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

Regarding Amina, the League quickly confirmed the truth of her claims. What she said was indeed accurate. However, the League has yet to decide how to handle the situation, as it is a matter of great importance.

As for compensation for Yuga, the League is still deliberating.

One day, Yuga suddenly received an invitation delivered by Mayor Ishida.

Upon seeing the invitation, Yuga said in surprise, "An auction invitation?"

Mayor Ishida smiled and replied, "Yes, indeed. The Bright Pearl Auction House is opening a branch here in Verdanturf Town. This is an invitation for their first auction at the new branch, and they specifically asked me to pass it on to you."

Yuga had heard of the Bright Pearl Auction House before. It was highly renowned in its industry, holding a status comparable to Pidgey Express in logistics.

Surprised, Yuga remarked, "I didn't expect them to have enough influence to get you personally involved."

Mayor Ishida rarely handled such private requests; otherwise, countless people would be lining up to seek his help in reaching Yuga.

Mayor Ishida responded, "To be honest, it's a bit awkward. The person sent by the Bright Pearl Auction House to open this branch in Verdanturf Town happens to be a distant nephew of mine. We haven't been in contact for years, but since he came to me for help, I figured I might as well lend a hand. That said, if you don't feel like going, you can just decline it. Don't feel obligated, and certainly don't worry about sparing my feelings."

Yuga smiled and said, "Well, this is a rare occasion for you to ask for my help. How could I refuse? Don't worry, I'll go. Besides, the Bright Pearl Auction House opening a branch here in Verdanturf is beneficial to the town development. Showing my support certainly doesn't hurt."

Mayor Ishida laughed heartily at that and said, "Alright, I'll let them know."

Yuga nodded. "I've never attended an auction organized by the Bright Pearl Auction House before. This will be a good opportunity to broaden my horizons."

Shaking his head, Mayor Ishida cautioned, "Don't get your hopes up too high. After all, this is just a branch, and it's newly established. The chances of encountering anything exceptional are slim."

Yuga didn't mind. "It doesn't hurt to check it out, and it won't take much time."

After chatting with Yuga for a while longer, Mayor Ishida left.

Not long after, Yuga learned that the new branch of the Bright Pearl Auction House in Verdanturf Town was located right in the town center, near the town hall. It was an excellent location, reportedly purchased at a hefty price.

Later, Mayor Ishida mentioned that the Bright Pearl Auction House headquarters had high hopes for Verdanturf Town's development, which was why they were willing to make such a significant investment in opening a branch there.

Mayor Ishida's distant nephew even visited YoYo Day Care personally to meet Yuga.

The new branch manager of the Bright Pearl Auction House, named Mamoru Ishida, appeared to be in his early forties. He had a refined demeanor, and if one looked closely, they could spot a slight resemblance to Mayor Ishida.

The Verdanturf branch of the Bright Pearl Auction House soon began building hype for the upcoming auction. People gradually started arriving in Verdanturf Town specifically to attend the event.

Time flew by, and in just over ten days, the auction day finally arrived. Yuga and Mayor Ishida went to the auction house together as planned.

Although Mamoru Ishida was only a distant nephew of Mayor Ishida, the latter still showed him plenty of respect.

Yuga and Mayor Ishida got out of a cart pulled by Tauros. At the entrance to the auction house, someone was already waiting to receive them.

"Mayor Ishida, Gym Leader Shimizu, welcome to the Verdanturf branch of the Bright Pearl Auction House. Please come inside," the greeter said warmly, ushering them in.

This man, named Arata, was Mamoru Ishida's assistant. He had been specially assigned to attend to Yuga and Mayor Ishida.

As the branch manager, Mamoru Ishida was hosting his first auction and was extremely busy. He could only delegate the task of welcoming these distinguished guests to his assistant.

Yuga and Mayor Ishida were just about to step inside when they suddenly saw someone being thrown out by two Machokes, nearly hitting Yuga in the process.

A small man in a sharp suit strode to the entrance, pointing at the person who had just been ejected.

"Get lost! As far away as you can! Trying to pull a scam on our Bright Pearl Auction House? Do you even know what kind of place this is?" He spat on the ground in disdain as he finished.

Witnessing this scene, Yuga frowned deeply.

Seeing the displeasure on Yuga and Mayor Ishida's faces, Ariyo scowled and turned to the short man in the suit. "Asajō, what's going on here? Why are you causing trouble at the entrance of the auction house?"

It was only then that Asajō noticed Ariyo and the others. He shot Ariyo a glare and snapped, "Mind your own business!" Without waiting for a reply, he spun around and walked off.

Yuga and Mayor Ishida were taken aback by his audacity. Ariyo, looking embarrassed, explained, "Asajō is the assistant to our deputy branch manager."

Yuga and Mayor Ishida soon learned that Bright Pearl Auction House branches are typically managed by two branch managers, one as the head and the other as the deputy, to ensure mutual supervision and cooperation.

However, things were different at the Verdanturf Town branch. There was bad blood between the branch manager, Mamoru Ishida, and the deputy manager.

Apparently, when the Bright Pearl Auction House headquarters decided to establish a branch in Verdanturf Town, the deputy manager had aimed for the head manager position but was passed over in favor of Mamoru Ishida. This left the deputy manager feeling disgruntled.

The deputy manager, however, came with strong backing. His grandfather was a retired senior executive at Bright Pearl Auction House, so he leveraged his connections to secure the deputy manager position in Verdanturf Town.

Not only did he slack off at work, but he also frequently antagonized Mamoru Ishida, creating a tense atmosphere for everyone. Naturally, this animosity extended to their respective entourages, with Asajō being a prime example of the deputy manager's faction.

"He's just a petty troublemaker. Please don't let it bother you, Gym Leader Shimizu and Mayor Ishida," Ariyo said, guiding Yuga and Ishida into the auction house.

As Yuga walked inside, he glanced around at the interior. The elegant and refined design exuded sophistication, clearly the result of a lavish investment in renovations.

Since Yuga and Mayor Ishida were VIPs at the auction, Ariyo led them upstairs. The auction house had five floors in total. The ground floor was the main hall, while the second and fifth floors were reserved for VIPs. The fifth floor had the fewest VIP rooms, catering only to the most prestigious guests. Naturally, this was where Yuga and Mayor Ishida were headed.

As they reached the staircase leading from the fourth to the fifth floor, an unctuous voice called out behind them.

"Ariyo, who are you taking to the VIP rooms on the fifth floor?"

Turning around, they saw a slightly overweight middle-aged man also escorting a group of people upstairs.

Ariyo leaned in to whisper to Yuga and Mayor Ishida, "That's our deputy branch manager, Hosokawa Hiroshi."

Understanding dawned on Yuga and Mayor Ishida. No wonder the situation was so unruly.

Upon recognizing Yuga, Hiroshi's face broke into a wide grin. "Well, well! isn't this Gym Leader Shimizu! What a tremendous honor for Bright Pearl Auction House to have you here!"

With that, he quickly closed the distance between them, his demeanor overly familiar as he began chatting Yuga up.

"I've always wanted to meet Gym Leader Shimizu, but I was afraid that visiting you abruptly might seem disrespectful. I never expected to meet you today—what an incredible honor it is!"

Yuga thought to himself, You've already said all the nice and not-so-nice things—what can I even add to that?

"Hello, and you are?" Yuga asked, feigning ignorance.

To be honest, Yuga's impression of the Bright Pearl Auction House had already taken a nosedive because of this Hosokawa Hiroshi.

Hiroshi slapped his forehead as if just realizing something. "Oh, what a lapse in manners! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Hosokawa Hiroshi, the deputy branch manager of the Verdanturf Town branch of Bright Pearl Auction House."

Yuga continued to play dumb. "Ah, so you're Deputy Manager Hiroshi. My apologies for not recognizing you."

While Hiroshi was busy ingratiating himself with Yuga, he completely ignored Mayor Ishida who is standing nearby. Whether it was intentional or not, no one could say.

Ariyo quietly thought to himself, Of course, it's because Mayor Ishida is related to our branch manager! This is outright bullying!

Hearing Yuga refer to him as "Deputy Manager Hiroshi," Hiroshi couldn't help feeling displeased. He hated when people emphasized the "deputy" in his title.

Still, given Yuga's status, Hiroshi had no choice but to suppress his dissatisfaction and continue buttering him up.

If Yuga knew what was on his mind, he would probably say, Being the big boss really is satisfying. Even if you're unhappy, all you can do is swallow it.

As they chatted—or more accurately, as Hiroshi did all the talking—he began introducing the group of people he had brought along. They were all individuals with some status in the League, painstakingly invited by Hiroshi through various connections.

Since Mamoru Ishida had invited someone as influential as Yuga, Hiroshi naturally didn't want to be outdone by him. However, unable to invite anyone of equal standing, he had to make up for it by inviting more people.

Although Yuga was Mamoru Ishida's guest, that didn't stop Hiroshi from trying to curry favor with him. If I can win Shimizu Yuga's support, Hiroshi thought, I might be able to push Mamoru Ishida out and take the branch manager position for myself.

The mere thought of taking something from Mamoru Ishida filled Hiroshi with glee.

As Hiroshi kept talking nonstop (with Yuga barely acknowledging him), he suddenly turned to Mayor Ishida and said, "Manager Ishida sure is lucky, getting assigned to her uncle's town as branch manager. I'm so jealous I could die."

Mayor Ishida, who had been silent up until now, was taken aback. What does that mean?

Everyone present immediately caught the underlying insinuation—Hiroshi was suggesting that Mamoru Ishida's branch manager position was due to nepotism, as her uncle was the mayor of Verdanturf Town.

Of course, Mayor Ishida picked up on this too, though he was momentarily puzzled as to why he would think such a thing.

It was Yuga who spoke up, saying, "It's indeed enviable. I imagine Manager Ishida must also envy Deputy Manager Hiroshi for having a grandfather who made such significant contributions to Bright Pearl Auction House."

Hiroshi was momentarily stunned by Yuga's remark. Ariyo couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. Though the others didn't laugh aloud, they were clearly suppressing it.

Hiroshi didn't dare offend Yuga, so he could only glare fiercely at Ariyo. Ariyo quickly stopped laughing, knowing that as a mere assistant, he was easy prey for Hiroshi, who could make trouble for him anytime. Mamoru Ishida couldn't possibly protect him every second of the day.

The group finally reached the fifth floor, but Hiroshi showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he followed Yuga and Mayor Ishida into their VIP room, continuing to pester Yuga with his incessant flattery, much to Yuga's growing irritation.

As for the people Hiroshi had invited, he casually left them to be entertained by someone else, displaying a knack for selective hospitality.

However, Yuga found Hiroshi's approach foolish, akin to picking up sesame seeds while losing a watermelon. Not only did he fail to curry favor with Yuga, but he also left the others feeling slighted.

Ariyo was right—this man was likely an inept, spoiled second-generation heir.

As Yuga and Mayor Ishida sat in the VIP room waiting for the auction to begin, Hiroshi sat to the side, chattering incessantly.

Just then, Asajō entered and whispered something in Hiroshi's ear, causing his expression to turn grim almost immediately.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, I have some matters to attend to, so I won't be able to accompany you any longer. Please make yourself comfortable," Hiroshi said before turning to Asajō. "Asajō, make sure you take good care of Gym Leader Shimizu. Do not neglect our guest."

With that, Hiroshi hurriedly left.

Hearing Hiroshi's instructions, Ariyo, standing beside Yuga, shot Asajō a fierce glare. Asajō responded with a provocative glare of his own.

The moment Hiroshi left, Yuga and Mayor Ishida felt as though the air had suddenly become much fresher.

Seeing this, Asajō stepped forward to speak with Yuga, but with just one glance from Yuga, he quickly retreated, not daring to utter a word. Ariyo, watching this unfold, smirked quietly.

While Asajō dared to act tough in front of Ariyo, he wouldn't so much as breathe heavily in front of Yuga. Earlier, at the door, he hadn't realized Yuga's identity, but now he was fully aware of it.

Once Mamoru Ishida had finished with her tasks, she hurried to the VIP room where Yuga and Mayor Ishida were. She seemed slightly surprised to see Asajō there.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, Fifth Uncle, has Ariyo been looking after you well?" Ignoring Asajō, Mamoru Ishida directed her question to Yuga and Mayor Ishida.

Mayor Ishida ranked fifth in his family, and his father and Mamoru Ishida's grandfather were cousins. Hence, Mamoru Ishida referred to him as Fifth Uncle.

Mayor Ishida smiled and replied, "He's done a great job. This young man is quite capable."

From the moment he entered the VIP room, Ariyo had been diligently serving tea, fetching water, and attending to their needs—far more useful than the silver-tongued but ineffective Hiroshi.

Hearing this, Mamoru Ishida sighed in relief. She hadn't seen her Fifth Uncle in years and wasn't entirely familiar with his temperament. She had been worried about offending him through neglect and making him unhappy.

The fact that she had been assigned to the Verdanturf Town branch, where her Fifth Uncle resided, as the branch manager was both surprising and fortunate to her.

Even though her family's relationship with her Fifth Uncle was distant, the connection between their elders still mattered. Her Fifth Uncle wouldn't completely ignore her.

Without his presence, meeting someone as important as Gym Leader Shimizu would have been utterly impossible for her.

With Gym Leader Shimizu's support, she felt it would be much easier to establish herself firmly in Verdanturf Town.

After chatting with Yuga and Mayor Ishida for a while, Mamoru Ishida had to leave again. As the branch manager, she had many responsibilities and couldn't possibly accompany them the entire time.

Before leaving, however, she took the troublesome Asajō with her.

Though Asajō was reluctant, he didn't dare to argue with Manager Ishida. Even though he was one of Hiroshi's people, a manager was still a manager—not someone a mere assistant could afford to offend lightly.