Chapter 31: A Night at the Pokémon Center

Hearing Andrew's cry for help, Nurse Joy immediately rushed over.

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

Andrew quickly explained, "It's been in pain for a while, but the baby won't come out."

Nurse Joy nodded. "Got it." She then signaled to Chansey, saying, "Chansey, take Gardevoir to the delivery room." Turning to Andrew and the anxious Kirlia, she added, "Don't worry, it will be fine with me here. You two wait outside; the baby will be born soon."

"Nurse Joy, please," Andrew said, grabbing her hand as if he were the baby's father.

Nurse Joy gave Andrew and Kirlia a reassuring look before quickly following Chansey into the delivery room.

Andrew, holding Komala and Kirlia, waited in the lobby for a while. Then he remembered Honchkrow was still outside and said to Kirlia, "Kirlia, I'm going to check on Honchkrow. Do you want to wait here or come with me?"

Kirlia shook its head, pointing towards the delivery room, indicating it wanted to stay and couldn't leave Gardevoir's side while there was still danger.

"Alright, wait here for a moment. I'll be back soon," Andrew said.

Kirlia nodded. Although it was very nervous and scared by all the people, it stayed brave for Gardevoir's sake.

Honchkrow was equally uneasy. Despite its calm and imposing demeanor, it was internally panicking.

As the majestic Honchkrow stood at the Pokémon Center entrance, it drew considerable attention from passersby, making it even more anxious.

Honchkrow wasn't used to seeing humans and was intimidated. Its kind, living in the human world, was quite different from it, being notorious in the Pokémon world for being cunning, dominant, ruthless, and cold.

"Honchkrow!" Andrew called as he exited the Pokémon Center. At that moment, Honchkrow felt as if Andrew was a deity descending from the heavens.

"Honchkrow~~~"

Honchkrow hopped over to Andrew, revealing its nervousness.

Andrew noticed Honchkrow's unease, patted its wing, and said, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine with me here."

At that moment, Honchkrow felt a bit reassured.

Andrew then remembered something. "Oh right, Honchkrow, are you hungry? Let me get you something to eat."

Honchkrow shook its head, as it wasn't interested in human food.

However, Andrew disregarded its refusal. "Come on, even if you're not hungry, Kirlia must be starving after all this worry. Plus, Gardevoir will need to eat once it's out. Giving birth takes a lot of energy."

With Andrew's insistence, Honchkrow had no choice but to agree.

Andrew found a Pokémon shop nearby that specialized in Pokémon food.

"Welcome," said a pretty saleswoman as Andrew entered. "What can I get for you?"

Andrew waved his hand and replied, "I'll look around myself."

The saleswoman continued to smile. "Alright, just let me know if you need anything."

Andrew nodded and said to Honchkrow, "Wait for me here."

Honchkrow nodded.

Andrew wandered around the store and soon found the section for Pokémon food.

He noticed that Pokémon food was generally divided into two types:

One type was for trainers on the go, like Pokéblocks, which are highly compressed and can fill Pokémon up with just a small amount, making them convenient to carry.

The other type was for feeding Pokémon at home, such as Pokémon cookies. These are tasty and come in various shapes—cylindrical ones about the size of a child's thumb, and more elaborate shapes like squares, diamonds, circles, hearts, or even miniature Pokémon shapes. They are visually appealing, though generally, the travel-friendly type is more expensive.

Andrew decided to buy both types.

The Pokéblocks, packed in a box the size of a palm, cost 500 Pokédollars. According to the cashier, this box could last Pokémon two to three days.

Pretty pricey!

He also bought a large jar of Pokémon cookies, a cylinder one meter high and one meter in diameter, for 800 Pokédollars.

Also not cheap.

Andrew carried the Pokémon food out of the store and told Honchkrow, "Let's head back to the Pokémon Center to eat."

Honchkrow nodded and slowly flapped its wings to follow Andrew.

With the jar of Pokémon cookies and the box of Pokéblocks stacked on top, and Komala perched on the jar lid, Andrew found the load quite heavy.

As he walked, he said to Komala, "Komala, have you had enough to eat? If not, you can try the Pokéblocks on top. They were expensive, so I'm not sure if they're any good."

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

The Pokéblocks actually looked quite appealing—small, crystal-clear cubes in colors like white, red, green, and blue. They looked very nice.

Andrew thought they must taste good.

However, Komala ate just one and immediately closed the box, unwilling to eat any more.

"Full already?" Andrew was surprised. "Looks like that cashier wasn't lying."

As Andrew and his Pokémon walked into a dimly lit alley, a shadow suddenly darted out, snatching the box of Pokéblocks from the top of Andrew's stack with lightning speed and quickly retreating into the darkness.

"Honchkrow~~"

Seeing this, Honchkrow let out a cry and prepared to attack, while Komala raised its glowing log, ready to strike.

Andrew quickly intervened, "It's alright, it's just a box of Pokéblocks." His natural leniency towards Pokémon was evident; he had a soft spot for them.

Honchkrow and Komala eased up, with Honchkrow's gaze softening slightly, showing newfound respect and affection for Andrew.

It was clear that another Pokémon was responsible for the theft.

Andrew glanced back at the dark alley for a moment before leading Honchkrow and Komala away.

As soon as they left, a Haunter, holding the box of Pokéblocks, peeked out from the darkness. This Haunter was slightly different from usual ones, with a grayish-purple body and a light purple tongue, as opposed to the usual deep purple and red.

The Haunter watched Andrew's departing figure for a while before disappearing back into the shadows.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Andrew, along with Honchkrow, entered and found Kirlia. They proceeded to the feeding area for Pokémon. Andrew used some Happiness Points from the system store to purchase three food bowls, filling each with Pokémon cookies, and placed them in front of the three Pokémon.

"Go ahead and eat," Andrew said.

Honchkrow eagerly began eating, while Komala seemed uninterested and rolled over to continue sleeping beside Andrew.

Kirlia, however, couldn't eat.

Seeing this, Andrew encouraged Kirlia, "Once Gardevoir has given birth, she and the baby will need care. If you don't eat properly, you won't have the strength to help them."

Understanding the importance of having a full stomach, Kirlia started eating.

Andrew didn't force Komala to eat the leftover food; he let Honchkrow finish it instead.

After the Pokémon had eaten, they continued to wait anxiously. As time passed, Kirlia's restlessness became apparent.

Suddenly, the delivery room light went out, and Nurse Joy emerged holding a white-green Pokémon egg.

Andrew and the others quickly approached.

"Nurse Joy, how's Gardevoir doing?"

Kirlia frequently glanced towards the delivery room.

"Congratulations, both mother and egg are safe," Nurse Joy said, handing the Pokémon egg to Andrew.

"That's wonderful news," Andrew, Honchkrow, and Kirlia all sighed in relief. Andrew took the egg and handed it to the eager Kirlia, explaining to Nurse Joy, "Kirlia is the baby's father."

Nurse Joy smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Can we see Gardevoir now?" Andrew asked.

"Of course," Nurse Joy replied. "Gardevoir had a bit of a difficult delivery and sustained some injuries. She'll need to be well-nourished to recover; otherwise, it will be hard for her to heal."

Kirlia was worried, as food was scarce in the Nebel Plateau, and even if it wanted to help, it was powerless.

Andrew knelt down and patted Kirlia on the head. He then looked up at Nurse Joy and said, "We'll take good care of Gardevoir."

Nurse Joy nodded in satisfaction. "You can visit Gardevoir now. If you need anything, call me or Chansey. If everything is fine before morning, Gardevoir should be able to leave the hospital."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy, for all your hard work."

After watching Nurse Joy leave, Andrew was about to take Kirlia and Honchkrow to visit Gardevoir when Kirlia tugged at Andrew's sleeve.

"Kirlia~ Kirlia~"

It was expressing its gratitude.

Kirlia, capable of sensing others' emotions, understood that Andrew's help was genuine and selfless when he touched its red sensory organ.

Even the promise made to Nurse Joy was taken seriously.

Seeing Kirlia's new warmth, Andrew smiled.

"Let's go see Gardevoir. I'm sure she's eager to see you."

"Kirlia~"

Kirlia nodded and followed Andrew into the delivery room.

Inside, Gardevoir was lying weakly on the bed. Upon seeing Kirlia, she immediately brightened up with a radiant smile.

When she saw the egg in Kirlia's arms, she reached out to hold it.

Kirlia used Teleport to instantly move to Gardevoir's side and placed the egg in her arms.

Gardevoir gently cradled the egg, her hand tenderly caressing the precious child, her face filled with love.

"Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~~"

Gardevoir expressed her deep gratitude to Andrew, acknowledging that without his help, the egg might not have been born.

"Gardevoir, you should rest now. Don't worry about anything else," Andrew said reassuringly.

"Gardevoir~" Gardevoir nodded gratefully.

Andrew then addressed Kirlia, "Kirlia, stay with Gardevoir. Honchkrow and I will step outside for a while. Call me if you need anything."

He understood that Gardevoir and Kirlia needed some private time together.

"Kirlia~ Kirlia~"

Kirlia nodded and held Gardevoir's hand tightly.

Before leaving, Andrew left the Pokémon cookies with Kirlia to ensure Gardevoir had enough to eat.

After exiting the delivery room, Andrew went to settle the medical fees with Nurse Joy.

"The total is 5000 Pokédollars," Nurse Joy said with a smile. "Do you have a registered trainer's ID? If so, you can get a 50% discount."

Andrew shook his head. "I'm not a registered trainer." In fact, he wasn't registered at all.

He paid the bill without further discussion.

"Oh, by the way!" Nurse Joy suddenly remembered, "We have incubators designed to protect and promote the hatching of Pokémon eggs. Would you like one?"

"How much?" Andrew asked.

"500 Pokédollars each," Nurse Joy replied.

"Alright, I'll take one," Andrew agreed. Pokémon-related items were never cheap.

This also highlighted the rich Pokémon culture in this world.

After paying, Andrew took the incubator back to the delivery room and handed it to Kirlia. He didn't tell Kirlia and Gardevoir how much he spent or that the incubator was purchased with money.

However, Honchkrow, who had been observing Andrew closely, later told Kirlia and Gardevoir about it.

That night, Andrew spent the night in the Pokémon Center's lobby, snuggled up with Komala and leaning against Honchkrow's fluffy wings. Despite the chill of autumn nights in the Azoth Kingdom, Andrew felt warm and refreshed by morning.

Early the next morning, Nurse Joy and Chansey were already busy. Andrew greeted them warmly.

"Good morning, Nurse Joy."

"Good morning, sir."

(End of Chapter)