Ficool

Chapter 52 - Chapter 52: Promoting the Daycare to Wild Pokémon

The next morning, with few customers around, Kawaki sat behind the front counter, examining his shard of the Viridian Force while pondering how he might eventually collect all 100 pieces.

One hundred shards—it sounded manageable, but in practice, it was anything but easy.

On one hand, all he had to do was help the wild Pokémon living in the nearby forest and boost their joy. That alone could earn him shards.

On the other hand, not every wild Pokémon needed help.

Plenty of Pokémon lived in this forest, and while territorial skirmishes weren't uncommon, it was rare to come across one as injured and conveniently found as the Zigzagoon Bewear had brought back the other day.

Unless they came seeking him out on their own...

But how could he attract them to the daycare?

Pokémon, though intelligent and capable of understanding human speech, couldn't read. That meant posting flyers around the forest was out of the question.

What if he had wild Pokémon that had already received treatment spread the word?

That might work… though the reach would be limited.

After all, Pokémon of different species didn't often communicate—unless they were naturally docile types, interaction was rare.

"Ching-ching!"

Just then, the gentle chime of Chingling's bell echoed from the front door.

Kawaki perked up. That sound meant a customer was arriving.

But when he looked over, it wasn't the kind of customer he expected. Instead, standing in the doorway was a small, fluffy Zigzagoon—the same one Bewear had rescued from the forest yesterday.

Its bright eyes were fixed on Kawaki, but it didn't step inside.

"Zigzagoon?" Kawaki blinked in surprise. Wasn't this little guy supposed to be back in the forest?

Then he noticed the object clutched gently in Zigzagoon's mouth—a small, glittering trinket.

The Pokémon bent down and placed the item carefully on the floor. Its gaze toward Kawaki was full of gratitude.

Kawaki looked down, and a window of information popped up in front of his eyes.

[Ancient Gold Coin: Currency from a civilization around 3,000 years ago. Highly valuable to antique collectors and can be sold for a high price.]

What the...

Kawaki stood frozen.

He looked up at Zigzagoon, and in that shared glance, he instantly understood.

This was the Pokémon's way of saying thank you.

For a Pokémon with the Pickup ability, everything it scavenged was a treasure—something it would cherish for life. For this Zigzagoon to give one of those treasures away as a token of gratitude said volumes about how much it appreciated Kawaki's help.

Kawaki chuckled. "That's a precious item. It must've taken you a while to find it. I really appreciate the gesture, but you should keep it."

Healing a wounded Pokémon was hardly a challenge for him, after all.

But Zigzagoon shook its head fiercely—almost as if afraid Kawaki would say no—and before he could stop it, it turned and darted off, vanishing into the grass without giving him the chance to argue.

"Hey, wait!" Kawaki called out, rushing to the door.

But the Zigzagoon was already gone.

He stood there in silence, then slowly bent down and picked up the dusty ancient coin, feeling a strange mix of emotions.

If he remembered correctly, in the games, one of these coins sold for 60,000 Poké Dollars…

That was a lot—for a single treatment.

"Well," he muttered, "if that's how Zigzagoon wanted to say thanks, I'll accept it."

He'd just make it up to the little guy later with some extra treats and energy cubes.

The daycare was doing fine financially. Between teaching moves and running the inn, Kawaki could keep everyone fed and cared for.

So, rather than sell the coin, he decided to keep it as a memento.

As he turned to store the coin safely away, the girl who had checked in yesterday came down the stairs with a backpack slung over her shoulder.

Kawaki noticed the bag shift slightly—something was moving inside.

A Pokémon?

It wasn't unusual for trainers to travel with small Pokémon tucked into bags.

The girl approached the counter.

"Excuse me, sir," she said. "Do you accept Pokémon for daycare services?"

"Daycare?" Kawaki stepped behind the counter and nodded. "Of course. What kind of Pokémon are you leaving with us? Do you need egg hatching services?"

"No!" The girl shook her head quickly. Bagon was far too young for anything like that.

"Just basic daycare? That's fine."

She unzipped the backpack—and out peeked a small, blue Pokémon with a tough skull and stubby little arms.

The moment Kawaki saw it, he froze.

That was—was that a Bagon?!

A pseudo-legendary species from Hoenn—destined to become the powerful Salamence?

"Yes," the girl said calmly. "It's this Pokémon."

Kawaki's vision filled with information.

[Pokémon: Bagon]

[Type: Dragon]

[Gender: Male]

[Ability: Rock Head]

[Moves: Leer, Ember, Bite, Dragon Breath, Dragon Rush]

[Status: Healthy]

[Mood: 😞 Terrible]

[Joy: –50]

[Friendship: 0]

[Description: I don't want to leave April! —Bagon]

Each pseudo-legendary was rare and powerful. Whether it was Dragonite or Salamence, they were highly coveted partners.

And now, here was this seemingly ordinary girl carrying one?

Some wild encounter, perhaps?

Internally surprised, Kawaki maintained a calm expression.

He noticed the stormy cloud above Bagon's head and asked gently, "Are you sure you want to leave him here? He doesn't look too thrilled to be separated from you."

More Chapters