After squeezing three more red envelopes from the "most honest kid" with tears in his eyes, Gu Xin happily ordered two ice creams online.
One for himself, and one for his precious Diancie. Perfect.
"Boss, we're heading off now. We'll come back next time to borrow the space," Ruan Xinyi said cheerfully, clearly satisfied after snatching three red envelopes herself.
"Not going to try out a Pokémon battle while you're here?" Gu Xin raised an eyebrow and asked her.
"Nope, nope! Our dad keeps a pretty tight leash on us. We've already been out for over an hour; it's time to go home and practice calligraphy," Ruan Youxiu sighed, a mix of weariness and regret in his voice.
Their dad's authority was not to be trifled with.
"Alright then, see you both next time," Gu Xin said, observing the pair carefully. Judging by their looks, they were probably under twenty. Although Ruan Youxiu seemed mature in conversation, his youthful face still held a touch of innocence.
High schoolers, huh? Gu Xin thought. Seriously? Even weekend outings are controlled? What kind of family is this?
Strict households like theirs were quite rare nowadays.
"See you next time, boss!"
The siblings bid farewell, and Gu Xin politely walked them to the door, watching as they left.
"Not bad, not bad. Business was great today!"
Back inside, Gu Xin calculated the day's sales with a smile. He'd sold six Pokémon: a Fennekin, Larvitar, Feebas, Horsea, and the Bulbasaur and Elekid purchased by the Ruan siblings.
The total revenue? Nearly 63 million. Not bad at all.
"Especially because..." Gu Xin glanced at the system task display.
"Sell 10 Pokémon: Completed."
The side mission of selling Pokémon had reached its second stage, earning him another chance to draw a Pokémon. How wonderful!
"System, claim the reward," Gu Xin said, reclining on his soft chair as he clicked the button to collect.
"Reward claimed. Initiating unlimited pool draw. Would you like to proceed?"
"Draw!" Gu Xin said without hesitation. With only himself and Diancie in the shop, it could get pretty quiet without customers.
"Drawing initiated."
The system's mechanical voice echoed in Gu Xin's mind, and a translucent virtual roulette appeared before him.
"Alright, let's see another Legendary," Gu Xin muttered, exhaling. Like his first draw, which netted him Diancie, the unlimited pool offered a chance to get Legendary Pokémon such as Lugia, Mew, or Rayquaza.
I wouldn't mind something like Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, or Meloetta, he thought. Cute and powerful—it's a win-win!
As the black shadow on the spinning roulette began to slow, it finally stopped on a small silhouette.
"Congratulations, host! You have drawn Manaphy."
The shadow sharpened into a clear image as the system's voice delivered the good news.
"As a reward for your dedication to running the Pokémon shop, a random Pokémon egg is also included."
Before Gu Xin could celebrate, the system delivered yet another pleasant surprise.
"Haha! You're too generous, system. Really, there's no need to go overboard. I'm just doing my job," Gu Xin said, grinning from ear to ear while pretending to be humble.
The system remained silent.
"System, claim the Pokémon egg and Manaphy," Gu Xin said.
With a flash, a Poké Ball and a Pokémon egg materialized in front of him.
"Hmm, this egg is hard to identify," Gu Xin remarked, picking up the white egg speckled with faint green spots.
Generally, a Pokémon egg's color hinted at its type—for instance, red for Fire-types or blue for Water-types. However, this egg bore no such clue, making it nearly impossible to determine its type.
Oh well. It's a bonus gift from the system, so it's bound to be good. I'll just wait for it to hatch.
Gu Xin placed the egg aside, planning to put it in the incubator later. The incubator, like most of his shop's equipment, had been provided by the system when he started. Honestly, this system is incredibly considerate, he thought.
"Now then, Manaphy, come on out!"
Gu Xin tossed the Poké Ball, and with a flash of white light, a small blue Pokémon appeared, floating in front of him. Its wide, watery eyes scanned its surroundings curiously.
Sensing a new companion, Diancie hopped over from where it had been watching anime.
"Mana~" Manaphy chirped, turning to face Diancie, its voice soft and melodious.
"Hello, Manaphy! From now on, we're family. Let's get along well," Gu Xin said warmly, smiling at his new partner.
"Mana! Mana-mana!" Manaphy's eyes lit up, and it gave Gu Xin a pure, cheerful smile, nodding eagerly.
"Such an adorable little thing," Gu Xin said, his grin widening as he admired the Pokémon.
Manaphy's tiny form was truly charming. Standing at just 0.4 meters, its entire body was a light, water-like blue. Its short arms, oval-shaped head, and ribbon-like antennae with spherical ends gave it an irresistibly cute appearance.
"This is Diancie, one of our teammates," Gu Xin introduced.
"Diancie, this is Manaphy."
"Mana~" Manaphy floated closer to Diancie, chirping softly.
"Hi there!" Diancie responded, blinking and flashing a warm, healing smile.
Having a new companion around brought joy to Diancie as well.
"Not bad, not bad at all," Gu Xin said, watching Manaphy happily float around the shop, his smile turning into an "auntie grin."
Manaphy wasn't just cute—it was a Mythical Pokémon with solid abilities. But the most intriguing part?
Manaphy was the only Mythical Pokémon that could breed with Ditto!
What does this mean? Gu Xin mused. With the right Ditto, Manaphy could produce eggs. And those eggs would hatch into Phione!
Sure, Phione's battle strength wasn't much to write home about, but that wasn't the point. They could add life to the shop and be great for attracting customers.
Imagine this: a customer walks in, and a swarm of adorable Phione floats over to greet them. Isn't that way cooler than a cat café?
Gu Xin was already convinced of the idea's brilliance.
And as for Manaphy's physiology, surely it could handle laying 10 or 20 eggs, right?
Deep in thought, Gu Xin considered the question seriously: How many eggs could one Manaphy lay?
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]