A Night at the Pokémon Center

Hearing Angie's call for help, Nurse Joy immediately came forward.

Seeing Gardevoir's swollen abdomen, Nurse Joy asked, "Is she about to give birth?"

Angie quickly explained, "She's been in pain for a long time, but the baby just won't come out."

Nurse Joy nodded, "I understand." She then waved to Chansey. "Chansey, take Gardevoir to the delivery room." She turned back to reassure Angie and the anxious Kirlia, "Don't worry, with me here, everything will be fine. You two wait outside. The baby will be born soon."

"Nurse Joy, I'm counting on you," Angie said, grabbing her hand as if he were the baby's father.

Nurse Joy gave Angie and Kirlia a comforting look, then hurried after Chansey into the delivery room.

Angie, holding Komala and standing beside Kirlia, waited for quite a while in the lobby. Suddenly, he remembered that Honchkrow was still outside. He turned around to Kirlia and said, "Kirlia, I'm going to check on Honchkrow. Do you want to stay here or come with me?"

Kirlia shook its head and pointed toward the delivery room, indicating that it wanted to stay. It wasn't going to leave until Gardevoir was out of danger.

"Alright, wait here for just a moment, I'll be right back," Angie said.

Kirlia nodded. Though it was its first time around so many people and felt nervous and scared.

However, the thought of Gardevoir undergoing an emergency in the room gave it the courage to stay.

Honchkrow, too, was feeling uneasy. Although it appeared calm, standing tall and proud with its head held high, inside, it was incredibly anxious.

A tall and majestic Honchkrow, standing at the entrance of the Pokémon Center like this, inevitably drew attention, and passersby couldn't help but glance at it.

This made Honchkrow even more nervous.

Honchkrow hadn't encountered many humans, and it had a deep-seated fear of them. The Honchkrow that was living in human society were completely different from it, they was known as tyrants in the Pokémon world.

Cunning, domineering, ruthless, and cold... These were the first impressions people had of Honchkrow, practically stereotypes.

"Honchkrow!" Angie called out as he ran out of the Pokémon Center. At that moment, Honchkrow felt like Angie was a god descending from the heavens.

"Honchkrow~~~"

Honchkrow hopped over to Angie in just a few steps, finally revealing a trace of unease.

Noticing Honchkrow's nervousness, Angie patted its wing and comforted it, "Don't worry, everything's fine. I'm here."

At that moment, Honchkrow truly felt a sense of relief.

Suddenly, Angie thought of something. "By the way, Honchkrow, are you hungry? Should I buy you something to eat?"

Honchkrow shook its head. It didn't want to eat human food.

However, Angie ignored Honchkrow's refusal. "Come on, come on. Even if you don't want to eat, Kirlia must be hungry after all the worrying. And when Gardevoir comes out of the delivery room, she'll need food, too. Giving birth takes a lot of energy."

Angie had said so much that Honchkrow couldn't possibly refuse anymore.

Angie inquired at the Pokémon Center and found a nearby store that specialized in Pokémon supplies, including food specifically for Pokémon.

"Welcome!" As soon as Angie pushed the door open, a beautiful young woman greeted him. "What can I help you with?"

Angie waved her off and said, "I'll just take a look around first."

The young woman kept smiling. "Alright, feel free to ask me if you need anything."

Angie nodded and then looked back at Honchkrow standing by the entrance. "Wait here for a moment."

Honchkrow nodded obediently.

Angie wandered around the store and quickly found the section dedicated to Pokémon food.

After some observation, Angie noticed that Pokémon food here generally fell into two categories.

One was designed for trainers to carry while traveling. The most typical example in this category was Pokéblocks, which were highly compressed and provided enough energy with just a small amount. The advantage was that they were convenient to carry.

The other type was more suitable for feeding Pokémon at home. Pokémon cookies were the typical example here, it's known for their great taste and wide variety of shapes. The more ordinary ones came in cylindrical shapes, about the size of a child's thumb. The fancier ones were shaped into squares, diamonds, circles, hearts, or even miniature Pokémon shapes, making them highly appealing.

As for the price, the first type tended to be more expensive.

After some thought, Angie picked out some of both types.

A palm-sized box of Pokéblocks cost 500 Pokédollar. According to the cashier, this box could feed a Pokémon for two to three days.

So expensive!

As for the Pokémon cookies, Angie bought a jar for 800 Pokédollar.

Not cheap either.

Carrying the newly bought Pokémon food, Angie left the store and said to Honchkrow, "Let's go back to the Pokémon Center to eat."

Honchkrow nodded and gently flapped its wings, hovering in the air and following closely behind Angie.

Angie was carrying the large jar of Pokémon cookies, balancing a small box of Pokéblocks on top of it, and had placed Komala on the jar's lid.

It was heavy!

As Angie walked, he spoke to Komala, "Hey, Komala, did you eat enough tonight? If not, you can try some of the Pokéblocks on top. They're super expensive, but who knows if they're any good."

Komala rolled over, opened the box of Pokéblocks, and popped one into its mouth.

To be honest, the Pokéblocks looked pretty impressive. Each piece was about the size of a fingernail, crystal clear, with colors like white, red, green, and blue—resembling little gems, very pretty to look at.

Angie thought they must taste good.

However, after just one piece, Komala closed the lid and refused to eat a second one.

"Are you full already?" Angie was surprised. "Looks like that girl at the store wasn't lying."

As Angie and the two Pokémon were walking through a dimly lit alley, a shadow suddenly darted out with lightning speed, snatched the box of Pokéblocks from the top, and disappeared back into the alley.

"Honchkrow~~"

Honchkrow screeched at the sight and was about to strike back at the dark alley. Komala also raised its glowing wooden log, ready to hurl it at any moment.

But Angie quickly stopped the two Pokémon. "Let it go, let it go. It's just a box of Pokéblocks." Angie had a natural leniency toward Pokémon—after all, he loved them.

Only then did Honchkrow and Komala back down, especially Honchkrow, who now looked at Angie with a barely noticeable trace of affection and approval.

The one who had just stolen the Pokéblocks was clearly a Pokémon.

Angie gazed into the darkness of the alley for a long time before finally leaving with Honchkrow and Komala.

As they left, a Haunter, clutching the box of Pokéblocks, slowly poked its head out of the shadows. This Haunter had a slightly different color from normal ones.

While typical Haunters had a deep purple body with a red tongue, this one was grayish-purple with a light purple tongue.

Haunter watched Angie's fading figure for a while before retreating back into the darkness.

When Angie returned to the Pokémon Center, he entered with Honchkrow, found Kirlia, and then headed together to the Pokemon Center's dining area, specifically designated for Pokémon. Angie spent a few happiness points from the system store to buy three bowls, filling each one with Pokémon cookies for the three Pokémon.

"Go ahead, eat up," Angie said.

Honchkrow eagerly devoured the food, while Komala, uninterested, rolled over to Angie's side and continued to sleep.

As for Kirlia, it could barely eat, taking only small bites.

Seeing this, Angie gently encouraged Kirlia, "Once Gardevoir gives birth, both she and the baby will need care. If you don't eat and regain your strength, how will you take care of them?"

Upon hearing this, Kirlia finally started eating bit by bit.

As for Komala's uneaten portion, Angie didn't force it and gave it to Honchkrow instead, who gladly finished it off.

Once the two Pokémon were full, everyone continued to wait anxiously. Time passed by slowly, and Kirlia's agitation became increasingly visible.

Just then, the light in the delivery room suddenly turned off, and Nurse Joy came out, holding a white and green Pokémon egg in her arms.

Angie and the others quickly stepped forward.

"Nurse Joy, how is Gardevoir doing?"

Kirlia kept glancing anxiously toward the delivery room.

"Congratulations, both mother and child are safe," Nurse Joy said as she handed the Pokémon egg to Angie.

"That's such a relief," Angie, Honchkrow, and Kirlia all sighed in unison. Angie took the Pokémon egg and immediately handed it to the eager Kirlia, explaining to Nurse Joy, "Kirlia is the father of the baby."

Nurse Joy smiled and nodded, showing her understanding.

"Nurse Joy, may we go see Gardevoir now?" Angie asked.

"Of course," Nurse Joy nodded. "Gardevoir had a bit of a difficult delivery this time, and her body has taken quite a toll. She needs to recover her strength in the coming days, or it will be hard for her to fully recover."

Hearing this, Kirlia became worried. It was currently the season of food scarcity on the Nebel Plateau. Even if Kirlia wanted to help, there wasn't much he could do.

Angie crouched down and patted Kirlia on the head before looking up at Nurse Joy. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of Gardevoir."

Nurse Joy nodded in satisfaction. "You all go see Gardevoir now. If there are any problems, feel free to call me or Chansey. If everything goes well by dawn, Gardevoir can be discharged."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy. You've worked hard."

After watching Nurse Joy leave, Angie was about to take Kirlia and Honchkrow to see Gardevoir when Kirlia tugged on Angie's sleeve.

"Kirlia~ Kirlia~"

Kirlia was thanking Angie.

As a Pokémon that can sense emotions, Kirlia had instantly understood Angie's genuine, selfless help when he touched its red sensory organ on its head earlier.

Even the promise Angie had made to Nurse Joy had been sincere.

Feeling the change in Kirlia's attitude toward him, Angie smiled.

"Come on, let's go see Gardevoir. I'm sure she's eager to see you right now."

"Kirlia~"

Kirlia nodded and, together with Angie, pushed the door to the delivery room open.

At that moment, Gardevoir was lying weakly in bed. When she saw Kirlia enter, she immediately gave him a bright smile.

And when she saw the baby in Kirlia's arms, she immediately stretched out her hands, wanting to hold the baby.

Kirlia used Teleport to instantly appear at Gardevoir's side, gently handing the baby to her.

Gardevoir carefully cradled the baby in her arms, her hands gently caressing the precious child, her face filled with motherly love.

"Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~~"

Gardevoir then sincerely expressed her gratitude to Angie. Without his help, her baby might not have been born.

"Gardevoir, just rest and don't worry about anything else," Angie reassured her.

"Gardevoir~" Gardevoir nodded gratefully.

Angie then turned to Kirlia and said, "Kirlia, stay with Gardevoir and keep her company. Honchkrow and I will step out. Call me if you need anything."

He knew that Gardevoir and Kirlia would want some time alone together.

"Kirlia~~ Kirlia~"

Kirlia nodded, holding Gardevoir's hand tightly.

Before leaving, Angie left some Pokémon cookies with Kirlia, asking him to make sure Gardevoir ate enough.

After leaving the delivery room, Angie went to Nurse Joy to settle the medical expenses.

"The total comes to 5,000 Pokédollars," Nurse Joy said with a smile. "If you have an official Trainer ID registered with the League, you can get a 50% discount."

Angie shook his head. "I'm not a Trainer." Not only was he not a Trainer, but he didn't even have legal status.

With that, he swiftly pulled out the money and paid the bill.

"Oh, by the way!" Nurse Joy suddenly remembered something. "We have an incubator here that helps protect and speed up the hatching of Pokémon eggs. Would you like one?"

"How much is it?" Angie asked.

"500 Pokédollars," Nurse Joy replied.

"Alright, I'll take one." As expected, nothing related to Pokémon came cheap.

Of course, this also demonstrated the thriving Pokémon culture in this world.

After paying, Angie returned to the delivery room with the incubator and handed it to Kirlia. He didn't tell Kirlia or Gardevoir how much this visit to the Pokémon Center had cost, nor did he mention that the incubator had been purchased with his own money.

However, everything Angie did was carefully observed by Honchkrow, who later secretly told Kirlia and Gardevoir about it.

That night, Angie, holding Komala, leaned against Honchkrow's side and spent the night in the Pokémon Center's lobby. Although it was a chilly autumn night in the Azoth Kingdom, Angie stayed warm and cozy, nestled in Honchkrow's fluffy feathers. The next morning, he woke up feeling refreshed.

At the crack of dawn, Nurse Joy and Chansey were already busy with their work. Angie greeted them cheerfully.

"Good morning, Nurse Joy."

"Good morning, sir."