The First Number Ticket Went to the Bread Delivery Girl

After the business sign was flipped to "Lunch Break," the noise outside indeed quieted down a little.

Only a little.

Those who had gotten tickets refused to leave, while those who had not stood on tiptoe to peer inside. The people at the front were still arguing over whether the large silver-gray thing beside the counter was a decoration, a soul tool, or some kind of never-before-seen soul beast.

Metagross rested beneath Eevee's soft cushion, its eyes calmly sweeping over the doorway.

The noise outside immediately dropped by half.

Xia Che lifted his rice bowl. "Three people today."

"What about the people behind them, Rotom?" Rotom asked.

"Come early tomorrow."

"They already came very early."

"Then the day after tomorrow."

Indeedee came out of the kitchen and posted a sheet of paper listing tomorrow's hours by the door. She then fetched a teapot and poured half a cup of warm water for everyone still waiting in line.

At last, the queue stopped trying to squeeze into the shop.

Pancham patrolled back and forth with the remaining number tickets in its arms. The red mark on its left paw had faded considerably, but Indeedee still insisted that it be wrapped in a thin strip of cloth. Whenever someone tried to inch forward, it raised that bandaged paw. It worked even better than shouting.

Zorua wanted to help too.

A moment later, four "Number Ones" appeared in the line.

The first had a real ticket. The second held an illusion created by Zorua. The third person was simply Zorua in disguise. The fourth insisted that the wind had ruined their ticket, leaving only the character for "one."

Indeedee stood at the entrance and watched for a few breaths.

First, she passed her hand through the weightless fake ticket. Then, she lifted the human-shaped Zorua out by its tail. Finally, she pieced together the half-torn ticket, revealing a very clear Number Eleven.

The real Number One was still standing at the very back of the crowd.

She was a short-haired girl of sixteen or seventeen, wearing the light brown apron of a bakery and holding an empty delivery basket against her chest. When the carpenter's cart had passed by earlier, she had stepped aside to let it through, and several people had squeezed into her spot.

Pancham remembered her.

It pushed through the crowd, led the girl back to the front, and stuffed the Number One ticket into her hand.

"Thank you," the girl said.

Pancham folded its arms, striking the steady pose expected of a gatekeeper.

When it turned around, its foot bumped into an illusion ticket Zorua had tossed over. It lowered its head and stomped on it twice, but stepped on nothing. Half of its carefully arranged dignity immediately fell apart.

Zorua snickered beneath the counter.

Only after Xia Che finished lunch did he flip the business sign back.

"Number One."

The short-haired girl immediately entered. She set the delivery basket against the wall, then dusted off the apron she had borrowed from the bakery owner, looking somewhat nervous.

"My name is A-Li," she said. "I deliver goods for the bakery you visited this morning."

"I could tell." Xia Che glanced at the flour on her cuffs.

A-Li lowered her head and patted at it. The flour marks only became more obvious.

Rotom handed her an application card. "What kind of partner are you looking for, Rotom?"

"One with a good nose, one that can accompany me through the streets and alleys." A-Li thought for a moment. "It doesn't need to be especially brave. Just don't bite people on sight. And it shouldn't be too big. I live in the attic behind the bakery."

Someone outside could not help interrupting. "You came all this way and you're not looking for one that can fight?"

A-Li turned back. "I deliver bread four times a day. Who am I supposed to fight?"

The person who had spoken could not answer.

Her route looked ordinary, but it was anything but easy. Before dawn, she delivered the first batch to breakfast shops on three streets. In the morning, she went to the academy and several regular customers' homes. In the afternoon, she still had to collect the empty baskets. Some house numbers were hidden deep in narrow alleys. If she took one wrong turn on the same street, the hot bread would be cold by the time it arrived.

"Last month, East Street changed two house numbers, and I delivered savory bread to a customer who only ate sweet things," A-Li said. "Granny Liu lectured me for three days."

A middle-aged woman outside recognized her. "Granny Liu, right? She can lecture someone for half a street."

"That's why a good nose would be best." A-Li spoke seriously. "Being able to remember routes would work too. If we really run into trouble, I'll take it and run first."

This time, no one asked why she was not choosing one that could fight.

She continued filling out the form. She had half an hour before the ovens were lit in the morning, some free time in the afternoon, and a fixed place to stay at night. Her income was not much, but she could guarantee food and ordinary necessities. Anything too expensive would require saving up in advance.

When she reached the section about tasks, she added another line.

If her partner did not like making deliveries, it could accompany her for only part of the route.

After reading it, Xia Che pushed the card to Rotom.

A green circle lit up on the screen.

"You can take a look."

A-Li let out a breath. She stepped up to the selection device. She did not close her eyes to pray, nor did she pick based on the size of the shadows. She simply placed her palm steadily where instructed.

The light and shadows spun several times before quickly stopping.

A small canine Pokémon appeared in the center of the crystal surface. It had a brown body, a ring of pale fur around its face, and four very short legs. Even standing upright, it was not as tall as the delivery basket.

"Lillipup, a Normal-type Pokémon. The long fur around its face helps it sense its surroundings. It has an excellent sense of smell and is very alert, Rotom."

A-Li moved closer to the crystal surface. "Will it grow very big?"

"It will grow later. It's still small now."

Whispers rose outside again.

"Isn't that just a little dog?"

"My family has a guard dog too."

"Waiting all morning just to see this?"

A-Li heard them, but her expression did not change. "Can I meet it first?"

"The selection gives you a chance to meet," Xia Che said. "Whether you can go on together is up to the two of you."

When the Encounter Room opened, Lillipup was hiding beneath a low stool.

It did not bark or rush out. It only revealed a pair of eyes from behind the long fur on its face. A-Li crouched at the doorway, placed her hands on her knees, and waited for it to look at her on its own.

The girl and the Pokémon stared at each other from opposite sides of half the room.

After waiting for a while, someone outside whispered, "Why isn't it coming out yet?"

Pancham immediately turned its head.

The person lifted their teacup, indicating that they were only drinking water.

A-Li took a paper bag from the delivery basket and set it beside her feet. There was no sweet bread inside, only scraps cut off at the bakery each day. She took out a small piece, broke it open to show Lillipup, then placed it on the floor.

Lillipup's nose twitched.

It did not eat right away. Instead, it came out from beneath the stool and slowly sniffed its way around the room. The corners, the soft cushion, A-Li's shoes, and the empty delivery basket—nothing was overlooked.

At last, it stopped in front of A-Li.

A-Li thought it wanted the bread. Just as she was about to lean back a little, Lillipup suddenly turned and barked twice toward the observation window.

"Woof!"

Rotom flew over. "What is it, Rotom?"

Lillipup scraped at the floor by the window with its front paws, then followed the crack along the wall with its nose until it reached the underside of the new long cabinet.

It stuck half its head inside and pulled out a roll of paper stained with flour.

A-Li recognized it at once. "My delivery list."

That list had gone missing early in the morning. She had thought she had left it at the bakery and planned to copy a new one when she returned. She had not expected it to have been caught beneath the empty basket, carried all the way into the shop, then rolled beneath the cabinet when she set the basket down.

Lillipup carried the paper back, but did not hand it over right away. It lowered its head and sniffed the flour on A-Li's cuff, then sniffed the paper, only placing the delivery list before her knees after confirming that the scents matched.

The discussion outside stopped.

But Zorua poked its head out from behind the counter.

It stared at the delivery list for a few moments. With a flick of its tail, three identical rolls of paper appeared on the floor. Even the flour stains on the edges were copied perfectly.

Lillipup looked at the four lists and sniffed them one by one.

The first had the scent of flour and ink.

The other three had no smell at all.

Without hesitation, it picked up the real list, then stepped on the nearby illusion with its front paw. Its paw passed straight through. Lillipup jumped back in fright, the long fur around its face shaking loose in every direction.

Zorua rolled over laughing behind the counter.

Lillipup quickly recovered. It followed the sound of laughter out of the Encounter Room, sniffed all the way to the side of the counter, and barked three times at where Zorua was hiding.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Zorua stopped laughing.

It quietly created the sound of footsteps on the other side, trying to lure Lillipup away. Lillipup merely raised its ears, its nose still pointed toward the real little fox.

A moment later, Zorua came out on its own.

It circled Lillipup and sniffed it, seeming to have encountered something so uncooperative with illusions for the first time. Lillipup sniffed back. In the end, the two little ones sneezed at the same time.

The onlookers immediately burst into laughter.

A-Li picked up the paper, but instead of checking the addresses first, she pushed the piece of bread crust closer to Lillipup.

"Thank you."

This time, Lillipup ate it.

After finishing one piece, it looked at A-Li's empty basket again. Aside from the scent of bread, it carried the mixed scents of more than ten different households.

Lillipup circled the basket once, its tail beginning to wag lightly.

A-Li asked, "Would you like to try making a delivery with me?"

Lillipup did not nod right away.

It picked up the delivery list, walked first to the door of the Encounter Room, then looked back at her.

The meaning was obvious.

It wanted to leave now.

A-Li picked up the empty basket. "The last delivery run doesn't start until the afternoon. There's no bread right now."

Lillipup thought for a moment, placed the delivery list in the basket, then tried to climb in as well.

Its legs were too short. After hooking its front paws over the rim, it kicked its hind legs against the floor several times but still could not get in.

A-Li did not pick it up directly. She first laid the basket on its side. Lillipup walked in along the edge, turned around once, then walked back out by itself.

It clearly did not want to be carried around in the basket during deliveries.

"Then we'll walk together," A-Li said.

Indeedee had already brought over a light water bottle and a soft cloth. She packed them up, then gave A-Li a trial route that only circled the two nearby streets.

Xia Che looked at the route, then at the Number Two and Number Three still waiting outside.

"Rotom, go with them."

"And you?"

"I'll watch the shop."

"More accurately?"

Xia Che flattened the soft cushion by the window. "And take a nap."