"This is... a Gengar?"
Looking at the prompt before him, Victor understood what kind of "ghost" was causing the trouble.
"A prankster, huh?"
Victor read the description in the status window, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He then continued up the stairs, carrying his luggage.
The Gengar materialized upside down from the chandelier, watching Victor's back as he ascended. Its mouth stretched into a wide grin, revealing perfectly white teeth.
Then, it silently flew towards Victor.
The putrid, musty smell of decay filled his nostrils, and a damp, chilling wind licked his neck like a long, crimson tongue. Aided by the on-screen prompt, Victor put down his luggage.
"Gengaaar!!~~~"
"RAAAGH!!!"
The Gengar opened its mouth, letting its long tongue hang out. Just as it was about to tap Victor's shoulder, Victor suddenly spun around. His face was twisted into a ferocious, zombie-like expression as he let out a tremendous roar.
Watching the Gengar deflate like a punctured balloon and erratically fly around the room before disappearing back into the chandelier, Victor burst out laughing. He slurped back some drool and said, "Nice try, buddy."
Then he turned, picked up his suitcase, and went upstairs.
Opening the door to the master bedroom, Victor stepped inside and looked around. Compared to the lavish decorations downstairs, the bedroom was much simpler, containing only a bed, a pink wardrobe, and a dressing table.
The bed frame looked usable; he would just need to replace the mattress. Victor walked over to the dressing table, where a photo frame lay face down.
He picked it up and wiped the dust from the glass, revealing the frozen moment of a lady's most beautiful time.
Dressed in gorgeous attire, a graceful and dignified woman with an Eastern face sat elegantly in a garden. In her arms, she held a Glameow, smiling at Victor from the photo.
Looking at his great-aunt in a sense—the only relative in this world with whom he shared a blood connection—an inexplicable emotion welled up in Victor's heart. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind. After a moment, he collected himself and carefully placed the photo frame back on the dressing table, allowing its beauty to continue facing the world.
He opened the wardrobe, pulled out all the useless items inside, and tossed them on the floor. He then took an old piece of clothing to the bathroom and soaked it with water.
Thankfully, some of the house's utilities were still working; the water and electricity hadn't been cut off.
After cleaning the wardrobe, he put all his own clothes inside. He moved to the bed, lifted off the ruined mattress, inspected the bed frame, and wiped it down with the damp cloth.
Finally, he cleaned the dressing table. Since it wasn't broken, Victor decided to make do with it for now.
He opened another door in the bedroom which led to an outdoor balcony. On it were a small table and two small chairs, but they were rotted from rain and sun exposure. The flower beds were also overgrown with weeds.
Glancing down to make sure no one was below, Victor threw the broken table, chairs, and the old mattress off the balcony.
After finishing, he leaned his hands on the railing and quietly looked out at the view.
The house was located on the outskirts of Twinleaf Town, with no other residences in sight. It backed right up against a forest, making it feel exceptionally quiet.
Just then, Laura returned.
Seeing her, Victor went downstairs and found her directing several Machoke as they carried in a mattress, bedding, and other items.
Victor waved to the Machoke, signaling for them to bring the things upstairs.
Once the new mattress was in place, Laura helped Victor put on the bedsheets and stuff the comforter into its duvet cover.
"Thank you," Victor said, watching the busy Laura.
"Don't mention it. I'm more skilled at this sort of thing than you are," Laura said, straightening up to wipe the sweat from her brow with a smile.
She then took out a document and handed it to Victor.
"Take a look. If there are no issues, you can sign it."
Victor took the agreement and gave it a rough read. It was written in the common language of the Alliance and seemed fine, so he picked up a pen and signed his name.
[Achievement Complete: The Heir. Acquired Great-Aunt's Final Gift: Ten-Pull Lottery.]
[Received Moomoo Milk x12]
[Received Poké Ball x10]
[Received Poké-Tech Hard Hat x3, Hard Hat: Can protect your head from being struck by heavy objects. Features self-cleaning, greatly reducing manual labor.]
[Received Poké-Tech Stethoscope x1, Stethoscope: Might let you hear the stirrings inside a Pokémon Egg?]
[Received Poké-Tech Lab Coat x1, Lab Coat: Might make you look like a doctor?]
...
The rest of the items were a few Oran Berries and Pecha Berries.
"This is what you call a 'rich reward'?" Victor complained, speechless.
["Rich Reward"]
"..."
Deciding to ignore his system for now, Victor and Laura walked out of the room. A Machoke holding a wet mop was standing at the door.
"Thank you for your hard work, Machoke," Victor said to the Pokémon.
"Choke~"
The Machoke grinned, then entered the room and began mopping the floor.
Victor went downstairs. The Machoke had already moved all the broken tables and cabinets outside, swept the floor clean, and were now mopping it.
"They're really capable, these Machoke," Victor couldn't help but remark, impressed by their efficiency.
"Aren't they? They're homeless Pokémon who normally take on odd jobs to earn a living. They can't handle delicate work, though," Laura said, coming to his side. "I figured you might need some help here, so I brought them along."
Victor nodded. He needed to throw out a lot of junk, and the Machoke's help would save him a great deal of effort.
He then walked into the kitchen. The cabinets seemed to be in good shape. Opening them, he found very few utensils inside.
He called a Machoke over to help move out and discard some useless items.
Opening a small door in the kitchen, he stepped outside. A vast, open space stretched before him, overgrown with weeds and dotted with jagged rocks. The area was enclosed by a wooden fence, but after long-term neglect and exposure to the sun and rain, it had fallen into a state of disrepair.
In the distance, he could see the shimmering blue of what looked like a small lake. Closer by, there was a broken sun umbrella, a table, and a lounge chair.
Victor had seen it in the photograph; this must have been the place for afternoon tea.
"So? Have you decided what you want to do?" Laura asked, leaning against the small doorframe.
"I think... I'll reopen the Breeding House," Victor said after a moment of thought.
This was the place his never-met great-aunt had used to run her business. Since he had come here and inherited it, opening a Breeding House of his own felt like fulfilling her wish.
"A Breeding House? That's a great idea. There isn't one in Twinleaf Town right now, so it would give the townspeople a place to get starter Pokémon. Plus, you're located right between Twinleaf Town and Sandgem Town. Besides Professor Rowan's lab, I don't think Sandgem Town has a Breeding House either."
"Business probably won't be bad, looking at it that way," Laura concluded.
"It's going to cost a lot, though," Victor sighed, looking at the dilapidated surroundings.
"That's true," Laura chuckled lightly. "Do you have enough money?"
"If I'm frugal, I should be able to manage," Victor said. His parents from his original world had left him around three or four million Alliance Dollars, which he had never touched.
"But there's still a lot I'll have to do myself," Victor continued. Yet, as he looked out at the empty expanse, he imagined a future where he could raise a bunch of his favorite Pokémon, sitting in a lounge chair sipping afternoon tea. Suddenly, the desire to become a trainer faded, replaced by a subtle sense of anticipation.
Who wouldn't want a life surrounded by Pokémon?
A Pokémon Trainer? Sorry, doesn't ring a bell.