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"Daddy, good luck."
Shauna's crisp voice rang out. She looked at Mr. Fujino, who was dressed formally, and cheered for her father.
Mr. Fujino smiled, bent down to pick her up, and kissed her little cheek. "Oh, I was actually quite nervous today, but as soon as I heard our little Shauna cheering for me, I wasn't nervous at all anymore."
"Hee hee, don't be nervous. Do well on the exam, and I'll cheer for you some more."
Little Shauna grinned widely, wiped the saliva off her rosy cheek with her hand, and then kept going. "Daddy, good luck! Daddy is the best! Daddy is the most amazing! Daddy will definitely pass!"
She coaxed Mr. Fujino until his heart was blooming with joy, and he was pleasantly surprised.
Beside them, Lucas blinked his eyes.
He felt his pant leg being tugged. He looked down and found Lilligant looking up at him with a smile.
"Lilli~" (Good luck~)
Lucas gave her a wink. "Don't worry, you know my strength, don't you?"
"Gothitelle." (Have you prepared everything? Exam admission ticket, identification, pens—)
"Are you coming back for lunch at noon? Do you want me to make it for you to take over?"
Nagging.
Lucas and Lilligant exchanged a glance, and Lilligant mischievously winked back at Lucas.
She's feeling more and more like a mama—Mama Gothitelle.
"You already helped me prepare everything yesterday. Besides, there should be pens there. We'll come back for lunch after the exam; taking the Distortion Channel is very fast."
Gothitelle checked Lucas's pencil case again, not fully reassured, and finally looked at Lucas to ask if he needed her to go along.
Lucas sighed.
"It's just going to Jubilife City to take an exam, don't worry. Isn't there still work waiting for you at the Cottage?"
Gothitelle nodded, then floated in front of Lucas and reached out to hug him.
"Gothitelle." (Good luck.)
"Mm."
After Mr. Fujino put Little Shauna down, Lucas saw the reluctance in her eyes. He thought for a moment and asked her, "Little Shauna, do you want to come with us?"
Little Shauna's eyes lit up. "Really?"
But perhaps thinking of something, she shook her head. "No, if I go, I might distract you guys. I'll just play at the Breeding House and wait for you to come back."
Little Shauna might not understand what this exam means now, but she knew that her father and mother had resigned and set aside their work to accompany her for so long. Now that her father was finally going to work hard for something and his identity was finally going to change, she was very happy.
Is Daddy finally going to become a Breeder like Uncle? Hee hee, Daddy is great~
Lucas glanced at Mr. Fujino, who nodded. Lucas raised an eyebrow to show he understood. "Maybe if Little Shauna waits outside the exam hall for us, we'll perform even better."
Little Shauna looked up at Lucas. Lucas continued on his own, "What a pity. Just like last time when Little Shauna and Little Tomoyo cheered for me, that was the only reason I could defeat Cynthia. Maybe it could be the same this time."
Lucas shook his head regretfully. "It's a pity that Little Shauna doesn't want to go with us to cheer for us."
Little Shauna thought about it, then lifted her chin. "Alright then, since Daddy and Uncle are children who never grow up, in that case, I, Little Shauna, will go to cheer for you."
Lucas looked very honored after hearing this. "Really? That's great! Thank you, Little Shauna!"
Ninetales rolled its eyes on the side. So dramatic.
After everything was ready, Lucas raised his left hand, and the Distortion Channel quickly appeared in front of everyone. Lucas and Gengar walked in first, followed by Ninetales, Mr. Fujino, Little Shauna, Chimecho, Munchlax, Larvitar, and Zorua, who wanted to watch the fun.
Plane Sister wanted to follow, but then thought, why should I go and wait for him to take an exam? So she changed direction and flew to the sea to play.
Watching Lucas bring his whole family into the Distortion Channel again, Giratina didn't even want to complain. It closed its eyes and pretended not to see anything.
"Good morning, Giratina. Don't be in a hurry to close the Distortion Channel. Today, Alcremie and Mime Jr. prepared a ton of food for you. They'll send it in later. This should let you eat to your heart's content."
Giratina opened its eyes instantly.
"Tell me, why bring gifts when you come?"
Lucas looked at Giratina in surprise. Where did it learn this kind of rhetoric? Did it just finish the New Year too?
"You don't want it?"
"Bye-bye."
Giratina sent Lucas directly out of the Distortion World.
Arriving at the location for the Breeder exam, Lucas and Mr. Fujino found a relatively open area for Shauna and let her wait for them there. Next door was a dessert shop.
"If you get a little bored waiting, you can take Ninetales and the others out for a walk. We'll be out around twelve o'clock. Don't go too far." Lucas patted her little head and instructed.
"Mm."
Shauna nodded, gave a childish 'Mm', and then sat on the ground, leaning against Ninetales behind her. Surrounded by Chimecho and the others, with Gengar hiding in her shadow, she looked up at her father and Lucas.
"Daddy, Uncle." Shauna clenched her sandbag-sized, rosy fist and wrinkled her little nose. "Good luck!"
Lucas and Mr. Fujino also clenched their fists. "Good luck."
After settling Shauna, Lucas and Mr. Fujino went to find their exam rooms to prepare for the exam. In the exam room, Lucas looked at the questions on the paper, feeling full of confidence.
After Lucas wrote a few questions, a line of text suddenly jumped into his line of sight.
[Breeder Knowledge: Seems like it can help you pass this exam safely?]
[Breeder exams are also a science, Great-Aunt.]
Lucas waved his hand. "Don't bother me, I don't need it."
[——]
The more Lucas wrote, the more…
On the other side, in the Distortion World, Giratina was shrinking its size, lying leisurely in the Distortion World with a pile of food beside it, enjoying the food happily.
It ate the food sent by Alcremie and the others while thinking, it seems like there are benefits to letting Lucas treat the Distortion Channel as a "Anywhere Door." For example, every time he goes in and out, there is a reward. Even if he doesn't come in or out, Alcremie will find time to send some desserts in. This is life—
Besides hard work, being able to enjoy a pile of delicious food. Although those two guys, the Space-Time Dragons, only focus on sleeping and seem to have it a bit easier, they don't have anything to eat.
Remembering those two Space-Time Dragons who only know how to sleep and cause trouble everywhere, Giratina couldn't help but curse in its heart. Country bumpkins.
Don't mention it, listening to Alcremie and shrinking its size to eat seems to have made it much happier.
In the space where Palkia and Dialga were staying, a huge sound came, and then the space began to shake.
Palkia, Dialga: Achoo!
Who! Who is speaking ill of me?!
Oh, it's that guy in the Distortion World? Forget it, let it speak. After all, it has to work every day. Sigh, poor wage-earner—
Palkia and Dialga shook their heads, then changed positions and continued to sleep soundly.
Shauna, who was sitting on the ground waiting, pounded her short legs. She glanced around; there were some people like her waiting for others to finish the exam and come out, but there weren't that many people, making the hall look empty, especially near Shauna.
Shauna yawned. "Little Bell, shall we go out for a stroll? Buy something delicious."
"Ling~"
Shauna nodded, stood up, patted her little skirt with her hand, with Zorua on her head, Larvitar in her arms, Chimecho on her shoulder, and holding Munchlax with her other hand, she walked out of the hall. Ninetales followed behind, swaying.
"Candied haws!"
Shauna saw someone selling candied haws on the street and quickly ran over, bought one for Munchlax, and bought one for herself.
"Uncle Gengar, do you want one?"
"Gen gengar"
Gengar jumped out of the shadow and nodded.
Afterward, Shauna asked Ninetales, but Ninetales shook its head.
So Shauna picked the three biggest candied haws. When Gengar was about to pay, she opened the messenger bag slung across her body, which was bulging with change.
"One, two—twenty. Grandma, here you go."
Shauna handed the twenty yuan in her hand to the grandmother selling the candied haws, glanced at the time on her watch—it was past nine, still a long way from twelve, so she took Chimecho and the others for a stroll around Jubilife City while eating the candied haws.
Her candied haw was eaten by her, Zorua, Larvitar, and Chimecho together, with each Pokémon getting one, and the remaining four were hers.
Behind Shauna, several adults of unknown identity stared at the messenger bag on Shauna's shoulder, exchanged glances, and then followed.
Shauna walked in the front with empty hands, holding Larvitar, while Munchlax walked beside her, carrying a pile of snacks in its arms.
"Ka—"
I can't free my hands to eat—
They were all snacks that Shauna bought. She and Gengar thought they didn't taste good, so they threw them all to Munchlax. Munchlax was very happy at first, thinking it had a lot of things to eat, until later, when there were more and more things, it had to hold them with both hands, so it was almost crying because it couldn't free its hands to eat. There is nothing more painful for a foodie Munchlax than facing a full armful of food but not being able to eat it.
"Gen gengar"
Little Shauna, try that.
Gengar pointed to a roasted sweet potato stall, signaling to Shauna.
Shauna nodded and ran over.
Shauna bought one for each Pokémon, and the grandmother thoughtfully prepared a small spoon for Shauna and Gengar to scoop out the sweet potato.
After Shauna paid, she looked at the money in her bag and muttered in confusion, "Strange, why does it feel like there's still so much?"
Gengar, who was listening on the side, turned its head and giggled.
Going out to play, how can you let a child pay?
Gengar would always seize the opportunity when Shauna wasn't paying attention to put money into her little bag. You have to know that Gengar was the richest in the Breeding House, followed by Shauna. Their pocket money had killed the piggy bank many times in these short few months.
As for Lucas?
He was dirt poor.
Just when Shauna was buying roasted sweet potatoes, Officer Jenny of Jubilife City passed by on a motorcycle. Seeing the few suspicious adults behind her, she felt something was wrong and rode her bike behind them.
Just as Shauna turned into a small alley, those young men suddenly blocked Shauna's way.
"Little sister, can you lend some money for your brothers to spend?"
The leading man stared greedily at the messenger bag on Shauna's body and spoke.
Gengar's eyes narrowed.
Shauna didn't hesitate at all. "No, you guys look like bad guys."
The leading man didn't deny it upon seeing this. "It's okay, not just your money, we want the Larvitar in your arms too."
After speaking, he reached out, trying to grab Shauna's messenger bag.
"Caught you!"
Officer Jenny's voice rang out. She held a gun in her hand, pointing at the people in front of Shauna. "Hands up!"
Due to Officer Jenny's appearance, the group escaped a disaster.
Gengar put away the Dark Void in its hand, and the sparks on Ninetales also went out.
Officer Jenny put handcuffs on the group and looked at Shauna. "Little friend, are you out by yourself?"
Shauna shook her head. "No, I came to Jubilife City with my daddy and uncle. But they had to go to the Breeder exam, so I came out for a stroll with Little Bell, Gengar, and the others."
Officer Jenny glanced at the Gengar, Ninetales, and the Larvitar in her arms beside Shauna.
It seemed that her father and uncle must be very powerful Breeders; otherwise, they wouldn't let her go shopping with a Larvitar by herself.
"I see. Shall I take you back to the exam hall?"
Shauna nodded. Suddenly, she thought of something, opened her bag, took out a piping hot roasted sweet potato, and handed it to Officer Jenny. "Sister Jenny, do you want to eat? It's freshly bought. Little Shauna bought it from that old grandma; it's delicious."
Officer Jenny looked at the roasted sweet potato in her hand, stunned for a moment. The fair little hand had become blackened because of the roasted sweet potato, and she saw the messenger bag full of money just left open naturally. Her mouth twitched.
No wonder they targeted you.
Officer Jenny shook her head and zipped the bag for Shauna. "Little Shauna, remember, next time you go out, you cannot expose your money to strangers at will, understand? You don't know who is a bad person, just like them."
Shauna blinked. "But Sister Jenny is not a bad person, just like Sister Reese from Twinleaf Town and Sister Lika from Sandgem Town. They are so nice to Little Shauna."
Reese? Lika?
She knows her two cousins?
Officer Jenny wanted to say something else, but suddenly several scarlet eyes lit up in the shadows behind her.
"Roar—"
Officer Jenny faced a formidable enemy, staring at the scarlet eyes.
The few thugs who were handcuffed also hugged each other tightly.
"It's over—this seems to be the territory of stray Houndoom—"
As soon as the voice fell, several Houndoom and Houndour walked out, staring closely at Officer Jenny and the others.
Officer Jenny protected Shauna behind her, took out a Poké Ball, and with a flash of red light, an Arcanine appeared in front of everyone.
Even if fighting one against many, the responsibility engraved in its bloodline would not let it run away and abandon the people behind it who needed protection.
"Little Shauna, you go first, and then go to—"
Before Officer Jenny finished speaking, a huge Ninetales walked out beside her, staring coldly at the few Houndoom.
Then, covered in scorching flames, it crashed straight into them.
Boom!
Houndoom and Houndour were knocked over.
"Shoo!"
Get lost!
Gengar floated to the upper right of Shauna, blocking Shauna behind its body, scooping the roasted sweet potato with a spoon in its hand, with a smile on its face.
The Houndoom leader looked at the Ninetales in front of it and ran away limping, dragging its injured body without hesitation.
There was even a puddle of water on the place where it originally stood.
Thugs: —
Arcanine: —
Is this Flare Blitz? How is it different from mine?
Officer Jenny: —
I finally know why her father and uncle are relieved to let her go out alone—
Gengar saw this, floated back behind Shauna, and continued to eat the roasted sweet potato.
"Gen gengar~"
Roasted sweet potato is so delicious, I'll let Lucas learn it when we go back and roast it for me to eat—
On the other side, Lucas looked at the published results, and the sky collapsed.
It's over—still an exam—baking sweet potatoes is more like it—
The noble top-tier Breeder Lucas failed the intermediate Breeder exam.
Lucas: —
The sky has collapsed!