I’m the Owner of the Pokémon Day Care In the World of Pokémon

Yuga and Elio made their way to the boundary between the outer and inner areas of the Guli Mountain Range. From a distance, they saw Mr. Kaya confronting a group of Pokémon. As they got closer, Yuga realized that Kazuma and Shin were also there.

Landing beside Mr. Kaya on Dragonite, Yuga glanced at the furious Sceptile on the opposite side and asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

At this moment, Kazuma spoke quietly, "Gym Leader, they're here for me…" As soon as he finished, a small head poked out from his arms—it was the Treecko Yuga had seen before, the one with excellent potential.

The moment Treecko appeared, the Sceptile across from them became extremely agitated. Its cries were full of accusations against the Pioneer Corps, accusing them of abducting its child.

From Sceptile's words, Yuga quickly deduced the general situation. "So, this Treecko is Sceptile's child?"

That explained why a Pokémon with such excellent potential had been encountered so easily—it turned out to be the child of the mountain rulers.

Kazuma grimaced and nodded, "Yes, but I didn't know that before!"

Yuga immediately responded, "Now that you know, why haven't you returned it? Can't you see its parents have come all the way here?"

"But Treecko doesn't want to go back…" Kazuma muttered, shrinking back.

Yuga could see through the situation at a glance. This boy simply couldn't bear to give up a Pokémon with such outstanding potential.

Turning to Treecko, Yuga asked, "You don't want to go back with your father?"

Treecko seemed a little scared of Yuga, shrinking its head in a manner identical to Kazuma's. Cautiously, it nodded.

"Treecko~"

I want to stay with Kazuma!

Great. One is unwilling to leave, and the other doesn't want to let go. Yuga sighed helplessly.

Fine. Let me help you two fulfill this little wish of yours.

"Sceptile, what do you want to do?" Yuga asked, looking at the still-agitated Sceptile.

If it weren't for the fact that they'd just gone through a major battle, Yuga suspected Sceptile would have already charged at Mr. Kaya.

"Sceptile~ Sceptile~"

Give me back my child, and we'll leave immediately!

Yuga nodded; this request wasn't unreasonable. It made perfect sense. However... he feigned helplessness and said to Sceptile, "But Treecko doesn't want to go back with you."

Sceptile, of course, didn't believe Yuga's words and roared.

"Sceptile~ Sceptile~"

Impossible! Deceptive humans, you must have tricked my child with your lies!

"Then why don't you ask for yourself?" Yuga replied.

As Yuga spoke, he gave Kazuma a meaningful look. Kazuma understood immediately and stepped forward, encouraging Treecko to come out. Treecko climbed onto his head and timidly called out to its father, Sceptile, expressing its desire to stay and its reluctance to return.

Hearing this, Sceptile's expression darkened significantly. It glared fiercely at Treecko, as if saying, You ungrateful brat! Haven't I treated you well? How dare you side with outsiders!

Startled by its father's intimidating gaze, Treecko quickly scrambled down from Kazuma's head and darted back into his clothes at an astonishing speed, leaving everyone speechless.

"See? It really doesn't want to go back. We didn't trick it," Yuga said with a helpless expression. "Honestly, there's no need to force Treecko to return. What's wrong with staying with humans? It'll eat and drink better with us than out in the wild. Plus, our methods of raising Pokémon are far superior to yours. This kid is bound to have a brighter future with us."

For a Master level Pokémon like Sceptile, who had likely spent countless years growing and honing its strength through sheer effort and hardship, the idea that humans could raise Pokémon to similar levels in much less time was undoubtedly frustrating.

Although Sceptile found Yuga's argument reasonable, it still couldn't accept it. Its Leaf Blade began to glow ominously as it prepared to lash out.

Seeing this, Yuga quickly intervened. "Wait a minute! How about this: I've got an idea. You just went through a major battle, and your territory's forest must be in ruins, right? I'll help restore your land's vitality, and in exchange, you let Treecko stay!"

Hearing Yuga's proposal, Sceptile froze mid-attack. Yuga's words struck a chord—it was true.

The fierce battle had taken place primarily in the inner regions of the Guli Mountain Range, where the fighting was especially intense. Large areas of forest had been devastated. Restoring it naturally would take an untold number of years.

Unlike humans, Pokémon do not engage in production activities and rely entirely on nature's bounty for food. When forests are destroyed on such a large scale, it inevitably leads to food shortages and a survival crisis for the Pokémon living there.

Sceptile's eyes darted thoughtfully before it replied skeptically, "How can you prove you have the ability to restore the vitality of our territory?"

Yuga smiled faintly. "That's easy. Watch this."

With that, he released Florges and instructed it, "Florges, please restore vitality to this forest."

They were currently standing in an area that had also been part of the battlefield. The once-towering trees had been reduced to a desolate wasteland of broken stumps and fallen trunks.

"Florges~"

Florges responded with a melodious cry and activating its Grassy Terrain. Waves of green energy rippled outward from beneath its feet.

As these unique Grass-type energy waves spread across the land, the grass began to sprout, grow, and blossom. The barren trees started to bud anew, and even the shattered trunks of large trees regenerated from their roots, sprouting into vibrant saplings.

When Florges finally withdrew its Grassy Terrain, the area had transformed into a lush and thriving landscape. Some of the newly grown trees even bore young, unripened berry on their branches.

Witnessing this miraculous sight, Sceptile's eyes lit up in amazement. It was utterly astonished. Other than the legendary forest god, Celebi, it had never heard of any Pokémon possessing such an incredible ability.

Although the forest hadn't fully returned to its original state, it was enough to ensure they wouldn't have to worry about food anymore.

Realizing this, Sceptile looked at Florges with burning eyes. However, it didn't immediately agree to Yuga's proposal. Instead, feigning dissatisfaction.

"Sceptile~ Sceptile~"

That's my child. Do you think you can take it away so easily? What do you take me for?

Yuga smiled warmly at Sceptile and replied, "If you have any other conditions, just let me know."

He knew Sceptile just wanted to drive a harder bargain.

Sceptile's eyes darted cunningly as it replied.

"Sceptile~ Sceptile~"

Restoring only my territory? That's not enough. You might as well restore the other forests too!

The crisis in the Guli Mountain Ridge had been monumental, and Sceptile felt largely responsible for it. If it hadn't accidentally fallen under Marshadow's control, things wouldn't have spiraled out of hand like this. Even without considering that, Sceptile felt indebted to the other lords for saving its life. It wouldn't be so selfish as to think only of itself, especially since Swampert had paid the price for Yuga's healing services.

"Fine," Yuga said, "since you insist, I'll reluctantly agree."

Seeing Yuga resolve the issue so effortlessly, Mr. Kaya and the others let out a collective sigh of relief. They really couldn't afford to stir up any more conflicts with the Guli Mountain Ridge's rulers.

"But it's getting late now," Yuga remarked, glancing at the darkening sky. "How about we start tomorrow?"

Sceptile looked up at the sky as well.

"Sceptile~ Sceptile~"

Don't you dare try to pull a fast one on me. I'll come looking for you tomorrow!

With that, it led its subordinates away, but not before shooting Yuga a warning glare, as if to say, Don't even think about running.

"Well then, let's head back too," Yuga said to Mr. Kaya.

"Agreed, let's go back!" Mr. Kaya cheerfully patted Yuga on the shoulder. "We owe you big time for handling this so smoothly. Who knows how we'd have managed otherwise?"

Back at camp, Yuga recounted the events surrounding Regigigas to Mr. Kaya, sharing everything he could.

When Mr. Kaya learned that the incident was connected to Team Radiance, he was utterly shocked and decided to report it to the League.

After saying all that needed to be said, Yuga retired for the night.

Following the intense battle earlier, the soldiers in the camp were exhausted. The entire place fell silent shortly after nightfall as everyone turned in early.

"Celebi~"

Upon returning to his quarters, Yuga had just turned on the light when a shadow suddenly leapt at him, startling him. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Celebi.

"You're back again? You scared me!" Yuga said, patting his chest.

"Celebi~"

I'm here to ask for your help.

It turned out Celebi couldn't bear to see the Guli Mountain Range's forests so devastated and hoped Yuga and Florges could assist in restoring the area's vitality. Working alone was far too inefficient.

"Alright, I'll help you," Yuga agreed.

After all, this aligned perfectly with the promise he'd made to Sceptile.

Celebi was overjoyed by Yuga's agreement, thinking to itself that he truly deserved the blessing he carried as someone who embodied kindness.

The next morning, before sunrise, Yuga was rudely awakened by a commotion. It turned out that Sceptile had sent several Tropius to dance on his rooftop, leaving him no choice but to get up early. He and Celebi then followed the Tropius out of the camp.

Yuga remained busy for several days, heading out early with Celebi and returning late, almost entirely traversing the Guli Mountain Range and visiting the territories of nearly all its rulers Pokémon.

Overall, their attitudes toward him were amicable. In gratitude for his help in restoring their territories, many presented Yuga with gifts.

While most of the gifts seemed ordinary to Yuga, they were heartfelt offerings. Some lords even gifted him rare herbs unique to the Guli Mountain Range, many of which were exceedingly rare and unavailable in the outside world. Yuga was delighted by these gifts.

Herbs were invaluable resources, essential for nurturing Pokémon. Whether it was for boosting their energy or improving their physical health, various herbs were indispensable.

Several days later, Yuga formally bid farewell to Mr. Kaya and decided to leave the Guli Mountains. Celebi, who had departed earlier, left the mountains as soon as the forest's recovery was nearly complete.

Celebi was not just the guardian god of one forest in the Guli Mountains but the forest god of the entire Hoenn region. It could not remain in one place for too long.

Celebi and Yuga's lineage shared a deep connection, and they could even communicate through the shrine's divine statues. Yuga believed he and Celebi would have more opportunities to meet in the future.

Due to the great battle, the Pioneer Corps needed to replenish a large batch of supplies, and Yuga happened to take advantage of this supply transport flight to leave.

"Safe travels. There's still a lot of work to handle here in the camp, so I won't be able to see you off," Mr. Kaya said to Yuga.

Since discovering that this incident was connected to Team Radiance, Mr. Kaya had already dispatched several groups into the wilderness to search for clues about them. Unfortunately, the wilderness was vast, and finding evidence was no easy task.

"I'm already set to leave. There's no need to trouble yourself. Until we meet again!" Yuga said as he boarded the flying vessel. He turned to Kazuma and Kazunobu and added, "You two work hard and make sure not to tarnish the reputation of the Verdanturf Gym."

"Got it, Gym Leader!" the two brothers replied in unison, their tone filled with reluctance.

More than ten days later, Yuga successfully returned to Verdanturf Town.

At the same time as Yuga's return to Verdanturf Town, the severely injured Marshadow arrived in Mauville City.

In a mansion in Mauville City, Marshadow flickered into a room. A man sat inside, his back initially turned toward Marshadow. When the Pokémon entered, the man turned around to face it. However, his eyes appeared vacant and wooden.

Marshadow gazed at the man in puzzlement. Due to the severe injuries it had suffered at the hands of Regigigas, anyone or any Pokémon under its control should have been freed—just like the Regis.

Unable to contain its curiosity, Marshadow moved closer to investigate, only for the man to suddenly throw a Poké Ball and capture it.

Initially, Marshadow paid it no mind; a mere Poké Ball could never contain it, not even in its heavily wounded state.

However, this time, it had miscalculated. Once inside the Master Ball, no matter how much it struggled, it could not escape.

The man watched the Master Ball shake on the floor twice before it stilled, a smile spreading across his face. He rose from his chair, bent down, and picked up the Master Ball.

"As expected of a Master Ball—it easily captured even a mythical Pokémon like Marshadow!"

This man was none other than the leader of Team Radiance. It turned out that he had previously been under Marshadow's control.

This story began several months ago.

The family of the Team Radiance leader had long worshiped a Dusknoir that had lived for countless years. The Dusknoir had always been revered as their guardian deity.

One day, however, this Dusknoir approached the Team Radiance leader, accompanied by a Marshadow.

Initially, the leader thought the Dusknoir had brought Marshadow as an ally to aid him. To his surprise, the two Pokémon worked together to control him and, in the process, seized control of Team Radiance.

During the days he was under Marshadow's control, the leader remained in a dazed, muddled state. But ten days ago, Marshadow's control over him abruptly disappeared.

Taking advantage of Marshadow's absence, the leader secretly contacted Team Rocket and struck a deal with them.

The Dusknoir his family had worshiped was far too powerful for him to handle. Thus, he decided to "sell" the Dusknoir to Team Rocket, trading it for a Master Ball.

Team Rocket's strength proved formidable. They dispatched a single Beedrill to defeat the Dusknoir and, as promised, handed over a Master Ball to the leader.

When Marshadow returned, the leader pretended to still be under its control. Seizing the opportunity, he successfully captured Marshadow in the Master Ball.

Exchanging an uncontrollable Dusknoir for a Marshadow he could fully command? An excellent deal!