"There's a vision in the sky! A great treasure is about to be born, Brother Mike!"
"Treasure, my foot. That's obviously a Pokémon, and the officials in New Metro City even issued an announcement about it on their official site!"
"It's seriously terrifying. Everything's been feeling more and more magical lately. Are we actually experiencing a spiritual revival...?"
"I'm telling you, it's true. The spiritual energy really has returned. You wouldn't believe how much New Metro has changed."
"Yeah, yeah, maybe I didn't notice much while living out in the east suburbs, but comparing now to just a few months ago—it's like night and day."
"And I feel better physically too! I used to be out of breath by the fifth floor, and now I barely feel it even after climbing to the tenth!"
A strange green light appeared over New Metro City and lasted nearly half an hour!
If it hadn't been for the official announcement clarifying that it was the result of a powerful Pokémon, the entire city might've panicked.
After all, a green "meteor shower" blanketing the night sky is more than a little scary.
But it was also astonishing—what kind of Pokémon could possess such overwhelming power?
The internet exploded with speculation, and the forum section of the official Pokémon Home website was especially active.
But none of that concerned Alex (formerly Gu Xin). He had returned to Pokémon House.
He placed Manaphy and Ditto in the same nest. Sure, he wasn't exactly sure how two genderless Pokémon could produce eggs with Soft Boiled...
But hey, no big deal. He figured leaving them together might eventually lead to eggs. Hopefully lots of eggs, because he wanted to raise them all!
Meanwhile, the Zygarde Core had already found a soft cushion and drifted off to sleep.
"With how popular things are right now, there might be another unlimited lottery tomorrow…"
Lying on his bed, Alex hugged Jirachi, who was snuggled on top of him, staring at the ceiling.
He was just seconds away from completing the side mission of selling 200 Pokémon—he expected it to be done by tomorrow.
"And then... should we do a Contest?"
Alex thought it over. It would still be three or four months before Pokémon spread throughout the entire country, so this period shouldn't go to waste. Not that he'd be bored, of course…
"If we're going to host a Contest, we need a concept first. That's a little harder to kickstart than regular Pokémon battles."
Compared to standard Pokémon battles, Contest competitions were a bit more niche.
They involved tweaking moves to focus more on beauty and flair rather than pure power.
Of course, there were Coordinators like Wallace, who were top-tier in their field—but they were still rare.
But Contests were also a fantastic way to showcase the charm and personality of Pokémon. Not everyone was into battling—some people just wanted to show off their Pokémon's elegance.
They just wanted to share their Pokémon's unique beauty.
"I'll post the announcement tomorrow," Alex decided.
He didn't have the same fiery passion for Contests as he did for battles, but as someone determined to spread Pokémon across the world, Contests needed love too.
"And the gyms..."
Now, that was the real challenge.
"Is it still too early? Should I start appointing Gym Leaders?"
Alex narrowed his eyes. In his mind, the first group of visitors to Pokémon House were the perfect candidates to become Gym Leaders.
They were ahead of the curve, passionate about Pokémon—but would they even want to settle down and run a Gym?
Someone like James Carter (formerly Chen Yunchu) definitely had the strength. Give it three or four months and he'd be more than ready.
But…
Could he ask them to give up their dreams of traveling and becoming the strongest, just to stay in one place and guide beginners?
Would they accept that?
Maybe a few of them would be moved.
There were also people like Mr. Wayne (formerly Old Wang), a martial artist type who could definitely take on the role.
"No rush. We'll wait until Pokémon spread nationwide," Alex muttered.
The Gym idea would need to wait a few more months—he'd let these people grow a little more.
—
Early the next morning.
Alex woke up early and installed new Pokémon healing machines and berry trees in the four workshop areas.
After returning to Pokémon House, he drafted an announcement.
Official Pokémon Home Announcement – Manager Alex
Hello everyone, I'm Manager Alex. I have two important announcements to make today:
First, due to overwhelming enthusiasm, after thorough discussions with the authorities, we've made a decision:
Pokémon will be available across the entire country!
However, bringing Pokémon nationwide is no easy task. Their bodies are far stronger than ordinary animals, and regular food won't meet their needs.
So, our first step is to plant berry trees nationwide. The government has already begun organizing this effort, so please be patient.
Very soon, Pokémon will arrive—and everyone will be able to capture and become Trainers!
Second, a special section is now open on the official website video area for a limited-time event:
Using the power of your Pokémon's unique moves, can you showcase their charm and elegance?
Upload your videos! The video with the highest number of likes by the end of the event will win a mysterious prize!
Reminder: Each official website account is linked to a registered Pokédex ID. Any attempts to cheat or spam votes will result in both your account and Pokédex being banned.
Fairness and integrity are the foundation of this event—save your likes for the videos that truly inspire you.
Pokémon Home, Manager Alex
After pinning the announcement on the homepage, Alex stretched.
"Good thing I've been getting to bed earlier lately. Waking up this early every day is rough…"
"Good morning, boss! I'm here!"
The store door opened and Rachel Fay (formerly Rao Xiaofei) walked in cheerfully, carrying breakfast.
"Morning," Alex smiled, accepting the food.
This hardworking little assistant played the role of part-time nanny too—definitely time to give her a raise.
"There'll probably be more guests today. We've gotta be ready, Rachel."
"Bring it on! I'm full of energy!"
Rachel gave a confident nod and patted her chest.
"Great." Alex chuckled. After breakfast, it was time to open for business.
—
Meanwhile, online...
By 9:00 AM, plenty of early-rising Pokémon fans had already seen the announcement.
And the reactions were explosive.
"Holy crap! Is this real? Pokémon are finally coming!?"
"I can't believe it! It's happening! Let's gooo!"
"Planting trees? I'm on it! I've got a shovel and a dream!"
"Love it! Food for Pokémon and eco-friendly? Count me in—I'm planting trees!"
"I knew something was up with the tree-planting drive near me! I'm volunteering today. Pokémon, here I come!"
"It's gonna take time to plant trees nationwide though…"
"Then let's plant faster! The sooner we're done, the sooner Pokémon arrive!"
Excitement flooded the comment sections—people had been waiting forever for this moment.
They had been watching New Metro City from afar, jealous beyond words. And now, finally, Pokémon would arrive all across the country.
Hope had arrived.
Although the Contest event announcement was overshadowed by the Pokémon nationwide news, that was to be expected.
Alex wasn't concerned about that right now.
He was too busy.
The second Pokémon House opened, a flood of people rushed in.
"My God! I actually saw Diancie!"
"Manaphy! It's even cuter in person than in the videos!"
"Boss! I want to enter the Pokémon draw!"
"Jirachi looks so sleepy and confused—is she still waking up?"
"Boss, can I take a photo with Diancie?"
Alex felt a headache coming on. Of course it turned out like this.
But he had no choice—Pokémon House was way too popular right now.
"Please line up in an orderly fashion to buy Pokémon. If you're just here to look, please avoid disturbing other customers or the Pokémon," Rachel announced sternly.
"And no livestreaming inside the store. If you're caught doing it, we'll have to ask you to leave."
This had happened a few times recently. Some people showed up just to chase clout—some even tried to "exploit" Diancie, Manaphy, or Jirachi for views.
Thankfully, most of those people got swiftly dealt with—usually by Diancie herself before they got close.
Still, it was happening often enough to be a problem.
"Looks like I'll have to set up some rules," Alex muttered, frowning.
Pokémon House wasn't a tourist attraction. People coming in just to take up space and record videos without buying anything were causing chaos.
Suddenly, a customer's voice snapped him out of it.
"Boss, what kind of Pokémon is this cute little one?"
"Oh? You're lucky—that's a very rare Pokémon! That's Smoochum, an Ice and Psychic-type. Psychic Pokémon are especially rare."
"Really?"
"Of course! I'm a shopkeeper—I wouldn't lie to my customers."
"Then I'll take it!"
"Smart choice! You won't regret it!"..
Advance chapter in PATREON
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