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

Chapter 1107: Unexpected Charjabug

After the mishap involving the ranch manager, the League quickly appointed a new person in charge. This time, Mayor Ishida didn't dare to be careless and personally oversaw the progress of the project nearly every step of the way.

The wild Pokémon that originally lived on the ranch were relocated to a reserve near Verdanturf Town under the League's arrangements. This reserve was specifically established by the League for wild Pokémon that had lost their homes. It not only provided abundant food all year round but also had dedicated rangers to protect it.

During these days, Yuga continued his daily routine of taking the Sunflora to the town's training facilities. After a period of training, some of the Sunflora could now clumsily use Solar Beam.

The training equipment in the facility was very advanced, with dedicated rooms for guests to train in. In the high-end rooms, it was possible to artificially simulate various special environments, such as sunny weather, snow, rain, and more.

These special environments were beneficial for training certain specific skills.

Yuga spent some money each day to let the Sunflora train in the simulated intense sunlight environment, allowing them to fully experience the characteristics of sunlight. He taught them how to efficiently gather sunlight and then convert it into offensive energy.

Before teaching the Sunflora how to use Solar Beam, Yuga first taught them the move Synthesis. This skill was much easier to learn than Solar Beam, and since most Grass-type Pokémon are naturally compatible with it, it wasn't particularly difficult to master as long as they weren't too slow to catch on.

The move Synthesis greatly helps Grass-type Pokémon improve their efficiency in gathering energy for Solar Beam. In fact, the Sunflora that mastered Solar Beam first were those who were already proficient in using Synthesis.

Since the Sunflora weren't learning Synthesis for Pokémon battles, Yuga didn't demand immediate mastery. Even if some of them were a bit clumsy in using it, he didn't blame them too much.

He believed that as they gained more experience, both Synthesis and Solar Beam would become second nature to them. After all, practice makes perfect!

During this time, Ash and May visited Verdanturf Town to bid farewell to Yuga.

Their League and Contest challenges had come to a close, and they were now heading to Kanto: Ash to take on the Battle Frontier and May to explore the newly popular Contests in the Kanto region.

This didn't deviate much from the original storyline. The only major change was that Ash finally won the championship at the Hoenn League's Ever Grande Conference, which wasn't easy at all! Yuga felt a little regretful that he couldn't attend the match in person.

Kanto's Pokemon Contests had only become widespread in the past two years. The format and content differed slightly from Hoenn's Pokemon Contests, and as a newcomer, it was a good opportunity for May to broaden her horizons.

One day, after Yuga returned from an appointment, he heard a loud, unpleasant "Murkrow-Murkrow" sound at the door. The source of the noise was a Murkrow Yuga had caught from the ranch.

Today, Yuga had been out at a lunch invitation from Masato Shirai, who was thanking him for his timely intervention that saved Saskia.

In fact, ever since Masato Shirai and Saskia were transferred to Verdanturf Town, Yuga hadn't had much contact with them.

Although Masato Shirai had always treated Yuga kindly, Yuga had been too busy to interact with them since they arrived. The lunch was a chance for both sides to get to know each other better.

"Murkrow! Murkrow!"

When the Murkrow saw Yuga return, it excitedly jumped around inside its cage, which was hanging under the eaves, making a lot of noise.

That's right—the Murkrow had been caged ever since Yuga brought it back.

Originally, Yuga hadn't planned to bring the Murkrow back at all. It was just a red-potential Pokémon, something Yuga had no interest in.

However, while dealing with the ranch's aftermath, Yuga had been holding onto the Murkrow out of habit and ended up bringing it back to YoYo Day Care without realizing it.

After returning, Yuga thought that since everything was settled, he should release the little guy. Even though it had caused some mischief, Yuga felt that humans were at fault first and decided not to hold it accountable.

But to his surprise, the Murkrow, despite its limited abilities, had a strong sense of revenge. Not only did it not appreciate Yuga's kindness, but it also planned to retaliate once it was free.

As it flew away from YoYo Day Care, it ran into a patrolling group led by a Persian, who was surrounded by its underlings in an imposing manner.

To be honest, the Murkrow envied Persian a little—it too dreamed of being surrounded by a group of followers one day. But alas, its strength wouldn't allow it! Realistically, it would probably never have the chance!

The Murkrow wasn't familiar with the town's situation and didn't know that Persian belonged to YoYo Day Care. Seeing Persian's grandeur, it immediately flew over to chat, hinting that Persian should cause trouble for Yuga.

Although the Murkrow was subtle in its words, Persian wasn't easily fooled. Back when Persian was out in the wild, the Murkrow wasn't even born yet! The Murkrow might have been clever, but Persian was no less so. It instantly caught on that the Murkrow had a grudge against Yuga.

Persian, known for preferring action over words, found Murkrow's constant chatter extremely annoying. Besides, Persian had lived with Yuga for many years, and Yuga had always treated it well, providing good food and care, so it was impossible not to have some affection for Yuga.

So, after hearing only a few words from Murkrow, Persian swiped at it with its paw, knocking the bird down instantly. With Murkrow's small body, it stood no chance against Persian, who had been training rigorously for years.

After knocking Murkrow unconscious, Persian grabbed it in its mouth and took it to Yuga, recounting the entire story of Murkrow's attempt to instigate trouble.

Yuga, seeing the poor Murkrow with its feathers partially plucked by Persian, felt a bit sorry for it. Thinking it was still young, he decided to give it another chance and let it go.

This time, Murkrow didn't try to get revenge on Yuga, but it held a grudge against Persian instead. So, it sought out Liepard, Persian's comrade.

Liepard, like Persian, frequently patrolled outside, so it wasn't surprising that Murkrow managed to find it.

However, Liepard and Persian had a very close relationship, so there was no way it would be swayed by Murkrow's sly remarks.

Generally speaking, Pokémon raised by humans tend to be more cunning than wild ones, especially those like Persian and Liepard, who are naturally intelligent.

Liepard had been quite irritable lately, torn about whether or not to continue pursuing Luxray. So, Murkrow's annoying chatter hit a nerve.

In the end, not only did Liepard beat up Murkrow, but it also tied a string to Murkrow's leg, treating it like a kite, dragging it around wherever it went. If Liepard was in a bad mood, it would vent its frustration on Murkrow, and the bird didn't dare resist because Liepard was not one to be trifled with.

When Yuga saw Liepard dragging Murkrow around, he was shocked, as he had already let it go.

Upon learning what Murkrow had done, Yuga could only think, "Serves it right!"

Once Liepard had had its fill of fun, Yuga found a sturdy cage, locked Murkrow inside, and hung it under the eaves as punishment to prevent it from causing more trouble.

Murkrow was left in the cage for several days, with Yuga instructing Blissey to give it a berry each day. No matter how much Murkrow squawked, Yuga paid no attention.

Customers coming and going thought the Murkrow was part of Yuga's clever marketing, assuming its frantic fluttering was a sign of excitement. The bustling scene outside the shop actually helped attract more business.

Yuga went along with this assumption, explaining to everyone that Murkrow was indeed there to entertain guests. Everyone believed him without question.

Ignoring Murkrow's protests, Yuga stepped into the shop.

This Murkrow was quite the schemer, but it still hadn't learned its lesson, so Yuga decided to leave it in the cage a while longer.

Just as he entered the shop, Suzuki mentioned that Sena Shin and Ayashi had called earlier, asking him to return their call.

Puzzled, Yuga went upstairs to return the call.

It had been some time since the two had last been home. Last year, they got delayed in the Sinnoh region over the New Year and couldn't make it back. They did return briefly after the holiday but left again after only a couple of days.

This time, they had gone to the Alola region.

The two had become obsessed with adventure over the past year and had stopped participating in competitions. They often disappeared into remote mountains and forests, making it hard to contact them.

The phone was answered quickly, and Ayashi's voice came through.

"Hello, is this the Gym Leader? It's Ayashi."

Yuga, in a slightly exasperated tone, replied, "Of course I know it's you, Ayashi! You guys still remember how to call home? I was starting to think you'd gone missing out there!"

Yuga's scolding of Sena Shin and Ayashi wasn't without reason; those two hadn't called home to check in for nearly three months!

"..."

Ayashi, who wasn't good with words, fell silent after Yuga's brief rebuke.

"Alright, alright! Just tell me, what's the reason for calling?" Yuga intuitively knew that if those two were reaching out, there had to be a specific reason. They had even left a message asking him to return the call.

"Well, it's like this..."

As it turned out, Sena Shin and Ayashi had coincidentally caught two Charjabug with green potential. Since neither of them specialized in Electric-type Pokémon, nor did they particularly like Bug-types, they thought of sending the Charjabug back to Yuga.

When Yuga heard that they were Electric-type Pokémon, he was thrilled. It was like receiving a pillow just when you needed a nap! With these two Charjabug, he was nearly halfway done with one of his side quests.

All the investments over the years had finally paid off—he was starting to see some returns!

Despite his happiness, Yuga continued his admonishment. After all, these two weren't living alone in the wilderness; didn't they realize their family would be worried after such a long silence?

After discussing the Charjabug, Ayashi added, "There's something else—we'd like to send two more Pokémon back. Could you help us keep an eye on them and make sure they don't slack off in their training?"

Yuga thought to himself: Wow, looks like they've been doing pretty well out there if they can afford to send extra Pokémon home!

Sena Shin and Ayashi had always taken an elite route as trainers, adopting a "quality over quantity" approach. They rarely kept many Pokémon with them, so Yuga was quite pleased to hear they had more Pokémon to send back.

"Alright, go ahead and send them over. I'll take care of them for you."

"Thank you, Gym Leader! I'll send them right away. Just wait a moment!" Ayashi's tone became cheerful before hanging up the call.

Yuga's gym had a Pokémon transfer system, so it wasn't long before he received the five Poké Balls they had sent. Two of the Poké Balls contained the Charjabug, as Ayashi had mentioned, while the remaining three held Sena Shin's Espeon and Ayashi's Umbreon and Linoone.

After receiving the Poké Balls, Yuga released Espeon, Umbreon, and Linoone to check on their progress. These three Pokémon had been with Sena Shin and Ayashi for a long time.

In terms of talent as trainers, Sena Shin and Ayashi were still far behind Ash and Gary. Even though they had started their journeys several years earlier, they weren't nearly as strong.

It was a bit disheartening to think about!

Both Sena Shin and Ayashi had mid-to-high-level talent as trainers, with Ayashi being slightly more talented than Sena Shin. But neither could be called geniuses. They were, at best, on par with Reggie.

After checking on the progress of their Pokémon, Yuga placed them in the small Ecopark attached to his gym and then took the two Charjabug to the main Ecopark.

The Charjabug would be placed in the insect paradise Sub-Ecopark, where Yuga was hoping they would soon evolve into Vikavolt and eventually produce offspring!

The powerful Bug-type Pokémon in the Insect Paradise had never quite taken off. Even the feuding Scyther and Pinsir had reconciled enough to reproduce, but their numbers had barely increased. Selling them still seemed a distant dream.

The two newly arrived Charjabug were a bit dazed and clumsy. After Yuga released them from their Poké Balls, they started spinning around on the ground. However, Yuga noticed they seemed a bit lethargic, suspecting they were hungry.

Charjabug needed more than just Pokeblock for food; they also required external sources of electricity to function. As Electric-type Pokémon that couldn't generate their own electricity, they stored electricity absorbed from their environment.

Yuga took out two batteries and tossed them in front of the Charjabug. The pair immediately latched onto the batteries and began absorbing the stored electricity.

These batteries weren't ordinary ones used for appliances. They were specially designed to recharge certain Electric-type Pokémon and could be used repeatedly.

Since Yuga's Ecopark housed several Galvantula and Joltik that often needed these batteries, he had plenty in stock. This saved him from having to buy more specifically for the Charjabug.

After draining four or five batteries, the Charjabug let out satisfied burps, their energy visibly restored.

Don't be fooled by the seemingly small number of batteries—they were custom-made and could store a substantial amount of electricity. Normally, a Galvantula would only absorb about this much. It seemed the two Charjabug had been extremely hungry!

Their large appetite was also a good sign of their health!

Once they were fully recharged, the Charjabug finally had the energy to start exploring the insect paradise.