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

Yuga activated his Insight ability and looked at the Ariados on the web.

...

[ Ariados ]

Type: Bug, Poison

Ability: Sniper

Gender: Female

Potential: Blue

Level: 78

Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot, Scary Face, Spider Web, Agility, Pin Missile, Psychic, Poison Jab, Sticky Web, Cross Poison, Toxic Spikes, Fell Stinger, X-Scissor, Psychic, Double Team, Sucker Punch, Electroweb, Signal Beam, Foul Play.

...

After reading the details, Yuga thought to himself: No wonder it has the ability to maintain such a massive harem—turns out it's a Champion level Pokémon!

As Yuga observed Ariados, it noticed him as well. The spider quickly adjusted its posture on the web with a speed that did not match its bulky body.

However, instead of engaging directly, it let out a sharp screech. Upon hearing this signal, the male Bug Pokémon guarding the area immediately swarmed in to launch an attack on Yuga and his team.

The Pokémon inside the forest were indeed much stronger than those stationed outside, but not by much. Under the onslaught of Chatot and Noctowl—both Elite level Pokémon—the horde quickly fell into disarray.

Yuga summoned his Palossand, which transformed into a giant fortress. Standing atop the central castle wall, Yuga leisurely observed the battle below.

Any Pokémon that attempted to attack Yuga was swiftly "slapped down" by the fortress's massive hands, which formed from the castle walls. None of the bug Pokémon, not even a single pseudo-Elite level one, could break through Palossand's defense.

Yuga realized that standing on Palossand and commanding battles was the safest thing ever. It seemed that giving it the Geovena Stone had been the right choice.

If Palossand gets even stronger, won't my safety be even more guaranteed?

He also noticed that Chatot's combat power was growing stronger and stronger. Its Heat Wave move was devastating—each wave of scorching flames instantly knocked out dozens of Pokémon.

Although Noctowl was also an Elite level Pokémon, the power gap between it and Chatot was becoming increasingly evident.

Chatot was an indigo potential Pokémon, whereas Noctowl only had green potential. The gap between them was bound to widen further in the future.

Despite Chatot's usual carefree and playful attitude, its progress in strength was not slow at all. Even though it didn't train as seriously as Noctowl, it was steadily leaving Noctowl further and further behind.

Yuga decided that he must find an opportunity to improve Noctowl's potential, at least raising it to blue level. He couldn't allow the gap between the two to keep growing.

When the level gap between Pokémon couples gets too wide, their relationships usually don't last long.

Noctowl was one of the first high-level Pokémon Yuga had captured, and it had even saved his life back in the day. Naturally, it held a higher position in his heart compared to the other Pokémon.

He knew that Noctowl really liked Chatot, so he definitely had to help it!

With the combined efforts of Noctowl and Chatot, the swarm of male bugs was quickly defeated by more than half. This finally made the Ariados on the web lose its patience.

It suddenly sprang from the web with such speed that Yuga's eyes struggled to keep up, its bulky body seemingly unaffected by its weight.

The forest was covered in snow-white webs, providing Ariados with a favorable combat environment. It leaped rapidly across the strands, closing the distance between itself and Chatot and Noctowl in the blink of an eye.

Whoosh!

Ariados swung its two front claws, sending a cross-shaped Poison Blade slashing fiercely towards Chatot. Chatot reacted swiftly, flapping its wings to summon a massive soundwave pillar that shattered the Poison Blade into pieces.

Aside from its increasingly proficient Heat Wave, sound-based moves were also Chatot's specialty. As a melody Pokémon, mastering and skillfully using sound-based moves was part of its racial talent.

After the failed attack, Ariados instantly vanished from its original spot, causing Noctowl's incoming Extrasensory to hit nothing but empty air.

In the next second, Ariados used the webbing to reappear behind Noctowl, landing a Sucker Punch that knocked Noctowl out of the air. Then, it unleashed an Electroweb, binding Noctowl to the ground.

Caught in the crackling web of electricity, Noctowl let out a cry of pain.

"Kitty-chan!" Chatot called out anxiously, flames surging wildly from its body. The raging fire engulfed the area where Ariados had been, instantly turning the surrounding trees and webs to ash.

But Ariados had already disappeared from that spot.

Standing on Palossand, Yuga cast a green healing light onto Noctowl, immediately easing its injuries and allowing it to break free from the Electroweb.

Though Yuga could easily take down Ariados, he refrained from intervening right away. It was time for Chatot, who had been living in comfort for too long, to experience a challenging battle.

With Noctowl injured, Chatot's aggressive instincts were triggered. It continued to release flames, burning the surrounding trees and webs.

Chatot's flames were unique, far hotter than those of an ordinary Fire-type Pokémon. Anything they touched was instantly destroyed, and soon, half of the forest was in ruins.

Ariados was strong because of its ability to move unpredictably within favorable terrain, but with the forest and webs now destroyed, it was forced to face Chatot head-on.

Watching the devastation caused by Chatot, Yuga thought to himself, Good thing this is an uninhabited island; otherwise, setting fire to the forest would land me in prison.

Under Chatot's relentless attacks, Ariados was forced to retreat continuously. It tried to use Pin Missile to disrupt Chatot's flight, but Chatot was too agile, easily dodging the rain of projectiles.

At this point, Noctowl, having recovered, rejoined the battle. Seeing Noctowl back in action, Chatot finally calmed down a little.

Faced with the couple's combined assault and the loss of its terrain advantage, Ariados was finally knocked to the ground.

Even after being defeated, the ferocious Ariados refused to surrender. It seized an opportunity to counterattack, almost landing a surprise Sucker Punch on Noctowl. However, the ever-vigilant Chatot intercepted and knocked it back again.

Seeing that Ariados was no longer capable of resisting, Yuga dismounted from Palossand and approached, looking down at it.

This Ariados was no pushover; its gaze was filled with hostility, as if it could leap up and bite Yuga at any moment.

"Ariados~"

Just as Yuga took out a Poké Ball, intending to capture it, Ariados suddenly let out a sharp screech and began trembling violently.

What's going on? A distress signal?

But Yuga guessed wrong. In the next second, the aura belonging to an Elite level Pokémon on Ariados started to rapidly decline. In the blink of an eye, it seemed to turn into an ordinary Pokémon that could be seen anywhere on the street.

It didn't stop there—its once vibrant colors began to dull, its claws became blunt, its teeth loosened, and its once bright, piercing eyes gradually turned lifeless. It was as if, within a few short seconds, it had transitioned from prime adulthood to old age.

What's going on? What's going on?

While Yuga was still puzzled, a soft "plop" sound came from behind Ariados. A round, plump Pokémon egg rolled out from its swollen abdomen.

Was it actually pregnant?

Yuga had originally thought that Ariados's bloated abdomen was a result of laziness and overeating—after all, it even relied on its harem to do all the hunting. He never expected that it was truly pregnant!

So, Ariados had injected all its remaining life force into the egg and forced an early birth?

"Plop... plop... plop..."

One after another, a total of ten Pokémon eggs rolled out from Ariados, and its once swollen belly finally deflated completely.

After giving birth, Ariados's vitality seemed to drain completely. It looked at Yuga with pleading eyes, as if begging him not to harm its children.

At this moment, Yuga finally understood—this Ariados thought he was like the other predators on the island, wanting to kill it. That's why it took the desperate measure of sacrificing itself to bring its offspring into the world early.

But he never intended to kill it! Ariados was indeed vicious, but it had high level and great potential. Yuga was actually planning to sell it to Licia.

He had even thought of using the money to take Blastoise and the others for a medical checkup!

While life under Licia wouldn't offer freedom, it would guarantee a stable life. However, due to a misunderstanding, Ariados ended up sacrificing itself.

Reading the desperate plea in Ariados's eyes, Yuga assured it, "Don't worry, I won't harm your children."

Upon hearing Yuga's words, the light in Ariados's eyes completely faded, and it lost all signs of life. Having exhausted all its vitality, it had already reached its limit and had been holding on by sheer willpower.

What a pity! Yuga sighed and said to Palossand, "Find a place to bury it properly."

"Palossand~"

Palossand responded, grabbed Ariados's lifeless body, and slowly sank into the ground.

Only then did Yuga turn his attention to the ten eggs left behind by Ariados. As expected of a Bug-type Pokémon—laying ten eggs at once, something other species couldn't even come close to achieving!

The shiny Ariados in his Ecopark was the same way, producing batches of offspring one after another. It was incredibly prolific. Yuga thought to himself—he hadn't even learned how to provide postnatal care for a mother spider!

Activating his Insight skill, Yuga was stunned and couldn't help but exclaim.

Half of these ten eggs were of high quality—five were yellow potential, four were green potential, and one barely reached the blue potential.

Although the blue glow was faint, it undeniably emitted a beautiful hue.

Could it be that the blue egg had absorbed all of Ariados's life force?

Just then, Palossand emerged from underground.

"All set?" Yuga asked.

"Palossand~"

Palossand called out, wriggling its body. Suddenly, a series of rattling sounds echoed as countless white bones spilled from its body.

"W-where did all these come from?" Yuga asked, eyes wide in shock.

"Palossand~ Palossand~"

Palossand gestured.

"You dug them all up from underground?"

Now Yuga completely understood—no wonder Ariados had sent its entire harem out to hunt. It turned out that all the prey it captured had been used to nurture the children growing in its belly.

No wonder these ten Pokémon eggs had such high potential as soon as they were born. Looking at the piles of bones, Ariados must have devoured nearly a thousand Pokémon!

Ariados' maternal love was indeed great, but its cruelty was just as real.

At this point, Yuga no longer dwelled on Ariados' death. It had died fulfilling its purpose, after all. With its ferocious nature, it was unlikely that even Licia could have tamed it.

"Alright, bury them back again," Yuga waved his hand and instructed Palossand.

"Palossand~"

Palossand responded, wriggled its soft body, and swallowed the bones back into itself. Most of these bones belonged to small bird Pokémon, so despite their large numbers, they didn't take up much space.

The bird Pokémon around here had likely been wiped out by Ariados.

Once Palossand burrowed back underground, Yuga stored the ten Pokémon eggs in his system backpack.

After Palossand returned, Yuga took it and left without bothering with the male Ariados.

Those males, much like Surskit, had been captured by Ariados for its own pleasure and even served as food reserves. They hadn't stayed here willingly. Now that Yuga had defeated Ariados, most of them had already fled in terror.

Leaving Ariados' lair, Yuga hopped onto Dragonite, humming a little tune as he happily made his way back. This time, not only did he successfully subdue the Squirtle colony, but he also obtained a blue potential Pokémon egg—truly a fruitful haul.

The only regret was the so-called "curse" of the Squirtle clan.

By the time Yuga returned to the Island Ecopark, the sky had already darkened. He found Coco (Wigglytuff) and handed over the ten Pokémon eggs, asking it to place them in the incubation room of the control center.

Once the eggs were settled, Yuga took Coco with him to the lake area and released the Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise into the lake.

The water in this lake had certain healing properties. As soon as the Squirtle family entered, they all showed expressions of enjoyment.

"This will be your home from now on, and this is your caretaker. You need to listen to it, and if you have any difficulties, you can seek its help," Yuga introduced Coco to the Squirtle clan.

Once they were all familiar with each other, Yuga selected a few Squirtle and Wartortle from the group to take them to Joyka for a check-up.

To ensure the accuracy of the examination, Yuga deliberately chose one Squirtle and one Wartortle that already showed symptoms of the curse, as well as one seemingly healthy Squirtle and Wartortle each.

According to Blastoise, those seemingly healthy Squirtle and Wartortle might still carry the curse within them, just waiting to manifest at an unknown time.

Of course, Yuga also brought along the most seriously affected Blastoise.

After leaving the Island Ecopark, Yuga first stopped by the Insect Paradise Sub-ecopark to settle Surskit there before heading out.

Upon arriving home, Dou Dou had just finished preparing dinner and called Yuga over to eat.

Worried about the Squirtle clan's condition, Yuga said, "I'm heading to the Pokémon Center. I'll be back soon!" And with that, he ran out the door.