ALL NOVEL Chapter 1268: The Missing Boy
While welcoming Glenn, Yuga exclaimed with a sigh, "I didn't expect it to be you who got the slot!"
Glenn scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly, "I didn't expect it either! I used to try almost every month, but I never managed to get one. The slots for YoYo Day Care are just way too hard to snag!"
Yuga chuckled and replied, "Can't be helped. After all, there are limited slots and too many people vying for them. It's bound to be like this."
As the two caught up, Wigglytuff brought the reserved Lunatone from the Ecopark. Upon meeting for the first time, Glenn and Lunatone seemed to have a positive initial impression of each other.
Whether Glenn could take Lunatone home, however, still depended on how well they got along. Even though Glenn was someone Yuga knew, the rules had to be followed.
By the time Glenn arrived at YoYo Day Care, it was already late. After spending some time playing with Lunatone in the shop, Ayaka led him to settle down at the Paradise Hotel. However, early the next morning, he was back at the store again.
This kid not only spent time bonding with Lunatone but also helped Yuga with plenty of chores around the shop, proving to be very hardworking.
Thanks to Windyl's expanded promotion efforts, YoYo Day Care received far more orders this year than in the past. Not only had sales of items like Pokéblocks and incense improved, but the smaller breeding centers that partnered with YoYo Day Care had also seen an increase in their orders.
As a result, Yuga had his hands full today, moving goods, shipping orders, and delivering items. If Glenn hadn't been there to help, it would have taken Yuga a lot longer to finish everything.
After helping Yuga, Glenn left YoYo Day Care with Lunatone, planning to explore the area.
Having not visited Verdanturf Town for quite some time, Glenn noticed many changes in the town. He wanted to take Lunatone around to see the sights while also building a stronger bond with it.
After Glenn left, Yuga stayed behind to greet customers. With the New Year celebrations just past, Verdanturf Town was bustling with activity, and the shop was exceptionally busy today.
However, it wasn't long before Yuga heard the sound of a commotion outside. From the murmurs of some customers, Yuga learned that Glenn had gotten into a dispute with someone. He quickly rushed outside to check on the situation.
Sure enough, not far from the store entrance, Glenn was gripping another boy's collar and saying something to him. The boy had a scratch on his face and looked as if he had been badly bullied by Glenn.
The boy struggled and shouted curses, his face red with anger, while the onlookers around them pointed and whispered about the scene.
Yuga hurriedly pushed through the crowd and ran over. When Glenn saw him, he immediately exclaimed in frustration, "Yuga, you came just in time! This guy tried to steal Herdier! He even tried to run after getting caught!"
The boy, still held by Glenn, immediately struggled and yelled, "Don't talk nonsense! I didn't do it! I didn't!"
"Woof! Woof! Woof woof!"
At that moment, Herdier immediately jumped out and barked furiously at the boy. Its parents and siblings also leapt out, barking non-stop in unison.
Nearby, Weavile was baring its fangs and claws, looking ready to tear apart the boy who had dared to target its little companion. The boy was caught between fear and humiliation, his face pale and flushed alternately.
Since the New Year, Verdanturf Town had seen a significant increase in foot traffic, which had made the patrol tasks around YoYo Day Care even more demanding. As a result, the Stoutland family from the Snowy Mountain Sub-Ecopark had formed their own patrol team.
The Stoutland family consisted of a Stoutland father, a Furfrou mother, and their five children.
Among the five offspring, the two younger Furfrou had already grown up, their bodies now almost the same size as their mother's. However, one of these Furfrou still had yellow potential, so its level was slightly lower. Nevertheless, it was perfectly capable of joining patrols.
The Herdier from before had now evolved into a mighty Stoutland like its father. Although it hadn't yet reached its father's level in terms of strength, its imposing appearance alone was enough to deter most troublemakers.
As for the two remaining Lillipup, the green potential one had evolved into a Herdier, while the yellow potential one had only gained a few levels but hadn't undergone much other change.
The seven members of the Stoutland family typically acted together.
Today, Weavile was also out patrolling, but it wasn't with its usual companions. Instead, it was roaming around alone.
Herdier, who was on good terms with Weavile, noticed its companion wandering solo today and decided to invite it to join its family.
At the time, Weavile was perched on a rooftop, and Herdier stopped to chat with it. This caused Herdier to lag behind its family, leaving some distance between them. At this moment, the boy suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Initially, the boy didn't do anything overtly inappropriate. After some tentative moves, however, he suddenly made a grab for Herdier. If Weavile hadn't been watching from the rooftop, the boy might have succeeded.
Just then, Glenn happened to be passing by with Lunatone. Seeing the situation, he immediately grasped what was happening and got into a scuffle with the boy. The commotion grew louder and louder, attracting a crowd of onlookers.
Amid Weavile's loud protests, Yuga quickly learned what had transpired. Turning to the boy, he asked coldly, "So, how do you plan to resolve this?"
The boy stubbornly refused to admit any wrongdoing. Bracing himself, he said, "Resolve what? I didn't do anything! You… you people have no right to hold me! Let go of me, or… or I'll call the police!"
The boy was unaware that Yuga had already learned the full story from Weavile. At that moment, he deeply regretted his moment of greed and his impulsive actions.
Originally, he hadn't planned to do anything. It was just that when he saw a Herdier, which was only found in the Unova region, he became curious and wanted to approach it and play around a bit. After noticing that no one was around, he suddenly got the idea of taking advantage of the situation.
The Herdier didn't seem too strong, and he thought that if he could subdue it quickly and escape, no one would notice. He didn't expect there to be a Weavile hiding on the roof.
Weavile was even more vicious than Herdier, and its sharp claws nearly slashed his face. It still hurt now.
In fact, he had long heard of YoYo Day Care and had been envious of the high-quality Pokémon they sold every month. However, not only were the prices for these Pokémon very high, but the spots for reservations were hard to get, and as a trainer with his credentials, he had no chance of acquiring one.
During his stay in Verdanturf Town, he often saw rare Pokémon coming and going from YoYo Day Care. He was really envious and kept thinking how wonderful it would be if all these Pokémon were his.
So, when he saw the Herdier alone today, a thought flashed through his mind—what if? That thought grew stronger once he noticed no one else was around.
He knew it wouldn't be easy to steal a Pokémon from YoYo Day Care, but he couldn't resist the temptation, hoping for a stroke of luck. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side.
Looking at the boy stubbornly denying his actions, Yuga couldn't help but sigh inwardly—another misguided youth…
In fact, the boy wasn't the first, nor would he be the last, to have such thoughts near YoYo Day Care. With so many Pokémon entering and exiting the facility every day, how could no one try to take advantage of the situation?
At first, such incidents were rare, but as Verdanturf Town grew more prosperous, the number of such cases gradually increased. Since Yuga couldn't restrict the movement of the Pokémon, he had to strengthen the security around the area.
However, he hadn't expected that even the patrolling Pokémon would become targets.
Today's incident made him realize that in the future, there would need to be stricter guidelines for patrolling Pokémon, and they shouldn't operate alone. Their training would also need to be improved.
Seeing that the boy refused to admit his wrongdoing, Yuga said, "There are cameras around here. Would you like to check the surveillance footage? If you are innocent, I will personally apologize on behalf of YoYo Day Care and compensate you. But if not... we'll have to call the police."
When the boy heard about the cameras, he immediately panicked. His eyes shifted uncomfortably, and he couldn't even bring himself to look Yuga in the eye.
In reality, there were no cameras near YoYo Day Care. Yuga had so many secrets here that installing surveillance would just bring unnecessary trouble.
Under Yuga's pressure, the boy quickly admitted to his theft. Yuga didn't call the police, but instead, he decided to punish him.
Since the boy was a minor and had failed in his attempt to steal, even if the police were involved, it would only result in a verbal warning, a few days of detention, and maybe a fine.
Instead, Yuga sent him to work at the Sunflora Ranch, helping Mr. Harrison.
Since Mr. Harrison took Anya as his apprentice, Anya had often gone to the ranch to help. However, after YoYo Day Care purchased Everlasting Incense Workshop, Anya sometimes had to help there, so she had been going to Sunflora Ranch less frequently.
Although the town would sometimes hire workers to help Mr. Harrison, certain tasks still required his personal attention.
Mr. Harrison was getting older, and unlike Mr. Kuni'o, who was still strong and active, he sometimes struggled with the physical work. Now, with free labor available, Yuga made sure to take full advantage of the situation.
Yuga didn't make the punishment too harsh for the boy. He promised that as long as the boy worked honestly at the ranch for a month, he would no longer pursue the theft of the Pokémon.
Yuga believed that in future cases like this, as long as the circumstances weren't severe and the person wasn't too malicious, such an approach would be a reasonable solution.
Though the boy was unwilling to work at the ranch, he had no choice but to agree under Yuga's threat. The boy was a trainer, and his visit to Verdanturf Town was not only for sightseeing but also for training. Spending some time at the ranch wouldn't set him back much.
Glenn volunteered to go to the ranch as well, saying it would be a good opportunity to supervise the boy's "reform." After all, he would be staying in Verdanturf Town for a while, so it didn't matter where he stayed, as long as he brought along his Lunatone.
Yuga thought Glenn's suggestion was a good one. The boy indeed needed a supervisor; otherwise, he might try to get away with sneaky behavior, making all the effort pointless! So, Yuga took both of them to the Sunflora Ranch.
When Mr. Harrison learned about Yuga's intentions, he readily accepted the two boys.
Mr. Harrison usually lived alone. Although there were workers at the power plant, they were always busy and didn't really interact with him, a breeder. With two boys around, it was a welcome distraction.
Both boys were trainers, so they had plenty to talk about with the breeder.
Thus began the thief boy's difficult life at the Sunflora Ranch. Glenn did nothing but keep a close watch on him, making it impossible for him to slack off.
With the boy's help, Mr. Harrison was able to step away from his heavy workload and enjoy a bit of relaxation.
This peaceful period lasted for more than a week.
One day, as usual, Yuga was practicing making energy cubes at his new store when he suddenly received a call from Mr. Harrison. He urgently informed Yuga that the boy and Glenn had gone missing.
Missing?
Yuga was immediately stunned. Could they have run away? But Glenn wouldn't just leave! It was hard to believe that the boy would run off and take Glenn with him. Besides, they had already been working for more than a week—if they suddenly ran off, wouldn't that be a bit strange?
Eliminating the possibility of running away, Yuga really couldn't figure out how two young men could suddenly go missing.
So, he hurried to the ranch to find out more from Mr. Harrison.
It turned out that the previous day, while Mr. Harrison was checking his Sunflora, he discovered one was missing. So, he asked Glenn and the boy to help look for it.
They had split up to search: Mr. Harrison took one direction, and Glenn and the boy took another. Glenn didn't trust the boy to search alone, fearing he might run away, so he didn't go with Mr. Harrison.
Mr. Harrison searched around the ranch but couldn't find the missing Sunflora. It wasn't until it was getting dark that he tiredly returned to his house, but Glenn and the boy hadn't returned.
At first, Mr. Harrison didn't think much of it, assuming they had lost track of time while looking for the Sunflora. However, when night fully fell and they still hadn't returned, he began to worry.
One Sunflora was missing, and now two healthy young men were gone as well. Could something supernatural be going on?
Mr. Harrison thought about going out to search for them, but it was already too dark, and it was impossible to go out.
Due to the situation, Mr. Harrison didn't sleep all night, and by the next morning, the two hadn't returned. He felt he had no choice but to call Yuga.
After hearing Mr. Harrison's story, Yuga furrowed his brow. Could this be something serious? That shouldn't be the case. What could possibly happen near Verdanturf Town?
"Mr. Harrison, don't worry. Leave this to me. I'll find them," Yuga reassured him.
"Alright, they're missing under my watch, and I can't shake off the feeling of unease. I've caused you trouble."
Mr. Harrison felt guilty. Two healthy young men had gone missing under his care, and he felt bad about not living up to Yuga's trust.
Moreover, the two boys had been a great help to him during the past week. If something had happened to them, he would be to blame.
Yuga noticed Mr. Harrison's discomfort and quickly responded, "This was an accident, and you're not to blame. As long as they're still in Verdanturf Town, I'll definitely find them."
Mr. Harrison finally relaxed. He had known Yuga for a while and had no doubt about Yuga's abilities.
After leaving the ranch, Yuga gathered three Arcanine—Arcanine Father, Arcanine Son and its partner—and hoped they could help search near the ranch. Of course, the three Arcanine agreed to help.
He also got the clothes that Glenn and the boy had changed out of from Mr. Harrison, and the three Arcanine sniffed them and began searching for clues around the ranch.
Yuga released Gengar and Mismagius to assist. Their special abilities gave Yuga a sense of relief.
Yuga felt that Glenn was rather unlucky. He remembered that Glenn had gone missing once before in Verdanturf Town. That time, it was Cecilia, the previous owner of Gengar and Mismagius, who had kidnapped him.