Chapter 2: This Time, I Won't Be a Trainer!
This Bewear...
Kenji's feelings were complicated. He wondered what Bewear would do if it ever found out that its young master was no longer in this world.
Bewear was deeply fond of the original Kenji. When the news of his parents' shipwreck had arrived, it had tried to use the move "Pain Split" on him, to share the agony of losing his family.
Although Pokémon are not human, their perception is incredibly sharp in certain ways.
Kenji didn't know if Bewear could sense the change in its "young master."
Sighing silently in his heart, Kenji looked around and then said to Bewear, "I'd like to take a look around first."
"Kyuu~!"
Bewear tossed the broom aside and diligently began to lead the way for Kenji.
It had once been the butler Pokémon of this breeding center. It was safe to say that no one in the world was more familiar with this place than it was!
"Are you going to give me a tour?" Kenji asked, slightly surprised.
"Kyuu~!"
Bewear spread its arms wide and nodded its head happily, as if cheering.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Bewear." Watching such an adorable Pokémon act this way in front of him, Kenji's mood lifted slightly.
Though Bewear was supposedly giving a tour, in reality, the two of them just walked side-by-side.
The breeding center wasn't very large and was divided into two main parts: the breeding area and the inn.
The first floor was a lobby for receiving trainers. If a trainer visited, they would handle various services at the counter here. This included things like Pokémon fostering, requesting move tutoring, help with hatching eggs, and buying or selling Pokémon eggs.
To raise Pokémon, you need a sufficiently large area.
Following the original's memories, Kenji walked past the counter and pushed open a small, slightly worn wooden door.
A vast, open space came into view.
The area was enclosed by a wooden fence, but because it hadn't been maintained for a long time, many sections of the fence had rotted and been destroyed by the rain.
The grounds were overgrown with weeds and littered with jagged rocks. In the distance, there was a small forest and a lake. He remembered that the lake was where the breeding center's Water-type Pokémon used to live.
In the past, while the breeding center wasn't exceptionally prosperous, it had been exceptionally lively. It housed all sorts of Pokémon, both those belonging to the center and those fostered by clients. You could see Pokémon almost everywhere you looked.
But ever since the shipwreck three years ago, everything in the breeding center had been sold off, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell.
Kenji now had a general idea of the situation.
After touring the breeding center portion, Kenji returned to the lobby.
The building had two floors. The first floor served as the reception lobby, dining area, and kitchen. The second floor was the inn for lodging. Previously, the inn had a total of six rooms available for passing trainers to rest in.
The inn existed solely because of its location between Meteor Falls and Fallarbor Town. Starting from the breeding center, it took a good half-day to reach the nearest town, Fallarbor, on foot.
It was precisely for this reason that the original's parents had added an inn to the breeding center, providing passing trainers with simple food and a place to rest.
"Meteor Falls... Fallarbor Town..."
It seemed this was the Hoenn region.
Kenji pushed open the doors to the inn's rooms one by one, inspecting everything. Having been unoccupied for so long, every room was covered in a thick layer of dust. Besides the beds and wardrobes, there was nothing else. In this condition, it was impossible for anyone to stay here.
The kitchen, however, did have some well-preserved cookware and utensils. They had been stored in cupboards and were undamaged.
The dining area was in a corner of the lobby. To call it a "dining area" was a stretch; it was merely a few simple wooden tables, also covered in dust.
In another corner, there was a small wooden door that connected to a backyard.
Kenji walked over and pushed the door open, revealing a yard full of green plants and flowers. To his surprise, there were five or six berry trees planted here!
The trees were laden with berries. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be common types like Sitrus Berries, Oran Berries, and Pecha Berries. This area was separate from the main breeding yard and appeared to be specifically for cultivating these berry trees.
"This is..."
Drawing on the original's memories, Kenji quickly understood.
Because the breeding center was so far from Fallarbor Town, his parents had specifically cultivated a garden here to grow berries, vegetables, and other crops to meet the daily needs of the breeding center and inn. The proximity to Fallarbor Town meant they were near Mt. Chimney. Occasional volcanic ash would drift down, making the vegetation in the surrounding area grow exceptionally well. However, with the passage of time, the once-tilled area was now overgrown with weeds.
"Such fertile soil is indeed perfect for growing crops..." Kenji thought to himself.
Looking at the weed-choked yard before him, a farmer's instinct he didn't know he had made him want to plant something here.
"Kyuu~!"
Just then, Bewear, who had been following Kenji, suddenly ran forward. It stretched out its arm, plucked a Sitrus Berry from a tree, and happily presented it to Kenji.
Kenji paused for a moment. Seeing the expectant look in Bewear's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to refuse and accepted it with a smile.
"Let's go back to the lobby. I've seen everything," Kenji said.
"Kyuu~" Bewear had no objections.
Back in the breeding center's lobby, Kenji, having finally grasped his current situation, began to think calmly.
A cheat system, a breeding center, Bewear...
He could get rewards just by making Pokémon happy.
Say what you will, his special ability was perfectly suited for running a breeding center. If he did, many trainers would bring their Pokémon here to be fostered. As long as he took good care of them and made them happy, he could receive "gifts" from them.
Kenji narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
As a man who grew up with Pokémon, Kenji had once dreamed of traveling far and wide with his favorite Pokémon, just like Ash.
But right now, that seemed completely unrealistic. His pockets were empty; he'd starve on the road the moment he set out. Besides that, the wilderness was home to many aggressive wild Pokémon. Without even a starter Pokémon, it would be impossible for him to reach the next town safely.
Kenji looked at the ["Baby-Doll Eyes" Skill Machine] he had just obtained. Combining that with the original's memories of the breeding center's main business, a plan instantly formed in his mind.
That being the case, he would use this Skill Machine to earn his first pot of gold in this world.
Then, he would rebuild this dilapidated breeding center, make it prosper, and raise a whole group of his favorite Pokémon in the backyard!