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

The top ten contestants in the duel tournament all received prizes, so all ten took the stage to be awarded by the judges. Yuga happened to be the one presenting the prize to Anya.

Handing over the prize card and trophy, Yuga congratulated her, "Congratulations!"

With a beaming smile, Anya replied, "Thank you, Gym Leader Shimizu."

For some reason, Yuga suddenly felt that Anya was looking at him in a peculiar way. Yet, when he looked more closely, he couldn't pinpoint what was odd, so he dismissed it as a trick of his imagination.

After the tournament ended, the participants and spectators didn't leave Verdanturf Town right away. They stayed for several days, enjoying themselves before gradually dispersing, which gave the town's tourism industry a significant boost.

During this time, Anya started visiting YoYo Day Care even more frequently, leaving Yuga somewhat perplexed.

Sure, they had formed a bit of a bond during the Gym Leader competition, but not to the point of being particularly close. So why was she dropping by so often? Was she just trying to make her presence known?

To be fair, she wasn't doing anything over-the-top—just casually chatting with Yuga. But her frequent visits made Yuga a bit impatient. If not for the fact that her visits always resulted in increased sales, Yuga might have already asked her to leave.

After all, a paying customer is king.

Over the past few days, even after Erika, Ash, and the others had left one after another, Anya continued her daily "check-ins" at YoYo Day Care, unfazed.

One day, after Yuga reluctantly saw Anya off yet again, another guest arrived.

Seeing Yuga's odd expression, Diantha teased, "What's this? Not happy to see me? Have I somehow offended Gym Leader Shimizu?"

Yuga replied helplessly, "Not at all. How could that be? I'm thrilled to have a big star like you here. So, what brings you here today?"

Only then did Diantha explain her business: "I recently accepted a role in a new movie, and there's a character that would be perfect for your Ninetales. I recommended it to the director, and he agreed. So, I came to ask if you'd allow it. If you agree, I'll take Ninetales with me when I leave."

"Another movie?" Yuga asked in surprise. "Didn't you just finish filming one?"

Diantha simply smiled without answering, leaving Yuga to mutter, "No wonder you're such a big star. Your schedule's packed."

Diantha laughed, "One day, if your Ninetales becomes a superstar, its schedule will be just as packed."

Yuga rolled his eyes. "Ninetales? I wouldn't dare to dream of that." He thought of some big star rumored to make 2.08 million a day and couldn't help but shake his head.

At that moment, Ninetales suddenly appeared from who knows where, flicking its tails in annoyance at Yuga. "You're underestimating me! Just watch—I'll definitely become a superstar!"

Not wanting to argue with Ninetales, Yuga replied perfunctorily, "Sure, sure... I believe in you. You'll absolutely be a superstar."

Ninetales immediately saw through Yuga's perfunctory tone and, fuming, grabbed his shirt with its paws. "Hurry up and agree to Diantha's request! I want to go act in the movie! When I make enough money, I'll bury you with it!"

Amused, Yuga said, "Alright, I'll be waiting for that day. If it really happens, I'll laugh myself awake in my sleep."

"Just you wait!" Ninetales snorted coldly.

Seeing the amusing bickering between them, Diantha smiled and said, "Alright, it's settled then. I'll come pick up Ninetales before I leave tomorrow."

After Diantha left, Yuga turned to Ninetales and asked, "You already planned this with Diantha, didn't you?"

Ninetales raised its head proudly and said, "I don't know what you're talking about," before swishing its tails and strutting away.

Watching Ninetales' retreating figure, Yuga could only shake his head in exasperation.

...

Meanwhile, Anya returned to her hotel room, where Amina was lounging and snacking on fruit. Amina was the name the middle-aged Anya had given herself for convenience.

Noticing Anya's return, Amina glanced at her and asked, "So, after all these days of effort, did you get anything out of it?" She was well aware of Anya's frequent visits to the YoYo Day Care.

Throwing her jacket onto the couch in frustration, Anya snapped, "Don't even mention it. That Shimizu Yuga is clearly on guard against me. Forget about making progress—he doesn't even seem willing to talk to me anymore."

She couldn't ignore the look of irritation in Yuga's eyes every time he spoke to her. If not for her thick skin, she might have fled long ago.

Tossing the fruit peel onto the table, Amina wasn't surprised. "I figured."

"What's that supposed to mean? And what about you? Didn't you say you were investigating something?" Anya's irritation flared further at Amina's tone.

Amina paused mid-bite, clearly irked herself. Truthfully, her investigations hadn't made much progress either. Several times she'd tried to scout around the day care, only to find it heavily patrolled by Pokémon, making it difficult to uncover anything.

Seeing Amina's silence, Anya refrained from pressing further and flopped onto the bed, closing her eyes.

After a long pause, Amina finally said, "I'll test out that Shimizu Yuga tonight."

Yuga's rapid rise was something Amina couldn't help but find intriguing. She was also a disciple of Master Kuni'o, yet it had taken her until middle age to reach her current level. Yuga, by contrast, was far too young.

In her days in Verdanturf Town, she had looked into Shimizu Yuga's past. Before the age of sixteen, he had been an ordinary boy, but after the death of his parents, he had risen to prominence almost overnight.

Most prodigies were nurtured from a young age, unlike this seemingly late-blooming Shimizu Yuga.

"He's very strong. Don't underestimate him," Anya warned.

Amina rolled her eyes. "Do I look weak to you?"

"Just be careful," Anya said, dropping the subject, knowing Amina's strength was formidable.

...

Late at night, Amina donned black attire and made her way to the vicinity of the YoYo Day Care. Climbing to the window of Yuga's room, she was startled when her movements alerted the Crobat roosting under the eaves.

Crobat, being nocturnal Pokémon, were exceptionally sensitive to even the slightest disturbance in the quiet night. Nothing could escape their keen hearing.

"Screech! Screech! Screech!"

The Crobat immediately launched an attack on Amina while emitting sharp cries to alert Yuga inside.

Amina hadn't expected Pokémon to be guarding the area at night and was caught off guard. Realizing the situation, she cursed silently and prepared to retreat. However, the sheer number of Crobat made it hard for her to break free.

"Who's there?" Yuga's window suddenly opened.

Despite the dim lighting, Yuga could see the Crobat swarming around a shadowy figure. The figure was commanding a Jumpluff in the skirmish.

At this hour, Yuga had only his Mimikyu and Palossand in his shadow space and Florges, as the other Pokémon were resting in the Ecopark.

Whip! Whip!

Standing by Yuga's side, Florges lashed out two vines from the window, targeting the shadowy figure.

At that moment, a Bellossom appeared beside the figure. With its twin Leaf Blades, it easily sliced through the incoming vines.

"A Grass-type Trainer?"

Seeing the Bellossom and the Cottonee, Yuga's eyes narrowed. Two Champion-level Pokémon? Just who was this person?

Unfazed by the interruption, Florges lashed her vines onto the eaves and swung out of the window, carrying Yuga down with her.

As they landed smoothly, Yuga was momentarily taken aback. "Why do I look like a princess being rescued from a castle?"

Shaking off the absurd thought, he quickly refocused, commanding Florges to launch another attack at the intruder in an attempt to capture them.

Amina, who initially intended to retreat after being discovered, suddenly changed her mind upon seeing Yuga. Her curiosity about his strength made her stay and face him instead.

Although there were rumors outside that Yuga possessed Champion-level strength, the truth remained elusive, as outsiders were not privy to the facts. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the black-clad woman wanted to test Yuga herself.

As more Crobat began sustaining injuries, Yuga quickly commanded them to stop. They were too weak to handle two Champion-level Pokémon.

"Screech~ Screech~ Screech~"

Following Yuga's orders, the Crobat flapped their wings and retreated.

Looking at the masked figure dressed in black standing across from him, Yuga asked, "Who are you? What's your objective?" He couldn't recall offending any Champion-level Trainer.

Could this be retaliation from Team Rocket?

The masked figure remained silent. Instead, her Jumpluff and Bellossom launched attacks: Fairy Wind and Magical Leaf, aimed directly at Yuga.

Florges yanked Yuga back, her vines whipping rapidly to deflect the incoming Fairy Wind and Magical Leaf.

Taking hits passively was not Florges's style. After blocking both attacks, she swiftly formed a shimmering ball of silver light in her hand and unleashed it at the masked figure with lightning speed.

If the opponent's Pokémon dared to attack her Trainer, she wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.

Seeing her Trainer targeted, Bellossom instinctively stepped in front of the masked figure, taking the brunt of Florges's Moonblast and getting flung backward, landing heavily against the masked figure.

"Bellossom, are you okay?"

The masked figure finally spoke, revealing her concern for her Pokémon. Despite her current predicament, she still cherished her Pokémon deeply. Unfortunately, during her fall through the space-time rift, her most powerful partner was lost in her original world, leaving her with limited options now.

A woman?

Due to the darkness, Yuga couldn't discern her gender by her silhouette. However, the moment she spoke, he was certain.

For some reason, his mind flashed back to the hooded woman he had encountered the other day.

Since meeting that woman, Yuga had instructed the patrolling Pokémon to keep an eye out for her. However, with no subsequent sightings, he thought the matter had come to an end. He hadn't expected tonight…

But whether or not this masked figure was the same person remained to be confirmed.

"Florges, Moonblast!" Yuga commanded.

"Florges!"

Once again, Florges conjured a glowing silver orb and fired it in one smooth motion.

"Jumpluff, Energy Ball!" the masked figure called out hastily.

"Jumpluff~!"

Jumpluff quickly formed a green energy orb and hurled it toward Florges's Moonblast.

Boom!

The green orb collided with the silver beam but was soon overpowered and shattered.

"Jumpluff~!"

Jumpluff let out a pained cry as it was sent flying by the Moonblast.

Seeing this, the masked figure's expression shifted. She hadn't expected Yuga's strength to far exceed her expectations.

As her emotions wavered, the concealed Celebi's Blessing she carried suddenly emitted a faint energy fluctuation, instantly catching Yuga's sharp attention.

He immediately stopped Florges, who was about to continue attacking, and questioned sternly with a serious expression: "Who exactly are you?"

Another Celebi's Blessing? Has the Blessing of Celebi become so common now? First, it was Anya, and now this black-clad figure also possesses it. Yet Yuga clearly remembered what his master had said: Celebi doesn't bestow its blessing lightly.

Yuga could tell with certainty that the person in front of him was definitely not Anya. The level of energy fluctuations was different. Forget Anya—even he himself couldn't compare to this person in terms of energy strength.

If Anya had such incredible power, she wouldn't have lost so easily to Erika in the duel tournament.

Could there be a connection between Anya and this person in front of him?

The world doesn't have so many coincidences. Two people blessed by Celebi appearing in Verdanturf Town at the same time and both coming to find him?

What was their objective?

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Yuga's mind.

Seeing that the masked figure still remained silent, Yuga continued, "Since you won't answer, don't blame me for being impolite." He had no intention of holding back just because this person, like him, carried Celebi's Blessing.

Anyone sneaking around here was certainly not up to anything good.

With this in mind, Yuga once again commanded Florges to attack.

Florges's Moonblast poured forth, forcing the opposing Bellossom and Jumpluff to combine their efforts, using Energy Ball to barely block the attack.

Seeing this scene, Amina was shocked. Both sides had Champion-level Pokémon, yet her Bellossom and Jumpluff were clearly far weaker than Florges.

This Shimizu Yuga was definitely no ordinary Champion-level Trainer.

Realizing this, Amina decided not to prolong the conflict. She commanded her Jumpluff, "Jumpluff, Cotton Spore."

As Amina spoke, a multitude of cotton-like filaments suddenly floated out from Jumpluff's body. These filaments not only disrupted Yuga's vision but also impeded the movements of both him and Florges.

The Cotton Spore adhered easily to anything it touched, and once stuck, it was incredibly difficult to remove.

By the time Florges used Fairy Wind to disperse all the cotton spores, the masked figure had already vanished.

Yuga called over the nearby Crobat and asked, "Did any of you see which direction she ran off in?"

"Screech~ Screech~ Screech~"

The Crobat looked at each other in confusion, indicating they hadn't been able to see clearly. Night vision wasn't their strength; their expertise lay in hearing.

Sighing regretfully, Yuga noticed that some of the Crobat were seriously injured. He quickly instructed Florges to use Grassy Terrain to heal them.

At the hotel, Anya saw Amina return, her face dark and her clothes torn in several places. Clearly, her mission hadn't gone well. Sensing the tension, Anya wisely chose not to say anything to provoke her.

But in her heart, she couldn't help thinking: You said I was useless, but you're not much better yourself.