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

After wrapping up all matters regarding the Great Marsh, Yuga decided to step back and delegate the negotiations with the Joy family entirely to Kiriha.

She was a professional in this field, and in many aspects, she handled things better than Yuga himself, despite him being the boss. There was no need for Yuga to personally intervene—acting as a supervisor was sufficient.

Days quickly passed. The Joy family moved swiftly, and personnel to manage the Marsh Grass production area soon arrived at the highlands. Additionally, individuals with combat abilities were deployed to guard both the Qwilfish territory and the highlands.

Meanwhile, under Dr. Maury's care, Shoryu's health gradually improved, and he was now ready to be discharged. After paying the medical expenses, Yuga promptly arranged for Shoryu's discharge.

Although Shoryu no longer had major health issues, he still needed to take medication for a while longer, which Dr. Maury had already prepared for him.

Since there were leftover Moonlight Pearls from making the medicinal pills, Yuga gifted them to Dr. Maury—not only as a token of gratitude for curing Shoryu but also to thank him for taking care of Shoryu and Audino during their time at the hospital.

Initially, Dr. Maury was reluctant to accept the Moonlight Pearls, explaining that his care for Shoryu was simply due to his ties with the Joy family. However, Yuga insisted, and since Dr. Maury indeed desired some Moonlight Pearls for his own use, he eventually accepted the gift.

After packing their belongings, Yuga took Shoryu's hand and, accompanied by Audino, walked out of the hospital.

"Shoryu, how do you feel now that you're out of the hospital?" Yuga asked with a smile.

"I'm very happy," Shoryu replied. Being young, he couldn't fully articulate his emotions—feelings of rebirth, excitement about life ahead, nervousness about the unknown future—all mingled within him.

Knowing that Shoryu had barely experienced the outside world due to his illness, Yuga realized he must be feeling uneasy. To put him at ease, Yuga suggested, "How about we spend a few days exploring Pastoria City? Think of it as a little vacation."

Shoryu needed exposure to the world beyond the confines of his illness.

"Audino~"

Audino clapped its hands enthusiastically, patting Shoryu on the shoulder to show its support.

"Alright, I'll listen to Big Brother," Shoryu said, both nervous and excited, as he had never been on a trip before.

Over the next few days, Yuga took Shoryu and Audino around Pastoria City, and the trio had a wonderful time.

Due to its proximity to the Great Marsh, Pastoria City saw a constant influx of trainers, making it a bustling hub with plenty of attractions to enjoy.

However, Yuga made sure not to overexert Shoryu, as his health had not yet fully recovered, and excessive fatigue was out of the question.

At the edge of the Great Marsh was a special Safari Zone established by the League, where many Pokémon were kept under management. Visitors could pay a fee to enter and capture Pokémon.

Today, Yuga brought Shoryu and Audino to this area.

Located at the very edge of the Great Marsh and adjacent to Pastoria City, the Pokémon here were primarily relocated from other regions by the League. With trained personnel overseeing the area, it was completely safe.

Whenever the League encountered a situation where a region was overrun by Pokémon and could no longer support the population, they would often relocate the excess Pokémon to various Safari Zones. Most Safari Zones originated this way.

However, due to this relocation process, it was virtually impossible for visitors to capture high-potential Pokémon in the Safari Zones. The League screened the Pokémon for their potential before transferring them, with the high-potential ones being sent to regional breeding facility.

That said, this wasn't entirely absolute. If a Safari Zone had been established for a long time, the Pokémon within would naturally reproduce over time, and occasionally, a few high-potential Pokémon would emerge among the new generations.

Once Pokémon were placed in a Safari Zone, the League would no longer conduct potential assessments. Otherwise, visitors wouldn't stand a chance of finding rare Pokémon, and the Safari Zones wouldn't be able to operate successfully.

Upon entering the Safari Zone, Yuga purchased a ticket at the entrance and received 30 Safari Balls.

A single ticket cost 10,000, and after paying the fee, whether you could catch a Pokémon and what kind you might encounter depended entirely on your personal ability or luck.

Since Shoryu was underage, he couldn't receive any Safari Balls even if Yuga paid for him. Shoryu didn't mind, though—he was just here to have fun with Yuga.

In the Safari Zone, trainers were not allowed to use their own Pokémon. Once the 30 Safari Balls were used up, that was the end of their attempt. At the entrance, Yuga handed over all his Pokémon, and Shoryu temporarily entrusted his Gastly as well.

However, Yuga faced a dilemma when it came to Audino. He had hoped to bring Audino inside to let it explore and enjoy itself, but the Safari Zone's rules explicitly prohibited visitors from bringing their own Pokémon, and Audino was no exception.

The staff members were particularly strict, and despite Yuga's repeated attempts to negotiate, they refused to make any exceptions.

Audino was initially disappointed when it realized it couldn't go inside, but seeing how hard Yuga tried to argue on its behalf, it felt happy and touched. Ultimately, it volunteered to wait at the entrance.

With no other options, Yuga reluctantly agreed. After all, the rules of the Safari Zone were clear, and pressing the issue further would have been unreasonable.

As Yuga entered the zone, Audino cheered loudly for him, encouraging him to make the most of the 30 Safari Balls.

Most visitors to the Safari Zone failed to use all 30 Safari Balls effectively. Since they couldn't rely on their own Pokémon for assistance, catching Pokémon often came down to luck and whether the Pokémon took a liking to them.

Of course, if a visitor's personal strength was on par with a Pokémon's, that would be a different story altogether.

Many visitors ended up breaking their Safari Balls by forcing attempts to capture Pokémon. It wasn't uncommon to see people enter with excitement and leave empty-handed. During the short time Yuga was at the entrance, he saw several such cases, each having wasted their 10,000 fee.

This was why, despite the League providing 30 Safari Balls, it wasn't a loss for them—they were still profiting handsomely!

Accompanied by Shoryu, Yuga ventured deeper into the Safari Zone and quickly spotted numerous Pokémon frolicking about—Poliwags, Psyducks, Slowpokes… Most of them were Water-types, which wasn't surprising given that the unique environment of the Great Marsh was ideal for Water Pokémon to thrive and reproduce.

Shoryu gazed around in wonder, curiously observing the many Pokémon. It was his first time seeing so many all at once.

Yuga, on the other hand, didn't rush to catch anything. Instead, he activated his Insight skill and carefully scanning his surroundings.

Low-potential Pokémon wouldn't be of much use to him, so he focused on finding ones with higher potential.

Seeing Yuga constantly looking around without making any captures, Shoryu asked curiously, "Big Brother, why aren't you catching any Pokémon?"

"I haven't found the right one yet," Yuga explained. "Catching unsuitable ones wouldn't be worth it."

Shoryu nodded in understanding, though he didn't fully grasp what Yuga meant by "suitable."

The Pokémon in the Safari Zone had been tamed over time and were generally quite gentle. Some even sensed the Celebi aura emanating from Yuga and approached him voluntarily. However, since Yuga hadn't encountered any high-potential Pokémon, he refrained himself from capturing any.

Shoryu glanced at Yuga, then at another visitor who was wildly chasing Pokémon in the distance, and thought to himself how impressive his Big Brother was—Pokémon seemed to naturally like him.

The Safari Zone was vast, and even after exploring for a long time, Yuga and Shoryu hadn't seen it all.

"Shoryu, are you tired? Do you want to take a break?" Yuga asked with concern.

Knowing that Shoryu's health wasn't fully recovered, Yuga worried that walking for too long might exhaust him. In the city, they could use transportation to get around, but here, that wasn't an option.

"I'm fine, Big Brother!" Shoryu said with a bright smile.

"Let's rest for a bit," Yuga said after thinking for a moment. High-potential Pokémon were already hard to come by, and he wasn't in a rush. Even if he didn't encounter one today, he would treat it as a relaxing outing.

So, the two of them found a spot by a small lake and spread out a cloth to sit and rest. Yuga checked the time and realized it was time for lunch, so he took out the food he had prepared in the morning from his spatial backpack.

This food had been carefully prepared by Audino using the hotel kitchen.

Yuga had left some food for Audino, so there was no need to worry.

After finishing their meal, Yuga noticed a patch of white clouds suddenly appear on the horizon. As the clouds got closer, he realized it was a flock of Swanna.

These Pokémon usually lived in the Unova region, and Yuga didn't expect to see them here. However, since this was the Safari Zone, where many Pokémon from other regions had been relocated by the League, it wasn't surprising to find Swanna here.

While Swanna might not be the strongest Pokémon, they were very attractive and quite popular among trainers, especially Coordinators and Performers. After all, strength can be temporary, but beauty lasts a lifetime.

The Swanna landed gracefully on the lake, and they began grooming each other's feathers. Yuga activated his Insight akill to assess them.

Unfortunately, none of them had high potential, not even one with yellow potential. Yuga had to give up; he had been quite interested in the Swanna.

"Shoryu, let's go check out other places!" Yuga said as he stood up.

"Okay, Big Brother," Shoryu replied.

The two of them packed up the food and trash and were about to leave when suddenly a Tropius flew down to the lake and bent down to drink from the water.

...

[ Tropius ]

Type: Grass, Flying

Ability: Chlorophyll

Gender: Female

Qualification: Green

Level: 41

Moves: Gust, Leaf Blade, Stomp, Whirlwind, Energy Ball, Magical Leaf, Earthquake, Synthesis, Dragon Dance, Tailwind, Dragon Pulse.

...

Upon seeing the Tropius, Yuga's eyes lit up: a high-potential Pokémon!

"Shoryu, wait here for me," Yuga whispered to Shoryu.

"Mm, okay," Shoryu replied obediently.

Yuga began to release his Celebi's Blessing aura, letting it flow from within him and giving off a calming aura.

By this time, the Tropius had finished drinking and lifted its head, noticing Yuga. However, due to the special energy emanating from him, the Tropius didn't panic or fly away.

"Hello," Yuga greeted the Tropius with a gentle expression, casually walking toward it.

"Tropius~"

Tropius responded with a soft call, acknowledging Yuga.

Yuga felt a surge of hope in his heart: It's working!

He took out a Vitality Pokeblock and said to the Tropius, "I'd like to offer you some food."

The Tropius, having just finished drinking and feeling hungry, stretched its neck over to sniff the Pokeblock. It then licked it with its tongue before swallowing the Vitality Pokeblock in one bite.

After finishing the Pokeblock, Tropius' eyes brightened: It was delicious, much better than leaves, grass, or berry from trees!

Tropius usually ate leaves and aquatic plants in the wild, only occasionally getting fruits as a treat, but nothing compared to the taste of this Pokeblock.

Of course, not everyone could just offer food and have it eat without hesitation. It was mainly the aura around Yuga that made Tropius instinctively feel close to him.

After eating the Pokeblock, Tropius stretched its neck toward Yuga. At first, Yuga didn't understand what it meant, but after it tilted its head, Yuga realized it was offering him the bananas hanging under its chin.

Like Turtwig, Tropius could bear fruit as a Grass-type Pokémon. The fruits under its chin resembled bananas and were very delicious, but it only gave them to those it liked.

Yuga didn't refuse. He gently plucked one and then, cautiously, took out a Poké Ball. Seeing that Tropius didn't react much, Yuga threw the ball at it.

The capture went smoothly, and Tropius didn't struggle.

When Yuga successfully captured Tropius, Shoryu immediately ran over.

"Big Brother, you're amazing!"

Along the way, Shoryu had seen many tourists struggle to catch Pokémon, their clothes covered in dust. But none of them had been as calm and collected as his Big Brother.

Yuga humbly replied, "It's just luck."

In truth, if it hadn't been a Grass-type Pokémon, Yuga wasn't sure if he would've succeeded. While Celebi's blessing made most Pokémon feel close, it worked especially well on Grass-types.

Shoryu didn't buy Yuga's modesty. In his eyes, besides his father, Big Brother was the most amazing person.

Yuga took the banana Tropius had given him, peeled it, and split it in half, offering a piece to Shoryu. "Here, try it. I heard it's really tasty," he said. He had only heard about this fruit before but had never tried it himself.

Shoryu took the fruit, and happily took a bite.

The fruit was indeed delicious. Its texture was similar to a banana—soft and chewy—but the flavor was different. It had a richer, more intense fragrance than a banana.

Yuga thought to himself, I'll give some to Audino later!

After finishing the fruit, Yuga released Tropius again. With Tropius now, he no longer needed to "coax" other Pokémon; he could simply have Tropius help him capture them with force.

Using newly captured Pokémon in the Safari Zone wasn't against the rules.

After releasing Tropius, Yuga gave it another Pokeblock, making sure it was well-fed. Tropius was still at a low level, and two Pokeblock were enough to fill it up.

Then, the two of them continued exploring the Safari Zone. With Tropius, Yuga had Shoryu sit on its back so Shoryu wouldn't get tired.

Tropius was large and could easily carry a four-year-old child like Shoryu.