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

The Blastoise that emerged was incredibly large, even bigger than Yuga's Dragonite, which puzzled him.

A Blastoise of this size would likely have difficulty freely entering and exiting this stalactite cave. Could there be another entrance or exit?

Yuga activated his Keen Eye ability to examine the Blastoise.

...

[ Blastoise ]

Type: Water

Ability: Torrent

Gender: Female

Potential: Green

Level: 61

Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Withdraw, Rapid Spin, Bubble, Water Pulse, Iron Defense, Aqua Tail, Hydro Pump, Power-Up Punch, Dive, Aqua Jet, Ice Punch.

...

So, it turned out to be a pseudo-Elite level Pokémon. It appeared that it hadn't been at this level for long. With its green potential, it was already the strongest among the Squirtle and Wartortle in the cave.

Blastoise slowly stepped out of the pool, looking somewhat weak but not visibly injured.

"Blastoise~"

Human, what do you want to do?

Blastoise did not show hostility toward Yuga, nor did it attack rashly. Instead, it recognized that Yuga was human.

Resurrection Island was far removed from the human world, and most Pokémon on the island had no knowledge of humans at all. It was surprising that this Blastoise did.

A pseudo-Elite level Pokémon was not considered a big deal on an island with the lingering blessings of Ho-Oh; at most, it was just a small leader.

Blastoise didn't realize that Yuga could understand Pokémon language. It had only asked the question instinctively and wasn't expecting a reply, merely observing Yuga, seemingly trying to discern his intentions.

However, Yuga suddenly responded.

"Since you know I'm human, then you should understand that I'm here to capture you all!"

Blastoise was startled by Yuga's unexpected reply.

"Blastoise~"

You... you can understand what I'm saying?

"Of course, otherwise, how could I answer your question?" Yuga replied with a smile, sensing that Blastoise had no real desire to fight him.

Blastoise, appearing to have some worldly experience, quickly regained its composure after the initial shock. It lowered its head in thought for a moment before looking up at Yuga and saying, "If we don't resist, can you promise to take good care of these children?"

"Squirtle~"

"Squirtle~"

"Wartortle~"

"Wartortle~"

Hearing Blastoise's words, the Squirtle and Wartortle in the pool panicked and cried out anxiously. Watching this scene, Yuga couldn't shake the feeling that Blastoise was making its final arrangements.

However, the Blastoise didn't appear to be that old—far from the end of its lifespan.

Seeing its weakened state, Yuga suspected that it might be sick.

"I can promise you that, but you have to tell me what happened first," Yuga said.

"Blastoise~"

Blastoise fell silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

It turned out that this Squirtle tribe originally did not belong to Resurrection Island; they had migrated here from a distant sea.

The Squirtle tribe used to live on a small island not too far from the human mainland. Although the island wasn't large, it was solely inhabited by their clan, and they lived a prosperous life.

However, half a year ago, a giant human ship appeared near their island. For some unknown reason, the ship suddenly exploded, and the entire vessel sank.

Ever since that day, strange occurrences began happening around the small island. Pokémon in the surrounding sea kept falling ill and gradually weakened until they died. The Squirtle tribe was no exception to this phenomenon.

In just half a month, more than ten members of the tribe had died one after another.

The tribe leader at the time knew that this had to be connected to the giant ship that sank half a month ago. Without hesitation, they decided to migrate the entire tribe and leave the area.

However, leaving didn't solve the problem. It was as if they had been cursed—more and more members died during their migration, and those who fell ill grew increasingly weak.

As they drifted farther from their homeland, the number of dead continued to rise. By the time they finally arrived at this island, all the adult Blastoise in the tribe had perished.

Unfortunately, they soon discovered that the island was extremely dangerous, completely different from their previous home. As soon as they set foot on land, they became prey for other Pokémon, suffering attacks from numerous ferocious creatures.

With this, their numbers dwindled even further.

After such a long and arduous journey, their strongest members were all gone. They no longer had the strength to continue migrating and could only cling to survival on this island.

During their desperate search for shelter, they accidentally stumbled upon the stalactite cave they now reside in. At the time, this Blastoise was still a Squirtle and could easily enter.

The cave was well hidden, and most Pokémon couldn't find its entrance, allowing them to enjoy a brief period of safety.

However, later on, when this Blastoise and a few Wartortle evolved, their bodies became much larger, making it impossible for them to enter and exit freely.

They didn't dare to widen the entrance, fearing that doing so would expose the cave and leave them without a place to stay.

Since they could no longer move freely, Blastoise and the other stronger members had no choice but to entrust the younger ones with the task of foraging outside.

But the outside world was too dangerous. Every time the younger ones ventured out for food, they often returned injured. Nine times out of ten, they came back wounded, leaving the Blastoise filled with guilt.

Earlier, when Yuga saw the Wartortle returning with Salveyo weed, it was meant to treat the injuries sustained by their tribe members during foraging.

Salveyo weed grew in the territory of Poliwhirl, and to steal it, the Wartortle had gotten injured.

Even after all this, the supposed curse didn't spare them. Not long ago, several evolved Blastoise suddenly grew weak and died one after another, leaving only the one Yuga was looking at now.

Given its current state, it wouldn't be long before it followed the others.

Having endured so much hardship, Blastoise was deeply worried that once it died, the remaining Wartortle and Squirtle would have no one to rely on and would ultimately become food for the island's fierce Pokémon. That's why it was considering entrusting them to Yuga.

Although it didn't know whether Yuga was good or bad, it simply had no more time left.

After listening to Blastoise's story, Yuga finally understood why it had no will to resist when he mentioned capturing the Squirtle and Wartortle.

It could be said that their tribe was nearly at a dead end!

"Don't worry, I can try to find out the cause of this so-called 'curse' for you," Yuga said.

"Blastoise~"

Really?

Hearing Yuga's words, Blastoise was overwhelmed with emotion. This curse had been like a sword hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment. If the remaining Wartortle and Squirtle fell ill, their tribe might face complete extinction.

Blastoise's concerns were not unfounded. Several Squirtle and Wartortle had already shown signs of weakness. Though the number wasn't large yet, who knew when the others would succumb as well?

"Of course, it's true. But I can't guarantee that I'll find the cause. If I don't, don't blame me," Yuga added.

Yuga didn't believe this was a curse at all—he suspected it was some kind of disease. Naturally, in this situation, the best thing to do was to seek help from a professional like Nurse Joy.

He couldn't be sure that Joyka would definitely solve the problem, so he didn't make any guarantees. Otherwise, if it couldn't be cured, wouldn't that be embarrassing?

Since they had Yuga's promise, the Wartortles and Squirtles all decided to follow Blastoise's orders and leave with him.

After Yuga put all the Squirtles and Wartortles into Poké Balls, he looked at Blastoise and said, "You should come with me too."

"Blastoise~"

But...

Blastoise felt that it had already become extremely weak, and it might not survive for long outside, so it hesitated.

This cave held the graves of many of its kin. If it was really going to die, it wanted to rest in peace alongside them.

"Come with me. Maybe we can find a way to treat you. If we can't, I'll bring you back here," Yuga said.

Hearing this, Blastoise finally nodded in agreement.

Just as Yuga reached the cave entrance, preparing to leave, he suddenly heard Chatot's noisy voice from outside.

"You little thing, how dare you ambush me!"

"Got guts, huh? With such little skill, you still can't behave!"

"You splashed water all over me!"

"Let's see if you dare do it again!"

...

Chatot's chatter went on endlessly, just like a machine gun.

As soon as Yuga stepped outside, he saw Chatot standing on top of a Surskit, pecking incessantly at its head. Surskit squeaked pitifully, unable to escape. It looked absolutely miserable.

"What happened here?"

Seeing the pitiful state of the Surskit, Yuga asked in confusion.

"Boss, you're back! You wouldn't believe how annoying this little thing is! It dared to ambush me and even splashed water all over me!"

Seeing Yuga, Chatot stomped hard on Surskit again. Chatot really didn't like water.

Another pitiful squeak came from Surskit, making Yuga feel a little sympathetic. Would it get squashed like this?

{{(°△°;"}}! The thought made Yuga shiver.

...

[ Surskit ]

Type: Bug, Water

Ability: Water Bubble

Gender: Male

Potential: Green

Level: 29

Moves: Bubble, Quick Attack, Water Sport, Signal Beam, Water Pulse.

...

Yuga took a quick glance and was surprised to find that this Surskit had green potential! He was instantly delighted. After all the effort he put into capturing a large number of Pokémon earlier, he had only found one with green potential—and that one was on the verge of death. Who would have thought he'd encounter a healthy one right after leaving the cave?

Was this the heavens compensating him?

Yuga waved his hand to shoo Chatot away, then kindly helped Surskit up and asked, "Little guy, why did you ambush Chatot?"

Surskit wasn't a carnivorous Pokémon, so it couldn't have been hunting. Squirtles and Wartortles frequently passed through here, and no other Pokémon were known to reside in the tunnel. So it couldn't have been a territorial dispute either.

Chatot, furious at Yuga's leniency towards Surskit, squawked, "Hey! It bullied me first, and you're siding with it?"

Yuga turned to Chatot impatiently and said, "Go away, don't get in the way."

"Wuwuwu... So love does disappear, doesn't it?" Chatot pretended to cry as it flew to Noctowl, burying its head in Noctowl's wing. "Kitty-chan... wuwuwu..."

Noctowl enjoyed Chatot's clinginess, keeping a straight face while using one of its wings to comfort it, its eyes filled with amusement.

Ignoring Chatot, Yuga turned back to Surskit and said, "Little one, you still haven't answered me."

Surskit had just been beaten by Chatot, its courage shattered. Now, seeing Yuga, it found him repellent.

It had originally thought Chatot was just a minor bird, but who knew it was a big shot? It had kicked the hornet's nest in one go.

Seeing Surskit shivering, Yuga used his healing abilities to soothe it.

As Surskit felt the pain fade away from its wounds, it finally stopped being afraid. Under Yuga's persistent questioning, it revealed the reason for its ambush on Chatot.

It turned out that a very powerful female Ariados resided nearby. This Ariados had many underlings, but rather than being called subordinates, they were more like her harem.

Surskit was one of them, but being weak, it had been taken by Ariados to her territory, where it became the lowest-ranking member of the harem. It had never been chosen for the "bedroom" duties.

The harem members were all forcibly conquered by Ariados through strength. Because of her, there were almost no other male Bug-type Pokémon in the area.

Not only did the harem have to make sure Ariados was comfortable, but they also had to go out every day to hunt for food for her. They were so exploited that they almost couldn't bear it, but she was too powerful for anyone to dare rebel against her.

Is there such a ruthless Ariados? Truly a role model for us all!

"Take me to see her," Yuga said to Surskit, now very interested in meeting the female spider.

Seeing how fearful Surskit looked, Yuga reassured, "Don't worry, with me around, that female spider won't be able to harm you."

After Yuga's repeated assurances, Surskit finally agreed to guide Yuga.

Under Surskit's lead, Yuga, Chatot, and Noctowl arrived at a dense forest. Everywhere in the forest, spider webs covered the trees, and there were hundreds of male Bug-type Pokémon busily moving around: Beedrill, Spinarak, Yanmega, Heracross, Ariados...

"Are these all the female Ariados's harem?" Yuga asked Surskit.

Surskit nodded.

Goodness, that female spider is powerful!

Yuga was being open and honest about his approach, so as soon as he appeared, the male Bug-types noticed and quickly surrounded him.

However, these males were weak, and with one Heave Wave from Chatot, they were all knocked over.

After clearing out the male Bug-types, Yuga proceeded further into the forest, only to realize his knowledge was still quite shallow.

Deeper in the forest, he saw even more males: Heracross, Volbeat, Drapion, Yanmega... More males than the ones outside. The harem really did live up to its size!

Yuga had seen Pokémon with harems before, but he had never heard of one so massive!

On a huge spider web, Yuga finally saw the female Ariados. She was leisurely lying on the web, being served by two Ledyba. Her plump figure made Yuga worry that the web might not be able to support her weight.