[Pokémon: Machamp]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: No Guard]
[Moves: Leer, Low Kick, Focus Energy, Payback, Sweep Kick, Vital Throw, Slam]
[Status: Exhausted]
[Mood:]
[Joy: -10]
[Friendship: 0]
[Description: So tired, so thirsty… really want some water — Machamp.]
A little black raincloud had started to form above this Machamp's head.
The renovation company had sent three Machamp in total.
Kawaki shifted his gaze to the other two.
Compared to the exhausted one, the other two had Joy values of 10 and 15 respectively and seemed to be in a decent mood.
After a moment of thought, Kawaki pulled out a berry and walked over to the Machamp with Joy 10, smiling as he said:
"Thanks for your hard work! No need to rush so much—if you're tired, take a break and have a berry to cool off."
Machamp paused mid-move, staring at the berry and the human offering it. A rare smile tugged at its rugged face.
This boss wasn't half bad!
With one of its four muscular arms, Machamp took the berry and chomped it down in a few bites.
Visibly, its Joy value increased—from 10 to 15. It looked quite pleased.
[Machamp's mood has improved. Joy +5. Received Machamp's gift: Common Stone.]
[Common Stone: Value 0. Some may think it's valuable, but in truth, it's just an ordinary rock.]
Kawaki: ...
He blinked, feeling the weight of a small stone suddenly appear in his pocket. That was unexpected.
So, rewards from his cheat weren't limited to just TMs?
That was an unexpected discovery.
Thinking it over, Kawaki walked over to the Machamp with 15 Joy and repeated the same approach.
This one, already in a good mood, only improved slightly. Its Joy rose by another 5.
The reward this time: an Oran Berry.
Kawaki stood in place, watching the Machamp continue their work, thoughtful.
Then, turning around, he went inside to the kitchen and brought back a berry and a glass of water.
When he returned and looked back at the exhausted Machamp, he noticed its Joy had dropped even further.
From -10 to -20.
Kawaki paused and quickly understood.
The Machamp had seen him offer berries to the others but not to it. When he walked away, it had assumed he was ignoring it.
Its mood soured, and its Friendship even dropped from 0 to -10.
Kawaki: ...
Acting as if he hadn't noticed, he walked over, handed the water to Machamp, and smiled.
"You must be tired, right? Take a break, have some water and a berry."
The Machamp froze slightly.
Then, its emotions began to shift—first disbelief at the water, then guilt for having misunderstood this human.
By the time Kawaki checked again, its Friendship had shot up from -10 to 10.
After drinking the water and finishing the berry, Machamp finally perked up.
[Status: Healthy]
[Mood: Satisfied]
[Joy: 30]
[Friendship: 10]
[Description: Met a good person — Machamp.]
Kawaki smiled at it.
And right then, another message appeared in his vision:
[Machamp's mood has improved. Joy +50. Received Machamp's gift: Big Root.]
[Big Root: A cherished item from Machamp. Can be held by a Pokémon. When holding this item, HP-draining moves restore more HP than usual.]
Kawaki: "?"
A female Machamp's... Big Root? Wait, why would a female Machamp even have something like that?!
Don't ask. The answer is: Drain Punch.
Refreshed and rehydrated, Machamp returned to work with renewed energy.
This boss was great—no more slacking off. It was going to work hard for him!
So, Machamp worked even harder.
Meanwhile, Kawaki returned to Bewear's side.
Just as he suspected—the greater the boost in Joy, the better the reward.
Big Root was a solid held item, perfect for Pokémon like Zubat or Gloom.
Even if he didn't use it himself, it could fetch a nice price with another Trainer. On the market, a Big Root could sell for 4,000 PokéDollars!
The Machamp worked incredibly fast.
By dusk, the daycare and inn had been completely transformed.
"Great work!"
As the sun set, Kawaki and Bewear waved the Machamp off.
The Machamp wiped sweat from their brows and smiled as they loaded up into the truck and left.
Only then did Kawaki turn to look at the daycare again.
The once-wobbly wooden door had been replaced with a new red one, a bright "Open for Business" sign hanging on it.
To the right was a small chalkboard listing the daycare's current services.
To the left, a mailbox stood tall for receiving letters.
[Daycare Services]
1. Pokémon Boarding
2. Current Available Move Tutoring: Baby-Doll Eyes, Tackle
3. Rare Item Trading: Common Stone, Big Root
4. Meals & Lodging
Opening the door revealed a sparkling clean lobby.
An L-shaped reception counter faced the entrance. In front of it were sofas for guests to rest. The dining area was separated by a display shelf.
Following the hallway led to the kitchen, where brand-new appliances were set up.
A fridge, oven, microwave…
Through the door behind the counter was the backyard for Pokémon.
The back was now enclosed by sturdy fencing—no need to worry about smaller Pokémon escaping or wild ones intruding.
Kawaki had divided it into three areas: grassland, forest, and lake.
Each section wasn't huge, but the whole setup could house up to 100 Pokémon with no problem.
The only issue: it was impossible for him alone to care for that many Pokémon at once.
The second floor had two sections.
One for him and Bewear to rest.
The other was the inn's guest area.
There were six guest rooms in total, each about 20 square meters. Beds, desks, and chairs had all been updated.
Kawaki had laid down brand-new mattresses and soft bedding—perfect for weary Trainers to rest.
As for the berry garden, Kawaki had also hired the Machamp to clean it up, clearing out weeds and tilling several plots for growing vegetables.
He didn't plan to remove the berry trees left by the original owner.
Berry trees were miraculous—harvest today, and they'd bear fruit again in just a couple of days.
With them around, he didn't have to worry about running out of berries for the time being.
They could be eaten raw, turned into berry juice, or used to make Pokéblocks—all of which were valuable.
After the renovations and purchases—including TVs and furniture—Kawaki had burned through 960,000 of the one million PokéDollars.
He was left with just over 50,000.
That money had to be carefully managed—strictly for living expenses and emergencies.
As he wandered through the new daycare, both he and Bewear were visibly excited.
But after the excitement wore off, Kawaki began to calm down.
Because he knew—the daycare still wasn't truly complete.
It was missing the most important thing.
Pokémon.
Thinking of this, Kawaki turned to Bewear and said, "Bewear, starting tomorrow, we'll officially open for business."
Only with income could he afford to raise more Pokémon and bring life back to this daycare.
"Gu~!"