Maybe it was because Officer Jenny had once again helped promote the daycare in Fallarbor, but early the next morning, just as Kawaki and Growlithe woke up, a customer arrived.
There are generally two types of customers at a daycare.
One group consists of breeders, trainers, or coordinators who want to hatch Pokémon for battle. These customers usually have high standards for egg potential.
The second group is made up of non-trainers—people who want Pokémon not for battling, but simply for companionship.
Today's customer, Miss Reiko, belonged to the second category.
She was about twenty years old, a gentle and elegant young woman.
"I live alone here in Fallarbor and was hoping to have a Pokémon to keep me company," Reiko said, glancing at the young shopkeeper before her.
"What kind of Pokémon do you like?" Kawaki asked, glancing over at the Clefairy preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Reiko thought for a moment. "Hmm… I'm not sure, really. I just want a Pokémon that can stay with me so I won't feel so lonely. Do you have any recommendations?"
Kawaki paused thoughtfully, then asked, "May I ask what you do for a living, Miss Reiko?"
"I'm a painter," she replied. "I used to live in Slateport, but… some unpleasant things happened. So I moved to this quiet little town to live alone."
"Living by myself is just… very lonely. So I wanted to buy a Pokémon for company."
Kawaki nodded, then asked, "Have you had any experience with Pokémon before?"
"Not really… I never had much interest in becoming a trainer. I was always just going to school, then after university I started working. And now… here I am."
"I see," Kawaki said, thinking. Soon, he had the perfect Pokémon in mind. "Miss Reiko, how do you feel about Skitty?"
"Skitty?"
"Yes. It's a very cute kitten Pokémon with soft pink fur. They don't get close to humans easily, but if raised from an egg, that won't be a problem."
"Skitty are very gentle by nature. They're not strong in combat, and they're very quiet by temperament. It would be the perfect Pokémon to sit quietly by your side while you paint."
"Skitty…" Reiko repeated softly.
She recalled once seeing someone walking with a Skitty through town. A cute, pink little cat—adorable in every way.
"And if you're ever not fond of how cute it looks, you can use a Moon Stone to evolve it into Delcatty, which is much more elegant," Kawaki added.
"In that case, I'll choose Skitty," Reiko decided.
"Then the price will be 70,000 PokéDollars," Kawaki said. "Cash or transfer, either is fine."
Compared to Trapinch, Skitty isn't rare. In Hoenn cities and nearby forests, they're fairly common, so the price was lower.
For a working artist, that wasn't expensive at all. Reiko paid, and Kawaki handed her the Skitty egg.
"Thank you very much. I'll take good care of it," Reiko said politely before preparing to leave.
"Safe travels, Miss Reiko."
Reiko smiled and nodded before walking out of the daycare.
Right after she left, the chef Clefairy had just finished making breakfast. Today's breakfast: fried eggs and milk. One of the server Clefairy brought out several plates to the dining room.
"Thanks for the hard work, Clefairy!" Kawaki patted the fluffy Pokémon on the head.
"Cle~fairy!"
After breakfast, the daycare officially opened for business.
Unfortunately, despite waiting for quite a while, no other customers came.
With nothing to do, Kawaki wandered around the daycare.
Taillow hadn't come by again today. Kawaki stood near the road, scanning the area, but saw no sign of the bird.
With the number of Pokémon at the daycare increasing, the berries from the berry trees weren't quite enough to feed everyone. To help out, Bewear had taken a basket and gone into the forest to forage.
Kawaki said goodbye to it along with Growlithe and watched as the large bear Pokémon walked off.
He returned inside, then headed out to the backyard to check on the Pokémon left in his care and to search for any forgotten eggs.
Swampert and Quagsire were bonding in the lake but hadn't produced an egg yet.
This was normal for a daycare.
There wasn't much Kawaki could do but wait.
The Clefairy were playing everywhere in the daycare. Each had their own tasks, and with teamwork, they could finish chores quickly. Most of the time, they were free to play.
In the herb garden, the night-owl Oddish was napping peacefully under a berry tree. Kawaki didn't disturb it and instead turned his attention to two Clefairy farmers walking through the fields, watering the crops with Wailmer watering cans.
Their wide eyes sparkled as they watched the first sprouts appear—proof of the work they and Oddish had done together.
Kawaki exhaled deeply, his mood light and content.
"Once Castform hatches, I'll have it help with watering too," he thought.
Castform could transform into rain-form, become a small cloud, and use Rain Dance to water the fields from above.
The entire daycare was now thriving.
Compared to its previously abandoned state, it had become lively and bustling.
"Woof!"
Growlithe sat obediently by his side.
It had grown a lot since hatching. It was now the size of a normal Growlithe.
Once it evolved into Arcanine, Kawaki could finally ride it!
Arcanine stood nearly two meters tall and weighed over 300 pounds. Just imagining riding one across the open roads made Kawaki's heart race with excitement.
"Growlithe, grow strong soon!" he said, patting the dog Pokémon on the head.
"Woof woof!"
At the same time, at Meteor Falls…
A newly turned ten-year-old, Steven Stone, stood at a fork in the road, deep in thought.
"My training at Meteor Falls is just about done. Not only did Beldum evolve into Metang, but I also found some rare stones."
"Next, I should keep moving forward."
He pulled out a map, tracing his route.
After passing through Meteor Falls and crossing a wide forest, he would arrive at Fallarbor Town—famous for its agriculture.
"Metang, return."
With his stones packed and Metang recalled into its Poké Ball, Steven started his journey toward Fallarbor.