Preparing Odd Jobs for Opening

"Sure enough, the pinker the color... the harder it hits..."

Xingye was soaked from head to toe as he limped into the shop under the astonished stares of the customers.

Seeing that she had beaten him into such a state with one punch, Gengar hurried over, only to step into thin air and fall from the counter. Cyclizar caught her with its tail.

"Geng... ar?"

Gengar slid smoothly onto Cyclizar's back and was then held in its hands. Though she was a Pokémon, she was only the size of a plush toy and easy to hold.

"Cyclizar~"

Cyclizar hugged Gengar, looking extremely happy. It was clear that it really liked this little sister. The family finally had a new member.

Xingye sat back down at the counter, where Slowking looked at him with disdain. Then he suddenly said, "Boss Slowking, your pink purity is too low. Your previous Mega Punch wasn't even as strong as Gengar's casual punch just now. Why not try dyeing yourself a little pinker?"

"Thank you, but Slowking is pink enough."

Slowking responded flatly, then glanced at Gengar in Cyclizar's arms. "This little one is pretty strong, but she's still too small. You can practically treat her as a child who just hatched. Don't teach her any weird nonsense."

"Don't worry."

Xingye watched Gengar playing with Cyclizar as though he were looking at his own child, even though he had never even been in a relationship...

But since Gengar had become his Pokémon, he naturally had to raise her well. So what if they had to start from scratch? That was where the fun of raising Pokémon lay!

He had not decided on a training direction yet, but she would definitely go into close combat. That punch had been pretty powerful, and she even had a held item... She could probably use a sword, right?

He did not know why this Gengar was Fairy type rather than Poison-type, but what would happen if he got Zacian's Fairy King's Sword for her? It was such a beautiful piece of equipment. Put it on, and she would become the Sword King.

(P.S. After a reader suggested it in the previous chapter, I adjusted Gengar's typing to Ghost type + Fairy type. Pink really does go best with Fairy...)

Thinking of this, Xingye looked at Gengar and asked with a smile, "Little one, do you like playing with swords?"

"Gengar?"

Seeing Gengar bite her hand with a confused expression, Xingye pointed at Ceruledge resting against the distant wall and explained, "Like that cool blade sister over there. Swords are awesome!"

Before Gengar could respond, Ceruledge opened her eyes and looked over first. Under her direct gaze, Gengar was startled again.

"Gengar..."

Gengar and Ceruledge silently looked at each other. Gengar remembered how Ceruledge had helped her adapt to her body with spiritual power earlier, and her gaze gradually filled with gratitude and admiration.

"Gengar!"

"Want to learn swordsmanship?"

"Gengar!"

Hearing their conversation, Slowking held a lollipop in his mouth, cast them a sidelong glance, and said slowly, "You've got quite the plan. Are you hoping Ceruledge will help raise your kid later? Dream on. She hates humans, and she hates brats too. If you don't want this little one cut in half, you'd better give up on that idea."

Xingye's face filled with question marks at that, and he immediately shot back, "I can raise my own kid!"

He was just letting Gengar see what a sword looked like. She still needed to practice punching, but she naturally needed weapons too. No point wasting her talent.

If she could really train up, then making a trip to Galar to get Zacian's Fairy King's Sword would not be out of the question...

After dinner, they all returned upstairs. Xingye had repaired the second-floor door several times already, and when he opened it, there was now quite a bit of furniture inside.

After entering, several Substitute plushies sat atop the shoe cabinet by the door. Further down the hallway, the living room had a cheap sofa and coffee table.

A wooden desk and chair stood before the blinds, with several more Substitute plushies on top as decorations. Above them, near the ceiling, hung a blank signboard. No one knew what he planned to write on it.

Behind the sliding door, the bedroom was spotless. A cheaply bought double bed stood against the wall, with its bedding neatly folded. A Rowlet plushie and a Cyclizar Substitute plushie rested on the bedside table.

On the floor against the other wall, there was also a blanket. Cyclizar especially liked lying there to sleep, since it was particularly warm.

Whatever else could be said, Xingye always kept his home completely clean and tidy. His self-discipline as a kid living alone was unquestionable.

"This is our home. It isn't very big, and it isn't very lively, but no matter what, at least it's a home that keeps out the wind and rain."

"Gengar~"

Gengar sat on Cyclizar's head. With just one look, she instantly fell in love with the place. It was far more comfortable than staying inside a claw machine.

"Alright, don't step into the bedroom yet. Wash yourselves clean first, then come over. I still need to mop the floor."

"Cyclizar~"

Cyclizar obediently ran to the bathroom. It ran around outside every day, so it inevitably got dirty. Pokémon could not exactly all wear shoes.

It was fine to stay in the living room, but it absolutely could not enter the bedroom. If it left a footprint on the blanket, Xingye's heart and lungs would stop functioning...

Xingye took Gengar into his arms. Though the little one could move now, she was still not proficient enough with her body. She clearly had the Levitate Ability that made a certain someone jealous, yet she could not freely fly for the time being.

While Cyclizar went to soak in a hot bath, Xingye held Gengar and sat in the office chair. This would be his workstation for Odd Jobs in the future. The preparations were nearly complete; all that remained was opening for business.

He carefully examined the dirty Gengar in his arms and muttered, "She's a Ghost type Pokémon, but the plushie traits seem more obvious. She's similar to Bewear, but the debuff is still there..."

Xingye meant the characteristic of plushies absorbing water. Just as Altaria would turn into a drenched mess after soaking in water, a plushie would become heavier after absorbing water, affecting its mobility. It would probably also be weak against Electric-type moves.

After hearing that, Gengar vigorously felt her still slightly damp body. It did not feel very nice, and it was rather uncomfortable too.

"I'll wash you clean later, then dry you with a hair dryer."

"Gengar~"

"But this dress probably can't be saved. Some brat tore a hole in it. I'll make you a new one later. And the bow on your ear—we'll wash that while we're at it."

Xingye removed the dress that was purely decorative and looked at the bare Gengar... Gengar had always been bare anyway!

"Come on, let's get you a hot bath."

As he watched Cyclizar dash out of the bathroom all fresh and clean, leaving wet footprints across the floor, Xingye felt his blood pressure rising.

Knowing it was about to be scolded again, Cyclizar hurriedly fled into the bedroom. It even slipped and fell while entering, leaving Xingye helpless. Then, dragging his battered body along, he carried Gengar into the bathroom...

Another not-so-simple day passed. He had suffered some injuries, but an adorable little one had joined their still-small family. Overall, it had been quite fulfilling.

Xingye had originally planned to open Odd Jobs after winter break. But that night, after the claw machine shop owner apologized, he sent Xingye a dismissal notice as well.

After the little brat who stole the plushie was found by his parents, the kid immediately burst into tears and falsely accused Xingye instead. A nearby camera had happened to capture someone carrying the brat to the corner of an alley, and Officer Jenny, who had received the report, traced the matter to the shop that was about to close.

After all that back and forth, pressured by the brat's parents, the owner could only fire Xingye and Cyclizar. They instantly became unemployed again, but Xingye did not really care. He was already used to riding the roller coaster.

"Trading one job for a Gengar finding a home means I'm the one who came out ahead. Since I still have one day of vacation tomorrow and nothing to do, I won't look for another job for now. I'll open Odd Jobs instead!"

There would be two more updates later.