The entire morning passed without a single customer besides Ariel.
At noon, Kawaki and Bewear had a simple lunch before seizing the quiet time to tidy up the messy backyard.
The daycare was still in shambles—there was so much left to do, and most of it required his own hands.
He started by picking up and tossing out all the rocks hidden in the grass, so that Pokémon wouldn't trip while walking around.
This area would later become the activity field for Pokémon like Galarian Meowth or Ponyta who loved grassy plains.
The forest section didn't need much attention—tall, dense trees towered overhead, their leafy crowns filtering sunlight to the forest floor in a beautiful display.
It would be perfect for Treecko, Lotad, Seedot, and similar forest dwellers.
As for the lakeside, it would naturally be the home of Magikarp, Feebas, and other Water-types.
Bewear stood for a moment, watching Kawaki at work. Then, as if making up its mind, it walked over, snatched the weed trimmer out of his hand, and started pushing him away.
"Huh? What's wrong, Bewear?" Kawaki asked. "I need to get this patch of grass in order if I want to properly welcome the Pokémon our guests leave here."
But Bewear wouldn't budge. It shoved him back again and took over the trimming.
Seeing this, Kawaki finally understood.
Bewear… wanted him to take a break!
He couldn't help but laugh wryly.
Was this big bear treating him like a child?
It was always by his side, watching over him. When he smiled, Bewear smiled; when he was down, Bewear mirrored that, too.
And with Bewear's sheer strength, Kawaki wasn't going to win a pushing match. So he gave in, handing over the weeding duties and heading off to prep the garden on the other side of the property.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you. I'm going to check the daycare in case any new guests show up," he said with a smile. "Once we finish everything, let's head into the forest together later this evening."
"Gu~!" Bewear agreed happily.
Kawaki entered the courtyard.
Thanks to the Machamp construction crew, the soil had already been tilled and turned—ready for planting.
He decided to name this section the Herbal Garden.
In addition to everyday vegetables and fruits, Kawaki planned to grow herbs here that could be used for making medicine—potions, antidotes, burn heals, and so on.
That way, if a Pokémon got hurt, he could treat them right at home instead of having to run to town.
It wasn't a large area, so he managed to sow all the vegetable, fruit, and herb seeds he had bought from Fallarbor Town in just over an hour.
He divided the land with wooden fences into three sections: one for herbs, one for vegetables, and one for berries.
Currently, the daycare had five berry trees: Sitrus, Pecha, Oran, Cheri, and Apicot.
That wasn't much. Seeing the empty space beside them, Kawaki made a note to buy more berry trees later to diversify the selection.
Just as he finished planting, he smacked his forehead.
He'd forgotten to water them!
Grabbing his Psyduck watering can, he filled it up and began making the rounds, watering each section.
"Looks like I'll need a Water-type Pokémon to help with this," he muttered. "Might as well keep an eye out tonight when we head to the forest."
The daycare was finally generating income and on the right track—he could start expanding the team now.
By the time Kawaki was finished with everything, it was around three in the afternoon. Bewear had also just wrapped up its work.
"Time to rest!" Kawaki handed Bewear a chilled cup of berry juice.
One sip and Bewear felt instantly refreshed, letting out a happy "Gu~!"
Its Joy level rose as well—but this time, no reward popped up for Kawaki.
"Hm… probably to prevent me from exploiting a single Pokémon for gifts?" he mused. "Or maybe the Joy value hasn't hit the next threshold."
Either way, it didn't matter. Just having Bewear around was reward enough.
Kawaki glanced at the wall clock. 3:30 PM.
If no more guests showed up, he'd close early and head into the forest with Bewear.
But just as he stood up, a boy around ten years old burst through the door.
Another customer!
"Hi there! Is there anything I can help you with?" Kawaki asked.
The boy's eyes sparkled. He looked like he'd run all the way here, forehead glistening with sweat. He was clearly excited.
"Boss! Do you have any Pokémon eggs for sale?!" he asked eagerly.
"…Sorry," Kawaki said with a gentle smile. "The daycare just reopened. I haven't been able to offer that service yet."
"Aw…" The boy's face fell.
This was the only daycare near Fallarbor Town. If he couldn't buy a Pokémon here, he'd have to try catching one himself…
But he didn't even have a Pokémon—how could he battle wild ones?
Fallarbor Town didn't have a Professor's Lab either, so he couldn't get a starter like kids in bigger cities.
Kawaki asked, "You came from Fallarbor Town?"
"Yeah! I'm Conan. I just turned ten today!" the boy beamed.
"How did you know about this place?" Kawaki was curious—he hadn't advertised yet.
"Officer Jenny told me!" Conan replied.
Officer Jenny… was Layla Jenny spreading the word for him?
"Hey, Boss, when do you think you'll get Pokémon eggs in stock?" Conan asked hopefully.
Kawaki thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Not sure yet, but it shouldn't be too long. I plan to reach out to some trainers soon and take in eggs they want to consign. If there's something specific you're looking for, let me know—I'll keep an eye out."
Aside from raising Pokémon, selling unhatched eggs was a core business of any daycare.
Normally, private sales of Pokémon weren't allowed, but licensed daycares were an exception.
Even so, they were only permitted to sell eggs or very young Pokémon.
Conan perked up immediately. "Then… can I pre-order a Dratini egg?"
Kawaki: "...…Those kinds of rare eggs aren't something small daycares usually get."
No trainer in their right mind would consign a Dratini egg for general sale.
"…Then how about a Bagon?"
"Still too rare."
"Charmander?"
"That's from the Kanto region. We're in Hoenn. It's not available locally."
Conan's shoulders slumped.
Kawaki wasn't surprised. As a businessman, it was important not just to serve the customer enthusiastically—but also to understand their wants and recommend something both profitable and satisfying.
From the boy's reactions, it was clear: he loved cool, powerful, dragon-like Pokémon.
A young Lance in the making, huh?
Among the few options attainable for regular folks, there was really only Axew.
But the daycare didn't have that either—not yet.
"I'll keep an eye out," Kawaki said. "Leave your contact info, and I'll reach out when we have eggs available."
"…Okay…" Conan wrote down his home number, then looked up at Kawaki with pleading eyes. "Please, Boss! I really want my own Pokémon—to travel the world with it!"
Ah… that was the dream, wasn't it?
The wish of every ten-year-old in this world.
Once, it had been Kawaki's wish, too.
He paused, then smiled and nodded. "Alright."