After Milotic and Feebas' conversation, Austin introduced his Pokémon to Cynthia.
"Ryu hatched from an egg my grandpa gave me two years ago."
"Luca!"
"Agni was obtained at the Celestic Town Police Station. He liked me a lot even when he was a Growlithe."
Agni stood up, wrapped his front paws around Austin, and licked him with a loud slurp.
"Later, I found out that he stayed because Grandpa's cooking was too delicious. He's a complete foodie."
Cynthia could not help but smile.
"The old man's cooking really is amazing. I still miss it sometimes. How is he doing these days?"
Cynthia was also a true foodie, especially when it came to ice cream.
"He can still chase me across the township with a rolling pin."
Cynthia burst into laughter.
"Zenith was the first Pokémon I ever caught. He evolved from Metang."
"Metagross are already rare, and this one is a Shiny. It has clearly been raised extremely well."
Cynthia extended her soft hand and gently stroked Zenith's smooth metallic body.
"Gross!"
Under the sunlight, Zenith's excellent condition became even more obvious. His steel body reflected a deep metallic sheen, smooth and flawless.
"Drakloak was caught over there a few days ago. Dragapult is her mother."
Rose rested her head on Austin's head and let out a soft cry.
"Drak!"
Following the direction Austin pointed, Mount Coronet, Cynthia asked in confusion,
"There are Dreepy species living there?"
"No. Dragapult originally had a Trainer. It's a long story. I'll tell you another time."
"Oh."
"Everyone, come on out."
Cynthia released her remaining three Pokémon, Spiritomb, Togekiss, and Glaceon.
Glaceon raised its head and looked curiously at the Eevee in Cynthia's arms.
"Ceon~"
"Vee~"
"You've all met before, so I probably don't need to introduce them, right?"
Cynthia had caught these six Pokémon a long time ago, and Austin had already seen every one of them.
She actually owned more than six Pokémon, but she usually carried only this team with her. Austin had also seen her Gastrodon and Braviary before.
Austin smiled.
"No need. I watch your Champion Challenge matches all the time."
Cynthia looked genuinely surprised.
"You watch Champion Challenge matches?"
She remembered Austin once saying he had no interest in becoming a Trainer, and he had started raising Pokémon even later than Rolanda.
"How could I not watch yours? "
Cynthia laughed softly.
Their conversation was interrupted when Dai Yui suddenly sent a message in the staff group chat announcing Cynthia's arrival.
The entire breeding house exploded into chaos, especially the female staff members.
Combined with their exhausted expressions, Austin felt like he was watching a zombie outbreak.
"Please sign this for me!"
"Can I take a photo with you?"
"I really admire you, Miss Cynthia!"
Even Mizuki and Shion, who had practically been lying dead in bed earlier, suddenly rushed out at full speed.
Cynthia blinked in confusion.
"Why do all of you look so exhausted?"
For a second, she almost thought it was a new makeup trend.
"Yesterday we ate Mapo Tofu and super spicy hot pot cooked by Austin…"
"It tasted amazing, but it was way too spicy…"
Shion swallowed hard before continuing.
"Was really delicious, though!"
Mapo Tofu? Super spicy hot pot?
Cynthia suddenly became interested.
Her arrival did not really change Austin's daily routine. He still had work to do.
After everyone finally got their autographs and photos and left with satisfied expressions, Austin called over Furfrou and Eevee.
"I still need to groom some customers' Pokémon. Feel free to look around. There's a training room on the right side. Garchomp and the others can use it whenever they want."
Austin still needed to groom Furfrou and Eevee's fur. His uncle would come later in the evening to trim their hair.
"Alright."
Cynthia had already seen Austin's work list on the self-service machine near the entrance earlier. He practically handled every kind of job in the breeding house.
Since Leon and Amanda were already very familiar with Cynthia, they did not bother formally entertaining her and told her to make herself comfortable.
"Don't follow me around. Just explore wherever you want."
Garchomp and the others looked around for a moment. Since this place was obviously very safe, they quickly dispersed on their own.
"Lucario!"
Ryu immediately challenged Cynthia's Lucario.
"Rio."
Shion volunteered to show Cynthia around the breeding house, and Cynthia accepted with a smile.
"How old are you this year?"
"Twelve!"
"What exactly is this place?"
Cynthia looked around the room in confusion.
Cameras were set up everywhere, lined up like long and short cannons aimed in every direction.
There were Pokémon bathing stations, dryers, a stove, an oven, a Berry Blender, and rows of cooking utensils.
It looked like a kitchen and grooming studio combined into one.
But if this was just a kitchen and bathroom hybrid, why were there so many cameras?
Even Cynthia could not immediately figure out what the room was actually used for.
"This is Big Bro Aus's filming room," Shion explained proudly. "It was remodeled recently, so now it has everything."
"Filming?"
"Yeah, big bro uploads videos to PokéStream!"
As she spoke, Shion opened her Pokégear and showed Cynthia the account.
"Here! Here! Look."
Cynthia rarely browsed PokéStream and did not even have an account herself.
Because of that, she had no idea that an account called [Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House] had recently exploded in popularity across the platform.
The flood of bullet comments racing across the screen immediately caught Cynthia's attention.
The comment section was packed with jokes, reactions, and playful remarks from viewers.
As Cynthia watched videos such as Sweet and Sour Pork and Smoked Round Citrus Juice, she unconsciously swallowed.
"It looks like his cooking has improved quite a bit…"
Her impression of Austin's cooking skills still came from four or five years ago.
Right next to Austin's filming room was the Pokémon fur care room.
Through the transparent glass wall, they could see Austin wearing an apron while carefully running his fingers through Furfrou's fluffy fur, washing and brushing it with focused precision.
Austin was completely absorbed in his work.
The room itself was soundproof, so he did not notice the two people standing outside watching him.
Cynthia could clearly tell that Furfrou was enjoying every second of it.
"Is Austin usually the one handling all of this?"
Shion immediately began counting on her fingers, her eyes full of admiration.
"Fur care, essential oil treatments, Pokéblock making, poffins, cooking… No matter what I ask, Austin always knows the answer."
"He's really, really good at everything!"
Cynthia could not help smiling.
"It looks like you have an impressive big brother."
Shion nodded enthusiastically whilst clapping.
"Mhm! He is seriously amazing!"
"Does he also personally take care of Zenith and Ryu?"
"Of course!"
Shion answered without hesitation.
Cynthia looked through the glass again at Austin, who was still carefully grooming Furfrou.
"I think I might let Austin handle Lucario and the others' grooming, too."
Although Cynthia was the Sinnoh Champion, she was not particularly skilled when it came to Pokémon care.
Most of the time, she simply hired top Breeders to handle grooming and maintenance for her Pokémon.
Even their food was usually custom-ordered from professionals.
The only thing Cynthia always handled personally was battle training and strategic planning.
But after watching Austin work, she genuinely approved of his skills.
"Then you should make a reservation soon," Shion warned seriously.
" Austin's grooming appointments already have a waiting list."
. . .
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