Another day flashed by, and it had been two days since Cynthia left the Breeding House.
This morning, Lucas woke up early and, with the help of Gengar and the other Pokémon at the Breeding House, finished the tasks at the Breeding House ahead of schedule.
Afterward, he had Dash go pick up Shauna, while he himself sat in the lounge area, holding Vulpix. The other Pokémon from the Breeding House sat nearby, quietly watching television.
Today was the Sinnoh League Conference, which would be broadcast live by Rotom.
Lucas held a small brush, gently combing the fur on Vulpix's back. When he reached the tail, the fur color had slowly begun to change from white to red, but it still hadn't split into six tails.
He believed that with his care and the rich nutrition from the Breeding House, it would soon become a true Vulpix.
"Good morning, Uncle. Good morning, everyone."
Shauna's voice came from the doorway. Lucas turned to see Shauna holding a large bouquet of flowers, sliding down Dash's body.
"Good morning, Shauna, and Chingling."
"Ling Ling~"
Today, Shauna had two buns on either side of her head, paired with a beautiful princess dress, making her look incredibly cute.
Shauna came to Lucas with the flowers. With one hand, she took the honey water Lucas offered her and gulped it down in one breath.
"Uncle, this is for you."
Lucas looked at her. She carefully took two flowers from the bouquet in her hand and handed them to Lucas.
Taking them, Lucas looked at the wildflowers in his hand. The stems were of varying lengths, common wildflowers found by the roadside. Some branches were already broken from her tiny hand gripping them tightly, and some petals were precarious.
"This one is for Gengar, this one is for Petilil, and there are also Dash, Bolt, Vex, Mime Jr., and Vulpix. The rest are for the Staravia who protected me yesterday."
Lucas couldn't even recognize Bolt and Vex, but Shauna identified them accurately.
"Gen gar—(◦ ˙ ▽ ˙ ◦)"
"La Ji~"
"Ni Ke." × 3
"Ni Ni~"
"Xiu~"
"?"
Staravia looked at the flower Shauna gave it, lost in thought.
I got one too?
After she finished giving out all the flowers, Lucas reached out and wiped the sweat from her forehead, saying, "Thank you, Shauna, we all love them very much."
Shauna showed an absolutely adorable smile.
"Shauna, where did you pick these flowers? They're so beautiful."
"When Dash came to pick me up today, I saw them on the way. I thought they looked so pretty, so I asked Dash to take me to pick some to give to you all."
"Because I thought, if it weren't for Uncle, I might not have met Gengar and the others, and Chingling, and I might not be so happy every day."
"So I want to repay Uncle and Gengar and the others, but I'm too small and can't do many things. So I will work hard to do the tasks Uncle entrusts to me. And then I saw these flowers were so beautiful, so I picked them and brought them to you, Uncle, hoping you can all be happy every day."
Shauna's cheeks were flushed, and her words were punctuated by long pauses, but Lucas and Gengar and the others listened attentively without interrupting her.
After she finished speaking, Vulpix jumped down from Lucas's body and came to Shauna's feet.
After another look at the flowers in his hand, Lucas handed them to Gengar, stood up, and picked up Shauna with both hands.
"My little Shauna, how can you be so cute?"
Lucas looked at Shauna in his arms and then laughed, "You know, this is your home. You don't need to think so much, okay?"
Shauna in his arms looked at Lucas with sparkling eyes, "So I want to make you happier every day."
"When you're happy, we're happy."
"Then I want to make you even happier, every day, just like Shauna and Chingling."
"Every day, you should be even happier than when Shauna hears the grandpas and grandmas who order herbal tea praise Shauna and the Breeding House."
Lucas was momentarily stunned. Then he reached out and gently stroked her cute little nose, softly saying, "Then you must be even happier every day."
Shauna's eyes darted around, then she said clearly, "Okay! Shauna will be happier every day. Happier today than yesterday, and happier tomorrow than today."
"Then Uncle also has to promise Shauna to be like Shauna every day."
"Okay~"
Lucas responded with a smile.
"Gengar, you all too!"
The group of Pokémon immediately agreed.
A child's heart, words spoken often touch people's souls inadvertently, with their innocence and childlike honesty.
After playing with Shauna for a while, Lucas put her down. Then he took all the flowers from the Pokémon's hands, took out scissors to trim the stems, and then found a precious vase to arrange the flowers, trimming the petals as well, making them quite beautiful.
After all, this was the first gift Shauna gave to him and everyone at the Breeding House, so Lucas placed it in the most prominent position on the counter.
To the left was a group photo with Cynthia, and to the right was a group photo with Sister Nina and her friends.
Looking at Shauna, who was following him, Lucas put the vase away, picked her up again, and said, "Shauna, actually, I am very happy every day, ever since I came here."
Returning to the lounge area, Lucas placed her on a chair and sat beside her. A group of Pokémon surrounded them. Lucas continued:
"Here, there are no boring social interactions, no endless overtime, no constant scolding. Instead, with the presence of Gengar and you all, and this Breeding House, I only need to water plants every day, loosen the soil in the planting area, occasionally weed, drink afternoon tea, and make delicious food for you."
"I'm growing to love this life of occasionally playing with Petilil, fighting with Gengar, watching Dash and the others wrestle, teaching Mime Jr. how to cook, and petting Vulpix."
Who, after experiencing a 996 lifestyle, could refuse such a life?
Lucas thought silently to himself.
The Pokémon listened quietly, but Shauna was utterly confused, not understanding many things.
Seeing her furrow her brows, trying hard to understand, Lucas couldn't help but burst out laughing.
After laughing for a while, he stroked her little head and said, "It's okay, you just need to know that I'm also very happy every day."
"Mm."
Shauna nodded happily.
She understood that. Uncle said he was also very happy every day.
As for the words he said earlier, she didn't understand them and planned to ask her parents when she went home tonight.
Mom and Dad should know what it means, right?
Shauna held Petilil in her arms, and Chingling sat on her shoulder as usual. Her small hand gently stroked Petilil's head.
Ever since she noticed Lucas liked to stroke her head, she, influenced by Lucas, also started to enjoy stroking Petilil's little head.
Just as she was still thinking, the sound of opening cannons for the League Conference came from the television.
"The conference has begun."
Lucas's words brought her attention back, and she looked at the television.
....
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