Reiji woke up in the hotel's soft, plush bed and stretched with satisfaction. He'd slept better than he had in days.

By the time he got up, Pelipper and Spinarak were already awake. But neither made a sound—Pelipper lay still on the bed pretending to sleep, while Spinarak hung from the ceiling, doing the same.

Reiji didn't know they were faking it. He got up, headed to the bathroom to wash up and shower, scrubbing himself clean, then put on the same stab-proof four-piece outfit from yesterday—short-sleeved T-shirt, boxers, and tactical jacket and pants.

The set fit perfectly and felt comfortable. He hadn't thought much of it the night before, but now that he'd worn it again, he realized it was actually a pretty decent outfit. He was satisfied.

Still, having only one stab-proof outfit wasn't ideal. It wasn't easy to wash or rotate. Later in the afternoon, he planned to take the Sharpedo hide in his backpack to the outdoor gear store at the department building and have another set made.

That was an errand for later. He'd slept until nearly noon and was determined to eat lunch before doing anything else.

The hotel's complimentary breakfast would serve just fine as lunch. He also asked the server to bring a few extra bowls—specifically, bowls for the Pokémon's meals. He'd have to buy more of those later too.

Once he was dressed, he opened the curtains. Outside, another bright and sunny day awaited.

Thump, thump, thump—

He pulled out Poké Balls and released Poliwhirl, Butterfree, Krabby, and Slowpoke. Counting Pelipper and Spinarak, he now had six Pokémon out.

Rhyhorn, Magikarp, Wishiwashi, and Farfetch'd were left inside their Poké Balls.

The room was too small for Rhyhorn—if that big guy knocked something over, he'd have to pay for the damage. There was no water, so Magikarp and Wishiwashi weren't suited for the space either. And Farfetch'd... well, that rebellious little punk would absolutely wreck the furniture if released. So, no.

With the other four now out, the room filled with Pokémon. That's when room service arrived with the meal.

Reiji opened the door, brought in the breakfast trays, and also grabbed the extra Pokémon bowls the staff had delivered. Once everything was set up, he called the Pokémon over.

"Alright everyone, time to eat. We'll head out after lunch."

He placed twelve bowls on the floor, then pulled out three bottles of Moomoo Milk from his bag and poured half a bottle into each of the six bowls.

Next, he opened a box of premium Green Pokéblocks and another of premium Water Pokéblocks. Butterfree and Spinarak each got a Green Pokéblock.

Poliwhirl, Krabby, Slowpoke, and Pelipper each got a Water Pokéblock.

The fragrant smell of the food made all six Pokémon swallow hard. They looked up at Reiji with hopeful eyes, practically begging for permission to dig in.

"You can eat now," Reiji said with a smile, not one to tease them. He gave the green light immediately.

Besides the Pokéblocks, he also scooped out some type-specific kibble—Bug-type and Water-type—and added it to their bowls so they could enjoy it with the Moomoo Milk.

"Fyi-yii~" Butterfree chirped as it reached out a tiny paw to grab its Pokéblock. But then it noticed the bowl full of delicious-smelling kibble and snacks. It felt so blissful—it had never eaten so much delicious food before.

The Pokéblock today even looked more beautiful than the one last night. Surely it must taste even better. The moment it bit into it, Butterfree couldn't help but let out a happy hum.

"Yito~ Yito~" Spinarak munched contentedly as well. Following this human had definitely been the right choice—good food, good shelter, and plenty of treats. What more could it ask for?

"Yobo~" Poliwhirl picked up its Water Pokéblock. Seeing how much the others were enjoying theirs, it gave the block a sniff, then popped it into its mouth and began to chew.

"Yobo... Mmm," the Pokéblock was crisp at first bite, but quickly melted into a warm rush that flowed into its belly, then into its limbs. Poliwhirl felt like its whole body was brimming with energy. It could definitely double its training output after this.

"Kuachi! Kuachi!" Krabby watched as its big brother Poliwhirl enjoyed his Pokéblock, then grabbed its own with a small claw and stuffed it into its mouth.

As soon as it bit down, a wave of rich Water-type energy burst inside its mouth. Kingler hurried to close its mouth, afraid the power might leak out.

The Pokéblock gradually melted, turning into a warm stream that spread through its body. Krabby lay comfortably on the carpet, eyes closed, basking in the sensation.

"Beri Beri" Pelipper felt something familiar when it saw the Water Pokéblock—like the moment it had discovered the Water gem on the island.

How could such a small Pokéblock produce that same feeling? Without hesitation, it grabbed the block with its beak and tossed it into its mouth.

A familiar warmth surged through it as well. The bird sprawled out on the carpet, savoring this treat that was somehow tastier than a Water gem.

"Yadong?" Slowpoke watched everyone enjoying their Pokéblocks and reached out to poke its own. Then it gave it a sniff, before slowly nibbling a bite.

The moment the taste hit, it froze. Staring blankly at the half-eaten Pokéblock in its paw, Slowpoke was stunned.

It had never dreamed that such delicious food would be shared with it—something it never dared hope for.

All it had wanted was to stop having its tail cut off and to survive alongside a human. But now this human was treating it so well…

As the Pokéblock melted in its mouth, Slowpoke looked around. The others were all quietly enjoying their food. And it had a bowl too.

It could clearly sense that everyone was happy—happy because of the delicious food and happy to be with this human.

Maybe staying here… wasn't so bad after all.

It began to eat wholeheartedly, drinking its Moomoo Milk and finally letting down its guard toward the human and the team. It started to truly become part of this little family.

While the Pokémon enjoyed their food, Reiji sat down with the hotel-provided lunch: a simple meal—one bowl of congee, a piece of bread, and a cup of juice. That was lunch for him.

After finishing, while the Pokémon were still snacking, he started tidying the bed and gathering the standard Poké Balls the Pokémon had come in.

Then, he took out Dive Balls and Net Balls. Today, he'd be switching everyone over to these—giving them a more comfortable home.

When everyone was done eating, and he had nearly finished packing, Reiji took out the small Butterfree and Poliwhirl trinkets and clipped them onto his new backpack.

This moment happened to be seen by Butterfree. Its red compound eyes locked onto the mini Butterfree charm dangling from Reiji's hand. It flew over immediately and prodded the trinket with its tiny paws, calling out excitedly, "Fyi-yii~! Fyi-yii~!"

"It came with the backpack," Reiji chuckled, patting its little head. "Yours and Poliwhirl's charms. Aren't they cute?"

"Yobo~ Yobo~" Poliwhirl also heard Butterfree's cries and walked to the bed to examine the Poliwhirl charm. Its eyes sparkled with curiosity as it gently poked the soft trinket.

"Beri" Pelipper looked over at the bag and immediately noticed it didn't have a charm of its own. It called out, sounding a little jealous, "Beri Beri!"

"They only gave two with the backpack. I didn't have a choice," Reiji said as Pelipper flopped onto him. "Next time I buy a backpack, I'll pick one for you, okay?"

He quickly soothed the bird, thinking: If this guy refuses to fly me later, I'll be seriously screwed.

Fortunately, a few comforting strokes were enough. Even without its own trinket, Pelipper's mood improved.

"Alright, alright. Look, Krabby doesn't have one either. Neither does Spinarak. I'll get you guys your own next time."

"Beri Beri" Pelipper looked at the others. It was true—only Butterfree and Poliwhirl had trinkets. That made it feel a little better. It hopped off Reiji and resumed eating.

"Yobo~ Yobo~" Poliwhirl glanced from the charm to Reiji. It understood exactly why he had picked those two trinkets first.

Poliwhirl and Butterfree were Reiji's first partners—the family who had survived with him on the island.

"Oh right, Poliwhirl, Butterfree, how do you like your new Poké Balls?" Reiji asked as he took out the Dive Ball and Net Ball.

Neither responded—Butterfree was still playing with the trinket, and Poliwhirl was zoning out.

Reiji reached over and lightly tapped Poliwhirl's shoulder. "Hey, what're you thinking about? Didn't hear me?"

"Yobo?" Poliwhirl blinked, snapped out of its daze, and scratched its head awkwardly. It really hadn't heard him—it had spaced out.

"Do you feel comfy in this Poké Ball?" Reiji asked again, showing it the Dive Ball.

"Yobo~ Yobo~" Poliwhirl nodded, pointing to the Dive Ball. It was indeed comfortable inside.

"Good. Alright, everyone, come here. From now on, you'll be using these."

Reiji pulled out three Dive Balls and one Net Ball, then recalled Butterfree, Slowpoke, Krabby, and Pelipper into them.

Only Poliwhirl and Spinarak remained. He let Spinarak ride on his shoulder and signaled for Poliwhirl to follow.

Then he opened the hotel room door and headed to the front desk to check out.

"Let's go, Poliwhirl," Reiji said, carrying three space backpacks while Poliwhirl carried one. He put on his face cover again and exited the hotel, heading straight for the department store.

First, he needed to deal with the bags. Then, he'd head to the Pokémon Center.

After all, walking around with four space backpacks was way too conspicuous. A surefire way to attract robbers.

[End of Chapter]

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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