Inside a luxury villa.
"Come on, Squirtle! Look here."
The girl with a high ponytail held an empty bottle and called out to Squirtle in front of her.
"If you hit it, there will be a reward."
"Squirtle Squirtle!"
Squirtle patted its chest confidently, then crossed its arms, signaling it was ready.
"Haha~ It's so sassy, Lily. How cute!"
The girl was delighted by Squirtle's adorable demeanor and spoke to Lily, who was recording a video not far away.
"Hmph~ Of course, my little turtle is very smart."
Lily hummed twice, a proud smile never leaving her face.
"Alright~ Squirtle, let's begin."
The girl, Hannah, pouted playfully, though her words carried a hint of envy.
Then Hannah gestured enthusiastically to Squirtle.
Squirtle's expression turned serious, its eyes focused on the bottle in Hannah's hand.
Hannah shook her arm a couple of times, then suddenly tossed the empty bottle into the air.
Whoosh~
A small jet of water shot out instantly, and with a bang, Squirtle's Water Gun hit the empty bottle, sending it flying.
"Nice!"
Lily pumped her fist in excitement. So impressive!
"Wow~ It's really accurate."
Hannah picked up the empty bottle in surprise, examining the dent where the Water Gun had struck.
"And it's got some power."
Hannah looked at Squirtle, who was basking in Lily's praise. The little guy had a distinctly happy expression, squinting its eyes as it enjoyed Lily's touch.
It was almost like having a little bodyguard...
What Hannah didn't know was that Squirtle had carefully controlled the impact of the Water Gun.
Otherwise, with a soft bottle like this, Squirtle's full-strength Water Gun could have easily punctured it.
And Squirtle was still just a youngster.
"Hee hee~ When Squirtle grows up, it can protect me, right Squirtle?"
"Squirtle~"
Seeing Lily's interaction with Squirtle, Hannah couldn't help but roll her eyes, though she was quite envious.
"Hey~ Lily, did you really get Squirtle from the pet store I recommended?"
Hannah walked over to Lily, pinched Squirtle's little face, and asked.
"Yes, but it's completely different from what you described. It seems like they've revamped the store."
"Is there more than just Squirtle there?"
As if anticipating Hannah's question, Lily shook her head.
"I don't know either. The store is special. When buying a pet, you have to draw for it yourself. What you get is a surprise."
Lily tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"But there are so many options. I wonder if that young man's store really has all those different pets."
Lily handed an energy cube to Squirtle, her curiosity piqued.
Although the images were just shadows, some had the outline of fantasy creatures, like Western dragons.
Could there really be dragons?
Lily looked at the happy Squirtle holding the energy cube, pondering...
Could it be?
"Random selection? Lily, come back with me and take another look."
Hannah's bright eyes sparkled with interest.
"Alright." Lily nodded.
---
Pokémon House pet shop.
"Boss, can't you sell it for a bit less?"
Ethan hugged Vulpix tightly, his face a mixture of delight and distress.
He adored the six-tailed little fox, but...
"Your price of 180,000 is a bit steep for me, boss. I'm still a student."
"Please understand, this is a unique Vulpix. Look around, where else will you find such a pet?"
Alex said sympathetically, knowing it wasn't easy for everyone.
"How about this? If you buy Vulpix, I'll include an extra box of energy cubes."
"Energy cubes help Vulpix grow better and might speed up its evolution to Ninetales."
Alex suggested, holding firm on the price.
He was eager to reach the 100 million turnover target to upgrade the system.
"Let me think about it."
Seeing Alex's unwavering stance, Ethan felt more torn.
But looking down at Vulpix, who was licking its little paws, Ethan made up his mind.
This is fate bringing me to Vulpix! He had to take this little fox home today.
"Yes, trust me, your Vulpix is definitely worth the price." Alex encouraged Ethan with a smile.
Ethan knew the value of a six-tailed fox that could become a Ninetales. The price made sense.
What he regretted was having spent 50,000 on games recently...
His family was well-off, and he always had good grades, so his parents gave him plenty of pocket money, which he mostly spent on games.
"Just 40,000 short... I'll have to ask my cousin."
Sitting down and placing Vulpix on the table, Ethan pulled out his phone, thinking of which friend could lend him the money.
His parents would never approve of him spending hundreds of thousands on a pet...
"Hey? Hey, cousin, have you eaten yet? How did you know I was going to call you?"
"Yeah, it's not about games... It's like this, I need a favor..."
Ethan called his cousin, speaking hesitantly.
Handing Ethan a glass of juice, Alex was about to step outside for a cigarette. Today had been a fortuitous day. A young lady in the morning and a young man in the afternoon.
Yes, today seemed to be a lucky day indeed.
But before he could leave, the door chime rang again.
"Welcome, oh? Miss Lily, it's you again."
Alex quickly pocketed his cigarette and greeted the new guest with his signature smile.
Seeing Lily again was a pleasant surprise.
"Hi~ Boss, you're still as charming as ever."
"Squirtle Squirtle~"
Lily greeted Alex warmly, and Squirtle, standing by her feet, also chimed in with a cheerful greeting.
It seemed this water-loving turtle hadn't forgotten Alex either.
"Haha~ Miss Lily, don't tease me. Squirtle seems to be doing great."
Alex replied with a smile, bending down to rub Squirtle's smooth little head.
"This is the boss. This is my good friend; she wants to get a pet from you too, huh?"
Lily explained to Alex, but when she introduced Hannah, she realized Hannah was no longer by her side.
Lily's eyes darted around the store.
Sure enough, Hannah had wandered off and was now staring intently at Diancie.
"Your friend seems very outgoing."
"Haha…"