Pocket Monsters was the old translation for Pokémon when Akesato was a child.
Other than the "Pocket" part being debatable—after all, plenty of Pokémon were huge, bigger than humans, and even their items included things like the Big Root—cough, cough—the translation was quite accurate.
The "monsters" part had been certified by Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes.
As for "pets," raising the vast majority of Pokémon was not much different from keeping pets. After all, Pokémon that could become wives were ultimately rare, aside from the followers of the Sad Wind Cult.
Of course, even pets came in different varieties.
Some were easy to raise.
Grass-type Pokémon were prime examples. Take Oddish and Sunkern—most Grass-type Pokémon could survive on photosynthesis alone, and some even produced byproducts. Not only did they cause their Trainers no trouble, they could even bring in income. They were easier to keep alive than cacti.
Others, though, were incredibly delicate.
They had requirements for food, temperature, and even their environment. Pokémon like Gossifleur, as well as rare dragon species like Dratini, were no easier to raise properly than reptiles—meaning lizards, snakes, and the like.
Fortunately, all the Pokémon following Akesato were easy to care for.
For Gardevoir's evolutionary line, it was basically just a matter of the Akesato family setting out another pair of chopsticks. Whatever humans ate, she ate.
Playful Panda was a little more troublesome. It liked bamboo, and its stomach and digestive abilities were much like those of real pandas—worse than those of other wild animals—but it had also inherited the panda's omnivorous nature quite well.
Bamboo was a preference, but it could eat meat, vegetables, raw food, cooked food, and anything else besides. Sometimes, it would even hug a metal spoon and lick it, looking every bit the iron-eating beast.
Its current height of