Pokémon Breeder's Story

Chapter 14: This Growlithe Isn't Legal!

Under Kenji's gaze, Oddish's Friendship level rose from 30 to 40.

Seeing this, Kenji smiled slightly. He reached out and stroked Oddish's small head, saying, "From now on, we are family. Let's live a good life here together!"

Having come to this world all alone, inheriting this breeding center and the original's Bewear, it was impossible to say he wasn't lonely. But thankfully, from now on, he was no longer alone. He had his Pokémon.

Bewear, Oddish, and the soon-to-hatch Growlithe... These Pokémon were his family in this world.

As if sensing Kenji's current emotions, Oddish looked up at him, blinked its small eyes, and then nodded its head repeatedly. "Oddi!"

Kenji left Oddish in the garden. Compared to the indoors, Oddish preferred living outside, surrounded by the scent of nature. More importantly, Oddish were nocturnal Pokémon. They walked around constantly at night, growing as they bathed in the moonlight. The garden was large enough for Oddish to move about freely.

Kenji said goodbye to Oddish and returned to the breeding center.

In the living room, Bewear had already washed the dishes and picked up the broom to begin its daily cleaning.

"So reliable!" Kenji's heart filled with gratitude for Bewear. "Thank you for your hard work, Bewear!"

"Kyuu~" Bewear didn't feel tired at all. If it didn't do the work, its young master would have to. It didn't want its young master to get tired. Therefore, the best solution was for it to handle all the housework! That way, its young master could relax a little!

"I'm going to check on Growlithe's situation," Kenji said.

Bewear nodded. "Kyuu~"

Kenji went up the stairs to the second floor. Growlithe's egg was currently placed in his bedroom. He had bought many daily necessities during his trip to Fallarbor Town a few days ago, including a dog bed for Growlithe and food for when the young Pokémon hatched, such as Moomoo Milk.

Pokémon were different from ordinary creatures. Their bodies were both powerful and fragile. They were powerful enough to breathe fire, spit water, and cause earthquakes, but also fragile enough to lose their lives from a simple fever or cold. This was especially true for newly hatched Pokémon. Only with meticulous care could they grow up healthy and strong.

In the bedroom, the egg with fiery red patterns stood quietly in its little incubator nest.

[Growlithe Egg: A Pokémon egg that can hatch a Fire-type Pokémon, Growlithe.]

[Health: Healthy]

[Father: Arcanine (Elite Four-level)]

[Mother: Arcanine (Elite Four-level)]

[Hatching Progress: 29/30]

Kenji stepped forward and cradled the egg in his arms, speaking to it. "Growlithe, can you hear me? I'm Kenji. I'm really looking forward to your birth."

This wasn't just Kenji talking to himself. Because the Growlithe inside the egg was less than a day from hatching, it was already fully developed and could hear and even sense the outside world.

Sure enough, as soon as Kenji finished speaking, the temperature of the eggshell began to rise rapidly. This was the Growlithe inside the egg responding to him!

Good, it seemed the Growlithe was very healthy. Kenji grinned, his heart filled with anticipation.

Just then, he suddenly saw a line of unexpected information on the Growlithe's eggshell.

[Prenatal education can now be conducted. Teaching moves to a Pokémon still in its egg can allow it to learn moves it would not be able to learn through normal growth.]

[Current number of moves Growlithe can be taught prenatally: 5. The number of prenatal moves is related to the Pokémon's talent, energy affinity, and aptitude. The higher these three are, the more moves can be taught, and vice versa.]

[Currently teachable moves: Baby-Doll Eyes, Tackle, Sleep Powder.]

[Proceed with prenatal education?]

Kenji: "?"

A question mark couldn't help but pop up over his head.

Wait! Is this even fair? Does this text mean... the move gifts he received from Bewear and Oddish could also be used on a Pokémon that hasn't even hatched from its egg? And it could even break the limits, allowing the Pokémon to learn moves it normally couldn't?

A Baby-Doll Eyes Growlithe.

A Sleep Powder Growlithe.

This... this... this isn't legal, is it?!

As Kenji thought this, he began the prenatal education for the Growlithe in the egg, teaching it Baby-Doll Eyes, Sleep Powder, and Tackle without a shred of hesitation, as if being a second late would be a massive loss. It was no joke. Who knew if Growlithe would break out of its shell in the next second? If he didn't teach it now, it would be too late for regrets. Because once Growlithe hatched, these moves could no longer be taught to it this way.

In the living room.

Bewear finished cleaning, then went to check if the breeding center's doors were properly locked. Only after all its work was done did it put down the broom, look around, and take in the newly renovated space.

In the garden, Oddish was happily walking back and forth, bathed in the moonlight. In the bedroom on the second floor, its young master was looking at the Pokémon in the egg with great anticipation.

How wonderful! The breeding center was getting livelier!

Bewear stood outside the door watching the scene. Thinking about the changes in its young master over the past few days and the increasingly lively breeding center, its heart felt both gratified and happy, yet also a little sad.

Bewear felt a sourness in its heart. It quietly turned and left, went downstairs to the backyard, and sat on a large rock, looking up at the moon in the sky.

A long, long time ago, its trainer, its young master's father, had run this breeding center with them just like this. At that time, he would often sit on this very rock, admiring the beautiful night sky above while telling them about the constellations.

Later, its master met his wife, and they had their young master. From then on, Bewear treated the young master as its own child. When the young master was happy, it would be happy too. When the young master was sad, it would be sad with him.

Until three years ago, when the accident happened, and everything changed. Its trainer died. They could no longer listen to him tell stories of Pokémon that came from the stars under this night sky.

Bewear's eyes grew moist, and tears slid down its face, wetting the fur on its cheeks.

[Pokémon: Bewear]

[Gender: Female]

[Ability: Fluffy]

[Talent: Huge Power]

[Moves: Tackle, Leer, Endure, Baby-Doll Eyes, Thrash, Flail, Payback, Take Down, Hammer Arm, Swords Dance, Hyper Beam, Rest, Return, Pain Split]

[Status: Healthy]

[Mood: 🌧️▒]

[Joy Value: -90]

[Friendship: 100 (You depend on each other in this world)]

[Description: Young master is the most important thing in the world! —Bewear.]

Kenji stood quietly in the distance, watching this scene. He didn't know when, but a small dark cloud had appeared above Bewear's head, and a heavy rain was pouring down. It was grieving. It was sad.

Is it thinking about the past?

Kenji recalled something from a long, long time ago in the original's memory. How could a Pokémon not feel sad when its trainer passed away? When the news of the shipwreck came back, the original Kenji had been so grief-stricken he nearly fainted. At that time, Bewear, despite being in immense pain itself from losing its trainer, had forced itself to calm down and used the move "Pain Split" on its young master.

Kenji's heart was filled with complex emotions. Perhaps because his soul had completely merged with the original's memories, he felt an uncontrollable, intense sadness.

This time, let him be the one to use "Pain Split" on Bewear.

Kenji walked forward and sat down beside Bewear. Bewear quickly wiped away its tears.

Kenji took Bewear's paw, showing it through this gesture that he would always be with it.

"I heard from everyone at the orphanage that people who pass away become stars in the sky. If one day you see a star you don't recognize, maybe that's them."

Bewear froze.

"So, Mom and Dad must be watching us from the sky! Bewear, let's work hard together and show them!"

Bewear raised its head and tried its best to look at the starry sky, searching for two stars it had never seen before among the countless constellations.

Just then, two stars suddenly twinkled. They were two stars it had never seen before! And next to the two stars, there was a small, inconspicuous star.

Bewear's eyes lit up, and it quickly pointed at the two stars, saying, "Kyuu!"

"I see them, Bewear," Kenji said. "Mom and Dad definitely wouldn't want to see us continue to be downcast."

"Kyuu..."

"So, Bewear," Kenji looked at it and said, "let's work hard and live well tomorrow, too!"

Bewear immediately felt less sad. It looked at the stars in the sky, then at Kenji accompanying it, and responded, "Kyuu!"