The Little Turtle and the Big Villa
After driving back to her luxurious villa, Lily glanced at Squirtle, who was seated in the passenger seat.
To her surprise, the little water-loving Pokémon had already fallen asleep, its head tilted adorably to one side. A big sleeping bubble swelled and shrank in front of its nose, just like in the cartoons she used to watch as a child.
Its expression was utterly relaxed, and a tiny trickle of drool escaped from the corner of its mouth, suggesting Squirtle was dreaming something delightful.
"Hee hee~ How can there be such a cute little guy?"
Lily's fair and beautiful face lit up with a warm smile as she admired the sleeping Squirtle.
After a moment of thought, she pulled out her phone, opened her favorite video app, and started recording. She then leaned over and gently poked the sleeping bubble with her finger.
Pop!
The bubble burst, and Squirtle woke with a start, its eyes wide in surprise. Startled, and with its seatbelt already unfastened, the little Pokémon tumbled onto the seat cushion in an adorable heap.
"Squirtle Squirtle!"
Squirtle raised its head, looked around in confusion, and then, recognizing Lily, let out a soft, pitiful whimper before hopping into her arms for comfort.
"There, there, don't be afraid. It's okay," Lily cooed gently, stroking Squirtle's head.
Squirtle's aggrieved cries tugged at her heart, making her affection for the little Pokémon grow even stronger.
How can there be such an adorable little turtle?
Unable to resist, Lily uploaded the short clip to her social media, captioning it:
"A new little turtle has joined the family. So cute and sweet! I'm sure our future together will be wonderful."
Almost instantly, her phone buzzed with notifications.
Lily opened her replies to find a flood of comments:
"Wow~ Is that a turtle or a tortoise? I've never seen one like that—so cute!"
"It doesn't look very small. Where did you get it, Lily?"
"Sleeping so cutely, and its cry is so soft. I really want one!"
"Hey, weren't you going to get a cat? But this turtle is really adorable."
"Hmph~ How can a cat be as awesome as my little turtle?" Lily muttered proudly, raising her chin.
Her turtle wasn't just cute—it had tricks! She'd seen Squirtle use Water Gun, and it was the coolest thing she'd ever witnessed.
"Let's go, little turtle, let's head home."
"Squirtle~"
Scooping up Squirtle, Lily opened the car door and walked toward the villa, instructing a servant to carry in the boxes of energy cubes.
---
The Road Ahead
Meanwhile, at the Pokémon House pet shop, Alex leaned back in his chair and opened the system interface.
"Does it really have to reach a billion to unlock the next stage?" Alex sighed as he stared at the main quest.
A billion dollars in revenue was no small feat. It sounded simple in theory, but the reality was daunting.
Still, Alex felt hopeful. With Squirtle sold, the second sale couldn't be too far behind.
"Hopefully, Lily will bring me some referrals," Alex muttered.
Just then, Diancie appeared beside him, holding a cup of tea in her delicate hands.
"Alex, this is made by Diancie. Please try it," she said sweetly, her melodious voice carried through telepathy.
Alex couldn't help but marvel at her poise. Despite hopping over to him, not a single drop of tea had spilled.
"Thank you, but Diancie, you can take a break and watch some TV. I can handle this myself," Alex said, smiling.
Diancie tilted her head curiously. "What is TV?"
"It's a kind of human entertainment device. You'll like it," Alex explained.
A short while later, he chuckled as he watched Diancie sitting primly in front of the TV, fascinated by the cartoons on the animation channel.
"She really is the perfect princess," Alex thought with a fond smile.
---
A Spark of an Idea
Alex stepped outside the shop, lit a cigarette, and stared at the towering cityscape in the distance, deep in thought.
Currently, the system was at level one, limiting him to the pet shop model for introducing Pokémon. But if he could level it up, the possibilities would expand exponentially.
With more Pokémon in the world, he could organize local competitions, national championships, and maybe even global tournaments!
"Competitions will help people see the true charm of Pokémon," Alex murmured, feeling a renewed sense of purpose.
However, when he turned back toward the lonely pet shop, his excitement dimmed slightly. The road ahead would be long and challenging.
"Wait a minute," Alex suddenly muttered, a spark of inspiration flashing in his eyes.
Re-entering the shop, he glanced at Diancie, who was still engrossed in the TV. An idea began to form.
"Could it be...?"
Sensing his gaze, Diancie turned toward him with wide, curious eyes.
"Ahem~ Diancie," Alex began tentatively.
"Yes, Alex? Does Diancie need to do something?" she asked sweetly.
"Well… are you interested in acting?"
"???"
Diancie tilted her head, her confusion evident, as she awaited an explanation.