Clefairy were not only extremely cute in appearance, but their behavior and cries were also adorable.
Therefore, they were very popular as pets, but Clefairy had no fixed habitat. No one knew where they came from, and they were extremely rare.
Even the Stone family that Steven belonged to couldn't gather so many Clefairy in such a short time.
"You mean the Clefairy?" Kawaki asked.
Steven nodded.
Kawaki smiled and shook his head: "Not really. So far, the Clefairy are just working at my daycare. We have more of an employment relationship."
"...Employment?" Steven was stunned.
"It's hard to explain in a few words. In short, I provide food and shelter for the Clefairy and help them out a little, while the Clefairy work for me and help manage the daycare," Kawaki said.
Steven nodded calmly. Very interesting.
"The food will take a little while to prepare. If you don't mind, you can rest on the sofa over here first," Kawaki said.
Steven nodded and politely thanked him.
He sat on the sofa while taking out his Poké Balls.
There were two balls total. As white light flashed, an Aron and a Skarmory appeared before everyone.
Including the Metang from earlier, these three Pokémon were clearly Steven's current team composition.
"Looks like Steven follows the elite system," Kawaki thought.
The elite system meant not catching large numbers of Pokémon, but focusing solely on training the few Pokémon in one's team.
Soon, dinner was ready.
Two chef Clefairy and a server Clefairy brought ramen and several cups of milk to the dining room.
Steven greeted Kawaki, then took his three Pokémon to the dining room for their meal.
"If you need anything, just let me know."
After watching for a while, Kawaki said to Steven.
"Thank you very much," Steven remained polite.
The two didn't speak further. Steven ate his meal while Kawaki continued reading his book.
Perhaps tired from traveling all day, Steven returned to his guest room early to rest after dinner.
Kawaki didn't disturb him. He kept reading until 10 PM, and after confirming no more customers would arrive, he closed the daycare door and returned to his room with Growlithe and Bewear, who had been keeping him company while reading.
As for the Clefairy... they had long since returned to their spaceship to sleep in each other's embrace.
The next morning, Steven woke up right on time.
He had filled his stomach and spent a comfortable night.
Lying on the soft, comfortable bed and looking at the lush green scenery outside the window, Steven got up and opened the window. A breeze full of natural essence brushed against his face, making him feel wonderful.
Steven felt refreshed, and even his mood, which had been somewhat gloomy from days of training in the wilderness, improved considerably.
At the same time, a line of text appeared before Kawaki's eyes.
[Steven's mood has risen, Joy Value +80, received Steven's gift: "Exp. Share."]
[Exp. Share: Devon Corporation's latest development. Pokémon wearing this device can learn when other Pokémon within a 100-meter radius train and practice, automatically gaining training effects and practice experience. Your hospitality last night greatly satisfied Steven, so he decided to give you this precious device as a gift.]
Looking at the strange device that suddenly appeared before him, resembling a helmet, Kawaki was stunned.
Exp. Share...
Wasn't this the gift that President Stone of Devon Corporation gave to players in the games?
Kawaki remembered that in the games, this device's effect was to let other Pokémon in the party gain experience as well.
Now this device had actually appeared in the real world...
And looking at its effects, it seemed that as long as a Pokémon wore it, they could automatically gain training effects and practice experience from other Pokémon within a certain range?
Wasn't this purely getting stronger just by lying around?
Currently, there weren't many Pokémon in the daycare that seriously trained.
The Clefairy were enthusiastic about playing, Swampert and Quagsire were enthusiastic about romance and reproduction, and Bewear didn't need training.
As for Od-dish and Growlithe...
These two Pokémon were perfect candidates for using the Exp. Share.
"Either way, let me try putting it on Growlithe first."
Kawaki got out of bed and placed the Exp. Share on Growlithe's head.
At first glance, it looked like wearing a helmet.
"Woof..."
Growlithe was initially a bit awkward and unaccustomed to it, but when it heard Kawaki say that just wearing this strange helmet would make it stronger, it immediately stopped complaining.
Kawaki: "..."
Getting out of bed, Kawaki began preparing breakfast.
Steven had also gotten up. He bought a sandwich and a cup of milk, and after finishing them, prepared to take Metang to an open area for some special training.
Learning of Steven's plan, Kawaki thought this was a good opportunity to test the Exp. Share.
"Go through that small door, and behind it is the daycare's open area. Currently there are only two Pokémon that customers have left there, so there's plenty of empty space. You can train there," Kawaki said.
"Thank you very much, then I'll impose on you," Steven thanked him.
"Don't mention it." Curious about the Exp. Share's effects, Kawaki finished his work and then took Growlithe to the backyard as well.
They pretended to feed Swampert and Quagsire while actually secretly staying near Metang and Steven to leech experience.
Steven immediately noticed the device Growlithe was wearing on its head.
He looked puzzled and asked, "That thing on Growlithe's head is...?"
Steven didn't recognize it? Kawaki was slightly stunned, but quickly understood. This Exp. Share was very likely something from the games, so it was normal that the real-world Steven didn't recognize it.
"This is a special training device I made for Growlithe," Kawaki explained.
This involved someone's privacy, so Steven nodded and didn't ask further questions, instead beginning to train Metang.
"Metang, use Gravity."
Metang's body immediately rippled with a special energy field. At first glance, nothing seemed to have changed, but actually the force field in that area had been distorted by psychic power.
Gravity: A Psychic-type move that increases gravity. For a certain time, Pokémon with the Levitate ability and Flying-type Pokémon can be hit by Ground-type moves. If the power difference with the user is too great, Pokémon will also be tightly pulled to the ground by gravity, unable to fly.
This move could be considered a special attack against Flying-type Pokémon, capable of unexpected effects in certain situations.
Moreover, Gravity could also be used to train other nearby Pokémon, using the gravity field for weight training.
Steven's purpose in having Metang use Gravity today was to let Skarmory and Aron practice within it.
Growlithe crouched on the grass, watching the two Pokémon sparring in the gravity field with focused attention. Light flowed in its eyes, and several small light bulbs on the Exp. Share atop its head also lit up.
Growlithe had begun learning!