, Victor glanced at Gengar with a teasing look in his eyes.
"Gengar?! Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ)ﾉ"
He mischievously aimed the hose at Gengar and pressed his thumb down.
Fwoosh—
Gengar ran, and Victor chased.
The first dose of happiness for the day filled the entire Breeding House.
Noticing Shana's expression, Victor gently beckoned her over.
When Shana came to his side, Victor crouched down and handed her the hose.
"It's okay. Get 'em," Victor's voice whispered in her ear, a cunning glint in his eyes as he looked at Gengar.
Once Shana took the hose, Victor turned the tap to full blast, and she pressed her thumb down.
"Gengar—" Gengar quickly begged for mercy.
Shana's mother stood under a nearby tree, watching the crouching Victor and Shana. Seeing the smile on her daughter's face, her heart swelled with emotion.
The smiles on Shana's face in these past two days were more than she had seen in all the time since they had returned.
After the fun ended, Gengar shook itself dry and floated over to Victor.
"Go on, go play," Victor said, standing up and patting her small head.
He gave a signal to Gengar. Gengar flicked its tongue, then tapped Shana, pointing to the swing they had made yesterday and asking if she would go play with it.
If no one had asked Shana to play, Victor figured she would have just sat by the lake with the Petilil all day. Compared to sitting quietly, he much preferred to see her active, which was why he had asked Gengar to play with her.
Seeing Gengar's look of earnest expectation, Victor couldn't help but facepalm.
Such a drama queen.
But the effect was immediate. Shana followed Gengar to the swing.
Victor put the hose away and headed back towards the house. Shana's mother, seeing this, followed him.
After Victor put the hose away and hung up the "Open for Business" sign, she took a small box out of her bag.
"Owner Victor, thank you so much for your help with Shana," she said, bowing deeply.
"It's my pleasure, really," Victor said, startled by the gesture.
"She's so cute and so young. I also hope she can grow up happily, so you really don't have to be so formal, ma'am."
Hearing Victor's words, the woman handed him the box. "My husband and I got this at an event. We don't have any use for it, so please accept it as a token of our gratitude. Please don't refuse."
With her putting it that way, Victor had no choice but to accept it. He said his thanks and took the box.
The woman gave a slight bow, indicating that she wouldn't disturb his work any longer, and headed back to the yard.
Curious, Victor opened the box. A crystal-clear stone lay quietly inside.
[So this was the wonderful thing: A Key Stone.]
[Key Stone: A stone that contains an unknown power. It allows a Pokémon holding a Mega Stone to undergo Mega Evolution.]
"Hiss..." Victor sucked in a sharp breath. Key Stones already exist at this point in time?
Could it be that Ash has already traveled to the Kalos region?
A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. Victor put the Key Stone away, then looked at the text box that had given him the hint.
"So you didn't actually know what the 'wonderful thing' was yesterday, did you?"
"..."
Victor's eyes narrowed. "And the last few times, too. You always said 'unknown effect.' So you don't actually know what's going to happen, which is why you say 'unknown.' Right, system?"
"..."
After a long silence.
[H-how could that be possible.]
"..."
I knew it.
The human and his system fell into a mutual silence.
The silence was broken by the arrival of a Swellow.
The Swellow stood at the entrance and gently tapped on the door with its beak. It had a package on its back and an employee ID card hanging from its chest.
Victor walked over and saw that it was the camera he had bought yesterday. He unstrapped it, then poured a cup of water for the Swellow, letting it drink before it left.
After the Swellow departed, Victor opened the package, assembled the camera, and sat in his chair, fiddling with it for a while and trying out the shutter a few times.
The photos it took were incredibly clear.
Looking at the crisp images, Victor nodded in satisfaction.
He glanced at the photo of his great-aunt on the counter and smiled.
This was one of the most important reasons he had bought the camera: to document his wonderful new life, and his Pokémon.
He took the camera back to the yard and aimed it at the swing in the distance.
A photo appeared on the camera's screen. In the image, sunlight dappled through the leaves, scattering on the ground. A silver-haired little girl in a light green dress sat on the swing, holding a Pokémon Egg. A Gengar floated behind her, gently pushing the swing. A smiling woman stood nearby.
A candid shot, a perfect moment.
Victor was very pleased. He then walked over to the swing.
Gengar saw the black "turtle shell" hanging around his neck and was a little confused about what it was.
It gently stopped the swing, came over to Victor, and pressed its big, chubby face against his, looking curiously at the camera.
When it saw the photo Victor had just taken, it was greatly surprised.
"Gengar?! Σ(°Д°; "
Victor showed the photo to Shana, then asked if she wanted to take some pictures. After getting an enthusiastic "yes," he took several beautiful photos of her.
Her sitting on the swing while her mother pushed her.
Her mother holding her, while she held the egg.
And some group photos of Shana with the Breeding House's Pokémon.
Victor planned to print out a few of the best ones and display them on the counter to attract customers.
Shana and her mother had no objections to this.
He then took a few photos of each of the Breeding House's Pokémon.
Among them, a certain little fatty had more photos taken of it than all the others combined, in all sorts of poses, with all sorts of expressions.
Victor was helpless against its enthusiasm but enjoyed it all the same.
Finally, he asked the woman to take a photo of him with all of his Pokémon, and then one big group shot of everyone.
After a lunch that was prepared with the woman's help, Victor began to prepare the desserts for the afternoon tea.
During this time, Victor learned that the woman's name was Fujino.
He made handmade Honey Fizz soda with Sweet Honey, small bread rolls also with Sweet Honey, the red bean paste mooncakes he had promised Gengar he'd make early, and some small cakes. He also brewed a pot of tea for himself and Mrs. Fujino.
The first tea party in Gengar's Paradise had officially begun.
Gengar and the other Pokémon ate with great delight.
"Gengar~"
So yummy~
It and Dali and the others were having a great time, eating one mooncake after another and then taking a big gulp of Honey Fizz soda.
At one point, Gengar got curious about what Victor's tea tasted like and insisted on having a sip. It licked the cup, and its little face instantly puckered from the bitterness.
It took five red bean mooncakes to recover.
Shana also had a wonderful time eating. She was drinking the special honey water Victor had made for her.
After a full day of playing, Shana's hair was a little messy, her little dress was a bit wrinkled, and there were beads of sweat on her small face, but it was clear to see that her cheeks were flushed and rosy.
Victor nodded at the sight, and Mrs. Fujino once again expressed her heartfelt thanks.
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