KRD: Hello everyone! Kamen Rider Duelist and Gundam-Knight-Chris here for another chapter of Pokémon: The Path of Truth & Ideals! Sorry about the late update, but given that school's out for the summer, people going on vacation, not to mention being under the sweltering heat where I live as I deal with being slammed by a plethora of customers at work… yeah, it's gonna be a hellish three to four months. And I'm not looking forward to it either…
GKC: Tell me about it. This summer already sucks. 100 degree weather, potentially getting heat stroke, and dehydration? Absolutely terrible.
KRD: I know! Not to mention it's also hot inside the restaurant with the fryers and grill, which is already bad in itself! I had to drink at least a large cup of water in-between customers just to keep hydrated!
GKC: Try working in a warehouse. It's a pain in the ass, literally and figuratively.
KRD: I know a guy that worked in a warehouse, so I can somewhat understand where you're coming from. Anyways, enough complaining! We're here to present the newest chapter!
GKC: Quite. And this is on the lighthearted side of things.
KRD: Yup! So enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. All creative and production rights for Pokémon Black and White belong solely to Satoshi Tajiri, Junichi Masuda, Hitoshi Yamagami, Shusaku Egami, Hiroaki Tsuru, Shigeki Morimoto, Shigeru Ohmori, Tetsuya Watanabe, Ken Sugimori, Takao Unno, Toshinobu Matsumiya, Shota Kageyama, Go Ichinose, Hitomi Sato, and Minako Adachi. All IP rights for Pokémon Black and White belong to GAME FREAK inc.,Nintendo, and the Pokémon Company.
Chapter 7: A Day at the Pokémon Daycare
It's been a few days since Hilbert had caught Skarmory. I took the downtime to recover from my abduction of that pesky steel bird while Hilda kept me company. Ash, Pikachu, Iris, and Axew had already left Straiton City, likely heading over to the next city to get his next badge in Nacrene City. As for Holmes, well, who knows where he is, but at the very least before leaving town, he left us his contact info to add to the Xtransceiver.
As of now, I was sitting on a bench yet covered in bandages from some of the wounds that were healing from the applied Potions that Nurse Joy had given me.
Across from me, Hilbert was currently cleaning his new Skarmory's steel feathers with a cloth and special polish designed for Steel-type Pokémon. From the obvious preening and cooing noises it released, Skarmory loved it. Me however, I'm thinking of ways to get back at that steel chicken for kidnapping and attempting to eat me.
"Kris?"
"Bwah- huh?" I was snapped out of my thoughts when I looked over to the side and saw Hilda sitting next to me. "Uh, hey, what's up?"
"I was trying to get your attention, but you look spaced out." Hilda told me.
"Sorry, was… dueling unpleasant thoughts." I trailed off.
"About Skarmory?" She asked.
"Y~up…" I said matter-of-factly with a pop of my lips.
"You wanna get back at it, don't you."
"It kidnapped me and in an attempt to eat me…" I grumbled.
Hilda gave me a dry look, "You realize that's kinda petty when a Pokémon is just doing what nature made it to be, right?"
I hung my head down in shame with my shoulders slumped, I couldn't argue with that. "Dammit, I hate it when you're right…"
"So glad you acknowledged that!" Hilda said, cheerfully as she patted me on the back.
"Mmm…!" I whimpered, fighting the urge to scream in pain.
"Oh sorry, you're still hurt. My bad." Hilda said sheepishly.
"It's fine…" I wheezed, before calming down, "So, what else is new?"
"Hm, not much." Hilda shrugged. "But I heard Cilan left the Gym in the care of his brothers. No idea where he went after that."
"Cilan? He's gone?" I blinked. I mean, of course I knew he's gone. He's gonna join Ash's group, essentially replacing Brock. Other than his… eccentric evaluations, he's one of the more tolerable members of Ash's group.
"I'm sure wherever he is, we'll see him down the road." Hilda added.
"Yeah, I guess so." I said, before slowly sitting back, looking up at the sky. "I wonder how my family's doing."
"Do you miss them?" The girl asked before she noticed Snivy and Oshawott playing together with Tepig. The three Unova Starters laugh and use Snivy's Vine Whip as impromptu jump ropes.
"Yeah. And given how I'm whisked away here to this world… they probably think I'm dead." I grimaced sadly. "Not unless Dialga somehow stopped time in my world until I'm done with whatever I'm doing here, which I highly doubt."
Hilda leaned back, stretching her arms over her head as she relaxed and looked at the sky. "Well, when you eventually get back home, you'll have one heck of a story to tell your family. Am I right?"
"Yeah, for sure." I said. "Though… at the same time, I… don't wanna leave you behind either." I then caught myself as I waved my hands, "I-I mean, I'm not asking you to leave with me. No, I wouldn't do that."
"Oh~?" Hilda gave me a teasing grin. "Were you thinking of maybe asking me to meet your parents? How shameless, we haven't even gone on a date yet."
"I-It's not like that!" I stammered. "Besides… I… don't think it'd be a good idea."
"And why's that?" Hilda grinned wider.
"I… I… well, that's…" I trailed off, feeling very queasy and pale as my stomach sank. Hilda took notice of how uncomfortable I really looked and grew concerned for me.
"Kris? What's wrong?" Hilda asked.
"The thing is… I'm… I'm actually a lot older than you think I am." I revealed.
"Really? You don't look like it." Hilda looked at me, suspicious.
"Well, in my world, I really am actually older." I muttered, as my stomach sank deeper and deeper. "Tell me… just… take a guess, as to how old you think I am?"
Hilda furrowed her brows as she examined me, "Well… I don't know, 15? 16?" She guessed.
"Okay…" I gulped as I uttered the next sentence that would damn me and disgust her, "Now double that, and that's how old I really am…"
…
…
…
"Huh?! You're an old guy!?" She exclaimed in shock.
*CRASH!*
I heard the metaphorical glass shatter in my mind. That's when I saw Hilbert looking at me, having this death stare that really made me want to die right then and there. Not only that, I think my stomach somehow ended up in my bowels. Yeah… I think it's time I met Arceus. A lot earlier than expected, but my journey's come to an abrupt end. Goodbye, Pokémon world!
"I can't really imagine what you'd look like as an older person but…" Hilda rubbed her chin, thinking of what I would look like. "Nah. I just can't see it."
"H-Huh?" I looked at her surprised. "But I- you're not… disgusted?"
"Can't really be disgusted with a friend, can I?" Hilda pointed out. "And besides, it doesn't matter what age you were then or now because you look like a kid, sound like a kid, and act like a kid."
…okay, I guess I feel somewhat better, but…
*WOOSH! CLAMP!*
I was suddenly grabbed from the lapels of my shirt by Hilbert, and I paled considerably, seeing that he had this dark look on his face. I'm seeing two white dots for eyes, a shadow covering the top half of his face, while his teeth were pointy, He then threatened me with a distorted demonic voice, "StAy AwAy FrOm My SiStEr, YoU SiCk CrEeP…"
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!
*WAPISH!*
"OW!" Hilbert cried out, after Hilda gave a judo chop to her brother's head.
"Stop acting so childish, Hilbert!" Hilda scolded.
"You heard what he said!" Hilbert pointed out. "This guy's double our age!"
"So? That might be true in the chronological sense but right now he's the same age as us." Hilda pointed out. "So why should I be creeped out by someone like him?"
"Even so, that-"
"Nuh-uh, nope. I don't wanna hear it. Kris is our friend, and we shouldn't judge him for who he is." Hilda huffed, with crossed arms. I could only stare at her in shock. When it comes down to it, Hilda actually has her head screwed on straight and knows when to put her foot down.
"I- you- that-" Hilbert stuttered, "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…!" He then grumbled, while crossing his arms and looking away, but he still gave me the stink eye. "Fine, but I'm keeping an eye on him…"
What the heck man? He gave me his blessing to date his sister, so why is he backing out now?
"Oh, you're still here."
The three of us snapped out of our stupor when he heard a new voice. We looked to see who it was, revealing themselves to be… Cress?
"Cress?" Hilbert said in surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Hilda added.
"I actually wanted to speak with you three about something important," Cress answered. "May I?"
"Uh… sure." I blinked.
"Great. Please follow me to the restaurant. We'll talk there and I'll treat you to some food. And don't worry, it'll be on me today." Cress smiled.
And so after returning our Pokémon to their Poké Balls, the three of us followed Cress back to Straiton Gym, or at least the restaurant part of said Gym. Once we ordered our food and got said food, we all sat at the table and Cress began that conversation.
"You want to travel with us?" Hilda, Hilbert, and I asked in surprise.
"Is that such a surprise?" Cress inquired with a grin. "My brother, Cilan, decided to follow Ash to go on his journey. I figured, I might as well take a page out of his book and do the same. See the rest of Unova and experience various new flavors along the way."
"What about your brother, Chili?" Hilbert asked.
"See… there's the rub." Cress said with an uneasy smile, which confused the rest of us, "It's been difficult maintaining the Gym and restaurant as of late, and sales haven't been doing so well either."
"Wait… you mean… you're closing down the gym and restaurant? For good?" I asked incredulously.
"N-No, no, not permanently," Cress waved his hands frantically. "Just until we have the financial means of running them back up again."
"But… what about other Trainers that want to challenge the gym? Isn't there a way we can help?" Hilda asked.
Cress smiled sadly, "I appreciate the gesture, but unfortunately there's no immediate solution to the problem. It's going to be long term. And besides, it's not like challenging Striaton Gym is a requirement. There are other Gyms in Unova that qualify."
He's not wrong there, given that there were badges in the anime never seen before in Unova other than the ones that are seen in-game.
"So, what will your brother, Chili, do?" Hilda asked.
"He'll be going on his own journey." Cress answered. "As much as I don't wanna leave him on his own, he's his own person and needs to experience new things."
"It just feels… wrong for this to happen to a League Gym." Hilbert said quietly.
"Before Cilan left, the three of us had a long talk about it. We weren't happy about the decision we made either." Cress sighed. "But in order for us to grow as humans and Trainers, we need to do this."
"I guess I could understand that." Hilda mumbled. Then she broke out into a smile, "But if you think about it, this might actually help the triplets as better trainers?"
"That's one way to look at it." I nodded in agreement, "And besides, having a chef in our group can certainly help in the long run." With a decision made, I stood up and held out my hand towards the blue-haired former co-Gym Leader with a smile. "It's decided. We'll take up on your offer. Welcome to the group, Cress."
Cress grinned and shook my hand with his own, "I'm in your care. I hope we'll have a good journey."
"So do we, Cress." I said. "So do we."
Meanwhile…
"Okay, the brats are on their way on their journey and so are we." Holmes remarked as he looked at his Xtransceiver then checked his PokéNav. "Hm, at the pace we're going, we should be at Nacrene City in about two days. Maybe we'll pick up a new Pokémon along the way."
"Absol." His partner chimed in a haughty tone.
"You know the rules, girl," Holmes pointed out, glancing down at Absol. "Can't use previous Pokémon. Only ones we catch in a region we've yet to explore."
"Sol…" She gave her Trainer a dry look.
"Hey, don't judge me for using Gallade. Besides, you knew I was going to take him with us to Unova once he was done with his training with Cynthia."
"Sol sol." Absol waved her paw in a brush off manner.
Holmes sighed, "Alright. Let's just focus on looking for a path to the city. We're gonna be busy from now on."
"Absol." The Disaster Pokémon waved off again, before walking ahead of him.
"Geez, what is up with you today?" Holmes couldn't help but wonder. "You wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?"
"Sol." Absol swished her blade-like tail as she trotted through the woods.
"High maintenance as always." Holmes sighed before his Xtransceiver suddenly buzzed, drawing his attention to it. "Hm? Who could be calling me?"
He pressed the button and a small screen slid out of the watch-like device, the first showing his face and the second screen revealing-
Holmes broke out into a smile. "Well, well, didn't expect to get a call from you so soon, Thia."
The woman in question was certainly an attractive one as she was a tall and slender young lady with gray eyes and wavy knee‐length creamy‐blonde hair that covered her left eye with bangs.
This was Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh.
["Hello there, Holmes."] Cynthia smiled. ["Did Gallade make it safe?"]
"He did and he's gotten way stronger than when I left him in your care." Holmes said with a chuckle. "And I got the sweets you sent me too. Thanks for that, by the way."
["It's not a problem. I always knew you had a sweet tooth."] Cynthia giggled. ["So how are things over there in Unova?"]
"Well, so far, it's been an adventure. Met some interesting Trainers and some new Pokémon." Holmes commented before his smile deepened. "I also met with an old friend of ours too."
["Oh? And who might that be?"] Cynthia inquired.
"A certain Trainer from the Kanto region with a Pikachu for a partner." He answered. "One who managed to beat not one but two Legendary Pokémon used in the Sinnoh League?"
Cynthia's smile widened, ["Oh, of course, I knew it'd be him. He's there in Unova?"]
"Yup. Got his first badge after the new Trainers beat them first." Holmes answered.
["Those interesting Trainers you mentioned."] Cynthia mused.
"Yep." Holmes nodded. "And after that, I challenged them to a battle. Naturally, Ash accepted the battle and the other Trainers accepted as well. Won in a landslide by the way."
["My, my, no need to be so harsh on them."] Cynthia smirked.
The brunette young man shrugged, "I was also testing them. Ash knew about me before them so he already knew how strong I am. However, the same reason I challenged them was to see if they would refuse. I wanted to test them to see if they had the instinct not to pick fights they wouldn't be able to handle."
["Lemme guess. They didn't."] Cynthia surmised.
"All five of their Pokémon went up against Gallade and were beaten without trouble. Even used some Combination Moves to beat them." Holmes replied.
["I see. I suppose Gallade's training did pay off in the end."] Cynthia smiled.
"I have you to thank for that." Holmes smiled softly.
["And I appreciate it."] Cynthia smiled back. ["That being said, I'll be visiting Unova soon."]
"Oh? Any particular reason?"
["Following up on some research of a mythical Pokémon there in Unova. And well…"] Cynthia fidgeted slightly as she blushed. ["I miss you."]
Holmes grinned softly, "I miss you too. Who knows? We might meet each other again. I wouldn't mind having a nice dinner with you. I might even make some Kalos region Poké Puffs."
["And perhaps do some… 'overtime'?"] Cynthia hoped.
The brunette chuckled, "I could be persuaded to put in some overtime."
["Great. I'll let you know when I leave."] Cynthia smiled softly. ["Don't be impatient now."] She chided playfully.
"You say I'm impatient?" Holmes raised a teasing brow. "Oh, I'll be sure to remind you of that when we meet up."
Cynthia rolled her visible eye playfully with a wry smile. ["Love you too, Holmes."]
*BEEP!*
"Well, my day just got better now." Holmes commented as he followed after Absol with his hands in his pants pockets. "Guess that's another thing to look forward to while I'm here on the job."
Alright, I'm finally discharged from the Pokémon Center, Cress has joined our group, we stocked up on Items and food and now we're ready to get back on the road! As much as I appreciate the treatment Nurse Joy had given me, I hated staying cooped up in bed. I just need to take it easy and not overexert myself while we're traveling.
"Finally, we can get back on the road!" Hilda cheered quite loudly as she stretched her arms in the sky as we walked on the path towards our next destination. "Ash and the others are probably at Nacrene City already so we got to catch up!"
"Hey now, as much as we're all excited to get out of the city, we still have a somewhat handicapped patient here." Hilbert jabbed a thumb at me as I was slightly limping, only having a cane to support me. Yeah, I feel old just using this.
"Sorry." I apologized sheepishly.
"So long as we take it easy, Kris should be able to recover along the path." Cress pointed out. "Besides, we'll probably meet some new Pokémon along the way."
"Speaking of, since you only got Panpour with you, what kind of Pokémon are you hoping to get?" I asked curiously.
"Well, I am a Water-Type specialist but I find that it's better to expand your taste buds with a variety of new flavors!" Cress said while adding cooking terms. "So, I'll catch a Pokémon or two that might provide a delicious balance."
"Good on ya!" Hilda grinned.
"So Nacrene City, I hear that city is something of a hub for artists." I said.
Cress nodded, "Indeed. It's actually one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Unova. The Gym Leader there actually helped endorse it."
"There's also a museum that displays a lot of artifacts." Hilbert added. "Which also happens to be the Nacrene Gym."
"A museum that's a Gym?" Hilda said wide-eyed. "Wow, the Gym Leader must've been bored and decided to get really creative."
Hilbert gave his sister a dry look, "That's your takeaway from this?"
"What? I'm just saying what I'm hearing from you guys." Hilda shrugged.
"Either way, it's going to be an experience for all of us," I said. Especially for me. Since Reshiram was the one that summoned me to this world, I'm willing to bet that the Light Stone is in the museum and that she's waiting for me.
Cress chuckled, "This is certainly going to be an exquisite delicacy. I'm feeling quite excited."
"That makes two of us." I smirked, before looking at the Xtransceiver to pull up the map. "Alright, so here we are on Route 3, and if we continue this path, we should be able to arrive at Nacrene City in a few days." I then tapped the button to enlarge the map. "Huh… there's also a Pokémon Daycare on this route too."
"A Daycare?" Hilbert repeated, confused.
"That means there will be baby Pokémon!" Hilda suddenly gushed with a bit of red on her cheeks. "Let's get going! I want to see them!"
"Whoa, easy there, Hilda." I placated. "We'll get there eventually. No need to rush."
"I don't think she's listening." Hilbert deadpanned as he watched his sister gush happily.
Meanwhile… a certain trio of misfits were trudging through the woods of Route 3 after being sent flying by another Thunderbolt, courtesy of a certain electric mouse.
"Ugh, yet again. Zapped and sent blasting off." James groaned, covered in scuff marks.
"You think we should consider changing jobs?" Meowth considered.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Jessie shrieked, much to their shock, "We are not leaving Unova until we capture that Pikachu!"
"Woooooobuffet!" Wobuffet chimed in with a salute.
"But… you heard what that new twerp said." Meowth said. "Pikachu really ain't that special at the end of the day. And we've been doing this for how long now?"
"You moron! Think for a minute!" Jessie interjected. "In all of our previous encounters with the twerp, Pikachu has battled strong Trainers and even Legendary Pokémon! No other Pikachu in the world could compare!"
"What's your point?" James asked, disheartened. "Legendary or not, they're still Pokémon."
"Hold on, Jessie's on to something." Meowth folded his paws over his chest. "The twerp's Pikachu went up against Champions who have super-duper strong Pokémon and even come out on top against some of them. Legendary Pokémon are equivalent to a force of nature and Pikachu was still willing to fight them. And then there's that one twerp with those combo moves. Pikachu stared down that Trainer's most powerful team and didn't even flinch."
"I don't follow…" James muttered.
"Think about it, James!" Jessie urged. "This Pikachu went toe-to-toe with the best of the best! A Pokémon like that on Team Rocket's side will be an absolute boon for the boss! If we capture that Pikachu, and force it to fight for our side, Team Rocket would be unstoppable!"
"Ooooooooooh!" James realized with a fist onto his palm with a *donk* sound effect. "You're totally right! That Pikachu is worth capturing for the boss! And we'd be promoted and be rich!"
"Exactly!" Meowth chimed in. "And if we get Pikachu on our side, we can use it to capture the combo-using twerp's Absol and the rest of his powerful Pokémon!"
"And Team Rocket would be one step closer to ruling the world!" Jessie finished, equally happy. "So let's follow that Pikachu!"
"Wooooobuffet!"
"Kris, hurry up!"
"Hilda, I said to slow down! We're gonna get there okay?"
Team Rocket's ears perked up and immediately hid behind the bushes. Peering through the leaves of said bushes, the group noticed Kris, Hilda, Hilbert, and Cress walking down the beaten path, coming their way.
This caused the trio to smirk evilly, "And what a better way to get started than by pilfering those twerps of their Pokémon." Meowth snickered wickedly.
"That twerp is gonna pay for calling us stalkers." Jessie said, still remembering what Kris had said and has been holding a grudge since.
"Even though that combo twerp said it first?" James sweat dropped at his partner's antics.
"DON'T REMIND-" Before Jessie could finish screaming, Meowth and James quickly covered her mouth in a panic.
"Hm? Did you hear something?" Hilbert asked.
"Hear what?" Hilda asked, confused.
"I thought I heard some old lady screaming." Hilbert said, rubbing his head in confusion.
*POP!*
This pissed off Jessie as she was ready to pop out of hiding and maul the guy. How dare he call her an old lady?! Fortunately, James and Meowth with surprising strength kept her down as the magenta-haired woman struggled continuously.
"It's probably a Chatot. They tend to mimic the voices of humans, after all." Cress theorized. "Though it's rare to see one since other regional Pokémon are usually imported from ships or by smuggling."
"Yeah, I guess so." Hilbert shrugged, before the four of them continued on their way. Once they were an earshot away from the trio. James and Meowth let go of Jessie.
"Are you crazy? You almost blew our cover!" James hissed.
"That little brat called me old! I am not old!" Jessie argued.
"You sure sound old with that attitude of yours." Meowth deadpanned.
"EXCUSE ME?!" Jessie shrieked.
"Why did you have to open your big mouth, Meowth?" James groaned with a facepalm.
"Woooooobuffet…"
As they say, 'Hell had no fury like a woman scorned.'
After finally convincing Hilda to slow down and take it down a notch, the four of us continued down the path of Route 3 until we finally came up on the Pokémon Daycare just on the horizon. The building was one-story, but the structure was wide and spacious. The exterior was brightly colored with beige mixed with light yellow, decorated with pictures you'd find at a preschool. Finishing off was an area akin to that of a ranch.
"So this is a Pokémon Daycare." Hilbert commented. "I've read about them but I've never been to them."
"Oh, I can't wait. Let's go inside!" Hilda squealed with joy before running for the daycare's front door.
"Hilda, wait up!" I shouted to her, but sighed in defeat.
"Is she always this energetic?" Cress inquired.
"Unfortunately. Too much Vital Spirit like a Vigoroth…" Hilbert groaned.
"I can still hear you!" Hilda called out, scaring both Hilbert and Cress.
"Surprised she could hear that far away." I blinked in amazement. "Well, you two go on ahead. I'll catch up eventually."
"Sure, whatever you say, old man." Hilbert quipped, before walking ahead.
"Hey!" I snapped angrily.
"I feel like there is a story there." Cress pondered as he followed Hilbert.
"Don't ask, Cress." I grumbled, before limping on after them.
"Personal?" The blue-haired ex-Gym Leader inquired.
"Something like that." I said, as we moved along. It wasn't long before I finally managed to catch up with Hilda and the others. The moment I met up with them, Hilda knocked on the door.
*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*
Moments later, the door opened revealing a woman in her early 20's with long red hair tied in a high ponytail and blue eyes. She wore a simple white shirt with a pair of jeans and black loafers, while having a light-blue apron hung and tied around her.
"Oh. Visitors." She noticed. "May I help you?"
"CAN WE SEE YOUR BABIES!" Hilda suddenly screamed with barely contained excitement as she got into the woman's face, much to her shock.
That's when Hilbert pulled her sister back by the collar of her vest. "Don't be rude, Hilda! Show some manners!" He scolded, before bowing to the woman. "Sorry about my sister. She gets overly excited."
The woman giggled sheepishly, "I-It's alright. I can understand her excitement." She collected herself and looked at the four of us. "But why would you kids come out here?"
"We actually want to visit and experience the Daycare." Cress interjected, before gesturing to the three of us. "Those three are new Pokémon Trainers and having insight into and observing your work would be valuable experience."
The woman looked at Cress for a few seconds before gasping, "Aren't you one of the Striaton City Gym Leaders?!"
"Yes. My name is Cress." He greeted her with a bow. "Though I'm with these three because of circumstances beyond mine and my brothers' control." He added sheepishly.
The woman nodded in understanding, "Well, I could use the help. Got a few rambunctious little ones. Come on in then."
"YAAAAAAAY!" Hilda cheered, immediately dashing into the Daycare.
The woman shook her head before looking at the rest of us, "By the way, my name is Diana. I'm the caretaker here."
"I'm Kris."
"I'm Hilbert, and my sister over there is Hilda."
"Nice to meet ya. Well, come on, the babies are probably still playing." Diana gestured inside.
We followed her in and upon entering, we were met with the sight of the daycare. There was a full kitchen on one side where Diana prepares the Pokémon food, equipped with a stove, pots and pans, and oven and a fridge. On the other side of the Daycare is a section akin to that of a kindergarten play area where the baby Pokémon can play. And on one section of the wall were shelves of containers, each containing a Pokémon Egg of different patterns inside.
"SO CUTE!" Hilda suddenly gushed with joy.
And the main source of the Daycare, were the handful of baby Pokémon that were clambering on and around Hilda, who giggled happily.
"Wow, there's so many." I said surprised, "And you take care of all of them, Diana?"
"Yep! It's a rather stressful job but it's quite fulfilling especially with so many different Pokémon to learn about." Diana answered as she went into the kitchen to prepare Pokémon food, both solid and formulas.
"Hehehehe, all of you are so cute! I wish I could take all of you home!" Hilda gushed, holding a Snubull rather affectionately.
"Unfortunately, you cannot. These little ones belong to Trainers that left them in my care until they return, especially the Pokémon Eggs." Diana pointed out as she mixed up a formula that said it was specifically made for Fire-Type Pokémon.
"You certainly have your work cut out for you." Cress commented.
"Don't I know it." Diana sighed as she finished gathering up the meals. "Lunchtime, everyone!" She called out to the babies that were still playing with Hilda.
Immediately, all the baby Pokémon gathered around Diana vying for their share.
"You know the drill. All of you with teeth on one side and the ones without on the other." Diana told the babies with a grin.
The baby Pokémon obeyed and sorted themselves out in two lines. One with teeth and one without, as instructed.
"Wow, so well-behaved." Hilbert said in amazement.
"Well, I've had these little ones with me for so long that I'm basically their mom at this point. So, they know better than most young Pokémon their age." Diana explained as she brought over bowls of solid yet easily chewable Pokémon food to the babies that had developed teeth and placed them in front of the hungry Pokémon. "Would you kids like to help me bottle-feed the babies?"
"Oh absolutely!" Hilda exclaimed with sparkly eyes.
"It's official. Your sister's lost it…" I told Hilbert dryly.
"No, she lost it long ago." Hilbert stated.
Diana handed over a bottle of formula made for Water-Type Pokémon to Hilda then she brought up a Totodile that didn't have its sharp teeth yet and had Hilda cradle it in her arms.
"Alright, Totodile, open up~" Hilda cooed.
The tiny blue crocodile opened its jaws and immediately latched onto the nipple of the bottle, greedily drinking the formula with content.
"Kyaaaaaah, so cute!" Hilda gushed.
"Hilbert, mind using this to feed the Fire-Types?" Diana held out a bottle with a pinkish-red liquid inside.
"Sure, I'll do it." Hilbert accepted the bottle then knelt down to pick up a Vulpix that latched onto the bottle to suckle the fluids within.
"Here, give this one to Teddiursa." Diana said to me, handing me the formula bottle of gold-yellowish liquid.
"Alright." I said, before picking up the Teddiursa and the baby bear Pokémon wasted no time, grabbing it and sucking on the bottle's teat.
Diana was about to ask Cress but she paused when she noticed the former Gym Leader had no need to be instructed as he was already bottle-feeding a Larvitar with formula for Rock-Types.
Cress looked at us with a sheepish grin, "Being part of a restaurant sometimes requires you to help cater to little Pokémon too. I've had practice."
"I see. Then I have nothing to worry about." Diana smiled.
One by one, we fed the hungry babies with formula until the last one released a satisfied burp of content.
"Someone's got a big appetite." Cress chuckled, after Larvitar burped with a grin on its face.
"They always do." Diana giggled, "Now that they're fed, it's nap time for them."
"Already?" I blinked, looking out the window, seeing that it was still sunny. "We still got a bit of the day ahead."
"Babies are rambunctious during the day but once they've eaten, they get lethargic and tired. It's best to put them down for a nap." Diana explained as she carried one of the baby Pokémon to their cribs and put them down. The rest of us helped them to bed, whether in cribs or on one of those small mesh cots for toddlers and putting a blanket over them. Once they were sound asleep, the five of us sat down at the table to relax.
"Whew… that was a bit of a workout." Diana sighed in relief.
"Good work. At least for now." I chuckled.
"Trust me, this is one of the good days." Diana explained. "Sometimes the babies can get rather difficult."
"Oh, I can imagine." Cress smiled wryly.
"So, Diana, how long have you been doing this?" Hilda inquired.
"I've been doing this since I was a little girl. My grandparents started this Daycare when they were young then they left it to my parents then it was passed to me. Well, sort of. I'm running the Daycare while my folks are away on business in the Kanto Region." Diana explained as she looked over at a wall that had dozens of framed photographs.
"Oh, so you're a third generation Daycare giver." Cress realized. "Like a recipe handed down from generation to generation."
"That's right." Diana smiled.
"Wow, that's some dedication." Hilbert commented.
"Well, I was raised around baby Pokémon. So, I adored them. Luckily, my mom trained me in how to get used to them." Diana pulled up a photo with an image of a younger Diana bottle-feeding a young Axew. "I still remember the cute, little faces of every Pokémon that I've taken care of and raised."
"Speaking of cute, do you happen to have any Pokémon Eggs in your care too?" Hilda asked hopefully.
"Several." She gestured to a few Pokémon Eggs that were resting in custom nests with a heating lamp overhead as Diana stood up and ran a hand over the surface of one egg. "All of these are Eggs given to me by Trainers that are unable to continue their journey with them or from Breeders."
"Ooooooh, I can't wait to see them hatch!" Hilda squealed as she went up to one of them. "Are any of them ready?"
"Not quite. Some of them are still quite a ways from hatching." Diana answered.
"Awww…" Hilda pouted.
"But there have been instances where they hatch early. It's usually something the Pokémon inside determines since it all comes down to finding the right Trainer." Diana smiled. "Who knows? Maybe one of them is simply waiting for the right person? Would you like to hold one?"
"Pleeeease~?"
"Alright, hold up." Diana smiled as she went towards a random egg which was brown with a wide beige-colored line that was zig-zag. "Here, you can hold this one."
Hilda squealed quietly in joy as she took hold of the egg and rubbed it.
"She's really into this, isn't she…" I deadpanned. "I mean, not that I mind, but…"
"Trust me, ever since she was introduced to Pokémon, she just can't stop loving them." Hilbert sighed, shaking his head.
"That I can imagine." I agreed. It was then that… the Egg was glowing?!
"Oh, well whaddya know? It's actually ready to hatch." Diana said in amazement, before grabbing its nest and placing it on the table. "Hilda, place it back on here."
"Uh, okay," Hilda nodded, placing the egg on the nest on the table. We all watched with bated breath as the egg continued blinking on and off with its glow. Just what kind of Pokémon was going to come out of it? Moments later, a web of cracks were formed along the shell.
"It's hatching," Cress gasped.
"What is it? What is it? What is it?" Hilda asked, unable to coontain her excitement.
"Will you relax? These things take time." Hilbert chided gently.
Diana giggled, "This is usually the best part when you're a Daycare giver."
The cracks became larger and larger until finally, the Egg hatched as the shards of eggshell disappeared, revealing a small, mammalian, quadrupedal Pokémon with primarily brown fur. The tip of its bushy tail and its large furry collar are cream-colored. It has short, slender legs with three small toes and a pink paw pad on each foot. It was finished off with brown eyes, long pointed ears with dark brown interiors, and a small black nose.
"An Eevee." I said wide-eyed.
"Whoa. That's pretty rare." Diana smiled as the Eevee shook its head before it laid eyes on Hilda.
"Ee?" The Eevee made a cute noise as it tumbled on its feet and tried to walk towards Hilda.
"That's it… come to mama." Hilda smiled widely with open arms.
The Eevee stumbled a few moments until it landed in Hilda's hands. "Ee?"
"There! You did it!" Hilda smiled wider.
"Congratulations, Hilda." Diana smiled. "You got yourself an Eevee."
"Are you sure this is okay?" Hilbert asked.
"Of course. These Eggs don't belong to anyone. They were donated to the Daycare. So, I'm legally allowed to have these little ones adopted. The Pokémon Eggs, I mean." Diana explained.
Hilda looked at us who merely nodded with approval, before smiling wide at Diana. "Thank you so much! I promise I'll take good care of it!" She then reached into her pocket, pulling out an empty Poké Ball. "Alright Eevee, in you go." She said, pressing the button to enlarge it.
*CRASH!*
One part of the wall suddenly broke open, revealing a large tube, surprising us and the Pokémon that were sleeping. But then, the sound of a vacuuming wind whirred to life as it sucked up all the baby Pokémon, before pulling away.
"NO! The baby Pokémon!" Diana cried out.
"What's going on?!" Cress demanded as we all ran outside, and to my annoyance, as usual, there was a huge robotic machine with a large red 'R' painted right on it.
Then came a trio of familiar cackling laughter as the machine opened up to reveal…
"Not you idiots again!" Hilbert growled.
"Prepare for trouble-"
"Shut up, you old hag!" I shouted, interrupting her and the trio from doing their motto.
*POP!*
"What did you say?!" Jessie shouted angrily.
"You heard me!" I snapped back. "I've had it up to here with your BS! You couldn't get the job done with capturing Pikachu, and thought you could try it with us?! Get real! Do me a favor! Return those baby Pokémon and GET AN EFFIN' LIFE!"
…
…
"Good grief, dude." Hilbert looked at me in shock.
"I know they're bad guys but… wow." Hilda also looked gobsmacked.
"They're buncha pricks that stalk children on a daily basis, of course I'd be irritated." I grumbled.
"I am so confused." Cress pondered in confusion.
"That's Team Rocket. They're a bunch of no-good people that steal Pokémon for a living. And they've been stalking Ash and his friends over five regions trying to capture Pikachu, including this one."
"Yeah, they've got nothing better to do, they suck as Trainers, and they have a talking Meowth that apparently doesn't know when to shut up." Hilbert added helpfully.
"Who are you calling a chatterbox?!" Meowth shouted.
"We are. So shut up and give back the Pokémon!" I demanded.
"Jessie, I think we should-" James tried to talk.
"We are not releasing these Pokémon!" Jessie vehemently denied.
"Fine, the hard way it is." I said, before taking out my Poké Ball. "Tepig, come on out and use Tackle on that machine!" I said before throwing it in the air.
The Poké Ball opened up and a stream of white energy burst out before the Fire Pig Pokémon came out. "Tepig!" He cried out. "Tepig, Tepig, Tepig, Tepig!" It repeated its name as it charged at the machine, before bashing his head against its base, but was sent flying. "Tepiiiiiig!"
"Haha! Sorry, twerp! But our latest invention is made with titanium! That little slice of bacon won't even be denting it!" Meowth laughed at Tepig's attempts.
"Then how about this?! Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" Hilbert shouted, throwing his Poké Ball in the air and that steel bird came out.
"Skarrrrrrrrrr!" The Steel Bird Pokémon cried out as its wings glowed before flying super fast at the robot, hitting its target… but no dice. "Skar?!" It said in shock.
"Titanium is tougher than steel, twerp! Nothing can scratch the outside!" Meowth pointed out, cackling wickedly.
Okay fine, if that's how you want it to be. "Tepig, use Flamethrower!"
"Teeeeeepiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig!" The Fire Pig Pokémon blew flames from his nostrils, hitting the cold metal. Slowly, but surely it started to heat up. "Hilbert!"
"I got it! Oshawott! Come out and use your Water Gun!" Hilbert said, throwing another Poké Ball and the Sea Otter Pokémon came out.
"Oshaaaawooooooooott!" The Sea Otter Pokémon sprayed water on the heated area, cooling it which also weakened it.
"Now let's try this again, Skarmory! Use your Steel Wing on that area!"
"Skarrrrrrrrrr!" The Steel Bird Pokémon cried out as its wings glowed again before flying super fast at the robot, and finally it dented in.
"Ahhhh! It bent!" James freaked out.
"Meowth, I thought you said nothing can dent it!" Jessie said.
"Well, not unless you repeatedly heat up and cool it." Meowth answered nervously.
"Thanks for the tip, Meowth!" I called out.
"Gahhhhhh!" Meowth clamped his mouth shut.
"Hilbert, you ready?" I smirked at the older twin.
"Oh yeah!" Hilbert smirked in return.
"Tepig!"
"Oshawott!"
"Use Flamethrower/Water Gun!"
The Fire Pig and Sea Otter Pokémon breathed in and unleashed their attacks of fire and water onto the affected area. Steam billowed as they kept their attack on it and the titanium started to get weaker and weaker.
"Meowth! Do something!" Jessie demanded.
"Uh, okay, let me try this!" Meowth pressed a button on the console as the huge machine moved its robot arms in an attempt to slap the two Starters away.
"No, you don't! Snivy, use Vine Whip!" Hilda said, throwing her Poké Ball and the Grass Snake came out.
"Snivy! Sni!" The Grass Pokémon unleashed two vines that wrapped around each arm in an attempt to pull the arms back. "Sniiiiiiiiiiiii…" It gritted, as they tried to hold their ground.
"Why you little-!" Jessie growled before shoving Meowth aside and pulling a lever. "This will get rid of you!"
"Wait, not that lever!" James cried out.
The machine's storage space opened, releasing the baby Pokémon as they toddled off and clung onto Diana, crying.
"My babies!" Diana hugged the little ones with relief. "Thank goodness you're okay!"
"Jessie, what did you do?!" Meowth freaked out.
"I thought that lever was for the rockets! Why didn't you label this stuff?!" Jessie yelled.
"Why didn't you read the instruction manual!?" Meowth shouted back.
*CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK!*
"Uh… guys? I think we have a problem." James said as the robot started leaning on one side, due to titanium of the affected being unable to hold its weight.
"This is bad." Meowth whimpered. "The warranty on this thing won't help us get our deposit back if it gets blown up."
"And you're telling us this now?!" Jessie cried out.
"Alright, I've just had enough of you!" Diana growled, stomping over to them. "You made my babies cry and you're gonna pay for it!" She then took out a Poké Ball and threw it. "Steelix, come on out!"
SHE HAS A WHAT?!
The Poké Ball opened and as the energy formed, it revealed a giant, metallic snake-like creature that leveled a menacing glare at Team Rocket and growled.
"Uh-oh." The trio muttered in horror.
"Steelix, those no-good crooks made the babies cry! Send them flying with Iron Tail!" Diana told the metal snake.
"RAAAAAAAAAAWRRR!" Steelix roared with fury clear in its eyes as the tip of its tail glowed with a shine resembling iron before aiming it right at Team Rocket's machine.
*WHAM!*
Steelix smacked the robot and with its strength, sent it flying. As it flew, the robot immediately exploded, sending Team Rocket flying even higher, their bodies all covered in soot and scuff marks.
"You know, maybe we really should consider a different career path." James said.
"I will not let this stop me! Those twerps will lose, one day!" Jessie vowed.
Meowth, however, didn't seem convinced, "Yeah, well, I think we should be focusing on the fact that-"
"TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" The trio cried out as they flew before…
*DING!*
"Good grief… they never learn…" I sighed heavily, before looking at my Fire Pig with a smile. "Good job, Tepig! You were great!"
"Tepig!" Tepig said happily.
"You too, Oshawott. You did amazing." Hilbert praised his Starter. "You too, Skarmory." He rubbed a hand on the metal bird's beak.
"Osha! Osha!"
"Skarrrrrrrrr!"
"Nice work, Snivy!" Hilda smiled.
"Sni!" Snivy puffed out her chest with pride.
"Is everyone alright?" Cress asked.
"Yeah, we're fine, Cress. How are the baby Pokémon?" I asked.
Diana approached us, holding one of the babies while the others gathered around her or clung onto her clothes. "They're all okay. A little scared but they're all safe."
"That's good to hear." Hilbert said, before looking at the Daycare with the huge gaping hole. "But that's gonna take a while to fix."
"Well, lucky for me, I've got a friend in the city who owes me a favor." Diana told us.
"Allow us to assist you." Cress offered. "You showed us how to take care of baby Pokémon, so it's only fair that we repay you by fixing up the place."
"I mean, we could certainly try." Hilbert chimed in.
"Could be fun." I shrugged. "What about you, Hil-" I turned to Hilda and she was already babying Eevee. I sweat dropped at the sight. "Never mind, she'll be busy…"
So the next few days went by, and during that time, we took care of the baby Pokémon, while Diana's friend came by and helped fix up the building of the Pokémon Daycare. Of course we helped too whenever we could, taking turns of taking care of the baby Pokémon in the meantime. By the time we were done, it was brand new as if Team Rocket never broke it in the first place.
"Alright, looking great!" I grinned in approval.
"And the babies seem to be happy now too." Diana said with a smile as she patted a playful Totodile on the head while it nibbled on a chewing ring. "Again, thank you so much for helping out."
"It's no problem, ma'am. We're just glad we could help out." Cress smiled.
"Plus, I think the last few days made Hilda pretty happy." Hilbert gestured to where his sister was currently playing with the rest of the baby Pokémon.
"So where are you headed next?" Diana asked.
"We're going to Nacrene City to challenge their Pokémon Gym." I answered.
"Nacrene, huh? That's a Normal-Type Gym. Do you kids have any Fighting-Types?" She asked us.
Hilbert and I looked at each other then said in unison, "No."
"Well, you better grab one, at least. The Gym Leader there is known to be tough even for rookie Trainers." Diana explained.
"We'll be sure to do that." I nodded. Although, technically I do have a Fighting-Type… when Tepig evolves into Pignite, but who knows when that'll be.
"But in the meantime, I suppose you kids deserve a reward for helping me out these past few days." Diana said with a grin.
"Oh, you don't have to, really." Hilbert waved his hands apologetically. "We're just glad everything worked out in the end."
"So, you don't want a Pokémon Egg of your own?" Diana asked.
"I'll take one!" Hilbert exclaimed.
"Wow, talk about a 180…" I deadpanned.
Cress looked at me with a sly grin, "You want an egg too, don't you?"
"I-I mean, not that I need one, but…" I then pouted, "Well, it would be rude to reject a kind gesture."
"Well, come on, boys. Let's get you an egg." Diana gestured to us to head inside the Daycare. Upon entering, it was just as it looked like before Team Rocket decided to smash the wall. We then walked over to the wall of Pokémon Eggs where Diana presented them to us. "Alright, go ahead and choose one."
Hilbert looked over the eggs present and contemplated what he wanted to pick. Then he spotted one that was verdant green with a dark green triangular marking. "I'll take this one."
"Great!" Diana smiled as she went over to a cabinet and grabbed an empty container before taking the Pokémon Egg and carefully placing it in the container before locking it tight and handing it to Hilbert. "Here you go! Take good care of it!"
"I will." Hilbert nodded in understanding as he took hold of the egg and smiled when it wiggled as if it were happy.
Diana then looked at me, "Alright, your turn to choose."
I nodded as I looked over the Pokémon Eggs carefully. There were so many to choose from, I honestly don't know which one to pick. Eventually, I spotted one that caught my interest. It was baby blue in color with a black stripe on top and the bottom, and in the middle were a row of four pointed yellow stars. If my hunch is right, then… "I'll take that one."
"Alright then." Diana said as she repeated the process she did for Hilbert's egg with this one then she handed it over to me. "There you go and be a good daddy for this little one."
"Definitely." I nodded with a smile.
"Hey, you guys got Pokémon Eggs too?" Hilda asked, coming into the Daycare with Cress.
"Yup!" I grinned. "It's our reward for helping out." I then turned to the former co-Gym Leader. "You sure you don't want a Pokémon Egg, Cress? It's only fair that you get one too."
Cress shook his head. "No, I have a feeling that none of these eggs are right for me. But I'm sure I'll find a new companion along the way."
"And there's nothing wrong with that." Diana stated. "Finding new companions in unexpected places and ways is part of the journey after all."
Cress grinned, "Indeed. That's exactly what I would like for my journey."
With our jobs done at the Daycare, it's time for us to get back on the road to Nacrene City. But not before we took a picture with Diana and the other baby Pokémon. I'm gonna document my journey with these photos and make an album of this.
"Take care of yourselves, you four! And take good care of those little ones!" Diana smiled and waved, along with the other baby Pokémon as the four of us departed from the Daycare.
"Thanks, Diana. We'll take care of the eggs!" Hilbert called back, waving at the older woman.
"Just like I'm going to take care of this little cutie!" Hilda said happily as she nuzzled the little Eevee that hung onto her shoulder.
"Vee! Eevee!"
"We'll visit again someday!" I called out. "Don't forget about us!"
"You're always welcome here!" Diana called back as the baby Pokémon all made happy noises.
With smiles on our face, we left the Pokémon Daycare on happy terms. Hopefully, there won't be anymore incidents with Team Rocket later on in the future… oh who am I kidding? While they're an annoying bunch, they sure are persistent. I'll deal with that later on, but for now, our journey continues!
SAVE FILE
Player Name: Kris
Pokémon: Tepig, Pidgey, Egg
Badges: Trio Badge
Player Name: Hilda
Pokémon: Snivy, Swablu, Eevee
Badges: Trio Badge
Player Name: Hilbert
Pokémon: Oshawott, Skarmory, Egg
Badges: Trio Badge
Player Name: Cress
Pokémon: Panpour
Badges: None
Saved On: 6/27/24