Back at the Breeding House, Gengar and the others had just unloaded their baskets, pouring out the bamboo shoots and fresh mushrooms inside, when Mime Jr. ran towards Lucas with a piece of paper.
"Nini, Mime Jr.~"
"What's wrong, Mime Jr.?"
Lucas took the paper Mime Jr. handed him. It had two phone numbers and a line of text as a note.
Looking at the handwriting that said someone wanted to buy a Pokémon Egg, Lucas guessed that a customer had arrived while he was out of the Breeding House. Mime Jr. had helped entertain them, and after learning they wanted to buy a Pokémon Egg, it had given them a piece of paper to write down their details, waiting for him to return to handle it.
"Our Mime Jr. is really too smart."
Lucas praised Mime Jr. Mime Jr. had already learned how to entertain customers on his behalf.
"Nini, Nini."
Mime Jr. squinted its eyes, then pointed to its sister nearby, indicating to Lucas that this was Petilil's idea.
"Petilil is also great. Both of you are amazing."
"Laji~"
He lightly flicked both their foreheads, then asked Mime Jr. to help prepare lunch in the kitchen, while he called the customer back to say they could come and buy a Pokémon Egg in the afternoon.
Mime Jr. nodded, then ran towards the kitchen.
Immediately after, it returned, stumbling out with ice cream and soda in its hands.
Lucas hung up the phone, went to take them, and then handed them to Cynthia and Gengar.
After Mime Jr. gave them the ice cream and soda, it ran back to the kitchen.
Petilil followed closely behind.
"It seems I need to find an assistant for Mime Jr."
Lucas watched Mime Jr., whose face was almost steaming from running, and thought to himself.
He then returned to the warehouse, found two small knives, and as he passed the counter, he saw Petilil sitting on it, facing the Breeding House's main door.
"Oh, Petilil, are you entertaining customers for me?"
"Laji~"
Petilil looked at Lucas, let out a sweet cry, and nodded.
"Thank you, our Petilil is so cute."
Lucas felt a warmth in his heart, then reached out and gently stroked the trimmed leaves on her head, saying, "I'll make something delicious for you all tonight."
"Laji~"
Returning to the backyard, he sent Bolt to the front to watch Petilil, while he moved a small stool, sat in the backyard, and began peeling bamboo shoots with gloves on.
"Gen gar?"
Can't we eat it yet?
Gengar held a soda in one hand, bit the straw, and took a sip. Then it extended its other hand, offering the straw of the soda in its other hand to Lucas's mouth.
Slurp.
Lucas took a big sip, then looked at Gengar and explained, "We have to peel it first, and then process it. That way, it will taste even more delicious."
Cynthia sat on a swing not far away, with Garchomp and Lucario standing behind her, pushing the swing for her.
Finishing her ice cream, Cynthia called out, "Gengar, let's go train. Do you all want to come along?"
"Gen gar—"
Coming.
After saying that, Gengar finished its soda, looked at Lucas's cup in its hand, thought for a moment, opened its mouth, and took a sip to share with Lucas. Then it placed the two empty cups at Lucas's feet and rushed towards Cynthia with Dash.
Looking at the two cups at his feet and Gengar's receding back, Lucas sighed helplessly, then continued to process the bamboo shoots in his hands.
After processing the bamboo shoots and finishing the lunch Mime Jr. had prepared, Lucas brought out a long-abandoned water tank, placed it next to the already built stove, measured it, drilled a few holes in the bottom, and transformed it into a facility similar to a clay pot.
Later, he would make bamboo shoot rice in bamboo tubes, hook them up, and put them in to roast until cooked.
Once the modification was complete, Lucas heard Petilil's voice and returned to the front desk.
It was the customers who had come earlier in the morning to buy Pokémon Eggs. Lucas introduced them to some Pokémon Eggs based on their needs.
Finally, he sold a Shinx Pokémon Egg and a Wurmple Egg.
As he saw them off, Lucas noticed that more trainers were passing by today.
"Boss, I'm here."
Lucas looked over and saw the bespectacled man who had entrusted his Torterra to the Breeding House.
"I'm here to pick up Torterra and the others. I'm going to do some early special training and then participate in the League Conference."
The bespectacled man arrived at the entrance of the Breeding House and noticed some additional services on the wooden board at the entrance, such as herbal tea and move instruction.
It seemed the Breeding House had fully recovered.
The bespectacled man thought to himself.
"Just a moment."
Lucas welcomed the bespectacled man into the Breeding House, asked Mime Jr. to come and help take care of things, then picked up Petilil and walked to the backyard.
"Petilil, you have to say goodbye to Torterra now."
Lucas gently stroked Petilil's head with his palm.
"Laji~"
Petilil wiggled in his arms, indicating that she was fine.
Because she knew Torterra had its own family and its own things to do, just like she did back then, so she knew it would leave eventually.
"It's okay, we will welcome more family and friends in the future."
Listening to Lucas's comfort, Petilil remained silent.
She had already found her most precious family.
After letting Petilil say goodbye to Torterra and the others, Lucas returned them to their Poké Balls and handed them to the bespectacled man.
He settled the bill. They had been boarded for fifteen days, at ten thousand Alliance Coins per day, so he charged him one hundred and fifty thousand Alliance Coins.
Afterward, he inquired why there were so many trainers recently, and the answer he received was that due to the upcoming League Conference, some were returning home to rest and prepare to participate in the League Conference in their best condition, while others were going home to adjust their teams and then begin the next round of Gym challenges.
"Boss, goodbye."
"Goodbye, welcome again next time."
Lucas looked down at Petilil in his arms and said, "Let's go, I'll make something delicious for you all."
"Laji~"
Lucas hung out the 'Closed' sign, then carried Petilil back to the backyard, where he found Gengar with its head stuck inside the processed water tank, only its short legs wiggling outside.
He walked over and tugged its tail, then handed Petilil to Cynthia, who had extended her hand, and began preparing tonight's dinner.
"Everyone, let's have a delicious bamboo shoot feast tonight!"
"Gen gar!"
"Nihehe~"
"Kao."
...Lucas looked at all the Pokémon in the backyard and smiled silently.
Unknowingly, he had already built a good relationship with Cynthia's Pokémon.
Next, he asked Garchomp to cut the bamboo he had brought back into sections, then split them in half.
Watching Lucas, who was blinking and handing the bamboo to him, Garchomp extended its claws, held them at Lucas's neck, and then slowly slid them down, processing the bamboo into the shape Lucas needed.
Throughout the process, Lucas was dripping with cold sweat. He quickly cleaned the inside of the bamboo, then put in the washed rice and bamboo shoots, added some seasoning, wrapped it tightly with iron wire, hung it with an iron hook, and placed it into the already heated clay pot water tank.
Next, he began preparing other dishes made from bamboo shoots.
As dishes like stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat and fresh mushroom bamboo shoot soup were successively placed on the table, the aroma from the clay pot also wafted out.
Lucas used tongs to take them out, then opened them one by one.
The beautifully colored bamboo tube bamboo shoot rice, accompanied by the fresh aroma of bamboo, was officially served.
Watching them stare at the food on the table without blinking, Lucas smiled, then raised the soda in his hand.
"Everyone, dig in!"
"I'm eating!"
"Gen gar— (mumbling)"
"Kao!"
"Nihehe."
..."Everyone, look up and give a V-sign!"
Click~
A photo was placed on the counter.
....
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