"Bewear, be gentle!" Kawaki called out.
"Guu!"
Bewear looked toward the wild Oddish and immediately understood what its little human meant.
It stood up and began walking in that direction with heavy steps.
The massive body over two meters tall made dull sounds as it moved across the grass. For the Oddish, it felt like the very ground was shaking beneath it.
The Oddish that had been enjoying the evening sunlight suddenly jolted awake. When it opened its eyes, it saw a towering Pokémon standing right in front of it, blocking its path.
"Od-dish?"
Having just woken up, the Oddish's entire plant body wasn't fully alert yet. Its small eyes showed obvious confusion.
But the next second, this Oddish suddenly realized what was happening.
"Od-dish!"
It let out a cry of alarm, panicking as it leaped up from the ground, almost instinctively turning to flee.
"Boom!"
Bewear swung its arm, delivering a Hammer Arm that struck the Oddish and blocked its escape route.
The tiny Oddish looked serious as it turned around to face the Pokémon and the human standing behind it.
So you want to capture me?
That won't be so easy!
If that's how it is, then let's battle!
The Oddish shook the leaves on top of its head, and in an instant, tiny specks of powder drifted out, floating toward Bewear.
"Stun Spore?" Kawaki commanded. "Bewear, hold your breath and use Tackle!"
"Guu!"
Bewear's massive body over two meters tall charged at the Oddish like a tank.
The tiny Oddish had no time to dodge and was sent flying backward, collapsing on the ground and losing its ability to battle.
Kawaki immediately pulled a red and white Poké Ball from his pocket and threw it toward the Oddish.
With a "click," a red beam of light shot out from the Poké Ball, enveloped the Oddish's body, and drew it inside.
The Poké Ball hit the grass and began to shake.
Once, twice, three times...
Then it went completely still.
This meant the capture was successful!
Kawaki felt a wave of relief wash over him. He walked forward to pick up the Oddish's Poké Ball. Now the Daycare would have a dedicated Grass-type Pokémon to help tend to the herbs.
But before that, he needed to get to know each other with the Oddish first.
Because the Poké Balls in this world didn't have brainwashing functions. Even if you forcibly captured a Pokémon in a ball, it wouldn't necessarily obey your commands.
Unless you proved your strength or character to them, only then could you truly earn their recognition.
*
When Kawaki returned to the Daycare, it had grown completely dark.
Bright, clear moonlight spilled across the earth, and even without artificial lighting, you could see everything around you clearly.
He pushed open the door, turned on the lights, and sat on the sofa with Bewear, taking out the Oddish's Poké Ball.
As a flash of white light passed by, the Oddish's small figure appeared on the table, eyes open, looking somewhat fearfully at the human and Pokémon before it.
Kawaki brought over a spray-type healing medicine for treating Pokémon injuries, treating the Oddish's wounds while soothing its emotions.
"Don't be afraid, Oddish. I'm Kawaki, and this is Bewear. We're very happy to meet you!"
Feeling the gentle mist spraying onto its body, the wounds from the earlier battle immediately stopped hurting. The Oddish widened its eyes, seeming somewhat happy.
"Od-diish!"
Seeing that the Oddish had accepted its fate of being captured, Kawaki smiled slightly and said, "Well then, please take care of us from now on, Oddish!"
The Oddish stared blankly up at the human before it.
"Od-dish..."
Kawaki glanced at the Oddish's stats and found that its happiness had dropped from 20 to 10.
But its friendship had changed from 0 to 10.
There was also a message following it.
[Your formidable strength has earned the Oddish's recognition. It acknowledges you as its trainer.]
Seeing this, Kawaki smiled slightly.
Affection and such things could be cultivated over time. As long as the Oddish was willing to follow him, then everything would be fine.
"Guu guu guu!"
Just then, Bewear's stomach made a series of rumbling sounds.
Hearing this, both Kawaki and the Oddish were slightly startled, then simultaneously looked toward Bewear.
"Guu..." Bewear scratched its head somewhat embarrassedly.
Kawaki couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I'll go prepare dinner right now."
The Daycare currently had limited ingredients. Kawaki made himself a bowl of noodles and prepared a berry feast and Pokémon treats purchased from Autumn Leaf Town for Bewear and Oddish.
Under the warm lighting, one human and two Pokémon sat around the small dining table, eating very happily.
"Oddish, go ahead and eat up. After we're done, I'll show you around our home!" Kawaki said.
The Oddish, who had grown up in the wild drinking only dew, had never tasted anything so delicious. It ate the treats in big bites while nodding enthusiastically.
"Od-dissh!"
In just one meal, the Oddish's friendship had already risen from 10 to 30, and its happiness had jumped from 10 to 50.
The nearly 40-point happiness increase directly brought Kawaki a new reward.
[Oddish's mood has improved, happiness +40, received Oddish's gift: "Sleep Powder" TM.]
[Sleep Powder (TM): Scatters sleep-inducing powder to put the opponent to sleep. Uses remaining: 9999/9999.]
"A new move, huh..." Kawaki hadn't expected this pleasant surprise.
Great! Tomorrow the Daycare's main services could expand by one more offering.
After dinner, Bewear went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Meanwhile, Kawaki took the Oddish to the garden where various fruit trees, herbs, flowers, and crops were growing.
Here the grass was lush and green, moonlight covered the ground, and as the evening breeze passed through, the leaves of the fruit trees made gentle rustling sounds, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
Behind them was the brightly lit Daycare, and a ring of fencing around them protected this garden, separating everything here from the outside world and making it their little home.
A tangible sense of security washed over them.
"Od-dish..."
With just one look, the Oddish fell in love with this place. Tiny sparkles of light appeared in its small eyes.
"Do you like it?" Kawaki crouched down, asking from an equal level with the Oddish.
"Od-dish!" The Oddish nodded repeatedly.
"The place where we live is the Daycare. This is the garden I specially use for growing flowers, grass, and trees, and it's also the living area I've prepared for you. From now on, you can live here peacefully. If you want to sleep under the fruit trees, you can sleep under the fruit trees. If you want to sleep in the grass, you can sleep in the grass. No one will disturb you," Kawaki said.
The Oddish couldn't help but let its imagination run wild.
On a quiet, beautiful night, it would lie on the grass in the garden with the evening breeze gently brushing past. Above would be the deep blue, vast sky, and it would just lie there, feeling the breeze, bathing in the soft moonlight.
"Od-dish..."
What a blissful feeling!