Back at the Pokémon Day Care, Gengar and the others had just taken off their baskets and tipped out the bamboo shoots and Fresh Mushrooms when Mime Jr. ran over to Fang Yan with a sheet of paper.
"Nini, Mime Jr.~"
"What is it, Mime Jr.?"
Fang Yan took the paper Mime Jr. handed him. There were two phone numbers on it, with a line of notes after them.
Looking at the handwriting saying they wanted to buy Pokémon Eggs, he guessed some customers had come while he was away from the Pokémon Day Care. Mime Jr. had helped attend to them, then, upon learning they wanted to buy Pokémon Eggs, had brought them a sheet of paper to write it down so he could handle it when he returned.
"Our Mime Jr. really is so clever."
Fang Yan praised Mime Jr., who had already learned how to attend to customers for him.
"Nini, nini."
Mime Jr. narrowed its eyes, then pointed at its big sister beside it, indicating to Fang Yan that this had been Petilil's idea.
"Petilil is wonderful too. You're both wonderful."
"Laji~"
He gave each of them a gentle flick on the forehead, then asked Mime Jr. to help prepare lunch in the kitchen while he called the customers back to tell them they could come buy Pokémon Eggs that afternoon.
Mime Jr. nodded, then ran toward the kitchen.
Right afterward, it came back, stumbling out with ice cream and soda in its hands.
Fang Yan hung up and went over to take them, then handed them to Cynthia, Gengar, and the others.
After handing over the ice cream and soda, Mime Jr. ran back toward the kitchen.
Petilil followed close behind.
Looks like I need to find Mime Jr. an assistant.
Watching Mime Jr., whose face looked about ready to steam from all the running, Fang Yan silently thought to himself.
He then returned to the storeroom and found two small knives. Passing the counter, he noticed Petilil sitting on it, facing the Pokémon Day Care's entrance.
"Oh, Petilil, are you attending to customers for me?"
"Laji~"
Petilil looked at Fang Yan, gave a sweet little cry, and nodded.
"Thank you. Our Petilil is so cute."
Warmth filled Fang Yan's heart. He reached out and brushed the trimmed leaves atop its head, saying, "I'll make you something delicious tonight."
"Laji~"
Returning to the backyard, he had Er Li go to the front to watch over Petilil, while he brought over a small stool and sat in the backyard, put on gloves, and began peeling bamboo shoots.
"Geh?"
Can't we eat them yet?
Gengar held a soda in one hand and took a sip through the straw, then extended its other hand, offering the straw of the soda in that hand to Fang Yan's mouth.
Slurp.
Fang Yan took a big sip, then looked at Gengar and explained, "We need to peel them first, then process and prepare them. That way, they'll taste even better."
Cynthia sat on a swing not far away, with Garchomp and Lucario standing behind her, pushing her.
Finishing the ice cream in her hand, Cynthia called out, "Gengar, we're going to train. Do you want to join us?"
"Geh-"
Coming.
With that, Gengar finished its soda, looked at Fang Yan's cup in its hand, and thought for a moment. It opened its mouth and helped Fang Yan out by taking a sip, then set the two empty cups beside Fang Yan's feet and hurried over to Cynthia with Dali.
Looking at the two cups by his feet and Gengar's retreating back, Fang Yan sighed helplessly, then continued preparing the bamboo shoots in his hands.
Once he had finished preparing the bamboo shoots and eaten the lunch Mime Jr. had made, Fang Yan brought out a water jar that had been unused for a long time. He set it beside the first stove he had built, measured it out with his hands, and made several holes in the bottom, turning it into something like an earthenware cooking pot.
He would make bamboo shoot rice in bamboo tubes later, suspend them from hooks, and put them inside to roast until cooked.
Once the modifications were complete, Fang Yan heard Petilil's call and returned to the front counter.
The customers who had come that morning to buy Pokémon Eggs were there. Fang Yan introduced some Pokémon Eggs to them based on their needs.
In the end, he sold a Shinx Pokémon Egg and a Wurmple egg.
While seeing them off, Fang Yan noticed more Trainers passing by today.
"Boss, I'm here."
Fang Yan looked over. It was the bespectacled man who had boarded Torterra and the others here.
"I've come to pick up Torterra and the others. I'm getting some special training in early, then heading to the League Conference."
The bespectacled man arrived at the Pokémon Day Care's entrance and noticed some additional services on the wooden sign outside.
These included herbal tea and move tutoring.
Looks like the Pokémon Day Care has fully recovered.
The bespectacled man thought to himself.
"Just a moment."
Fang Yan welcomed the bespectacled man into the Pokémon Day Care and asked Mime Jr. to come help attend to him, then picked up Petilil and headed to the backyard.
"Petilil, it's time to say goodbye to Torterra."
Fang Yan rested his hand on Petilil's head and gently stroked it.
"Laji~"
Petilil swayed in his arms, showing that it was all right.
It knew Torterra had its own family and things it needed to do, just as it once had, so it knew Torterra would leave sooner or later.
"It's all right. We'll welcome more family and friends in the future."
Listening to Fang Yan's reassurance, Petilil said nothing.
It had already found its most precious family.
After letting Petilil say goodbye to Torterra and the others, Fang Yan recalled them into their Poké Balls and handed them to the bespectacled man.
He calculated the fee. They had stayed for fifteen days at ten thousand League Coins a day, so he charged him a hundred and fifty thousand League Coins in total.
Afterward, he asked why there had been so many Trainers lately. The answer was that the League Conference was about to begin. Some were returning home to rest and recover so they could compete in top condition, while others were going home to adjust their teams before starting their next round of Gym Challenges.
"Goodbye, boss."
"Goodbye. Come again."
Fang Yan looked down at Petilil in his arms and said, "Come on. Let's make you something delicious."
"Laji~"
Fang Yan hung out the closed sign, then carried Petilil back to the backyard, where he found Gengar with its head inside the modified water jar, leaving only its two short legs flailing outside.
He walked over and tugged its tail, then handed Petilil to Cynthia, who had held out her hands, and began making that evening's dinner.
"Everyone, let's have a delicious bamboo shoot feast tonight!"
"Geh!"
"Nike~"
"Gao."
Fang Yan looked at all the Pokémon in the backyard and smiled silently.
Before he knew it, he had built a good relationship with Cynthia's Pokémon.
Next, he asked Garchomp to cut the bamboo they had brought back into sections, then split them in half.
Watching Fang Yan blink as he held the bamboo out, Garchomp extended its shears and held them against Fang Yan's neck, then slowly slid them down and cut the bamboo into the shape Fang Yan needed.
Fang Yan broke out in a cold sweat throughout the process. He hurriedly cleaned out the insides of the bamboo, put in washed rice and bamboo shoots, and added some seasonings. He bound them tightly with wire, hung them on iron hooks, and lowered them into the already heated earthenware water jar.
Next, he began preparing the other bamboo shoot dishes.
As stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, Fresh Mushroom and bamboo shoot soup, and other dishes were brought to the table one after another, a fragrance also drifted out of the earthenware pot.
Fang Yan lifted them out with tongs, then opened them one by one.
The beautifully colored bamboo shoot rice in bamboo tubes, carrying the fresh fragrance of bamboo, was ready to serve.
Watching them stare unblinkingly at the food on the table, Fang Yan smiled, then raised the soda in his hand.
"Everyone, dig in!"
"Time to eat!"
"Geh-(muffled)"
"Gao!"
"Nike."
"Everyone, look up and give me a peace sign!"
Click~
A photograph was placed on the counter.