Time always seemed to pass quickly when Cynthia was at the Breeding House.
Shauntal had stayed for three days; having found inspiration for her novel, she returned to the Unova Region yesterday. After all, as one of the Unova Elite Four, she couldn't leave her designated region for too long.
Today, Cynthia woke up early in the morning.
Garchomp was standing by her bed as she looked out through the window.
The sky was just beginning to brighten.
She rubbed her somewhat messy golden hair, spaced out for a moment, stretched, and then got out of bed.
She changed out of her pajamas, washed up, and walked out of the room with Garchomp.
She ran head-on into Victor, who was walking out with Gengar.
Victor was a little shocked to bump into Cynthia.
"Up so early today?"
Cynthia nodded.
"Good morning, Fang, and Gengar."
Victor stared at Cynthia, who was smiling and greeting him, and paused for a second.
He snapped back to reality.
"Leaving?"
Cynthia nodded.
"Yeah."
"Good morning, Cynthia, and Garchomp."
"Geng~" (Good morning~)
"Gabite." (Cheh.)
He led Cynthia downstairs. Shana had already finished breakfast and run off to the backyard.
Shana was always the earliest to rise.
Because playing with Chingling, Mime Jr., and the others in the backyard every day consumed a massive amount of her energy, plus she didn't have a mobile phone, she would usually fall asleep as soon as it got dark.
And then she would wake up before dawn.
This extremely regular schedule, combined with Victor's dietary supplements, gave Shana an incredibly healthy complexion.
She was also exceptionally strong.
She could pick up Chingling, Mime Jr., Vulpix, and several Pachirisu all at the same time.
It was just a pity she didn't grow any taller.
After breakfast, Cynthia returned to the backyard to play with Shana and read, while Victor stayed in the front with Lilligant and Roselia, waiting for customers.
Not long after, the Team Rocket trio came downstairs. After finishing breakfast, they went straight to the backyard to work.
It wasn't until after lunch that Victor returned to the backyard to enjoy afternoon tea with Cynthia.
This afternoon, Cynthia didn't choose to read. Instead, she sat quietly and chatted with Victor.
From the mysterious Donghuang League to the Sinnoh Region, the Pokémon of Sinnoh, the myths and legends of the region, and the Pokémon in the Breeding House—
The leisurely afternoon tea time quietly slipped past the tips of Cynthia's golden hair.
"What do you want for dinner?"
"I'll follow your lead."
"Bamboo shoot noodles?"
"Sure."
After a quiet dinner, Victor stood in the backyard with Shana.
The clack-clack-clack sound of high heels reached their ears.
Cynthia walked out from the doorway with Garchomp.
"Sister Cynthia, are you leaving again?"
Cynthia bent down and smilingly rubbed Shana's little head.
"I'll come find you to play again next time."
"Mm, good luck with work, Sister Cynthia."
Cynthia nodded.
Victor nodded to her as well.
Cynthia jumped onto Garchomp's back, and Victor watched her quietly.
Suddenly, Victor heard Cynthia speak:
"Autumn is already half over."
Victor didn't quite get the point, so he just nodded to indicate agreement.
"Before long, a celebration regarding autumn will begin in Jubilife City. There will be a grand fireworks display then."
The wind blew gently, causing ripples in Victor's heart because of Cynthia's words.
"When the time comes, shall we go see the fireworks together?"
Victor was stunned.
There was an inexplicable throbbing in his heart.
Then, he smiled.
"Alright. Let's go attend the fireworks display together when the time comes."
The corners of Cynthia's mouth lifted, and she nodded.
"It's a promise."
"It's a promise."
Cynthia tapped her foot lightly on Garchomp. Garchomp understood and took off, soaring straight into the sky.
It cut a dividing line across the heavens.
After seeing Cynthia off, he withdrew his gaze.
Suddenly, I'm looking forward to the Jubilife City celebration, Victor thought.
He patted the head of the somewhat sad Shana, then looked toward the Team Rocket trio.
He spoke up:
"You guys should go too."
They shouldn't have been staying at the Breeding House in the first place, though the overall condition of the place had improved a lot during their stay, and Victor's workload had decreased significantly.
Just as the trio looked at each other in dismay, Victor continued:
"You've already worked off the debt for that meal you owed the Breeding House. You can leave now."
"Besides, don't you have something you absolutely must complete?"
The trio thought of the 'twerp' and Pikachu.
The three exchanged glances, and finally, James bowed deeply.
"Thank you for harboring us for so long, Shopkeeper."
"Thank you, Shopkeeper."
"Thank you, meow."
"Wobbuffet~"
Hearing that the trio was also leaving, Shana became even more reluctant to part.
He walked the trio to the door. Just as they were about to turn and leave...
"Wait a moment."
Victor called out to stop them, then took some money from Gengar and handed it to them.
"This is your wages for working here these past few days."
Victor looked at them and smiled.
"Labor should always be rewarded, shouldn't it?"
The trio burst into tears.
"We can't accept this, Shopkeeper."
Jessie refused outright.
Victor stuffed it directly into their hands.
"If you ever encounter a situation where you have no food to eat again, and you happen to be near the Breeding House, just come over. Help me out with some work, and I'll give you a meal."
"You are always welcome here."
Victor said sincerely.
"Just remember, don't wear the Team Rocket uniform."
The trio nodded, moved.
"Then—I wish you a speedy capture of Pikachu?"
The Trio: "?!"
How does the Shopkeeper know we want to catch Pikachu?!
Seeing their sudden expressions of shock, Victor laughed happily.
An unexpected prank felt pretty good.
"Does the Shopkeeper want that Pikachu too?"
The trio exchanged a tacit glance, then nodded together.
"In that case, let's catch that Pikachu and give it to the Shopkeeper!"
"That's right, meow."
"Wobbuffet~"
It was unclear what the trio was silently communicating about.
But Victor knew that catching Pikachu was basically impossible.
It was like trying to keep an eye on Jade from Jackie Chan Adventures—actually, even harder than that.
At least Jade had Valmont to deal with.
Pikachu? It only gets stronger when meeting the strong.
Watching their retreating figures, Victor closed the main door of the Breeding House, sighed, and sat down on a chair in the rest area.
The Breeding House had instantly returned to how it used to be.
Seeing Shana looking a bit unhappy, Victor smiled, pulled her over, and let her sit on his lap.
"Is little Shana reluctant to see them go?"
Shana nodded.
"Shana understands that they have things they need to do," Shana said sensibly. "Shana will wait at the Breeding House for them to come back and play."
"They will come back, right, Uncle?"
Victor smiled and nodded.
"Definitely. After all, our little Shana is so cute, right?"
Victor pinched Shana's little nose, then said:
"When we have time, I can take Shana to go find them and play."
"Really?"
"Mm. Pinky promise."
"Pinky promise!"
After hooking pinkies, Shana took Chingling and ran back to her room, clack-clack-clack, to take a bath.
...
Get 10+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"