After sleeping all day yesterday and enjoying a wonderful soak in the hot spring, Lucas woke up very early the next day feeling exceptionally refreshed.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Uncle."
"Good morning, Lucas."
"Lilli~"
After finishing breakfast, Lucas sat in the rest area and smiled as he said goodbye to Shauna who was heading to school. Just as he was about to rest for a bit, he heard the Lilli of a vehicle stopping outside the Breeding House.
"Excuse me, is this Gengar's Paradise?"
Lucas walked out with Gengar and found a staff member in a courier uniform standing at the door. Lucas nodded. "Yes, it is. Has the stuff I ordered arrived?"
The delivery worker nodded. "That's right. Everything you customized is in the truck. I'll help you unload it."
Lucas glanced at the snowy weather and the Delibird beside him, then smiled. "No need, I have my own team for unloading. Why don't you come in and have a cup of hot tea to warm up?"
"This—"
While the delivery worker was still hesitating, Lucas simply waved his hand.
"Time to work, everyone."
Gengar and Gothitelle were the first to float out. Gothitelle skillfully used her psychic power to disassemble the rear bed of the truck and then moved the goods out one by one.
Lickitung, Pinsir, and Heracross carried these boxes of goods into the Breeding House. Seeing this, the delivery worker no longer insisted and walked into the Breeding House with his Delibird.
Lucas had them sit in the rest area and poured them a cup of hot tea. After taking a sip, the delivery worker felt his body warm up instantly.
"Manager, this road in front of your door is really nice. Before I came, many colleagues told me that in this kind of weather, many roads are difficult to travel and prone to skidding. I thought it would be hard too, but I didn't expect to find that the snow on this road has been cleared very cleanly. I even saw a road sign; they say that road is called Breeding Road, right?"
Lucas nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Fujino had been leading the Breeding House's Pokémon to clear the road, and Lucas would usually help whenever he was free.
Once the goods were moved, Lucas finished paying the balance and then began the happy unboxing phase.
These were the packaging boxes, hats, and backpacks printed with the Breeding House logo that Lucas had purchased.
Lucas distributed them to the Breeding House's Pokémon one by one according to their sizes. Even Staraptor happily received a hat and a backpack.
Staraptor: ?!
Being a fighter isn't enough? I have to do deliveries for you too?
"It suits you well, Staraptor. Staraptor Delivery—once you use it, you'll know."
Lucas gave a thumbs up after speaking.
Staraptor: ————
Staraptor helplessly accepted this tragic reality.
Afterward, Lucas called Golduck and Azumarill over, put hats and crossbody bags on them, and nodded.
They looked a lot like delivery workers.
Lucas praised.
Subsequently, Lucas checked the menu, which was very detailed. Then he called Xia Lan. After learning that Xia Lan had helped him set up the software, he quickly expressed his thanks.
"If it's about these things, I recommend you buy a rotom phone."
Xia Lan's voice came through the phone. "Although the rotom phone was only released recently, because it has Rotom's functions, it's much more convenient for handling tasks like this."
A rotom phone?
The image of the rotom phone he had seen in the Scarlet and Violet plot surfaced in Lucas's mind. Had it already been developed?
Seeing Lucas's interested expression, Xia Lan said, "How about this, I'll help you buy one."
Lucas nodded. "Alright, Sister Xia Lan, I'll leave it to you."
After hanging up, Lucas checked the software he had asked Xia Lan to prepare. To put it simply, it was a very simple Breeding House version of Meituan.
After pondering for a while and testing it, he found there were no problems at all.
Lucas looked at the Pokémon before him, wearing their bags and hats. He divided the menus into many copies, put them into their bags, and then spoke: "Everyone, I'll have to trouble you today to deliver the menus to the residents of Twinleaf Town and tell them that our Breeding House's delivery service will officially begin tomorrow."
Lucas paused and then continued, "I will divide Twinleaf Town into multiple areas and assign each of you to an area you'll be responsible for. I'll also give you a map. Please go and familiarize yourselves with your assigned areas today, okay?"
The Pokémon nodded and made various Growls.
They all meant the same thing.
Understood.
Afterward, Lucas counted the number of Pokémon, divided Twinleaf Town into several areas on the map, and then split the Pokémon into groups corresponding to those areas.
He then explained the assigned areas to each group of Pokémon.
After dividing the areas, arranging the Pokémon, and giving out the maps, Lucas took the honey water handed to him by Gothitelle, took two sips to moisten his throat, and continued, "Everyone, I'll be counting on you today."
"I'll have Gengar and the others lead you to familiarize yourselves with your respective areas."
After speaking, Lucas nodded to Gengar, Gothitelle, and the others.
Gengar and the others led the grand procession of Golduck and Azumarill out of the Breeding House, heading all the way toward Twinleaf Town.
The Breeding House suddenly became quiet.
Lucas needed to stay at the Breeding House. Although the Breeding House had been closed for many days in the dead of winter, as the owner, he needed to be there to hold the fort.
Currently, the only Pokémon left to accompany him at the Breeding House were Mime Jr., Ninetales, and Lilligant.
Since Lilligant didn't like moving around too much, Lucas simply let her stay at the Breeding House as a poster girl to keep him company.
Mime Jr. stayed because it would be preparing the food to be sold in the Canteen later, and it also didn't like going out much. Plus, it didn't know Twinleaf Town as well as Gengar and the others.
As for Ninetales? It simply wanted to cling to Lucas's side.
Mr. and Mrs. Fujino stayed at the Breeding House to assist Lucas.
Now, Mr. and Mrs. Fujino would only take Shauna back to their house in Twinleaf Town for a few days at specific times; the rest of the time, they lived at the Breeding House.
They had also come to love the slow life at the Breeding House—taking care of Pokémon every day, drinking tea, reading the newspaper, knitting sweaters, watching TV, and playing with the Pokémon and their daughter, building snowmen and having snowball fights...
This life was so much better than their previous one of constantly working overtime just to make money.
More importantly, they had plenty of time to spend with their daughter.
Of course, since they were helping out at the Breeding House, Lucas also paid them a salary.
Although they didn't really lack that bit of money.
Over in Twinleaf Town, after Gengar and Gothitelle arrived with the others, they split into several groups and headed to various areas of Twinleaf Town according to Lucas's arrangement.
They knocked on doors one by one and handed over the menus.
Within one afternoon, the entire Twinleaf Town learned that the Breeding House's food delivery service would officially open tomorrow.
Countless children and adults fell asleep peacefully that night, filled with anticipation for the delicious food the next day.
The Breeding House has brought happiness to the residents of Twinleaf Town once again.
In the days that followed, the people of Sandgem Town said enviously.