The scene before the girl completely shattered her understanding of Pokémon.
The idea of teaching a Pokémon a move it was never meant to learn—she had never even heard of such a thing.
Sure, Pokémon themselves weren't exactly scientific to begin with, but… Sleep Powder Growlithe? That was just impossible!
The shock in the girl's eyes was unmistakable.
Kawaki smiled slightly, continuing to weave his tale: "Pokémon are creatures that defy conventional logic. They're wondrous beings—so wondrous, in fact, that they can interbreed across species. And from those cross-species bonds come all sorts of incredible surprises."
Uncovering the deeper potential of Pokémon… even surpassing the limits of species…
The girl listened in a daze.
Then Kawaki leaned forward slightly, his tone tempting: "So, what do you say? Want to give it a try?"
That finally brought her back to her senses, dragging her thoughts away from the shock of a Sleep Powder Growlithe.
She looked at the Poké Balls in her hand, recalling the list of available moves she saw earlier on the signboard out front:
Baby-Doll Eyes, Swords Dance, Sleep Powder…
Forget the first one for now.
But if her Swampert could learn Swords Dance—
Or better yet, Dragon Dance for a post-Mega Swift Swim sweep...
She didn't even want to imagine how terrifying Swampert could become.
In her mind, she saw a Swords Dance Swampert dominating tournament battles, and her heart began to race.
She couldn't help but ask, "Can Swampert learn Swords Dance?"
"Unfortunately, we can't directly teach Swampert that move," Kawaki replied. "But we can pass it on through breeding."
After a pause, he added, "That said, the day care just opened, and we don't have a Ditto yet. You'll need to provide a compatible Pokémon for the breeding yourself."
"I've got it!" the girl said, pulling out another Poké Ball. "Come out, Quagsire! You too, Swampert!"
Two flashes of white light later, a powerful Swampert and a derpy Quagsire appeared in the middle of the day care's lobby.
Kawaki looked over the two Pokémon.
[Pokémon: Swampert]
[Gender: Female]
[Pokémon: Quagsire]
[Gender: Male]
Both belonged to the Water Egg Group and were of opposite genders. Breeding compatibility confirmed.
"Swampert and Quagsire are actually in love," the girl added quickly. "So you won't need to work on their relationship!"
Kawaki nodded—that certainly made things easier.
For humans, the idea of "forcing" two Pokémon to breed might sound strange, but Pokémon reproduction was a very different process.
When two Pokémon that cared about each other spent enough time together, the energy within their bodies would harmonize. That energy would then separate and merge outside their bodies, forming a Pokémon Egg.
Of course, even without love, if two Pokémon spent enough time together, their energies could still combine and produce an egg.
This process wasn't something Pokémon consciously controlled—it was more like their auras naturally resonating.
That's how Pokémon reproduced.
"All right then, let's get them settled in. Come check back in a few days," Kawaki said.
Bonding took time, and so did laying an egg. Most trainers who chose to breed Pokémon also opted for the full boarding service.
At other day cares, boarding a Pokémon for a day would cost about 3,000 Pokédollars, while breeding would cost even more.
The girl paid the fee, spoke a few words to her Swampert and Quagsire, and then left with hopeful anticipation.
Once the trainer was gone, Swampert and Quagsire turned to look at Kawaki.
"All right then," he said with a grin. "Let me and Bewear show you where you'll be living for the next few days."
Neither Pokémon objected—their trainer had already given her instructions.
They followed Kawaki and Bewear past the front counter, through a small wooden door, and into the wide, open backyard.
Lush greenery, thriving plants—everywhere exuded a sense of life.
Kawaki guided the two Pokémon to the lake and instructed Bewear to provide food at regular intervals.
For now, they were the only Pokémon in the whole lake—in fact, in the entire backyard.
One male, one female. Peace and quiet. Plenty of chemistry. It probably wouldn't be long before Kawaki stumbled upon a freshly laid egg during his next stroll.
But first, as always, he needed to raise their joy and friendship stats a little.
He brought over some food and berries and laid them by the water's edge.
Swampert and Quagsire were already in the lake, with only half their heads poking out.
When they heard the sounds, they turned to look.
Kawaki smiled at them and showered them with compliments, saying things like, "Your trainer has raised you so well. She must really love you."
Pokémon were simple. Even a big brute like Swampert wasn't immune to kind words.
Couple that with snacks and berries, and soon, little sunshine icons appeared above both their heads—proof that their mood had improved.
Their friendliness and joy visibly increased.
Then, lines of text began to appear in front of Kawaki.
[Swampert's mood improved. Joy +30. You received Swampert's gift: TM "Protect."]
[TM (Protect): A Normal-type move that fully blocks enemy attacks. May fail if used consecutively or if the power gap is too large. Uses remaining: 9999/9999.]
[Quagsire's mood improved. Joy +35. You received Quagsire's gift: TM "Toxic."]
[TM (Toxic): A Poison-type move that badly poisons the target. The poison damage intensifies over time. Uses remaining: 9999/9999.]
Both were very practical moves—great for beginner and intermediate trainers alike.
Kawaki was quite satisfied. He smiled at the two Pokémon and said,
"I'll leave you to it, then. Enjoy your time together. If you need anything, or something comes up, just come find me or Bewear up front."
Judging by the girl's demeanor, she seemed like a very capable trainer.
And since this was her first time using the breeding service, Kawaki didn't mind throwing in a small gift.
Not just Swords Dance for her Swampert—if the egg's potential was high enough, he didn't mind teaching it Sleep Powder through prenatal training as well.
That way, when the girl entered a high-level tournament with her one-of-a-kind Swampert, the world would take notice.
And when they asked how she did it?
They'd hear the name of his day care echo through every competition stage.