Tetsuya found a housekeeping agency.
The house had been unoccupied for more than four years. The bedding, clothes, and everything else had become moldy, so Tetsuya threw them all away. The staff from the housekeeping agency thoroughly cleaned the entire house from top to bottom. At last, the place felt completely refreshed.
Both sets of bedding were replaced with new ones. Tetsuya moved the old man's safe into his own room, locked the certificates for all three properties inside it, and placed it in the closet.
The old man's room was prepared for the nun who would soon be arriving. Her primary purpose was to take care of Slowbro. After all, it would still take another ten years before its psychic capacities reached their full potential.
There was no way he could keep Slowbro with him for those ten years. As things stood, Slowbro would faint whenever it overused its powers, so it could not use them too frequently.
If Slowbro ever overtaxed its powers, Tetsuya would regret it for the rest of his life!
Once everything at home had been taken care of, Tetsuya returned to Ecruteak Gym, where he continued his regular training with Morty and Ryuto every day. Most importantly, he was waiting for the nun to arrive.
---◓---
About half a month later, the nun finally arrived at the entrance of Ecruteak Gym. By then, she had changed into the clothes of an average old woman.
With Ryuto leading the way, the nun finally met Tetsuya.
"Obaasan, is it alright if I call you that from now on?" Tetsuya asked the nun.
The nun smiled from ear to ear and said, "Of course, of course~ I never imagined that at my age, after already preparing to spend the rest of my life at Slowpoke Temple, I would still have someone to rely on in my old age. Mew has truly blessed me."
"Ok then, I'll take you home," Tetsuya said sincerely, without the slightest hint of selfishness.
---◓---
"…So this is your home? I've never lived in a house like this in my entire life." The nun looked around curiously.
"This will be your home from now on as well. I'll show you your room." After saying that, Tetsuya showed the nun every room in the house and taught her how to use the kitchen, bathroom, and shower.
Afterward, Tetsuya sent out Slowbro and deliberately let out a sigh. "It was my mistake… I let a Shellder bite Slowpoke's tail, and it evolved into the Slowbro it is now."
The nun said, "No no, It's my fault for not reminding you. This Slowpoke's tail has a mysterious power that attracts Shellder more than anything else. But Slowbro is adorable too… I'll take good care of it."
Tetsuya placed Slowbro's Poké Ball into the nun's hands.
Over the next few days, Tetsuya did not go to Ecruteak Gym. Instead, he accompanied the nun as she familiarized herself with the surrounding area, showing her where the park was, where the market was, as well as the supermarket, the Department Store, and where to buy Pokéfood.
Tetsuya went to the Department Store and bought several new sets of clothes for her.
Every morning, after eating breakfast and feeding Slowbro, the nun would take Slowbro with her to the market to buy groceries while also getting in her "morning exercise" on the way back. She would watch tv to pass the time, prepare lunch, and before she knew it, the entire morning would be gone.
As for the afternoons, what she did depended entirely on her mood. There were plenty of places nearby where she could go for a walk.
After dinner, she would usually take Slowbro to sit in the park until the sun went down before returning home.
After just a few days, the nun had already become familiar with the area, and it was about time for Tetsuya to leave as well…
---◓---
That day, after dinner.
"Obaasan, I'm planning to go train at Ecruteak Gym, so I probably won't be able to stay at home every day. I'll get you a bank card and transfer your living expenses to you every month," Tetsuya said.
The nun shook her head and refused. "Young Trainers should go out and make something of themselves. I wholeheartedly support that. But I definitely won't accept your money! I've saved my entire life's retirement fund, and I could never spend it all.
You've already given me a home and a new life. How could I possibly take your money too? Don't worry. I'll take good care of this home for you. Just come back and stay from time to time, Tetsuya-kun."
"…Then I won't insist. In any case, if you ever need anything, just let me know," Tetsuya said.
He had truly gone to extraordinary lengths for this Slowbro. Right now, the person Slowbro trusted most was still the nun. However, he was now the nun's family. When the day came for her to pass away, he would be the one to care for her in her old age and see her through to the end.
In the end, she would certainly entrust Slowbro to him. At that point, Tetsuya would become Slowbro's rightful Trainer, and in Slowbro's eyes, he would be its only Trainer.
---◓---
In the blink of an eye, a month had already passed since he had returned to Ecruteak City. Many matters had finally been settled. His Pokémon had all recovered from their lingering injuries at the Pokémon Center and had been restored to peak condition. Aside from Golurk, they had all resumed their training.
His expenses over the past month had also been considerable. Everything in the house had been replaced with new items. Fortunately, all of the expenses at the Pokémon Center were covered by Ecruteak Gym. He also bought himself a better Spatial Backpack and reorganized everything inside it.
The most valuable items, the Ice-type raising guides and Golurk's guide, had long since been committed to memory over the years, so there was no need to carry them around anymore. He locked them away in the safe at home.
As for the most important item, the Ghostly Crystal, Tetsuya specifically bought a box to store it in. When he had the chance to travel to Sinnoh, he would rely on it to open the door to Matsuba IV.
Tetsuya had already begun looking for a buyer for Aerodactyl. Although the Pokémon would not die while inside its Poké Ball, leaving it there for too long would inevitably affect its condition.
Tetsuya also did not dare send it out to feed it. Aerodactyl regarded him as an enemy, and he still was not completely confident that he could subdue it without causing serious injury.
Tetsuya bought a Bicycle, packed up his belongings, deliberately brought along the agreement with Mr. Shellby, and left home.
He went to Ecruteak Gym to let Matsuba and the others know his plans. There were only two months left in the year. He was simply going to rent a house on the outskirts of town so he could better train his Pokémon and battle passing Pokémon Trainers.
After all, Ecruteak Gym specialized in Ghost-type Pokémon. His Gengar had already become his hidden ace, Golurk was unable to battle, and none of his other Pokémon could represent Ecruteak Gym in battles. For the time being, there was little point in remaining at Ecruteak Gym.
Pryce and Sheila were also urging Tetsuya to head over as soon as possible, but he could only put them off until after the New Year by saying that he still had too many miscellaneous matters to deal with.
In reality, he had only one primary objective… to first raise a [Badly Poisonous Skorupi] variant. The method of raising it was simply too cruel, so he could only carry it out in secret.
After arriving in Eggseter, Tetsuya did not hurry to find Mr. Shellby. What he needed first was a secluded place where he could realize his Skorupi selection and raising.
Tetsuya asked around Eggseter and visited several real estate agencies, but not a single house he looked at met his requirements. That left him in quite a predicament. Could it be that he would have to build a "Pokémon Daycare" himself now?