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Perona had decided to stay.
She loved the environment of Pokémon Island and planned to live there. But now, Monet and Sugar were taking her shopping for clothes. Monet, who naturally played the role of an older sister, had a knack for dressing young girls, as evidenced by her impeccable styling of Sugar.
Dak had specifically requested Monet to buy Perona some gothic princess dresses and a pink parasol—essentially the style Perona would wear two years later—because it looked great.
As for Dak's task today, he would lead the future captains and team leaders of the inspection squad in practicing their duties.
There were four main participants: Bellamy, who had taken a day off, Galdino; Mikita; and Zanbai.
The four were already assembled on Pokémon Island.
After about ten days of training, some changes could be seen in Bellamy.
His muscles were noticeably firmer and more defined, though he was tanned, clearly having worked hard.
"It must be tough, huh?"
Dak glanced at Bellamy, whose face had grown more determined.
"Heh heh, it's fine, boss. Don't worry, I'm up for it."
Bellamy scratched his head sheepishly. He wasn't about to give up just because things got tough.
As for Galdino and Mikita, they hadn't shown significant progress, mainly because there hadn't been opportunities to put their abilities to practical use, and they didn't know how to train themselves. They still relied solely on their Devil Fruit powers in combat.
Zanbai had been diligent, but his age and talent held him back, resulting in slow growth. He was now about as strong as the 'Sword Saint' Johnny and the 'Blade God' Yosaku.
"Today, we'll observe how the trainers who have already hatched their Pokémon interact with them, and how they're getting along. If a Pokémon is mistreated, we'll step in and enforce our responsibilities."
Dak explained the day's objectives.
The four nodded in agreement, intrigued to see how people with Pokémon lived their daily lives.
"Alright, let's first check on Bon Clay and Smoochum. I haven't seen much of their daily lives."
Dak decided to start with internal inspections.
While normal inspectors couldn't check on internal staff, Dak certainly could.
With that, Dak led the group toward the spatial gate on Pokémon Island, which connected to the mirror in the branch warehouse, where guests would appear after entering.
The team followed this familiar path through the warehouse and into the store.
"Inspections should be discreet. We must avoid alerting trainers or Pokémon so we can observe them as naturally as possible."
Dak turned and whispered to the others while crouching, "In the underworld, I have the title 'King of Peeping.' Learn well my skills."
At that moment, he resembled a nosy teacher spying on students from the window, but that was part of an inspector's job.
If their presence was known, people might start pretending, like 'acting like they're paying attention in class' or 'pretending they're not asleep.' So, they wouldn't see the true picture.
With Bellamy, Galdino, Mikita, and Zanbai in tow, Dak headed toward the older man's residence, where the Oddish lived.
The sun was setting as the group arrived in the residential area. Following Dak's lead, they stopped in front of a modest house with a small, well-tended garden. The gate creaked open, and the five peered inside.
Dak approached the door and knocked politely. It opened to reveal a kindly old man with a slight stoop and twinkling eyes. He recognized Dak instantly.
"Ah, the kind sir from the Hatchery House! What brings you here today?"
"Hello, sir," Dak greeted warmly, "We're conducting a check on our customers to see how they are doing with their Pokémon. May we come in?"
The old man nodded eagerly. "Of course! Please, come inside."
They followed him through a narrow hallway into a quaint living room. Sunlight spilled through the windows, illuminating a small Oddish that sat in the middle of the room, absorbed in munching on a potted plant.
"That's my little buddy," the old man said with pride. "We spend most of our days together in the garden."
The team observed as the Oddish scurried around the living room, occasionally nuzzling up to the old man's leg. Despite being shy, it approached the guests cautiously, sniffing them before retreating to its potted plant.
"He's doing well," Dak noted, nodding. "How has he been getting along with you?"
"Oh, wonderfully," the old man replied. "He helps me in the garden. Even though he's still young and timid, he's slowly coming out of his shell."
The inspection team shared smiles, finding the sight endearing.
"Well, it's great to see that you're taking good care of him," Dak affirmed. "If you ever need more supplies, don't hesitate to reach out to us."
"Thank you, sir. We appreciate your kindness."
Dak and the group bid farewell, leaving the house and heading back into the evening streets.
"See, that's an example of a well-cared-for Pokémon," Dak explained as they walked. "A good trainer understands their Pokémon's personality and knows how to nurture it. Our job as inspectors is to identify situations where this isn't the case and make sure that every Pokémon is treated fairly."
The group nodded thoughtfully as they followed Dak down the cobblestone street, their minds set on their next inspection destination.
"Now, let's visit a family with a Pikachu. They live not too far from here," Dak said, leading the way.
(End of Chapter)