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

Chapter 1146: Luna And Her Friend

Time flew by, and before long, it was time for Cheren to complete his internship. Over the past few months, Cheren had performed exceptionally well, and in Yuga's opinion, he was more than capable of taking on the role of a gym leader. Yuga gave Cheren a good review in his internship evaluation.

The end of the internship meant that Cheren had to leave Verdanturf Town, something he was reluctant to do after gradually adjusting to life at the Verdanturf Gym.

In order to celebrate Cheren's successful internship, Yuga got up early and, with the help of Audino, prepared a lavish breakfast for him. Since Cheren had to catch a flight back to Unova later, there was no expectation of lunch or dinner together.

Upon hearing that Cheren was leaving, the children from the Forest House also came over to say their farewells. Though their time together as teacher and students hadn't been long, they had formed a deep bond, and the children were sad to see him go.

With Cheren leaving, none one knows when they might meet again.

After seeing Cheren off, Yuga returned to his shop and resumed helping Audino and Wigglytuff with the usual tasks. That's when he noticed a little boy peeking curiously into the store from the corner by the entrance.

Yuga wasn't the only one to notice the boy—Clefairy and Mime Jr. did too.

Although Dawn had only stayed at the daycare for a few days, she had formed a close friendship with Clefairy and Mime Jr. So after she left, the two Pokémon had been downcast for quite a while. Eventually, Yuga taught them how to video call Dawn, and they gradually cheered up.

Now that they had recovered their spirits, they were back to their mischievous selves. Spotting the shy little boy at the entrance, they ran over and started pulling and tugging at him, making him even more embarrassed.

As the two Pokémon's antics grew more unruly, Yuga stepped in and scolded them, "Clefairy, Mime Jr., that's enough! If you keep misbehaving, I'll get mad!"

Giggling, Clefairy and Mime Jr. finally ran off.

Yuga then turned to the boy and asked curiously, "Young man, do you need something?"

The boy was quite small, seemingly shy, and around ten years old. Yuga thought he looked familiar, and after a moment of thinking, it hit him. "Oh, I remember now! You're one of the kids from the Forest House, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," the boy responded quietly.

Yuga smiled and said, "No need to be nervous. Have you run into some trouble? If so, feel free to tell me."

The boy's eyes lit up. "Really?"

He then explained the reason for his visit to Yuga.

The boy's name was Ichiro, and he had come to ask if he could adopt one of the stray Pokémon from the Pokémon Paradise.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, is that not allowed?" Ichiro asked nervously, seeing Yuga remain silent after hearing his request.

"It's not that it's not allowed," Yuga replied after some thought.

"Great! I promise to take good care of Jiro!"

Jiro was the name Ichiro had given to the Seedot he wanted to adopt. This Seedot was one of the Pokémon Yuga had sent to the Forest House as a practice partner for the children during Cheren's time as their teacher.

During the lessons, Ichiro formed a deep bond with Jiro, which led to his decision to adopt it.

Ichiro had just turned ten, and although he was still young, he was now old enough to own a Pokémon.

Seeing how happy Ichiro was, Yuga said to him, "Come with me, and I'll explain the details of the adoption process."

Yuga didn't dismiss Ichiro just because of his young age. On the contrary, he treated him with great care and seriousness.

After leading Ichiro into the reception room, Yuga asked him, "Are you sure you've thought this through and really want to adopt Jiro?"

Ichiro nodded firmly. "I've thought about it. I'll take good care of him."

Yuga continued, "You need to understand that once you make this decision, Jiro will become your responsibility. Are you sure you can handle that? Adopting a Pokémon is far more complicated than you might think."

The reason Yuga was being so cautious was his fear that Ichiro's desire to adopt Jiro might just be a passing whim. If that happened, it wouldn't be good for anyone—just like what happened with Yoshiyama, who abandoned his Rattata.

However, Ichiro's attitude remained resolute. He promised Yuga that he and Jiro would always stay together.

Looking at Ichiro's determined expression, Yuga sighed deeply, hoping the boy would stay true to his original intentions.

"Here's what we'll do. I'll give you a chance. Starting tomorrow, you'll come to the Pokémon Paradise every day and take care of Jiro by yourself. If you can stick to it for a month and get the director's approval, I'll agree to let you adopt him," Yuga said after some thought.

"Really? That's great! I'll do my best. Thank you, Gym Leader Shimizu!" Ichiro exclaimed excitedly, jumping up from his chair.

Yuga then asked, "Why are you so eager to adopt Jiro?"

"I want to become a Trainer like Teacher Cheren," Ichiro replied with admiration in his eyes. "Teacher Cheren said the world of Trainers is vast, and I want to see it too."

Yuga fell silent at these words. He had assumed Ichiro wanted to adopt Jiro just to have a companion, but it turned out the boy aspired to become a Trainer.

"But you should know, the Pokémon in the Paradise have poor potential. Choosing one of them means you'll have to work much harder than most people," Yuga couldn't help but give Ichiro a realistic assessment.

In fact, the reality was harsher than what Yuga had described. Often, even after working harder than others, you could still find yourself left far behind.

Ichiro had clearly thought about this. He responded with determination, "I know, but I still want to try."

Ichiro was an orphan, and his only option was to pick a stray Pokémon from the Pokémon Paradise as his starter for his Trainer journey. Regardless of what the future held, he knew he wouldn't regret it if he tried his best.

There were countless children like Ichiro in the Pokémon world.

Seeing the hope and resolve in Ichiro's expression, Yuga suddenly felt there was nothing more to say.

Indeed, every child in the Pokémon world had the dream of becoming a Trainer. No matter their circumstances, pursuing that dream was their right and their freedom.

Yuga sometimes wondered, if he had been in Ichiro's shoes after his own journey to this world, how would he have chosen? Would he have fought hard, or lived a quiet, uneventful life?

At that moment, Yuga suddenly felt very grateful for the system's existence.

Although, back then, being pushed into inheriting the daycare by the system had felt a bit like being forced into something without preparation, Yuga realized that if it hadn't been for that nudge, he might not have figured out what path to take when he first came to this world.

That push from the system at least kept him from having time to overthink things.

Now, Yuga really enjoyed his role as the owner of the YoYo Day Care!

As soon as Ichiro left the daycare, he was quickly surrounded by a group of his friends.

"Ichiro, how did it go? Did Gym Leader Shimizu agree?"

Five or six children, all around the same age, gathered around Ichiro, eagerly bombarding him with questions.

It turned out that Ichiro wasn't the only one who wanted to adopt a Pokémon. Several other kids from the Forest House had the same idea, and Ichiro had just been their representative.

"Gym Leader Shimizu agreed!" Ichiro exclaimed excitedly.

He then shared Yuga's conditions with his friends. None of them had any objections. After all, the one thing they had in abundance was time, so Yuga's requirements seemed very easy to them.

Sure enough, the next morning, Yuga was blocked at the daycare entrance by several children from the Forest House. Hearing why they were there, Yuga couldn't help but smile wryly.

But since he had agreed to let Ichiro try, there was no reason to refuse the others. As long as they could meet his requirements and obtain the consent of the headmistress, Director Kawahara, everything would be fine.

As long as the children were willing to treat those stray Pokémon with care and responsibility, it would be a good thing.

After sending the kids away, Yuga turned around and spotted Luna standing not far away, smiling at him. Next to her was a girl about the same age who Yuga didn't recognize.

"Huh? Didn't you say you were studying for exams? Why are you suddenly back?" Yuga asked, surprised.

"I finished the exams! I'm on vacation now!" Luna replied happily. "I passed the exams successfully!"

"Already? When did you take them? Why didn't you tell the family?" Yuga scolded. "Something this important, and you're telling us after the fact? Is that really appropriate?"

"Oh, come on! What's the point in telling you? It's not like you could have helped!" Luna replied nonchalantly.

Yuga, dissatisfied, said, "I don't like the way that sounds! Just because we can't help doesn't mean we shouldn't know."

Luna, giggling, ran over and took Yuga's arm, playfully apologizing. "Oh, I didn't mean it that way. I just didn't want you guys to worry."

The Investigation Bureau exams weren't just written tests; they also involved practical exams like combat and wilderness survival. Each year, some candidates had accidents during these exams.

"Oh, right! Let me introduce you. This is my best friend, Honoka. She took the exam with me and passed too. From now on, we're not just classmates but colleagues as well!" Luna enthusiastically introduced the girl next to her.

Honoka was a little shorter than Luna, with a round, cute face. She seemed shy, stepping forward with a flushed face after the introduction. "H-hello, I'm Honoka."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," Yuga replied politely, nodding at Honoka. He kept his demeanor respectful, neither too distant nor overly familiar.

After greeting Honoka, Yuga turned back to Luna and asked, "What brings you home this time? It's not like you to come back so often."

"Before we officially join the Investigation Bureau, we have to go through some secret special training. It's possible that we won't be able to contact home for a while, so I thought I'd use this chance to spend more time with you all," Luna explained honestly.

Later, Yuga learned that the place where Luna and the others were undergoing their secret training was none other than Meteor Falls.

After the Draconid People were captured, the League had transformed that place into a combat training camp. To ensure that the Investigation Bureau's newcomers could better adapt to their new roles, all rookies were sent there for a period of special training.

"Hm? If that's the case, why didn't your friend go home to spend time with her family? Why did she come to Verdanturf Town with you instead?" Yuga asked Luna in a low voice.

"Oh, you don't know, my friend's actually a fan of yours! When she found out I was your sister, she insisted on coming back with me to see you in person," Luna said cheerfully, proud to have an older brother others admired.

Honoka had been the first friend Luna made at school and was also the one she got along with the best. They not only lived in the same dorm, but they were also inseparable in everything they did. When such a close friend made a small request, how could Luna refuse?

"I see," Yuga nodded and didn't ask any further. After all, it was impolite to whisper in front of guests.

"We shouldn't be standing at the door. Let's invite our guest inside."

With that, Yuga politely welcomed Honoka into the house and asked Audino to prepare a delicious cup of honey milk tea for both Honoka and Luna.

Luna took a big gulp from her cup. "Ah, I've missed this taste! Audino is amazing! So delicious!"

She closed her eyes, her face showing pure enjoyment.

Honoka, too, took a small sip after hearing this, and her eyes lit up instantly. It was so good!

After a while, Yuga asked Luna, "Have you arranged a place for your friend to stay? If not, take her to the Paradise Hotel. Uncle is there, so you can ask him to set it up."

It was only natural that Luna should host her own friend. After giving his instructions, Yuga returned to his work. Luna had come straight to the daycare without letting their aunt and uncle know she was back yet!

Not long after Luna left with Honoka, she returned again. Yuga was surprised. "You've already got everything settled?"

Luna nodded. "More or less, Honoka is just organizing her things in the room now!"

Yuga sighed. "Then why aren't you with her? What are you doing here?"

Luna cleared her throat. "Ahem... Brother, can I ask you a question?"

Without looking up, Yuga said, "Go ahead."

"If Honoka wanted to buy a Pokémon from you, would you sell her one?" Luna asked, testing the waters.

"A high potential one?" Yuga responded.

"Yeah!" Luna nodded. Honoka clearly wouldn't be asking Luna to intercede for a low potential Pokémon.

"No," Yuga rejected firmly.

"Can't you make an exception?" Luna pleaded on her friend's behalf.

"Has she reserved one?"

"No."

"Does she have a membership card?"

"No."

"Then what are you even talking about?" Yuga didn't care at all about Luna losing face in front of her friend.

"Fine, fine, if you won't do it, then never mind," Luna finally gave up and didn't push Yuga any further.

In reality, Yuga wasn't the kind of person who strictly adhered to rules. If it had been Luna herself, Robert, Steven, Cynthia, or other close friends and family, there would have been room for negotiation (after all, that's how the membership cards originally came about). But Honoka, in the end, was just a stranger.

Yuga had no problem bending the rules for close friends and family, but for strangers? No way. Rules were rules!

When Honoka met Yuga again later, there was no awkwardness about her request to buy a Pokémon being turned down. Finding herself bored at the Paradise Hotel, she suggested visiting the new Ecopark for a tour.