There were a lot of things that needed doing, so Kawaki planned to tackle them one at a time.
First, he visited the supermarket in town and bought a large stockpile of non-perishable ingredients, which he handed to Bewear to carry.
Next, he tried to inquire about the status of Poké Ball transfer machines. Unfortunately, not a single shop in all of Fallarbor Town had such a device.
When Kawaki mentioned a machine capable of remotely transferring Pokémon, the shopkeepers all looked at him like he was crazy. They muttered things like, "That's not possible," or "We don't sell anything like that here."
Kawaki: …
So that technology really hasn't been invented yet at this point in time, huh?
Well, guess I'll have to ask Steven about that someday.
With that option postponed, Kawaki continued shopping. He and Bewear went to the department store and bought a wall-mounted TV and a berry blender for making Pokéblocks.
The blender was now ready, but Pokéblocks would have to be made by hand. Different Pokéblocks produced different effects, and each Pokémon had their own preferred flavor.
Kawaki had plenty of time to experiment, but it would take effort. To save some trouble, he also purchased a few recipes tailored to Grass-type and Fairy-type Pokémon.
The recipes were a bit pricey, but Kawaki could afford them.
Before he left, the shopkeeper said, "If you ever invent new recipes, you could sell them too."
Kawaki nodded and made a mental note of it.
Once everything was bought, it was time to return home.
After confirming his address, the department store arranged for delivery and installation. Kawaki and Bewear also hitched a ride back.
By the time they returned to the daycare, it was already evening.
Just as expected, Growlithe, Oddish, and the Clefairy had all behaved and stayed in the room until he got back.
Kawaki unlocked the door, and immediately, a wave of joyful expressions filled the Pokémon's faces.
Smiling, Kawaki said, "Alright, we're back. You guys can come out and play now!"
Growlithe wagged its tail and ran excited circles around him.
The Clefairy, clearly relieved, cheerfully dashed out of the room to play in the open.
Oddish let out a quiet sigh of relief and hopped after the Clefairy back to its orchard.
Meanwhile, in the main hall, a department store worker was busy installing the new TV on the wall.
With a few bangs of his hammer, the installation was complete in no time.
The daycare's power had been restored, likely thanks to a repair crew from Fallarbor working on it while Kawaki was out.
Kawaki picked up the remote and fiddled with the settings. Soon, a variety of programs appeared on the screen.
Movies, news, even Pokémon care shows.
Seeing this, Kawaki exhaled deeply. Finally, he could stay up-to-date with the outside world through the TV.
The installer was a man in his thirties. He looked around and said, "There used to be a daycare here a few years back. Shame it closed down. Didn't expect to see it open again!"
Kawaki smiled. "That was my parents' place. They passed away three years ago. Now that I've grown up, I'm trying to continue what they started and keep the daycare running."
The man was surprised. "You look about the same age as my son!"
Realizing what he'd said, the man quickly changed the subject. Poor kid, he thought. Forced to grow up so soon.
"Oh, by the way—since you've just reopened, do you happen to have any Pokémon eggs for sale? I'd like to get one for my son. He's turning ten next month!"
Talking about his son, the man's face lit up with pride.
"Of course," Kawaki replied, looking at the man—clearly a loving father wanting to prepare a birthday gift. "What kind of Pokémon does your son like?"
The man thought for a moment and said, "Do you have anything that's really strong and cool-looking?"
Strong and cool?
That would be easier in later regions...
In Alola, there were Incineroar and Buzzwole; in Galar, Obstagoon, Grimmsnarl, Urshifu; and in Paldea, there was Koraidon...
But in Hoenn? Not a lot that fit "strong and cool" at first glance.
Machamp maybe?
But the daycare didn't have any Machop eggs.
After a bit of thought, Kawaki decided to take the man upstairs to the incubation room.
"Please follow me. All the Pokémon eggs are kept upstairs."
"Thanks a lot!" the man nodded.
The two of them went upstairs to the incubation room.
Originally, the Hoenn League had sent over twenty eggs.
After subtracting the ones already sold and the one Kawaki planned to raise himself—namely, the Solosis egg—there were thirteen eggs left.
Poochyena, Zigzagoon, Wurmple, Trapinch, Cacnea, Chingling, Bonsly, Lotad, Aron, Spoink, Swirlix, Shroomish, and Wingull.
Kawaki glanced over the eggs, the names of the corresponding Pokémon flashing through his mind.
Strong and cool-looking, huh…
His eyes landed on one particular egg.
"How about this one?" he said, lifting the egg.
[Aron Egg — A Pokémon egg that will hatch into a Steel/Rock-type Pokémon, Aron.]
[Condition: Healthy]
[Father: Aggron (Elite level)]
[Mother: Aggron (Elite level)]
"What kind of Pokémon is it?" the man asked.
"Aron," Kawaki explained. "It's a Steel and Rock-type Pokémon. Its final evolution, Aggron, is a massive beast-type Pokémon—both strong and cool-looking. A very dependable partner."
Aggron… that did sound like something his son would love.
In his mind, the man imagined how happy his son would be when he started his journey as a Trainer, and instantly made his decision.
"I'll take it!"
"Alright, that'll be 150,000 PokéDollars."
The man paid without hesitation and left beaming with the egg in his arms.
Another egg sold. That brought the remaining number down to twelve.
The egg closest to hatching only had about a day left.
Which meant... that one would hatch tomorrow.
Kawaki looked toward the egg in question, and immediately, its info surfaced in his mind.
[Chingling Egg — A Pokémon egg that will hatch into the Psychic-type Pokémon Chingling.]
[Condition: Healthy]
[Father: Chimecho (Elite level)]
[Mother: Chimecho (Standard level)]