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

Upon leaving the Safari Zone, Yuga bid farewell to Fuyuki and his three companions. They enthusiastically invited Yuga to visit their homes next time. Yuga neither accepted nor declined the offer—who knows when they would meet again?

After returning to the hotel, Kiriha came to report on the progress of the partnership with the Joy family. Yuga, pleased with how smoothly things were advancing, praised Kiriha and promised her a bonus once everything was settled.

Elated, Kiriha left Yuga's room in high spirits.

After several days of adventure, Yuga decided not to take Shoryu and Audino out the following day, as he had matters to attend to.

A few days prior, Yuga had contacted Cynthia regarding the disposal of the Skarmory and Drapion in his possession. Cynthia referred him to a private breeding facility under the management of her clan, the Temple Family.

The facility was located in the outskirts of Pastoria City. As it was in a rather remote area without direct public transportation routes, Yuga traveled there on his Charizard.

The facility was enormous—a sprawling complex resembling a manor with several ecological parks constructed within. The lavish setup was a testament to the Temple Family's wealth and resources.

At the entrance stood a Trainer with a Poliwrath by their side, guarding the premises. Upon Yuga's introduction, the guard respectfully escorted him inside, as they had already been notified of his visit.

Yuga was taken directly to meet the manager of the facility.

Along the way, he noticed numerous guards patrolling with their Pokémon. The high frequency of patrols—guards stationed every few steps—indicated the strict security measures in place. Since the facility was situated in Pastoria City, an environment conducive to nurturing Water-type Pokémon, most of the guards had Water-type Pokémon by their sides.

The manager of the facility was a tall, elegant woman in her thirties. She had light brown wavy hair and wore a loose, white lab coat. Despite her striking beauty and a figure comparable to Cynthia's, her disheveled appearance—with messy hair and a wrinkled coat—gave off a slightly unkempt vibe. She clearly hadn't bothered to tidy up for today's guest.

According to Cynthia, this woman was a genius from a branch of the Temple Family. Not only was she a senior Pokémon breeder, but she was also a renowned researcher. Cynthia's description of her as having "modest fame" was likely an understatement.

The woman, evidently expecting Yuga, approached as soon as he was brought in by the guard. "Hello, I'm Licia. It's a pleasure to meet you, Gym Leader Shimizu," she greeted warmly.

Yuga, having initially assumed Licia was a rigid and overly absorbed scientist due to her untidy appearance, was surprised by her cheerful tone.

"Hello, Miss Licia," Yuga replied, extending his hand for a light handshake to formally introduce himself.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, please follow me; we can talk inside," Licia said, already aware of the purpose of his visit from Cynthia.

She led Yuga deeper into the facility.

As they walked, Licia explained, "My field of research focuses on Pokémon artificial breeding. However, artificial breeding has always been a sensitive area for the League. Institutions like ours must apply for special permission from the League to operate. Constructing such a facility without approval would result in severe penalties."

Yuga listened attentively and nodded. Cynthia had already briefed him about the primary functions of this breeding facility.

In addition to its official breeding centers, the League also maintained artificial breeding facilities like this one.

This raised an interesting question: Why, if the League is so cautious about artificial breeding, do such facilities exist?

The answer lies in the fact that there are "criminals" among Pokémon as well.

These Pokémon "criminals" are typically confiscated from dark organizations. They have ferocious and unmanageable temperaments and, in some cases, have killed humans or other Pokémon.

Although most Pokémon are inherently kind-hearted, their personalities can be influenced by their Trainers. If a Trainer is cruel and evil, their Pokémon often gradually adopt similar behavior.

For example, many Pokémon Yuga had confiscated from dark organizations like Team Rocket or Team Aqua were eventually sent to artificial breeding facilities by the League.

Due to their history of committing too many misdeeds, these Pokémon lose their freedom upon arriving at the artificial breeding facilities and are tasked with reproducing offspring.

Many of these Pokémon possess exceptional potential. Simply imprisoning or executing them would be a waste, so the League opts to utilize them instead.

The League, of course, does not assign mates to these Pokémon. Their reproduction is carried out entirely through artificial methods, where researchers like Licia play a crucial role.

In the past, the substandard Pokémon eggs that Yuga bought from Lavaridge Town were mostly products of such artificial breeding facilities. At that time, artificial breeding technology was still underdeveloped, resulting in a high probability of defective Pokémon eggs.

In recent years, as the technology has matured, such defective eggs have become less common.

Of course, while these Pokémon lose their freedom and are used as tools to breed superior Pokémon, they still retain certain basic rights.

Firstly, they are entitled to the right to life and health. During the reproduction process, researchers are prohibited from harming the Pokémon's health and must conduct regular health checks. If any health issues arise, the breeding process must be halted immediately.

Secondly, researchers are forbidden from insulting or abusing these Pokémon and must closely monitor their mental well-being.

Additionally, in terms of living conditions, these Pokémon receive proper care. Their food and other needs must meet specific standards and regulations.

The League does not publicly disclose the existence of such artificial breeding facilities. Only individuals with special status, like Yuga, are privy to this information.

In the early days of artificial breeding facilities, when the League's regulations were still incomplete, many researchers exploited loopholes to use these facilities for personal gain.

As the situation worsened, the League began tightening its regulations and implementing stricter supervision. This gradually brought artificial breeding facilities under proper management.

Nowadays, applying to establish an artificial breeding facility is incredibly difficult. The process is not only procedurally complex but also burdened with stringent qualifications and conditions. The fact that the Temple Family owns a private facility is even more exceptional.

Cynthia explained that if Licia hadn't made significant contributions to artificial breeding technology, the League would never have approved the construction of such a private facility.

As they walked inside, Yuga noticed through a transparent glass window that a Sharpedo in the water was roaring in pain. Licia explained that it was giving birth.

The Sharpedo did not have a mate. The offspring in its belly resulted from artificial breeding, with the sperm obtained from the facility's sperm bank. The sperm stored in the bank is carefully collected from high-quality donors.

With Licia accompanying him, Yuga toured the entire process of Pokémon artificial breeding and witnessed the process of Pokémon giving birth.

After gaining a basic understanding of the facility, Yuga was led to a specially designated meeting room, as it was now time for both parties to discuss their transaction.

Yuga planned to hand over Skarmory and Drapion to this breeding institution.

Technically, given Yuga's position, he could have handed these Pokémon directly to the League's public artificial breeding facility without issue. However, if the Pokémon were sent to the League, they would undoubtedly inquire about their origins, and it would become difficult to conceal the truth about Hunter J. Moreover, there might even be people eyeing the resources from the Great Marsh.

Although Yuga could fabricate a story, one lie often leads to countless others to cover it up. To avoid complications, he opted for a private institution transaction instead.

Additionally, since this private institution belonged to a trusted friend's family, there was no concern about potential problems arising.

It was technically possible to trade these Pokémon on the black market, but due to Yuga's special status, he was reluctant to visit such a chaotic and dangerous place.

Moreover, it wouldn't be easy to find someone on the average black market capable of handling such a large number of high-potential Pokémon all at once.

Taking out the Poké Balls containing Drapion and Skarmory, Yuga said, "These are the Pokémon I intend to trade today."

Licia nodded and summoned someone to take the Pokémon away for evaluation.

The value of each Pokémon varies based on its potential, level, learned moves, and inherited abilities. Researchers like Licia, who specialize in Pokémon breeding, pay close attention to these factors.

While the Pokémon were being evaluated, Licia briefly explained to Yuga the rules for exchanging adult Pokémon for juvenile ones or Pokémon eggs at the breeding facility.

Soon, the evaluation results came back. Yuga found the results to be consistent with what his Insight skill had revealed, so he agreed to the transaction.

Overall, the batch of Pokémon Yuga had brought wasn't particularly outstanding. While all were of green potential, they were mass-produced by Hunter J and lacked both quantity and quality in terms of learned moves.

According to the breeding facility's regulations, Yuga could exchange this batch of Pokémon for 20 juvenile Pokémon of green potential, provided they weren't of overly rare species.

Though the adult Pokémon Yuga brought in were technically more valuable, they came with various issues, warranting a discount.

Next, under Licia's guidance, Yuga visited one of the facility's Ecopark, which housed juvenile Pokémon bred through artificial means.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, you may select 20 Pokémon from among these," Licia said, pointing to the Pokémon in the ecological park.

Activating his Insight skill, Yuga began observing the Ecopark.

This was a water-themed Ecopark, roughly the same size as the underground Ecopark Hunter J had operated. It featured a large, shallow pond where many Water-type Pokémon frolicked, including Corsola, Wooper, Buizel, and Shellos.

After some observation, Yuga ultimately decided on Wooper.

Although Wooper and its evolution Quagsire weren't particularly outstanding species, their dual-type combination made them highly popular among Trainers.

Moreover, the adorable and dopey appearance of Wooper and Quagsire added to their appeal.

Yuga chose only one species instead of diversifying his selection, as having too many types would reduce the quantity of each, making it less suitable for breeding new Pokémon back home.

After finalizing his selection, Yuga prepared to leave, with Licia personally escorting him to the door.

Just as Yuga was about to depart, a familiar voice called out.

"Aoki? What are you doing here?"

Turning around, Yuga saw none other than the siblings Fuyuki and Akiba, with the latter being the one who called out.

"You two…"

Yuga looked at the two siblings in surprise, marveling at how intertwined their fates seemed to be.

Licia, equally astonished, asked, "You two know Gym Leader Shimizu?"

"Gym Leader Shimizu?" Akiha looked confused. "Sister-in-law, this is the person I told you about—Aoki, the one who saved my brother and me in the Great Wetlands."

Hearing Akiha address Licia as "sister-in-law," Yuga instantly understood their relationship. Smiling, he explained to Licia, "I don't usually use my real name when I'm outside, so I went by the alias Aoki." Life truly was full of coincidences—it seemed fate had arranged for him to cross paths with this pair of siblings again.

Licia suddenly understood the situation, and Akiba and Fuyuki also pieced it together.

"I'm sorry for deceiving you," Yuga said apologetically to the two siblings, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Then you…" Akiba stammered, "My sister-in-law called you Gym Leader Shimizu… You… You…"

At that moment, both Akiba and Fuyuki realized Yuga's true identity. Though they had never met him in person, as Trainers, they had definitely heard of his reputation. The title of "Gym Leader Shimizu" immediately made them think of the Gym Leader of Verdanturf Town in the Hoenn region.

Yuga said, "Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Shimizu Yuga, and I am the Gym Leader of Verdanturf Town in the Hoenn region."

"Ah!"

Both Fuyuki and Akiba let out simultaneous exclamations of surprise. They hadn't expected the legendary Trainer to appear before them in such an ordinary setting.

Though their sister-in-law Licia was part of the Temple Clan, as members of a branch family, they had never met any of the clan's powerful Trainers. Even someone like Cynthia was someone they had only ever seen on television. Naturally, meeting Yuga in person was thrilling for them.

The siblings had never left the Pastoria City area, and the strongest Trainer they had encountered was the local Gym Leader, Crasher Wake.

While Crasher Wake had some fame as a Gym Leader, his reputation couldn't compare to Yuga's.

Fuyuki and Akiba's elder brother, Licia's husband, was the current mayor of Pastoria City—a young and promising leader with an impressive family background. This explained why Akiba never worried about the costs of raising so many Pokémon.

After learning Yuga's identity, the siblings were so excited that they peppered him with questions, one after another. If Licia hadn't stepped in to stop them, their enthusiasm alone would have made it difficult for Yuga to leave.

Before parting, the siblings once again invited Yuga to visit their home. However, Yuga had to decline politely, saying he'd visit another time, as he planned to leave Pastoria City the following day.

He had already planned to visit Veilstone City to see Reggie and, after several days of delays, felt it was time to move on.

Upon learning that Yuga was leaving Pastoria City, the siblings were visibly disappointed.