"It's the internet era. How long would it take if I just waited passively for customers like those old-fashioned merchants?"
Inside Pokémon Home, Diancie was already quietly and obediently watching cartoons, while Gu Xin lay back in the chair behind the front desk, looking at his phone and pursing his lips.
The video of Diancie dancing to "Gokuraku Jodo" had gone viral, just as he expected, or perhaps even faster than he imagined.
Mm, indeed, Diancie's cuteness wasn't something ordinary people could resist, let alone a Diancie that could perform otaku dances.
Filming a video for promotion was just a small tactic, but judging by the video's popularity, the effect should be pretty good.
"I just don't know if those local people will actually come to the store."
Gu Xin thought to himself, but just as the thought formed...
Ding-ling~
The clear, pleasant sound of the bell hanging on the door rang out.
A customer arrived!
Gu Xin instantly stood up and looked towards the door. Sure enough, the store door was pushed open, and a young man wearing glasses, looking gentle and refined, slowly walked in.
"Welcome."
Gu Xin patted his cheeks and put on his signature professional smile as he went to greet him.
"Boss, do you really have... Diancie!"
The young man was indeed Lin Sheng. He looked around curiously, and his eyes instantly locked onto Diancie.
Hearing someone call her name, Diancie turned her head and looked at Lin Sheng with a puzzled expression.
"It's actually real!"
Witnessing Diancie move with his own eyes, Lin Sheng couldn't help but get excited. The video was real after all! A living Diancie!
"Uh... Sir, that statement is quite rude, you know."
Seeing this, Gu Xin's eyelid twitched, and he spoke to Lin Sheng with an awkward yet polite smile.
What the heck did he mean by 'actually real'? Was he expecting it to be dead?
"Sorry, I saw the video you posted on Bilibili, Boss, so I got a bit excited seeing Diancie."
Lin Sheng realized and rubbed his nose, slightly embarrassed.
"I can somewhat understand. So, esteemed customer, are you here to purchase one of our store's pets?"
Gu Xin didn't take it to heart; after all, Lin Sheng's reaction was proof enough of the shock Diancie inspired.
"Yes, I plan to take a look. But Boss, your place here..."
Lin Sheng pushed up his glasses and looked around the store hesitantly. Where were the pets?
This was the first time the thought of raising a pet had occurred to him, but it was contingent on what Gu Xin said in the video being true.
"Our store's business model is slightly different from other pet stores. I've always believed there's a natural fate between pets and humans."
"So, which pet you are destined to be with depends on you yourself."
Gu Xin led Lin Sheng to the rest area and handed him the Pokédex.
"This is the Pokédex. Please tap it to see what kind of partner you'll draw."
Gu Xin explained with a smile, seeing Lin Sheng's puzzled expression.
"Oh, like that? Then I'll try."
Lin Sheng paused upon hearing this, then decided to give it a try and tapped the 'GO' on the Pokédex.
Silhouettes flashed rapidly across the Pokédex screen, and Lin Sheng's gaze was fixed intently on them.
He was very interested in the so-called 'magical' pets Gu Xin had mentioned earlier. Could there really be other pets as beautiful and stunning as Diancie?
The silhouette gradually stopped and sharpened into focus.
"Boss, it's this one."
Seeing the picture on the Pokédex, Lin Sheng paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he showed the Pokédex to Gu Xin.
"It seems your luck is quite good too, Sir."
Gu Xin raised an eyebrow. The picture clearly showed a Vulpix, the standard Kantonian form.
Although standard Vulpix isn't as stunningly snow-white and beautiful as Alolan Vulpix, it's still definitely an extremely cute little fox.
"Boss, do you really have this one?"
The more Lin Sheng looked at the picture, the more he liked it, and he asked Gu Xin somewhat anxiously.
A fox!
There were many fox pets in this world, but the little fox in the picture... it seemed to have many tails!
"Of course we do. Please wait a moment," Gu Xin replied with a smile.
He then walked towards the inner room. Of course, he was going to retrieve the Vulpix from the System. Otherwise, would he say it was a magic trick? That might actually work too, maybe.
"Sir, this is the Vulpix you drew. What do you think?"
A minute later, Gu Xin walked out from the inner room, and following at his heels was clearly a small fox with six fluffy tails.
Lin Sheng's eyes shone as he looked at the Vulpix.
Its body wasn't large, even a bit small, with reddish-brown fur, large brown eyes, large pointed ears, a small black nose, and six curved orange tails. (Translator's Note: Standard Vulpix has pupils, this description might be stylistic or an error.)
"There's actually a little fox with six tails in the world."
Lin Sheng gazed in awe at the cute, soft little fox, the fondness in his eyes almost overflowing.
"Vulpix~?"
Vulpix tilted its head slightly, gazing at Lin Sheng, its brown eyes filled with curiosity.
"Vulpix actually only has one white tail when first born, but as it grows, this tail splits and becomes increasingly beautiful," Gu Xin explained to Lin Sheng. That was Vulpix's lore/setting.
"But it's still very small now."
"Yes, strictly speaking, this Vulpix is still in its juvenile stage," Gu Xin nodded.
"Then Boss, can it grow more tails later on?" Lin Sheng asked curiously.
"You're asking if Vulpix will grow into Ninetales later, right?"
Gu Xin replied, amused. He could guess what Lin Sheng was thinking even with his toes.
After all, in Chinese history and mythology, legends of nine-tailed demon foxes or spirit foxes are quite famous.
"I can tell you clearly, Vulpix can become Ninetales, but it requires a special method. However, it's still small now, so it's not suitable at the moment," Gu Xin said to Lin Sheng after pondering for a moment.
Vulpix doesn't evolve naturally; it needs a Fire Stone to evolve into Ninetales. But this Vulpix is still young and not suited for forced evolution right now.
"Can I hold it?"
Hearing this, Lin Sheng didn't press further. After all, Gu Xin was the shop owner and naturally had more authoritative knowledge about Vulpix.
Besides, Lin Sheng was already extremely thrilled to learn that Vulpix could eventually become a nine-tailed fox. Right now, he just wanted to get closer to Vulpix.
"Of course. Vulpix's temperament is quite docile," Gu Xin said with a smile.
Hearing this, Lin Sheng crouched down slightly. Vulpix continued to watch him curiously with its head tilted. Not sensing any malice from Lin Sheng, Vulpix didn't retreat.
"So soft and comfortable!"
Lin Sheng reached out his hand as carefully as possible and finally touched the soft fur on top of Vulpix's head.
He gently stroked Vulpix's small head. Seeing Vulpix squint its eyes with a comfortable expression, Lin Sheng's own eyes almost turned into hearts.
Mom, this little fox is seducing me!!!