After tearfully squeezing out three red envelopes from a certain "Most Honest Kid," Ren happily ordered two ice creams online.
One for himself.
One for Diancie.
Perfect.
"Boss, we'll head off now. I'll come back next time to borrow the battle venue," Ava said cheerfully. She was clearly in a great mood after managing to grab three red envelopes herself.
"Why don't you try battling with Pokémon sometime?" Ren raised an eyebrow and asked casually.
"No, no," Liam sighed helplessly. "Our dad is really strict. We've already been out for over an hour—it's time to go home and practice calligraphy."
There was nothing he could do.
Their father's authority was still very much alive.
"Alright then. Come again next time," Ren said, giving the siblings another look.
Both\db looked under twenty. Although Liam spoke in a mature way, his delicate features still gave him away. High school students, most likely.
Being strictly timed on weekends… what kind of disciplined household was that?
"See you next time, Boss!"
Ren walked them out and watched as they left before turning back into the shop.
"Not bad. Really not bad."
After counting today's sales, Ren's smile widened.
Fennekin, Larvitar, Feebas, Horsea, Bulbasaur, and Elekid.
Six Pokémon in total.
Nearly 6.3 million yuan in turnover.
Very nice.
Especially—
Ren glanced at the system panel.
> Side Mission Progress:
Sell 10 Pokémon — Completed
The second stage of the side mission was complete.
Another draw.
Excellent.
"System, claim rewards."
Ren leaned back into the soft chair and confirmed.
> Reward claimed successfully.
Do you want to initiate an Unlimited Pool Draw?
"Draw."
No hesitation.
At the moment, only he and Diancie were in the shop. It felt a little empty when there were no customers around.
> Drawing…
The system's mechanical voice echoed in Ren's mind as a translucent roulette wheel appeared before his eyes.
"Come on… another Legendary."
Just like the first time he'd drawn Diancie, the Unlimited Pool included Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.
Lugia. Mew. Rayquaza.
Even something like Jirachi or Meloetta would be amazing—cute and powerful.
The spinning shadow slowed… then stopped on a small silhouette.
> Ding! Congratulations to the host. You have obtained: Manaphy.
The shadow resolved, and the result appeared clearly.
Before Ren could even start celebrating, the system spoke again.
> As this is the host's second draw, a bonus reward has been granted:
One random Pokémon Egg.
Ren froze—then broke into laughter.
"Haha, you're being too nice. Really. Giving me an egg on top of that?"
System: "..."
"System, receive Manaphy and the Pokémon Egg."
As usual, there was no response.
Ren didn't mind. Whether the system was following preset logic or actually had its own awareness didn't matter.
It had given him a second life—and a purpose.
That alone was enough.
A Poké Ball and a Pokémon Egg appeared in front of him.
The egg was white with light green spots.
"I can't tell what this one is."
Ren turned the egg over in his hands.
Usually, a Pokémon Egg showed hints of its type through color—red for Fire, blue for Water.
But this one was unusually plain.
"Well, no rush. Anything from the system should be high quality."
He set the egg aside, planning to place it in the incubator later.
The incubator itself had been provided when the shop opened—another reminder of just how thorough the system was.
"Alright… Manaphy, come out."
Ren released the Poké Ball.
A soft white light flashed, and a small blue Pokémon floated gently in the air. Its large, watery eyes looked around curiously.
"Mana~"
Sensing a new presence, Diancie, who had been watching nearby, hopped over immediately.
Manaphy turned toward her and let out a clear, gentle cry.
"Hello, Manaphy," Ren said warmly. "From now on, we're family. Let's get along."
"Mana~ Mana!"
Manaphy's eyes lit up. It smiled innocently, nodding as it floated closer.
"So cute…"
Manaphy was small—only about forty centimeters tall. Its body was a soft, watery blue, with two short arms and an oval head. Two ribbon-like tentacles extended from the top of its head, each ending in a round tip, while thin lines connected the markings above its eyes to yellow dots on its body.
Adorable, through and through.
"Manaphy, this is Diancie—our partner."
"Diancie, this is Manaphy."
"Mana~" Manaphy greeted her brightly.
"Hello~" Diancie replied with a gentle smile, clearly pleased.
Another friend.
Diancie looked genuinely happy.
Watching Manaphy float happily around the shop, Ren couldn't help but smile like a proud parent.
Not only was Manaphy cute, it was also powerful.
And more importantly—
Among all Mythical Pokémon, Manaphy was the only one capable of breeding with Ditto.
What did that mean?
In the future, once he found a suitable Ditto…
Manaphy could produce Phione.
Ren's imagination immediately ran wild.
Rows of cute Phione welcoming customers like a Pokémon café?
Way better than a cat café.
Combat strength aside, just the atmosphere alone would be worth it.
Manaphy itself was already powerful enough anyway.
"Ten Phione should be possible… right?"
Ren fell into deep, very serious thought.
Exactly how many eggs could Manaphy lay?