August 16th, after lunch, Gengar's Paradise (Breeding House).
Lucas took a sip of the honey water Gengar had prepared for him and Shauna, then continued to engross himself in studying the manual on energy cubes he held.
Gengar, meanwhile, was busy placing the photos Lucas had taken and printed a few days ago into frames and arranging them everywhere.
On the counter, on the walls, in the room, in the lounge area, in the stairwell—Gengar was tirelessly busy.
One moment it would ask Lucas to check upstairs, the next it would ask him to move something.
Just as Lucas was about to say it wasn't necessary to go to so much trouble, Gengar stopped him with a single look.
It was not good to provoke Gengar in this state, so Lucas could only cooperate unconditionally.
Gengar clapped its hands and wiped the sweat from its forehead.
"Kou jiel—"
Mission accomplished.
The large group photo taken yesterday hung on the corner of the stairwell, while its and Lucas's joint photos were placed one on the counter and one on the bedside table in the room. The Breeding House's family photo was displayed on the dressing table in the room, alongside Grandma's photo.
The photos on the counter were mainly of Pokémon, and it decided that from now on, they would be used to display photos of guests and Pokémon eggs, as would the walls.
What? You want to ask why the counter is full of Pokémon photos, and why there's a joint photo of Lucas and Gengar?
Gengar offered the following explanation:
"Kou jiel—"
This is my home, and I like it.
Lucas handed his honey water to Gengar and said, "How about we take a picture every time we get a new member from now on?"
"Kou jiel—"
Gengar finished the honey water Lucas had given it, then nodded.
"Brother Yuanzhi didn't lie to us, this place is open again."
The voices from outside caught Lucas's and Gengar's attention.
"Let's go in."
Immediately after, two figures walked in.
They were about the same age as Shauna, a boy and a girl.
"Hello, I'm the owner here. How can I help you?"
Lucas walked over and asked.
The boy saw Lucas and was a little shy, but after glancing at the girl beside him, he swallowed and said,
"We... we want to buy two Pokémon eggs."
"Is that so? Do you have any specific Pokémon in mind?"
Lucas smiled when he saw the boy's expression.
The boy and girl both shook their heads.
"But I want to challenge Gyms and participate in the Alliance Conference, and she wants to participate in the Contest Spectacular."
The boy slowly grew bolder at this point.
He saw the Gengar floating beside Lucas and thought this Gengar was very cool.
"I see. Then please come over and register your information."
Lucas nodded and led them to the counter to register their information.
The boy was named Kira, and the girl was named Kinsley, names unique to the Pokémon world.
"Wow, so cute."
Kinsley exclaimed at the photo of Petilil on the counter.
"Bo... boss, is this also a Pokémon from your Breeding House?"
"Yes, it's a Petilil, a Pokémon from the Unova region, and currently one of our partners."
Lucas explained with a smile.
"Then... can I see it?"
Lucas nodded, and then Gengar passed through the wall to the backyard.
Soon, Shauna appeared from the door behind the counter, holding an egg and Petilil.
Seeing strangers, Shauna hid behind Lucas. Lucas patted her little head, signaling that it was okay.
After they finished chatting with Petilil, he led them to the Hatching Room.
"Oh, by the way, boss, do you have any starter Pokémon here?"
Kira suddenly asked, looking at the various Pokémon eggs.
"No, starter Pokémon generally don't appear in Breeding Houses, at least not here with me."
After Lucas answered, he began introducing the Pokémon eggs to them.
"For challenging Gyms, you can choose some powerful Pokémon, such as Shinx. Luxray, its final evolution, is also quite strong. As far as I know, Volkner, the Sunyshore City Gym Leader, has a Luxray."
"Or Buizel; Floatzel, its evolution, is also quite strong. Crasher Wake, the Pastoria City Gym Leader, also has one."
"Others like Aipom and Buneary are also ones I highly recommend."
Seeing Kira fall into indecision, Lucas didn't rush him. He turned to Kinsley.
"For Contest Spectaculars, you can choose some Pokémon that are more suitable for them, such as Aipom."
Lucas suddenly thought of a certain Aipom with considerable strength that only wanted to participate in Contest Spectaculars, smiled, and said.
"There's also Glameow, which embodies elegance and beauty, or Wurmple; Beautifly, its final evolution, is also quite beautiful and very suitable for Contest Spectaculars."
"The remaining Kricketot and Budew are also ones I personally recommend."
After speaking, he let them discuss slowly together. Lucas, meanwhile, went to Shauna, who was hiding by the door, and slowly guided her, hoping she would take that step out of her shell.
"I've decided, boss. I want a Shinx."
Kira spoke, drawing Lucas's attention back. Lucas stood up and went to their side.
"Boss, I don't know what to choose. Can you help me pick one?"
Kinsley couldn't make a choice, and Kira was only half-knowledgeable about these things. She decided to ask the owner of the Breeding House; after all, he had such a cute Petilil, so his judgment couldn't be wrong.
"If I were to choose... I would recommend Glameow to you. After all, some people have won Contest Spectaculars with Glameow."
Recalling the mother of the Diamond and Pearl protagonist, Lucas recommended.
After all, Glameow is indeed elegant, beautiful, and has a relatively gentle personality.
"Okay, then I'll choose Glameow!"
Lucas nodded, then took the stethoscope Gengar handed him and examined the two Pokémon eggs in front of them.
[Shinx's Egg] [Hatching Progress: 21/30]
[Glameow's Egg] [Hatching Progress: 23/30]
"They're both very healthy; they'll hatch soon."
Lucas put away the stethoscope and said with a smile.
"Then I'll entrust these two little ones to you. Remember to take good care of them."
"Yes! Don't worry!"
"Leave it to me!"
He gave them some precautions, then specifically reminded Kinsley that if she wanted to participate in Contest Spectaculars, she absolutely must not let Glameow evolve.
As is well known, Glameow's evolution is Purugly, which, not being a beauty, gets fat. This is absolutely unfeasible for Contest Spectaculars. However, it's not impossible, as Contest Spectaculars are about competing on a Pokémon's charm.
"Um... boss, we don't have much money. Can you make it a little cheaper?"
At this point, Kira spoke awkwardly.
"Don't worry," Lucas joked, "If you don't have enough money, you can stay and work for me to pay off your debt."
"Ah?!"
"Are you stupid? The boss is joking with you, and you can't even tell."
Kinsley pinched Kira's ear and said, exasperated.
Lucas shook his head and calculated the bill.
The Shinx egg was 100,000 Alliance Coins, and the Glameow egg was 80,000 Alliance Coins, totaling 180,000 Alliance Coins.
"It's 175,000 Alliance Coins in total."
Lucas gave them a small discount.
Kira breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this; they had brought 300,000 Alliance Coins with them this time.
After paying, Lucas took a photo of each of them holding a Pokémon egg, printed a copy, and gave it to them.
"I wish you good luck in your endeavors."
Lucas saw them to the door and blessed them.
"Thank you, boss, and I wish you a prosperous business."
After seeing them off, Lucas quickly returned to the Breeding House, took out a Pokémon egg, placed it in front of the counter, told Gengar to call Dally and the others over, and then, holding his camera, turned on the recording and, with a few Pokémon, stared intently at the Pokémon egg.
....
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