Chapter 57: New Pokémon

With the Daycare's food problem solved, Kawaki's mood improved considerably.

That evening, seizing a moment when there were no customers, he prepared a hearty dinner for his Pokémon.

Tomato and egg stir-fry, pork stewed with noodles, Berry salad, fried rice with eggs, sweet and sour fish, braised ribs...

The Pokémon ate with oils dripping from their mouths, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

After dinner, everyone gathered on the sofa to watch television.

Having been busy all afternoon, many Pokémon were tired.

The Clefables huddled together dozing, Growlithe lay sprawled on the floor with its head resting on its paws, having fallen asleep at some point. Bellsprout and Ditto leaned against each other, hanging from the eaves and snoring away.

Even Oddish, a nocturnal Pokémon, couldn't help but succumb to drowsiness.

This scene was so warm and lively.

Kawaki and Bewear stood watching it all.

Unbeknownst to him, the Daycare had accumulated so many Pokémon.

Just then, the phone in the Daycare suddenly rang.

Kawaki was somewhat surprised. Who would call the Daycare at this hour?

He stepped forward to answer, and the next second, he saw Steven's handsome face on the video phone.

"Steven?" Kawaki was taken aback.

Steven on the other end of the line gave a slight nod, then asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"...Yes, I have," Kawaki couldn't help but think to himself that Steven actually used this kind of greeting.

After a moment's thought, Kawaki quickly guessed Steven's intention. This call was very likely to inquire about his progress on Mega Evolution research.

Thinking of this, Kawaki asked, "How's your journey going? So, has Beldum evolved into Metagross yet?"

"Everything's going smoothly. I've successfully arrived at Lavaridge Town and plan to challenge the Gym there next. However, Beldum hasn't shown any signs of evolution yet," Steven answered honestly.

On the other end of the phone, Kawaki could see that Beldum looked somewhat dejected.

Kawaki smiled and said, "Don't worry, Beldum. Your evolution is just a matter of time. I believe you and Steven will definitely become the strongest combination in the entire Hoenn region."

After all, Steven was the true champion, the number one person in Hoenn.

However, from the perspective of Steven and Beldum, who didn't know what the future held, these words carried a different meaning.

Did Kawaki truly believe in them that much?

Beldum's heart was moved. Were it and its trainer really the strongest combination in all of Hoenn?

Steven had always been very confident in his own abilities, but even so, when he heard Kawaki's words, his heart stirred.

He looked at Kawaki across from him, a confident smile appearing on his face. He nodded and said, "Yes, we'll definitely not disappoint your trust!"

Regarding Mega Evolution for Steven and Metagross, Kawaki was ninety percent confident, but all of this was predicated on Beldum evolving into Metagross first.

Currently, it seemed there was still some time before that happened.

"By the way, how's the research coming along?" Steven asked, "Do you need me to provide research funding and some personnel?"

Hearing this, Kawaki pretended not to know Steven's identity and asked with feigned surprise, "Research funding?"

Steven paused for a moment, suddenly realizing that Kawaki apparently didn't know his true identity.

The young master of Devon Corporation, the heir to the Tycoon family.

These two identities meant Steven was far from an ordinary person.

Steven recalled how people's attitudes toward him changed when he'd revealed his identity in the past, becoming respectful and admiring.

Back then, Steven had felt a sense of "there's now a tragic, thick barrier between us."

But... Steven didn't want their relationship with Kawaki to be tainted by such things.

After some thought, young Tycoon told the first lie of his life.

"It's money I've accumulated from my travels. You know how Pokémon battles can earn prize money. Besides, I've made friends who research Pokémon. If you want, I can introduce them to you."

"I see!" Kawaki suppressed a smile and shook his head, "Never mind then. You should keep that money for taking care of Beldum and the others. There are so many expenses during travels."

Steven felt genuinely moved inside.

"I understand. If you need anything, just let me know," he said.

Kawaki smiled and made some small talk with Steven before hanging up the phone.

*

The next morning, the Daycare officially reopened for business.

However, there were no customers early on, so Kawaki found himself at loose ends. He began wondering whether he should take this opportunity to visit Meteor Falls and meet that Bagon.

As for why the information said "one" Bagon rather than "a group" like the Clefables—that's because Bagon don't travel in herds. They prefer to live solitary lives.

In the wild, young Bagon leave their parents shortly after growing up and begin living independently.

This meant there were no elders from their species like Salamence to protect them.

In terms of difficulty to catch, Bagon was far easier than Dragonite, another pseudo-legendary.

Just as Kawaki was about to set out, however, a siren suddenly sounded outside the Daycare.

Going outside to look, it turned out to be Officer Jenny Jun on her police motorcycle.

"Officer Jenny?" Kawaki was somewhat surprised.

Officer Jenny said, "The Officer Jenny in Verdanturf City has successfully rescued those imprisoned Pokémon. Some have already been reunited with their trainers, but others have nowhere to go. Several have suffered significant psychological trauma, so we have no way to release them back into the wild."

Hearing this, Kawaki was taken aback, "Where are those Pokémon now?"

Officer Jenny pulled a white box from the back of her police motorcycle. When she opened it, it revealed six red and white Poké Balls inside.

"We found a total of ten Pokémon there. Four have been claimed by trainers. These six are wild Pokémon," Officer Jenny explained.

These six Pokémon had all suffered varying degrees of psychological trauma from abuse. Some were so terrified of humans they couldn't even move.

"Come inside the Daycare first!" Kawaki turned and ushered her in.

Officer Jenny nodded, and the two entered the main hall. Officer Jenny picked up the Poké Balls and released the Pokémon inside one by one.

As flashes of white light passed, Kawaki finally saw what these Pokémon looked like.

Ralts, Bulbasaur, Gastly, Chansey, Ditto, and a Abra.

The moment they left their Poké Balls, Ralts, Bulbasaur, Gastly, Ditto, and Abra instinctively huddled behind Chansey.

Although Chansey was also terrified, she still made an effort to shield the other Pokémon behind her, her face full of wariness as she looked at the two humans before her.

Seeing several of these Pokémon clearly didn't belong to the Hoenn region, Kawaki was momentarily stunned.

Officer Jenny explained, "Bulbasaur, Chansey, and Ditto were smuggled into Hoenn by those Pokémon poachers from other regions."

"They were using Hoenn as a transit hub, planning to transport them to Sinnoh and then sell them at high prices to buyers."