Taking care of a baby...
Naoki was momentarily speechless, as he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner and said:
"There's no rush for this. Besides, the way humans and Pokémon lay eggs is quite different; there are many rituals to go through before having a baby, like confessing love, dating, and marriage. But most importantly, you need someone you like first."
The Indeedee Sibling placed the Dragonite Egg onto the small bed and then joined Naoki in cooking:
"Indeedee~ Indeedee?" (I know~ My parents used to tell my brother and me about this, so Master, do you have someone you like now?)
Naoki: "..."
It felt rather strange to discuss this kind of thing with a Pokémon.
He thought it over and still shook his head: "I've been at the ranch all the time, where would I find the time?!"
Naoki's attitude towards such matters was to let fate decide; if there wasn't anyone suitable, he'd rather spend his life with Pokémon.
"Indeedee." The Indeedee Sibling nodded earnestly, thinking it over too, and then put away the gossipy look, focusing on preparing the food.
Before leaving, Naoki prepared several days' worth of Berry Platters for Farfetch'd.
But it had eaten them all and still hadn't learned the move it wanted, so it could only keep at it and continue eating.
Watching Farfetch'd scarf down the Berry Platters, Naoki couldn't help but sigh: "A long road ahead!"
Three days apart, and Farfetch'd was almost turning into a big fat duck with thick fat.
*
The next morning, Naoki moved the berry blender into the kitchen.
However, he didn't immediately start researching Pokeblocks.
Instead, he planned to go to the vehicle management office in town, take a driving test, and then buy a pickup truck to haul berries back to the ranch.
Besides this, he also needed to purchase some ingredients and seasonings to restock supplies.
During his absence, the food at home had almost been eaten up by the Pokémon.
Riding Cyclizar, Naoki headed straight to the vehicle management office in town.
After paying the exam fee to the staff, a person in a blue uniform led him to the testing area.
Compared to his previous life, the driving test in the Pokémon World wasn't as complicated.
As long as you demonstrated your ability to drive and answered some questions about the driving process, you could obtain a driver's license.
Naoki passed smoothly without any surprises or dangers, and he carefully stored his newly printed driver's license with the fresh ink smell, then headed straight to the car sale area with Cyclizar.
The showroom displayed a variety of vehicles, from business vehicles and sedans to luxury limousines, of all kinds and sizes.
Due to the presence of Pokémon, cars in this world weren't very expensive, and a decent one could be bought for over a hundred thousand League Coins.
Luxury cars weren't a necessity for Naoki, so he skipped them and finally spent 120,000 League Coins on a brand-new white pickup truck.
Having paid, the car was officially his.
Naoki patted the cargo bed, smiling: "Hop on!"
Cyclizar looked curiously at the car in front of it and leaped into it.
"Sit tight, and don't move around randomly!"
Naoki gave a reminder, then climbed into the driver's seat.
"Vroom vroom vroom!"
The small pickup successfully started, and Naoki drove, with Cyclizar in tow, back to Porto Marinada Town.
This time, he was responding to the Indeedee Sibling's request to buy a crib for the Dragonite Egg.
Naoki told Cyclizar to wait in the car, while he went into the furniture store and came out after a short while.
"Just put it on top!" Naoki pointed to the truck bed, and the two strong men combined efforts to lift the crib onto it.
The truck bed was already loaded with the groceries and daily necessities he had previously purchased, along with Cyclizar. Naoki looked around and thought to himself how convenient it was.
At least now he wouldn't have to worry about moving large items when going out.
Sitting on top, Cyclizar saw Naoki happy and began to smile foolishly.
Seeing that he'd accomplished everything he set out to do on this trip, Naoki clapped his hands and said to Cyclizar: "Let's go, time to head back!"
"Kyah oh~"
"Oh right!" Naoki suddenly remembered there was still one thing he hadn't done.
He needed to buy some books about Pokémon egg-laying!
In the past, he only hatched Pokémon Eggs in the games, where they hatched on their own as he walked.
Reality probably wouldn't be that simple; the time required for Pokémon Egg hatching and how to care for newly hatched Pokémon were things he needed to understand in advance.
Even though the Indeedee Sibling could care for the young ones, he felt more at ease by learning about it himself.
What if someday another Pokémon at the ranch found each other and laid eggs?
Thus, Naoki headed back to Porto Marinada Town and dove into a bookstore, and with the staff's guidance, quickly found two books suitable for him.
Pokémon Breeding Guide - by Professor Elm.
Pokemon Egg Hatching Care - by Professor Elm.
The young store clerk watched him and smiled as she introduced: "These two books document how to let two Pokémon come together to lay eggs and are very popular in the breeding houses!"
"Breeding house?" Naoki was a bit surprised. Was it the kind of breeding house he knew?
The young store clerk nodded: "That's right. There's a Pokémon breeding house near Porto Marinada Town where Trainers can leave their Pokémon to be looked after by the owner."
