Early the next morning, a heart-wrenching scream came from the Smith Family villa.
"Gengar!!!"
"How many times have I told you, don't lick me first thing in the morning. It's so numbing."
"Hehehe, Gengar~"
Gengar held its belly and laughed heartily, then immediately flew out of the room, its mischievous deeds complete. Only Alex lay on the bed, his eyes vacant.
This damned familiarity! Ever since Alex was little, whenever he slept in, Gengar would reward him with a lick. Can you imagine that feeling? You're sleeping soundly, and suddenly a strong sense of numbness comes over you, forcing you to wake up. Who could endure that?
"Eevee~"
Leafeon rubbed its sleepy eyes, not understanding what was happening. Why was there such wailing first thing in the morning? And Togepi was still sleeping soundly; such a big commotion couldn't even wake this little guy, which was impressive.
Alex sighed, looking at the sleeping egg beside him, feeling annoyed. He picked it up and shook it hard, letting it also experience the feeling of being forcibly awakened.
"Buddy?"
Togepi looked at Alex, utterly bewildered, its little expression as if asking, "What's wrong?"
Alex was about to scold it, but then he remembered that this little guy needed friendship to evolve, and the words just wouldn't come out. He could only force a smile and say, "It's nothing, it's just very late, time to get up. You can have an ice cream today, you know."
"Buddy~"
Little stars immediately appeared in Togepi's small eyes, and saliva uncontrollably drooled from the corner of its mouth.
Alex rolled his eyes at it, got dressed, washed up, and went downstairs.
.....
In the living room on the first floor, Gardevoir was doing housework, while Florges brought the breakfast made by Grandma to the table. Grandpa John and Grandma Mary were both eating breakfast.
"Good morning, Florges, and Gardevoir."
"Florges~"
"Gardevoir~"
Grandma Mary's face immediately brightened with a smile when she saw her grandson come downstairs.
"Alex, come quickly and have breakfast."
"Alright, coming!"
Alex sat down, picked up a sandwich, and started eating.
Just then, Grandpa John spoke, "I had a brief discussion with Mr. Wallace yesterday. He agreed to our request, but he needs you to provide the exact location. They need to survey the site before they can determine its value."
Alex was slightly startled, described the exact location of Fool's Valley to Grandpa, and then continued:
"Some of the Pokémon there are quite strong, Grandpa, please remember to mention it, so they don't blame us if they encounter danger."
Grandpa John readily agreed.
Alex suddenly thought of something else and said, "Grandpa, there's also a Togepi egg in there. Can you ask the Anderson Family to help bring it to me?"
Alex was referring to Misty's Togepi in the original work. That Togepi was brought out of Fool's Valley, and it should still be an egg buried there now.
The old man looked at his grandson in confusion: "Don't you already have a Togepi? Why do you need to find another Togepi?"
Togepi, who had just walked downstairs, was stunned when it heard this. Its Trainer was actually looking for another Togepi, so did that mean it wasn't wanted anymore? As soon as the little guy thought it was going to be abandoned, it sat down on the ground and wailed loudly.
As Leafeon walked past it, it gave it a disdainful glance, too lazy to bother with this overly dramatic fellow.
Alex glanced at Togepi and said expressionlessly, "If you keep acting, there'll be no ice cream today."
Togepi immediately stopped crying. It walked over to Alex as if nothing had happened, even winking playfully.
Alex picked it up and placed it on the table, took the Pokémon food Grandma had prepared, and put it in front of it, then explained to Grandpa:
"I want it to give to someone, not to raise myself."
Grandpa John nodded in agreement, not asking his grandson who he was giving it to. Moreover, this wasn't a big deal; Pokémon like Togepi were not highly regarded to begin with, so the Anderson Family probably wouldn't care about one more egg.
"Grandpa, is there anything I need to help with on the farm now?"
Grandpa John slowly said, "There's nothing much to do on the farm this season. The berries have just set fruit and aren't ripe yet, the three honey was harvested yesterday, and the herb garden in the back mountain doesn't need much care. As for milking the Miltank, your Grandma and I do it easily, so you don't need to help."
Alex was stunned; this was not what he had imagined.
Grandpa John looked at his grandson with a hint of amusement, "From now on, you'll train your Pokémon in the mornings, and in the afternoons, you'll follow me to learn various Breeder knowledge. It's time for some important things in the family to be passed on to you."
Alex's eyes lit up, knowing what Grandpa was talking about. As a League-certified top Breeder, Grandpa was best at making various potions. Among them, his specialties were the Revival Potion, which treats Pokémon injuries, and the Potential Potion, which can enhance a Pokémon's potential during evolution. Especially the Potential Potion; every bottle thrown out would cause everyone to scramble for it. This was also the foundation of the Smith Family.
And Grandma was best at customizing various Energy Cubes and food for Pokémon. The Energy Cubes that Alex's Dratini and Swampert usually ate were custom-made by Grandma. He had been craving Grandpa and Grandma's unique skills for a long time, but unfortunately, Grandpa had said before that he wasn't skilled enough and couldn't learn them yet. Alex also knew his own limitations, so he never brought it up. Now that Grandpa had brought it up himself, Alex was naturally overjoyed.
"Alright, look at your silly face."
Grandpa John saw his grandson giggling foolishly and scolded him with a smile.
Alex scratched his head and said with a grin, "Then I'll go to the back mountain to see Dratini and Swampert."
Grandpa John agreed, continuing to slowly drink his porridge.
Seeing this, Grandma Mary took a spatial backpack from beside her and handed it to Alex.
"These are the Energy Cubes I remade for Dratini; take them with you."
"Thank you, Grandma." Alex took it with a smile and left with Leafeon and Togepi.
.....
On the summit of the Smith Family's back mountain, there was a large pond surrounded by various rare medicinal herbs. On a large tree nearby, Sceptile was leaning against the trunk, feigning sleep.
Alex walked forward and said, "Sceptile, could I trouble you to help me train Leafeon?"
As he spoke, Alex pointed to the bewildered Leafeon beside him.
"Eevee?"
Sceptile opened its eyes, glanced at Leafeon, and nodded slightly. The next moment, Sceptile jumped down from the tree, and in a flash, Sceptile and Leafeon disappeared.
Alex's mouth twitched slightly; could it die if it didn't show off?
"Buddy~"
Togepi shook Alex's hand, as if asking where Leafeon had gone. After all, the two little ones had been together since birth and had never been separated. Seeing Leafeon disappear, Togepi was still worried.
Alex rubbed its head and explained, "Leafeon went to train with that guy just now. You don't have to worry about its safety. You also need to work hard, little one; you don't want to be left further and further behind by Leafeon, do you?"
Togepi thought for a moment, clenched its small fists, and nodded heavily.
"Buddy!"
....