After Gothitelle sent all the children from the daycare home at noon, she spoke with the parents and then closed the small building.
Floating back to the Breeding House, she saw Lucas leading Gengar and the others in clearing the snow on the Breeding Road.
Gothitelle floated over.
Lucas used a shovel to scoop up the snow under his feet and placed it on a nearby wheelbarrow. Once the wheelbarrow was full, Lucas stuck the shovel into the snow beside him and reached out, preparing to grab the two handles of the cart.
A pair of small purple hands grabbed the two handles before he could.
Lucas turned his head and saw that it was Gothitelle.
"Goth."
Let me do it.
Gothitelle smiled gently.
Lucas rubbed his hands together and blew a breath on them. Because shoveling snow with gloves on was uncomfortable, he had taken them off, and now his hands were incredibly stiff. After blowing warm air on his hands twice, Lucas chuckled and asked Gothitelle, "Why are you back? What about the daycare?"
Gothitelle looked at the wheelbarrow she was holding and remained silent for a few seconds.
Seeing this, Lucas was about to say he would do it himself when he saw Gothitelle's eyes glow with a purple light. Then, the wheelbarrow floated into the small woods on its own, flipped over to dump out the snow, flipped back, and returned to Gothitelle and Lucas, coming to a steady stop.
Gothitelle looked at Lucas, the expression on her face exceptionally clear.
See, how easy it is for me.
Lucas laughed twice, shrugged, and then picked up the shovel again.
"Goth."
Their parents have already picked them up. I told their moms and dads that I was closing the shop for the afternoon to come back and help.
The purple light in Gothitelle's eyes flickered continuously. She used her psychic power to move Gengar and the others' wheelbarrows into the woods, empty them, and return them, all while answering Lucas's question.
"I see. Thank you, Gothitelle."
Lucas said as he continued shoveling snow on the road.
Gothitelle shook her head. "Goth."
"Lucas, we've come to help too."
After Mr. and Mrs. Fujino finished their work at the Breeding House, they saw Lucas still clearing snow with Gengar and the others, so they brought shovels over to help.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Mr. and Mrs. Fujino smiled and shook their heads.
With Lucas and Gengar's group cleaning, a portion of the Breeding Road was quickly cleared. Looking at the many sections of road still left to clean, Lucas put his hands on his hips and sighed.
"Everyone, our task is still quite daunting."
Lucas turned to look at the Pokémon from his Breeding House, who were all doing their best to help him clear the snow. He rubbed his palms together again. "Let's go back for lunch first. After we eat and rest a bit, we'll keep working hard."
"Gengar gar"
Okay.
Mime Jr. had prepared lunch. It had originally wanted to help, but Lucas said its task was to get their lunch ready.
Mime Jr. knew Lucas was worried it was too small and that something might happen, so Mime Jr. obediently returned to the Breeding House to cook lunch.
——
After finishing lunch, it was about to step out of the Breeding House to call Lucas and the others back to eat when it spotted the snowmen in the backyard. It ran out and greeted them.
"Mime Jr.~"
We're going to eat lunch now, do you want to eat?
The snowmen couldn't speak, but Mime Jr. seemed to truly hear something and ran back to the kitchen with a smile.
A gust of wind blew by, and Mime Jr. stopped in its tracks, looking back at those snowmen.
That's right, the scene in my dream last night... seemed to be at Lake Verity?
And those three Pokémon that helped me seemed to have been captured.
What should I do? Should I tell Lucas?
Would Lucas just think it was a dream?
Mime Jr. suddenly fell into a state of conflict.
While it was still frowning in worry, it suddenly felt itself being picked up.
"What's wrong, Mime Jr.? Why the long face? Did someone upset you? Tell me, and I'll have Gengar go beat them up."
Lucas's voice sounded in Mime Jr.'s ear. Mime Jr. snapped out of it and looked at Lucas. Lucas was smiling, looking at it with a gentle expression. A Gengar suddenly popped up behind him, thumping its chest at Mime Jr.
Mime Jr. shook its head. Seeing this, Lucas carried it to the dining table. At that moment, Rapidash returned after picking up Shauna, so Lucas placed Mime Jr. between himself and Shauna and enjoyed lunch.
Mime Jr. watched Lucas, who was listening to Shauna talk about school things, thought for a moment, and tugged on the corner of Lucas's clothes.
"What's wrong, Mime Jr.?"
Lucas felt a tug on his clothes and looked down at Mime Jr.
"Mime Jr.~"
Last night I dreamed that Gengar and the others and I were eating and playing at Lake Verity. Suddenly a big villain riding a dragon appeared, along with several people with different colored hair. Later, three Pokémon saved us, but they were taken away.
Mime Jr. thought for a bit and spoke again: "Mime Jr.————"
Just now, after I came back from greeting the snowmen in the backyard, I suddenly had a bad feeling.
Lucas frowned after hearing this.
Riding a dragon? Salamence? Hunter J?
People with different colored hair, villains?
Team Galactic Commanders?!
Lake Verity, Mesprit————
Lucas remembered. In the original plot, it seemed Team Galactic commissioned Hunter J to capture the Lake Guardians, and then used the Lake Guardians to summon Palkia and Dialga. Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic, moved toward his ideal world during this event.
It couldn't be right now, could it?
Lucas glanced at Mime Jr. Perhaps they were using this dream to tell Mime Jr. something.
Lucas thought about it and decided to go to Lake Verity to take a look.
Lucas stood up abruptly, grabbed his coat from the back of the chair, and put it on.
Gengar, Lilligant, and the others, who were eating snacks in the rest area, saw this and came over to Lucas's side together.
"Come with me for a trip."
Lucas said simply.
Gengar and the others nodded, and Gengar jumped directly into Lucas's shadow.
"Mr. Fujino, I'll have to ask you, your wife, and Shauna to help me watch over the Breeding House. I'm going over to Lake Verity to check things out."
The Fujinos knew Lucas had something important to do and nodded.
"Don't worry, Lucas."
Mr. Fujino nodded to reassure Lucas.
"Good luck, Uncle! Be safe!"
Shauna said beside him in a clear, sweet voice.
"Uncle, you have to beat the bad guys good."
Lucas smiled and patted her head.
After recalling Lilligant and the others into their Poké Balls, Lucas walked toward the exit of the Breeding House.
His clothes were pulled. Lucas looked back to see Mime Jr. staring at him with pleading eyes.
"Don't worry, Mime Jr. We're going to take a look. If something really is happening, I promise you I'll save them and then bring you to play with them, okay?"
Mime Jr. withdrew its little hand and nodded with a smile.
"Mime Jr.~"
Mm.
It knew it wasn't good at fighting, so it would stay at the Breeding House, prepare delicious food, and wait for Lucas and the others to return.
"Mime Jr.~"
Be safe.
He pinched its red nose.
"Don't worry, I have help.