"Don't be so reckless, Blaze," Taylor said helplessly, looking at the Infernape.
This little one was another abandoned Pokémon, suffering from neuromeningitis, which caused behavioral disorders, lack of speed control, and poor limb coordination.
When Blaze was first abandoned, its condition was even worse. After some care, it had improved slightly, no longer punching itself in the face at every opportunity.
Blaze waved its fist, then slowly shuffled to the table, climbed onto a chair, and began eating breakfast.
Taylor noticed a plate of food on the table twist and vanish instantly. He glanced over but quickly looked away.
Today, Casey was still socially anxious.
Soon after, a Poochyena and a Meowth walked in together. When they saw Taylor, they ran to him and nuzzled affectionately. After receiving his praise, they happily went to eat.
Taylor smiled at the two. They were healthy, but they had been abandoned with a note left beside their Poké Balls: *"They are too weak and unworthy of me."*
"One more..." Taylor glanced at the clock on the wall.
In the two months since he began running the orphanage, Taylor had taken in several stray and abandoned Pokémon. Some had been adopted, but most of those still in the orphanage had health or behavioral issues.
A Purugly sauntered in, its dead-fish eyes scanning the room. Upon seeing Taylor, it approached and opened its mouth. A small Rattata fell out, covered in Purugly's saliva.
The Purugly's tail wagged, and Taylor, caught between amusement and exasperation, picked up the trembling Rattata and asked Kuro to release it outside the orphanage.
The orphanage had a food storage area, which inevitably attracted thieves. Since this abandoned Purugly joined, it had taken on the role of guarding the food warehouse.
"Well done, Puffin. Go eat," Taylor said gently. The Purugly wagged its tail happily and went to its meal.
Purugly wasn't a popular Pokémon, and its treatment differed greatly from its pre-evolved form, Glameow.
Puffin had been abandoned because its original owner couldn't accept that the cute, elegant Glameow had evolved into such a large, heavy cat.
"According to our agreement, it should be this afternoon," Taylor said, his gaze falling on Poochyena and Meowth.
These two were fortunate. Someone had taken an interest in them and wanted to adopt them, a happy occasion.
Though Taylor's orphanage was large and could be upgraded through the system, he hoped for fewer Pokémon to stay here, ideally none at all.
After all, those who ended up here were almost always abandoned.
Once the Pokémon finished eating, Taylor began cleaning the dishes. The orphanage had no extra income or staff, so when no volunteers were available, Taylor handled most of the work himself.
"I was thinking of saving happiness points to exchange for a basic intelligent robot to help with chores," Taylor grumbled while washing dishes.
Then, a plate floated silently into his hand, placed gently as if by an invisible force.
Taylor smiled.
Though Casey was socially anxious, it wielded its psychic powers skillfully. If not for its anxiety preventing it from battling, Taylor believed Casey wouldn't have been abandoned.
The plate danced in Taylor's hands. He waved Casey off, declining its offer to help with the dishes.
The last time he'd let Casey help, two plates had been accidentally broken, further straining the orphanage's tight budget.
Since then, Taylor had stopped letting Casey wash dishes, despite its repeated attempts to prove it could handle the task.
After finishing the dishes, Taylor returned to his office. He picked up the schedule, noting a red circle he'd drawn on it.
Adoption was a significant event for the orphanage.
From the system's perspective, adopted Pokémon provided a large number of happiness points at once, provided the adopter could genuinely bring happiness to the Pokémon.
The [Adoption Matching Detector], which Taylor had received at the start, was designed to ensure this, preventing those with ulterior motives from adopting and mistreating Pokémon.
From Taylor's personal perspective, he was delighted to see the little ones find new homes.
Though he cared for and loved the Pokémon in the orphanage, Taylor knew that these once-abandoned creatures longed deep in their hearts for a partner who truly cherished them.
Taylor picked up the documents in his hand.
The information came from Miss Officer Jenny of the Alliance.
The Alliance helped Taylor find adopters, and he didn't refuse their assistance. After all, he had little time to search for adopters himself. The Alliance conducted an initial screening, and Taylor used the matching detector for a final check to ensure the Pokémon's future happiness to the greatest extent.
Ever since he gave an injured, abandoned Bulbasaur to a kind little girl and later saw its joyful expression during a follow-up visit, Taylor had found meaning in this work.
Taylor reviewed the documents and set them aside. Paper records were only a reference; he needed to see the adopters in person.
Soon, he met this time's potential adopters.
"Director Taylor, this is Ms. Rhea, and Lucian. They're here to adopt Pokémon," Officer Jenny said with a smile, glancing at Taylor.
Taylor's gaze moved past Officer Jenny to the two prospective adopters.
Rhea, a 30-year-old woman, planned to adopt Meowth. She had a happy family, and her reason for adopting was that her previous Meowth had passed away, so she wanted to give another a home.
[Matching degree: 82%]
Taylor nodded. "Not bad."
This matching degree ensured Meowth would live a happy life after adoption.
He then turned to the other adopter.
A young couple had come with their son, Lucian, who was the intended adopter.
They wanted to adopt Poochyena because their son was nearing the age to embark on a journey and needed a starter Pokémon.
[Matching degree: 20%]
Taylor frowned slightly.