-004- Eevee Declares Its Sovereignty

"Ding dong."

The bell at the entrance of the breeding house rang.

Tong Si hurried downstairs.

Standing outside the glass door was a beautiful woman whose face seemed familiar to him.

He pushed open the door and greeted her.

"You're here?"

"Yes, today was the day we agreed on. I drove over with all the flowers and plants you wanted," Song Xin replied, smiling warmly at Tong Si. With every gesture, she seemed to carry the fresh fragrance of flowers.

She wore a summer dress, its hem swaying gently as she walked.

"Come in," Tong Si invited, opening the glass door as wide as it would go.

Behind Song Xin was her red sedan.

Just a few days ago, he had visited her flower and bird shop to order some plants to decorate his yard.

The renovations to the breeding house were finished, but the yard still needed some embellishment.

To give both Eevee and Electabuzz a better living environment, he wanted to transform the yard into something like a natural park. The flowers and plants were just the first step; next, he planned to renovate the small pond.

"So you run a breeding house?" Song Xin asked curiously as she entered.

The sign outside clearly read "JOJO Breeding House," yet there wasn’t a single Pokémon egg or any supplies related to Pokémon inside. It was as if the shop promised one thing but sold nothing at all.

"Something like that. It’s a re-opening," Tong Si replied.

There weren't many places to sit. Tong Si fetched a bottle of water for Song Xin from the fridge.

The store’s interior was mostly complete—only two display cases, a cashier’s counter, and two incubators.

The machines were still functional, though they needed fresh nutrient solutions.

"Eevee!"

Eevee came running out from inside.

"Eevee, Eevee!"

Apparently curious about the newcomer, Eevee’s eyes darted between Song Xin and Tong Si.

"Oh, an Eevee! Is she yours?" Song Xin knelt down, and like most girls, she found the fluffy little creature irresistibly charming.

"Eevee?" The Pokémon took two steps back, uncertain, then glanced at Tong Si before leaping straight into his arms.

"Eevee!"

The gesture was clear—it was a declaration of ownership.

Lately, Eevee had been clinging to Tong Si constantly.

He had realized by now that there was quite a difference between the two Pokémon. Eevee was affectionate, lively, loved to act cute, and was full of inner drama. Electabuzz, on the other hand, was solitary, preferring to train alone in the yard.

"Something like that. I haven’t officially become a Pokémon Trainer yet," Tong Si explained.

To become a recognized Trainer, one had to register with the League. Fortunately, every city had a League Association office for this purpose.

Tong Si still had a few days before registration day. For now, he was just a breeder, not yet a Trainer.

"I see," Song Xin said, not pressing for more details. Instead, she helped Tong Si carry the plants from her car into the yard.

He had already cleared away the dead grass, so the new flowers took root easily in the freshly turned soil. All that remained was daily watering and sunlight.

The orange tree was still there—Tong Si had no intention of removing it. A few green oranges still hung from its branches.

As for the pond, a specialist would come by in the afternoon to help with that.

The flowers and plants had cost Tong Si eight thousand League coins.

In this world, even buying a single flower could cost several hundred coins, let alone so many for transplanting.

...

"The renovations are finally done. All that's left are the Pokémon eggs, and then we can open," Tong Si said, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

The first task had been to remodel and reopen the breeding house. Now, half the job was done.

Because the house was on the outskirts of the city, customer traffic would be limited. Tong Si decided to start by stocking ten Pokémon eggs and then figure out how to sell them. If he bought too many and couldn’t sell them, he’d end up having to hatch them all, like with Eevee. Not that he would mind, but he didn’t have the money to raise a whole batch of Pokémon.

"Eevee?" The little Pokémon tilted its head, and Tong Si had no idea what it was thinking.

He recalled Electabuzz into its Pokéball, while Eevee perched on his shoulder as he set out.

There were many places to buy eggs. Some specialized shops in the city sold decent ones—even the starters, and certain rare eggs if you had the right connections.

But Tong Si wasn’t considering those options. Instead, he headed to a rural ranch.

As he recalled, his family’s breeding house had an ongoing partnership with the ranch, sourcing most of their eggs from there.

Since the house was in the eastern suburbs of Jiahua City, it wasn’t far. He chose to walk.

After about half an hour, Tong Si arrived at the ranch.

"Grandpa Chu, I’m here for some supplies," he called out as he entered.

He spotted an elderly man with white hair tending his flock—or rather, a flock of Mareep.

On the grassy fields, besides Mareep, there were some Oddish and Hoppip as well.

"It’s been a while, little Tong Si," Grandpa Chu greeted him kindly.

"About your parents’ accident…" The old man couldn’t help but think of Tong Si’s parents. If not for that tragedy, it would be Tong Si’s father here today.

"Stay strong, son…"

When Tong Si stayed silent, Grandpa Chu thought he had struck a sore spot and quickly came over to pat his shoulder.

"I’m all right, Grandpa Chu. Let’s not talk about that. I’m here to buy some Pokémon eggs," Tong Si replied directly.

He knew the prices here would be better. First, because of the long-standing partnership, and second, because the eggs were produced on the ranch—no middlemen, just direct sales.

"Are you planning to keep your family’s breeding house open?" Grandpa Chu asked, puzzled. He knew Tong Si was the same age as his granddaughter, both seniors in high school and soon off to university. If Tong Si continued running the place, what about his studies?

"Yes, Grandpa Chu. This breeding house is my parents’ legacy, and I want to keep it going! Of course, it won’t interfere with my education," Tong Si assured him. He knew from the original owner's memories that Grandpa Chu had always cared for his family, taking a special interest in Tong Si’s studies.

After all, Tong Si had always outperformed Chu Xuanxuan, Grandpa Chu’s granddaughter, in Pokémon knowledge.

Both of them had been admitted early to Jiahua University for their achievements in Pokémon knowledge competitions, but Tong Si had ranked first, while Chu Xuanxuan came in second.

Grandpa Chu had never shown favoritism and was genuinely proud of Tong Si.

... (to be continued)