After reminding them to stay safe, Fang Yan carried the little basket back to the kitchen to prepare afternoon tea to celebrate Mime Jr. joining the Pokémon Day Care.
After afternoon tea, Fang Yan took Shauna home, then holed up in the kitchen to study how to make other herbal teas.
He let Gengar try some, then tasted it himself when he saw Gengar frowning miserably.
After waiting a while, he found that it was just a little bitter. Everything else was normal.
All he needed was to take it to Nurse Joy for testing and have her issue a certificate.
Leaving the rest for Gengar to finish, Fang Yan clapped his hands and went back to his room to take a shower.
Gengar stared at the several clay pots of herbal tea before him, torn.
He couldn't bear to pour it away, and the other Pokémon didn't like drinking it.
In the end, he pinched his nose and poured it all into his mouth.
"Gengar-"
Burp~
Then he staggered back to his room.
Over the next few days, word of the Pokémon Day Care's reopening had presumably spread throughout Twinleaf Town, and visitors came in one group after another.
Fang Yan was run off his feet, mainly because a large portion of the visitors weren't there to buy Pokémon Eggs or board their Pokémon. They had only come to look around and chat.
Still, he sold seven Pokémon Eggs and that Miracle Seed.
He also specifically made time to discuss the herbal tea with Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. With Nurse Joy's verification and Officer Jenny's guarantee, he successfully obtained the certificate, and the herbal tea business could officially begin.
Throughout all this, Mime Jr. began imitating Fang Yan to share his workload. Though still young, Mime Jr. took a considerable amount of pressure off Fang Yan and Gengar. When it came to entertaining guests, for instance, Mime Jr. and Petilil only had to stand in the lounge to keep the visitors settled.
Shauna also slowly began learning to help Fang Yan: watering the herb patch and vegetable garden in the backyard, washing Torterra, and trying to entertain guests for the first time. Though that attempt ended in failure, these were all tremendous steps forward.
"If this keeps up, we really might not have enough hands."
After seeing off the morning's first group of guests, Fang Yan took the towel Shauna handed him and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he spoke.
"Gengar-"
Gengar nodded weakly. For several days straight, he had gone out to deliver herbal tea, then helped entertain guests after returning to the Pokémon Day Care. Without Gengar's help, Fang Yan probably really wouldn't have been able to keep up at all.
"Mime~"
Mime Jr. hugged Fang Yan's leg and called out.
"Thank you, Mime Jr. And you too, Shauna and Petilil. Without you, Gengar and I really wouldn't know what to do."
Fang Yan picked up Mime Jr. and Petilil as he spoke with a smile.
"Petilil~"
"Mime Jr.~"
Hearing their voices, Fang Yan relaxed.
But then he saw Shauna standing motionless, holding her Pokémon Egg.
"Congratulations, Shauna. It's finally coming out."
Fang Yan set Mime Jr. and Petilil on the floor, walked over to her, and crouched down. Looking at the gently rocking Pokémon Egg in her arms, he spoke with a smile.
Shauna looked up at him, then handed him the Pokémon Egg.
Fang Yan took it and placed it on the table, then watched it with Shauna, Gengar, and the others.
Before long, cracks covered the eggshell.
Then a Pokémon poked its head out.
It had a yellow, bell-shaped body, short little limbs, and a red-and-white cord on its head.
"Ching~"
At the sound, Fang Yan nudged Shauna, who was silently staring at Chingling, signaling for her to go forward.
Watching Shauna step forward, Fang Yan focused his attention.
[Chingling] [Type: Psychic] [Gender: Female] [Ability: Levitate] [Known moves: Bind, Growl] [Mood: Confused] [Condition: A little scared (where's Mommy?)] [Friendship: 30 (you've met)] [Description: A newly hatched Chingling, Shauna's first Pokémon. But she seems to have mistaken Shauna for her mother?]
"H... hello, Chingling."
Shauna glanced back at Fang Yan. Receiving an encouraging look from him, she turned back and spoke earnestly to Chingling.
"Ching?"
"Ching~"
Chingling bounced lightly into Shauna's arms.
"Ching~"
Mommy~
Shauna didn't know what her cries meant. All she knew was that Chingling liked her very much, so she held Chingling and listened to her pleasant chimes.
The cries brimmed with happy smiles.
Fang Yan seized the opportunity and pressed the shutter.
Then Shauna introduced Fang Yan, Gengar, and the others to Chingling, before copying Fang Yan and earnestly introducing Chingling to them.
"Hello, Chingling."
"Gengar-"
"Petilil~"
"Tor."
"Mime Jr.~"
Chingling looked at these older brothers and sisters with her dark eyes, bouncing nonstop and making pleasant chimes.
"Ching~"
Finally, Shauna held Chingling and looked at her earnestly.
"My name is Shauna. From now on, I'll call you Little Jingle, okay?"
Chingling nodded happily.
Shauna smiled happily again.
Fang Yan tapped her shoulder. When she looked back, she found a shrunken Poké Ball in his hand.
Shauna paused, and Fang Yan encouraged her with his eyes.
Shauna nodded earnestly, then took the Poké Ball and looked at Chingling.
"Little Jingle, would you like to come with me?"
"Ching~"
Fang Yan helped her enlarge the Poké Ball, then held her hand and gently pressed it against Chingling.
Ding-dong~
A perfect catch.
At that moment, he noticed the look in Mime Jr.'s eyes, so he took out another Poké Ball, crouched down, and held it in front of Mime Jr.
"Mime Jr., will you come with me?"
Mime Jr. looked at Fang Yan before glancing at the other Pokémon nearby. Those older brothers and sisters were all watching expectantly.
Then Mime Jr. nodded and gently pressed the Poké Ball with a little hand.
Ding-dong!
Another perfect catch.
Fang Yan felt the Poké Ball in his hand. Though this wasn't his first time catching a Pokémon, his emotions were still complicated. In the end, he smiled, stood up, and struck an over-the-top pose.
"Mime Jr., Get☆Gaze!"
"Gengar-"
With a white cloth of unknown origin clenched between his teeth, Gengar floated beside Fang Yan, his eyes brimming with tears.
The other Pokémon cried out happily.
Shauna paused when she saw Fang Yan's movements, then copied him, striking the same pose.
"L... Little Jingle, Get☆Gaze!"
Patting her little head, Fang Yan let Mime Jr. out and had Shauna take them to the lounge to watch TV.
He answered the phone himself and tallied up the people who needed Petilil herbal tea that day.
In the lounge, Chingling leaned against Shauna's shoulder, while Shauna held Petilil in her arms. Mime Jr. sat beside her, holding the Pokéblocks Fang Yan had prepared for them and eating while watching TV.
But Shauna kept looking over at Fang Yan.
Once Fang Yan finished tallying the orders, he found some herbal tea lists he had commissioned someone to make a couple of days earlier and tucked them into Gengar's little bag. Finally, he put the herbal tea inside as well.
"Uncle."
Shauna called out.
"What is it, Shauna?"
Fang Yan stopped what he was doing, turned to Shauna, and asked.
"Um, today's herbal tea... can... can I deliver it?"
As though she had made a momentous decision, Shauna continued, "Because I want to help you and Gengar too. Now that I have Little Jingle, can I help you deliver the herbal tea?"
Fang Yan looked at Shauna in surprise. Her delicate little face showed some fear and worry about delivering herbal tea, but also a sincere desire to help.
Fang Yan smiled. "Sure. Sorry for the trouble, Shauna and Little Jingle."
Looking at the gentle smile on Fang Yan's face, Shauna's eyes instantly filled with tears, and she nodded firmly.
"Yes, I'll do my best!"