"Shauna, come over and have some honey water."
Lucas called out to Shauna, who was sitting on the grass by the Lake.
Shauna placed the egg on the grass and then ran towards Lucas.
"It's sweet. Be happy today too."
He handed the honey water to Shauna, smiling as he patted her little head.
Shauna took the honey water and took a small sip.
Her little eyes widened, and a sweet taste entered her taste buds.
She finished the honey water in one gulp, returned the cup to Lucas, and then ran back to sit beside the egg, quietly sitting there with Petilil.
From afar, next to a giant Torterra, sat a tiny, adorable little girl, with a small Pokémon beside her, and an egg in her arms.
After breakfast, and after Gengar had tidied up, Lucas trimmed the leaves on Petilil's head, reminded Shauna to stay away from her mother, then connected the soft hose, turned on the tap, pressed his finger, and the water stream shot directly at Torterra.
The difference was that Gengar wasn't bathing nearby today.
Most likely, it was because Shauna and her mother were there, and he was shy.
Thinking of this, Lucas glanced at Gengar, a hint of teasing flashing in his eyes.
"Kojya?! Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ)ﾉ"
He playfully aimed the hose at Gengar and pressed his thumb down.
Sizzle—
Gengar ran, and Lucas chased.
Today's first dose of happiness filled the entire Breeding House.
Noticing Shauna's state, Lucas gently hooked his finger, signaling her to come closer.
When Shauna came to his side, Lucas squatted down and handed the hose to Shauna.
"It's okay, spray him."
Lucas's voice softly sounded in her ear, a hint of cunning flashing in his gaze towards Gengar.
When Shauna took the hose, Lucas turned the tap to full, then pressed his thumb down.
"Kojya—"
Gengar quickly begged for mercy.
Shauna's mother stood under a nearby tree, watching Lucas and Shauna squatting, and seeing the smile on Shauna's face, she was incredibly moved.
The smiles on Shauna's face these two days were more than all the smiles she had shown since they returned.
After their playtime, Gengar shook off the water from his body and floated to Lucas's side.
"Let's go, let's play."
Lucas stood up, patted her little head, and said.
He gestured to Gengar, who flicked his tongue, then pointed at Shauna, then at the swing they had made yesterday, asking if she would like to play with him.
If no one played with Shauna, Lucas estimated she would sit by the Lake with Petilil all day. Compared to sitting quietly, Lucas preferred her to be active, which is why he asked Gengar to take her to play.
Looking at Gengar's expectant eyes, Lucas couldn't help but rub his forehead.
What a drama queen.
But the effect was obvious; Shauna followed Gengar to the swing.
Lucas put away the hose and walked towards the house. Shauna's mother saw this and followed him.
After Lucas had put away the hose and hung up the 'Open' sign, she took out a small box from her bag and said to Lucas,
"Manager Lucas, thank you so much for your Help with Shauna."
After speaking, she bowed in a respectful gesture.
"It's nothing, it's nothing."
Lucas was startled and quickly said.
"She's so cute and so young, I also hope she can grow up happily, so please don't be so polite, madam."
Hearing Lucas's words, the madam handed him the box she was holding, "This is something my husband and I obtained during an event. It's not of much use to us, so please accept it as our token of gratitude. Please don't decline."
With things said to this extent, Lucas could only accept. He said thank you and took it.
The madam slightly bowed, indicating she wouldn't disturb Lucas's work, and walked towards the backyard.
Lucas curiously opened the box, and a crystal-clear stone lay quietly inside.
[The wonderful thing turns out to be this: Key Stone]
[Key Stone: A stone containing unknown power, allowing Pokémon holding a Mega Stone to undergo Mega Evolution.]
"Hiss..."
Lucas gasped, "Key Stones already exist at this time?"
"Did Ash travel to the Kalos region?"
Lost in thought, Lucas put away the Key Stone. Then he looked at the text box that had given him the prompt.
"So you didn't know what wonderful thing was going to happen today, did you?"
"..."
Lucas narrowed his eyes, "It was the same a few times before; you always said 'unknown effect,' so you didn't know what would happen, which is why you said 'unknown,' right, Cheat?"
"..."
After a long silence.
[H-how is that possible?]
"..."
Indeed.
One person and one Cheat fell silent.
Until the arrival of a Swellow broke the silence.
Swellow stood at the door, gently tapping the door with its beak. It carried a package on its back and wore an employee ID around its neck.
Lucas walked over and found that it was the camera he had bought yesterday. He took it down, then poured Swellow a cup of water, asking it to drink before leaving.
After Swellow left, Lucas unwrapped the package, assembled the camera, sat in a chair, pondered for a while, and tried pressing the shutter a few times.
The photos taken were very clear.
Looking at the incredibly clear photos, Lucas nodded with satisfaction.
He glanced at Grandma's photo displayed on the counter and smiled.
This was also one of the most important reasons he bought this camera: to record his beautiful life and his Pokémon.
He took the camera back to the backyard and pressed the shutter towards the swing in the distance.
A photo appeared in the camera. In the picture, the sun dappled through the leaves onto the ground. A silver-haired little girl in a light green dress with her hair tied in a bun was sitting on the swing, holding a Pokémon egg. A Gengar floated behind her, gently pushing the swing, and a smiling woman stood nearby.
A casual shot, a beautiful moment.
Lucas was very satisfied, then he walked to the swing.
When Gengar saw the pitch-black turtle shell around his neck, he was a little confused about what it was.
He gently stopped the swing and came to Lucas's side, pressing his big, chubby face against Lucas's cheek, curiously looking at the camera.
It wasn't until he saw the photo Lucas had just taken that he was greatly astonished.
"Kojya?! Σ(°Д°;"
Lucas showed the photo to Shauna, then asked her if she wanted to take pictures. After receiving an affirmative reply, Lucas took several beautiful photos of her.
Sitting on the swing, with her mother pushing her from behind.
Her mother holding her, and she holding an egg in her arms.
There were also some photos of Shauna with the Breeding House Pokémon.
Lucas planned to print out a few good-looking photos and display them on the counter to attract customers.
Shauna and her mother had no objections to this.
Afterward, he took several photos of each of the Breeding House's Pokémon.
Among all the photos, none were as numerous as a certain little chubby one's, with all sorts of poses, expressions, and actions.
Lucas was helpless about this, yet found joy in it.
Finally, he asked the madam to take a solo photo of him with the Breeding House Pokémon, and then a big group photo.
After eating the lunch prepared with the madam's Help, Lucas began to prepare the afternoon tea desserts.
During this process, Lucas learned that the madam's name was Fujino.
Hand-whipped Soda Pop made with sweet honey, small bread made with sweet honey, and red bean paste mooncakes prepared in advance for Gengar as promised, along with some small cakes, and a cup of tea for himself and Madam Fujino.
The first tea party in Gengar's paradise officially began.
Gengar and the other Pokémon ate with great enjoyment.
"Kojya~"
So delicious~
He and Dalli, they each ate a mooncake in one bite, then took a sip of hand-whipped Soda Pop, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
During this time, Gengar was curious about the taste of Lucas's tea and insisted on taking a sip. His tongue touched Lucas's teacup, and his small face immediately wrinkled up from the bitterness.
He quickly ate five red bean paste mooncakes to recover.
Shauna also ate very happily during this time; she drank Lucas's special honey water.
After a day of playing, Shauna's hair was now a bit messy, her small dress was wrinkled, and there were a few drops of sweat on her small face, but it was visibly apparent that her complexion had become rosy.
Lucas nodded at the sight, and Madam Fujino expressed her gratitude once again.
....
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