In the daycare's main hall, Layla Jenny quietly explained everything to Kawaki.
"And that's the whole story."
"This Growlithe egg was something your mother requested from the family when you were seven. It was meant to be your birthday present when you turned ten and started your journey as a Trainer... but then, well, that happened."
Kawaki felt a complicated wave of emotion wash over him.
So this... was the gift the original Kawaki's mother mentioned in that dream?
Seeing the boy remain silent, Layla Jenny took out a sleek black card bearing the Jenny family crest and placed it on the counter.
"This is the compensation fund left from your parents' accident—one million PokéDollars."
In truth, the shipping company involved had only paid out five hundred thousand. The incident sparked public outrage and sent the company into bankruptcy, with its stock crashing and the owner ending up in jail.
The remaining amount had been raised by the Jenny family through a collective donation. After all, Kawaki was still one of their own—they couldn't just sit by and watch him starve.
"One million…" Kawaki murmured, stunned.
The original memories had no record of this. Judging by Layla Jenny's tone, the funds must have been in the family's safekeeping all this time.
It made sense—how could a seven-year-old manage such a large sum?
"I'm sorry it took so long to get this to you," Layla said with a note of guilt. "What are your plans now? If you'd like, you're still welcome to return to the Jenny family."
Kawaki fell silent.
It was certainly tempting.
But he didn't want to rely on others—he wanted to stand on his own.
Besides, he had already made his decision: to stay here with Bewear and run this daycare.
Only then could he make full use of his cheat ability.
"I want to stay and run the daycare," Kawaki replied.
As expected, Layla wasn't surprised.
"Same answer as three years ago," she said, standing up. She was busy with her duties and didn't linger.
Before leaving, though, she handed him her contact information.
"I'm stationed in Fallarbor Town for now. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to reach out."
"And one more thing—be careful. Two criminal organizations have recently appeared in the Hoenn region. They've been stealing Trainers' Pokémon, and there have been reports all over."
Criminal organizations?
Team Magma and Team Aqua?
"I understand. I'll be careful," Kawaki said.
Layla Jenny nodded, then turned and left the daycare with her Arcanine.
Kawaki watched them disappear from view, then returned to the living room with Bewear.
The two of them looked at the Growlithe egg and the sleek black card holding a million PokéDollars. For a while, neither said a word.
A Growlithe egg...
With both parents being Champion-level Arcanine, there was no doubt—it was an incredibly high-quality egg.
Kawaki couldn't help but feel excited.
This Growlithe would be his starter Pokémon, wouldn't it?
The egg still needed three days to hatch. As much as he wanted to meet his Growlithe, some things just couldn't be rushed.
As for the million PokéDollars— it was quite a lot.
But in the Pokémon world, even that wasn't an overwhelming sum.
Still, as startup capital for the daycare, it was more than enough!
After three years of abandonment, much of the daycare's furniture and equipment was unusable.
With this money, he could repair the backyard fence, replace all the worn-out tables and chairs, and finally get rid of the dusty, faded old sofa in the lobby.
The inn would need renovations too—Kawaki had seen that several bed frames were broken.
Add some potted greenery for decoration, and the inn section could finally reopen.
He'd also need to buy appliances and furniture: refrigerators, ovens, TVs, Pokémon egg incubators...
The first ones were necessary for daily life. The latter were essential for any serious daycare.
Egg breeding—helping Trainers' Pokémon produce stronger offspring—was one of the core services offered here.
After all that, the million wouldn't go very far.
Kawaki began planning the renovations in his head and headed to Fallarbor Town with Bewear that very day.
It wasn't his first time riding the "Bewear Express," and he was finally getting used to it.
After surveying the town for most of the day, he settled on a company called "Macho Builders Inc."
After explaining his requirements and paying a deposit, the workers arrived that same afternoon—accompanied by a team of Machamp—to begin renovations.
Kawaki and Bewear stood a short distance away, watching the Machamp at work.
They tore down the rotting fences and replaced them with sturdy new ones.
They carried out broken tables and bed frames and brought in brand-new furniture.
Bewear's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Kawaki glanced over. The little sun above Bewear's head had disappeared, meaning its emotions had calmed down.
But now, as the daycare transformed before their eyes, its mood value began to rise again.
It climbed from 20 to 40.
A little sun slowly appeared above its head once more.
And just like before, a new message appeared in Kawaki's vision:
[Bewear's mood has improved. Joy +20. Received Bewear's gift: TM "Tackle."]
[TM: Tackle – Normal-type move. Charges the opponent with full body weight. Can be taught via psychic transmission or by Pokémon familiar with the move. Target Pokémon will always learn it. Uses remaining: 9999/9999]
"Tackle... so I got another reward."
"But compared to Baby-Doll Eyes, this move is much more common and basic."
"Could it be that the value of the reward depends on the increase in joy?"
This time the mood only increased by 20, so the reward was just Tackle.
The higher the mood boost, the rarer the reward.
Kawaki narrowed his eyes in thought. He'd been so focused on survival since arriving in this world that he hadn't really studied his cheat.
After thinking it through, Kawaki decided to run a quick test.
He turned his gaze toward one of the Machamp busily moving supplies nearby.