At the Breeding House entrance.
Shana looked at the Seviper, a little scared.
After asking Victor, she walked up and greeted them.
One of the Seviper, seeing Shana approach, lit up its sharp tail with a purple glow.
The next second, it saw a crowd of figures standing behind her.
It was an even more terrifying sight than when they had faced Victor.
The figures behind Shana surrounded the Seviper pack.
"Pinsir."
Hmph, got quite the temper, don't you? Pinsir taunted.
Other Pokémon might not know the terrifying power of the Breeding House, but it definitely did.
It was an experience learned with its own body.
...
Cynthia let out a lazy stretch in front of Victor.
More overtime. I'm exhausted.
Cynthia sighed.
This is all Victor's fault.
Thinking this, she glanced back at him.
Victor, who had been captivated by her stretching figure, suddenly felt a cold gaze on him and shivered.
What's going on?!
He met Cynthia's eyes and found her staring at him with a death glare.
Cynthia turned away, bent down, and scooped up the Vulpix that was trying to run to Victor's side.
Vulpix struggled symbolically, then buried its head deep in Cynthia's embrace.
Sorry, Victor. She just smells too good.
Cynthia then called Shana over and walked towards the backyard.
She was quite satisfied with how Victor had handled the incident.
The League would compensate the injured trainers and Pokémon.
She would leave the rest to Victor.
After all, she was on vacation.
Shauntal's vacation is coming up in a few days, too. Should I ask her to come over and relax with me?
Cynthia mused as she walked.
Shana and her Tinkerbell followed her.
Victor was left to deal with the aftermath of the Seviper.
"I'll take you to pick out an area where you'll be living."
With that, Victor led them through the backyard and towards the forest.
As they passed through the yard, the Seviper sensed the comfortable atmosphere.
To be honest, as long as a Seviper doesn't encounter a Zangoose, it's a relatively calm Pokémon.
That's why Victor had decided to let them stay in the forest.
With the friendship buff from the forest and the Breeding House, the Seviper should be able to adapt to life here quickly.
As for them getting stronger and going back to find the Zangoose... that would depend on whether Victor thought they were strong enough.
They could be considered "strong" when they could finally beat Gengar and the others.
This way, he could prevent them from meeting the Zangoose and causing another incident, and it wouldn't count as him breaking his promise.
Victor considered himself a man of his word.
He mounted the Rapidash and rode all the way to the forest. He had them pick a spot, explained the situation and the rules they needed to follow, and then said a few words to the other forest Pokémon.
He then turned and left.
Before he went, he added one more thing.
"If you want to get stronger, come to the Breeding House and challenge us."
Watching Victor leave, the Seviper leader's eyes narrowed. It then looked at its new surroundings.
This place... seems pretty good.
...
Back in the backyard, Victor dismounted from the Rapidash. Cynthia gave him a questioning look, and he nodded, indicating that everything was taken care of.
Only then did Cynthia look back down at the book in her lap.
Not far away, Garchomp and Lucario were training the Breeding House's Pokémon. Victor sat on the other side of the table, watching quietly for a bit.
Gothita came over to Victor and skillfully began to brew tea.
Dali and the others were engaged in a full-contact sparring match with Lucario.
Shana had brought over a small stool and was sitting nearby, eating the snacks the grandpa and grandma had given her during her tea delivery, all while watching them train and cheering them on.
Soon, Gothita had finished brewing the tea. The fresh aroma of the tea leaves filled the air.
Cynthia took a sip of her milk tea, then glanced at the cup Gothita was pouring for Victor, her curiosity piqued.
"It's tea I brought from the Eastern Alliance. Would you like to try some?"
Victor, sensing her gaze, picked up his cup and gestured with it.
Cynthia nodded obediently.
Without waiting for Victor to ask, Gothita poured a cup for Cynthia.
Cynthia picked up the cup, blew on it gently, and then drank it all in one go.
The fresh fragrance of the tea instantly filled her senses, and a warmth spread through her body.
Her beautiful eyes lit up.
She immediately pushed her milk tea to the side.
It seems... this kind of tea is more suitable for reading in the afternoon.
Cynthia had a feeling.
Victor smiled, then just sat quietly, drinking tea with Cynthia. One read a book, the other watched the people and Pokémon.
Gothita stood quietly beside them, refilling their cups.
It really liked this kind of life, being able to take care of others.
It stared at Cynthia's profile for a long time.
It's true, having another person in the house really does make things different.
It was even happier when it saw that she also liked to drink tea.
None of the Pokémon at the Breeding House liked tea; they all said it was bitter.
Maybe... I can try growing some tea at the Breeding House? I could have an endless supply, and if there's extra, I could even give it as gifts or sell it.
That seems like a good choice.
Thinking this, Victor couldn't help but nod.
"Is it a nice view?"
"Huh?"
Hearing Cynthia's sudden question, Victor was slow to react.
"I asked, is it a nice view?"
He came back to his senses and realized Cynthia had, at some point, looked up and was now watching him. Seeing that he was paying attention, she asked again with a smile.
Victor coughed, his face turning red.
I was just staring at her, and she caught me.
"Of course. Shirona is even more lovely than the flowers in the garden."
A faint blush crossed Cynthia's cheeks, but she continued, "And you like to look?"
Victor's head nodded, seemingly of its own accord.
Seeing this, Cynthia didn't say any more, but just picked up her teacup and gestured towards him.
He understood. He raised his own cup and tapped it against hers.
They both drank.
He watched as Cynthia's attention returned to the book on her lap. Victor glanced at the title.
It was about the myths of Sinnoh.
"You seem to be really interested in Sinnoh's myths."
Cynthia looked up at him. "You know about them, too?"
"Palkia, who rules space. Dialga, who rules time. Giratina of the Distortion World. And the three lake guardians of knowledge, emotion, and willpower."
Hearing his words, the light in Cynthia's eyes grew brighter.
"Do you believe they exist?"
"If the research and records have been left behind, it means there are traces to follow. After all, the ancients probably wouldn't have just fabricated all of it."
Cynthia nodded in agreement.
"You're different from the others. They always insist that none of it exists," she said softly.
Victor knew they definitely existed, but he couldn't just say so. He could only slowly tell her the stories of Sinnoh's myths as he remembered them.
In his past life, Sinnoh had been his favorite region, so he had done a lot of research on its background.
He spent the whole afternoon discussing it with the enthusiastic Cynthia.
Her smile was dazzling in the setting sun. Victor and the Pokémon around him were all captivated.
Watching this scene, Victor finished the last of his tea and looked around.
Sipping tea, idle chat.
What a comfortable day.
...
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