Chapter 59: Psychological Trauma

"Chansey~..."

Walking across this vibrant grassland, Chansey felt a sense of disbelief welling up inside.

As it slowly moved forward, it lowered its head to look at the blooming flowers beside it. Everything reflected in its eyes was so full of vitality and hope.

Ralts and Bulbasaur followed behind Chansey, now unable to help but be drawn in by this sight.

"Bulb..."

As a Grass-type Pokémon, Bulbasaur naturally loved being in places with lush vegetation and concentrated Grass-type energy.

Every blade of grass, every flower, every tree, and every seedling they passed caught its attention.

That dense foliage looked so enchanting, so impossible to leave...

Kawaki observed each Pokémon's mood carefully.

Just as he'd anticipated, upon seeing the environment here, these Pokémon's moods and happiness levels rose somewhat. However, not by much, which meant their minds were still in a state of alert.

Perhaps this was what Officer Jenny meant by "psychological trauma"?

Passing through the farmland and fruit orchard, ahead lay the pasture with grass and the breeding area.

Kawaki looked toward the shelter ahead that could protect the Pokémon from wind and rain, then turned back to address them, "Here we are. This is where I've prepared for you to live. No one will disturb you here. I and the Clefairys will bring you food every day. If you're willing in the future, you can also come to the Daycare and live together with everyone."

Though called a shelter, it was actually a warehouse-like wooden structure specifically designed for animal husbandry and raising Pokémon like Miltank.

During the day they could roam the grass-filled pasture, and at night they could return to the shelter to sleep.

The Pokémon, led by Chansey, looked toward the small building.

Kawaki paused, then continued, "I know you all went through terrible things before coming here. I'm sorry I couldn't rescue you sooner. But don't be afraid. From now on, as long as you're in this Daycare, no one will ever dare hurt you again."

Sincerity is always the ultimate weapon.

Upon hearing these words, all the Pokémon before him wore stunned expressions.

Chansey remembered hearing humans mention when they were rescued from the sewers that it was thanks to a Daycare owner that they'd managed to arrest those criminals.

A Daycare... an owner...

It remembered now! It all came back to it!

The person who had indirectly saved them was standing right before it!

In that instant, gratitude flooded Chansey's heart toward Kawaki.

Perhaps... perhaps this human could be trusted?

Surely he wouldn't imprison them like those bad people before, or whip them with a belt?

"Lucky..."

Chansey murmured softly.

Kawaki smiled gently and said, "For now, let Clefairy show you around this place. Of course, if you'd prefer I show you, you can tell me. But I think you're probably not quite comfortable being around humans yet."

"Clefairy~!"

One of the Clefairys that had been assisting Kawaki stepped forward enthusiastically.

"In that case, I'll head back to the Daycare first. If you need any help, just come find me," Kawaki said.

He'd already examined these Pokémon carefully. They had no injuries, likely having been treated back in Verdanturf City.

The Daycare was completely unfamiliar to them now. The most important thing at present was letting Chansey and the others become familiar with their surroundings.

Under the blank gazes of the Pokémon, Kawaki said goodbye and turned back toward the Daycare.

It was impossible not to feel a stir of excitement about these rare Pokémon.

Chansey, said to bring good fortune to whoever manages to catch it. It lays several eggs a day, something many Pokémon love to eat. The nutritious eggs are so delicious that even people without appetite will eat them. Many have sought to capture it for these eggs, and after a period of over-harvesting, its numbers had become extremely rare.

Outside of Pokémon Centers, wild Chansey were practically impossible to find.

Ralts, an extremely popular Pokémon whose evolved form Gardevoir is beloved by countless people for its beautiful, aloof appearance, was similarly rare in the wild.

Bulbasaur, the Grass-type starter from the Kanto region. However, in the Hoenn region where Bulbasaur didn't naturally inhabit, this Bulbasaur's value was hardly less than Chansey's.

Abra, though trainers could occasionally spot it in the wild, capturing this Pokémon was still extremely difficult. The moment they sense an enemy's presence, they use Teleport to escape. Even while sleeping, they instinctively use Teleport to flee.

Its capture difficulty was extremely high, which greatly increased its value.

As for Gastly and Ditto...

While these two Pokémon were more common than the other four, as the initial stage of the popular Haunter's evolution, Gastly was still quite well-liked.

And for a Daycare, Ditto's value was beyond description in words.

With it, the Daycare could produce Pokémon eggs endlessly.

In short, Kawaki could only say these were truly choice selections by the Pokémon poachers.

Add to that the Bagon that Xiaochun had rescued, and if this batch of Pokémon were successfully sold, the two of them probably wouldn't have to worry about the rest of their lives—direct achievement of financial freedom.

Kawaki truly hoped these six Pokémon would stay at the Daycare.

If they refused, though there would be some regret in his heart, Kawaki was prepared to respect their choice.

But before that, he needed to help these Pokémon heal from the psychological trauma they'd suffered at the hands of the Pokémon poachers.

Gentle companionship and careful attention were both essential.

Kawaki turned his attention to the other Pokémon in the Daycare.

Should they hold a welcome party tonight?

But whether excessive enthusiasm would frighten those Pokémon was also a concern.

After thinking for a moment, Kawaki decided to take things gradually and slowly.

With so many new Pokémon added at once, Kawaki had temporarily lost the chance to visit Meteor Falls and catch that Bagon.

For one thing, if he left, his strongest fighters, Growlithe and Bewear, would have to go with him.

That would leave the Daycare unguarded.

If some random member of Team Aqua or Team Magma showed up, it would be a disaster.

"I really need to strengthen the Daycare's combat power," Kawaki thought to himself.

Recently, Growlithe's strength had reached a plateau.

All the Pokémon eggs had been sold, and he had no way to hold a second strongest champion tournament.

However, Growlithe was working very hard.

It seemed to have sensed Kawaki's thoughts, so it began training on its own with the determination to grow stronger and protect the Daycare. Each day, it ran circuits around the large backyard to build its physique, practiced Ember to increase proficiency with its moves...

As for the experience share device, Kawaki had given it to Oddish to wear, allowing it to stay near Growlithe and gain experience passively.