"This little one has its own ideas." Edward glanced at the Shelgon beside him, a faint smile appearing on his face.
This was a Shelgon that could evolve into a Salamence, and it was quite powerful, capable of claiming dominance at the daycare purely through its strength. It was easy to imagine the natural talent Shelgon had for battle.
Edward had always been fond of Salamence—they were adorable, strong, and undeniably cool. But, unfortunately, this Shelgon had its own mind.
Headmistress Lilian brought over ten berries for Shelgon, who then walked over and began its daily meal.
Typically, Shelgon don't eat, but Shelgon was an exception. Its shell wasn't fully intact, exposing a scarred mouth, so it would occasionally eat berries.
As Shelgon began to eat, the surrounding Pokémon grew eager as well. Edward patiently helped Headmistress Lilian distribute food to the Pokémon. These little ones didn't have huge appetites, but they ate with such urgency, as if driven by a pressing need.
"Headmistress Lilian, have there been many cases of abandoned Pokémon this year?" Edward asked, watching the Pokémon eating intently. He reached up and brought down the small Pikachu on his head, gently stroking its little head.
"It's only May, but I've already found twenty-seven Poké Balls at the orphanage's entrance," Headmistress Lilian said, bringing over two small stools and handing one to Edward.
Edward took it, glancing at the ever-growing group of stray Pokémon. He couldn't help but sigh.
They say Pokémon are humanity's partners, friends, and family. So why are there still abandoned Pokémon?
And these were just the ones Headmistress Lilian had picked up. What fate awaited those Pokémon brought here by other means?
"The Alliance has promoted the Pokémon Abandonment Law for so long, but it still doesn't seem to make much of a difference," Edward said, shaking his head.
In the Pokémon Alliance, abandoning Pokémon was illegal. However, unless you abandoned a Pokémon right in front of Officer Jenny, it was nearly impossible to get caught. After all, abandoning a Pokémon was all too easy.
All it took was throwing a Poké Ball into the trash or the forest, and it was done.
Some people would even go a step further, releasing their partners to save the Poké Ball and then vanishing without a trace.
"There's nothing we can do. Thirteen of these abandoned Pokémon are suffering from serious illnesses," Headmistress Lilian said, taking it in stride. She had run this Pokémon daycare for many years and had seen every possible reason for abandonment.
Most often, though, it was because the Pokémon were sick.
While Pokémon Centers provided basic free medical care, severe illnesses required hospitalization, and the costs for hospitalized treatment were far from cheap. Abandonment, then, became an option.
"Headmistress, is the medical funding from before still sufficient?" Edward's gaze landed on a Psyduck. Its head was wrapped in bandages, and one of its hands was missing, leaving it with only a single small hand.
The Psyduck remained dazed, occasionally raising its hand to touch its head before staring blankly ahead.
Pokémon with physical disabilities were not uncommon at the daycare.
"It's sufficient, thanks to you, Edward." Headmistress Lilian smiled gratefully.
After all, Edward had donated his savings to the daycare, alleviating their financial crisis. Without his help, more names might have been added to the tombstones in the backyard.
"It's nothing, Headmistress. You're the one truly worthy of respect," Edward quickly waved his hand, feeling that he could never match Headmistress Lilian's dedication. For so many years, she had poured her heart and soul into sheltering and caring for abandoned Pokémon.
As Edward watched the Pokémon in front of him, an idea suddenly struck him.
The Pokémon Alliance was vast, with large regions and sizable populations, which naturally led to a significant number of Pokémon. Yet, the issue of abandoned Pokémon remained persistent and unavoidable.
What if, after making a movie, he adjusted the ticket prices—reducing his own profit by one dollar per ticket? That one dollar could go entirely toward a foundation for stray Pokémon. It might be a small help, but it would be something.
From a business perspective, promoting such an initiative could also increase people's interest in watching the movie, making it a win-win.
The idea seemed feasible the more he thought about it.
A low growl interrupted his thoughts. Edward looked up to see it was Shelgon.
Shelgon had finished eating the berries and was now pacing around him, looking a bit anxious. Edward couldn't help but laugh and rubbed its hard shell.
"Sorry, Shelgon, I forgot to bring Pokémon food this time." Edward shrugged, admitting he had forgotten to buy canned Pokémon food during his busy day at the office.
Shelgon froze for a moment but then happily started playing hide-and-seek with Edward. Amused, Edward pretended not to notice its not-so-small body and played along until nightfall. Then, he returned to his home at Stone Villa.
"How's the new company?" As soon as Edward walked in, he saw someone with the same hair color as him sitting on the sofa, arms crossed, smiling.
"Big brother?!" Edward was surprised. He hadn't expected to see his older brother, Steven, the current Champion of the Hoenn region, here.
"What are you doing back?" Edward asked.
Steven rolled his eyes at his little brother. Wasn't it obvious? Couldn't he feel at home with his own sibling?
Steven got up, walked over, and gave Edward a playful flick on the forehead.
"I heard from Dad that you're starting your own business, so I came to check on you, my troublesome little brother." Steven grinned, clearly caring deeply for Edward.
Though Steven was invested in his brother's endeavors, he often found himself baffled. Edward wasn't interested in being a trainer, which, in the Stone family, wasn't too shocking—none of them were particularly keen on training Pokémon.
But Edward wasn't even interested in stones!
In the Stone family, this was nothing short of heresy.
"Congratulations on becoming the Champion, big brother!" Edward rubbed his forehead, smiling as he congratulated Steven once more.
(End of Chapter)