[Pokémon: Taillow]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Guts]
[Moves: Growl, Peck, Focus Energy, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Thief, Swagger]
[Status: Healthy]
[Mood: 😊 Happy]
[Joy: 20]
[Friendship: 20 (A decent human poop-scooper!)]
[Description: Let's see if this human knows what he's doing! —Taillow]
Kawaki: "..."
His eyes locked onto the move "Thief" in Taillow's move list.
A Taillow that knows Thief...?
What on earth had this bird gone through lately to learn both Swagger and Thief?
Kawaki felt a strange mix of amusement and concern.
Up on the windowsill, Taillow had already noticed the new treat in Kawaki's hand—tiny cube-shaped candies that looked suspiciously like sugar cubes.
And they smelled... surprisingly good!
Kawaki, noticing the bird's intense stare, glanced at the Pokéblocks in his hand and asked:
"Want some?"
Taillow continued to eye him.
"If you do, come get it." Kawaki smiled. "These were made just for you. I've been saving them, waiting for you to show up again. Come eat."
Hearing those words, Taillow suddenly felt... guilty.
It had been freeloading off other humans lately. Their food had been tastier, after all.
Today, the usual spot was empty, so it figured it would swing by here to scrounge a snack.
Who would've thought this human had actually waited for it… and even saved food?
"Chuu…" Taillow chirped lowly, emotions stirring.
Still, if this human wanted it to come back, maybe it could make time to visit more often…
Without another thought, Taillow flew over, grabbed a Pokéblock, and popped it into its beak.
A burst of rich flavor exploded in its mouth—way better than any berries it had ever eaten!
Delicious!
Taillow dove in and devoured more.
Kawaki stood to the side, calmly watching the bird's emotions shift.
Just as he expected, the moment he said those words, Taillow's emotional state began to change.
Friendship climbed steadily from 20 to 50.
Joy skyrocketed from 20 to 80 the moment it tasted the Pokéblock.
Clearly, this little guy had never had anything good to eat before.
Even a basic-quality Pokéblock made it this happy.
Then, right on cue, a message floated before Kawaki's eyes:
[Taillow's mood has improved. Joy +60. You've received a gift from Taillow: "Intel 3."]
[Taillow has shared Intel 3: That Pokémon loves apple pie. It and its brother often appear where apple pies are found, quietly devour them, and slip away unnoticed. If you make Taillow even happier, it might reveal more about that Pokémon.]
Intel about the legendary Pokémon Latias and Latios—again!
Kawaki focused his full attention on the intel.
Loves apple pie…
Latias loves apple pie? And she and her brother sneak around eating them?
So here's a thought—if he made a bunch of apple pies, could he lure Latias and Latios to him?
It sounded like a stretch.
So far, Kawaki had obtained three pieces of intel:
Intel 1: A Pokémon capable of turning into a human appears in the northern Hoenn region.
Intel 2: The Pokémon and its brother travel the skies with no fixed home.
Intel 3: It adores apple pie and sneaks off with its brother to find and eat it.
It sounded like a lot, but wasn't actually much to go on.
Hoenn was vast, and trying to bait Latias and Latios with pie was like fishing for Kyogre with a stick.
Still, having intel was better than nothing.
At least he now knew their favorite food. If he ever met them, he could roll out a dozen apple pies and hope for the best.
Kawaki glanced at Taillow—it had definitely seen Latias and Latios before.
By now, Taillow had finished its Pokéblocks and was grooming its wings.
The glowing sun above its head signaled its joy.
Its expression seemed to say, "Good job, human. I'm satisfied with today's meal."
Kawaki chuckled and asked, "Coming back tomorrow? I've got more Pokéblocks."
"Chuu!"
Taillow chirped brightly—of course it was coming back!
"Then it's a deal." Kawaki smiled.
Taillow paused for a moment, then flapped its wings and flew off.
Watching it disappear into the sky, Kawaki mused:
Sometimes, a little white lie went a long way.
It hadn't hurt anyone—and now both sides were better off.
He got valuable intel on legendary Pokémon, and Taillow got a belly full of treats. Win-win!
Unfortunately, he didn't have any apples in the daycare, so apple pies would have to wait.
But Kawaki wasn't worried—there would be more chances to extract information from that bird.
"Excuse me…"
A soft, hesitant voice spoke behind him.
Kawaki turned to see a ragged, dirt-covered girl standing timidly nearby.
"Um… do you have a room available?" she asked.
A guest?
"Of course." Kawaki ushered her inside. "Come in, I'll get your check-in details sorted."
The girl glanced around and stopped at the menu board on the wall. Then, pulling a few bills from her pocket, she placed them on the counter.
"I'd like to stay for three days."
"Three?" Kawaki blinked. That was a first.
Since opening, no one had ever stayed longer than two nights.
Most travelers only needed a place to rest for one night before continuing on to the next town.
The girl looked like she had more to say, but simply nodded. "Yes. Three."
"Alright. Room 201, up the stairs and to the left. Meals are included—just let me know if you need anything."
"O-okay!"
As she disappeared up the stairs, Kawaki muttered to himself:
"What a strange kid."