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

Anmu and Anlin returned from the ranch with Anya tagging along behind her two younger brothers. Since it was a rare occasion for Anmu and Anlin to come back home, Yuga gathered everyone together for a family reunion meal.

Ever since the Paradise Restaurant opened, most of the staff from YoYo Day Care had their meals there, including his Aunt and Uncle. It wasn't often they all came back home to eat like today.

Usually, Audino only prepared meals for Yuga alone, but with everyone suddenly present, the food supplies at home weren't enough, so its had to fetch some ingredients from the Paradise Restaurant on short notice.

Because of the impromptu arrangements, their lunch was served later than usual.

When traveling, Anmu and Anlin had to cook their own meals, or at best eat store-bought portable food, which couldn't compare to the dishes made by Audino.

The two boys were so overwhelmed by the delicious spread on the table that they nearly teared up.

Anya, too, had been working hard lately. Sometimes, she even had to make trips to visit Everlasting Workshop. Just two days ago, she had only returned from one such trip. If Anmu and Anlin hadn't come back at the right time, they might not have even seen their sister.

Now that they were back, she had to rush to the ranch again. Between helping in the shop with crafting Pokéblocks and learning from her mentor, she had visibly lost weight.

During the meal, Yuga, feeling sorry for her, placed some of her favorite dishes on her plate. "Eat more, Anya. You've been working so hard recently."

After so many years together, Yuga truly regarded these kids as his own family, especially Anya, who had contributed a lot to YoYo Day Care.

Seeing their sister's gaunt face, Anmu and Anlin also piled food onto her plate. "Sister, try this. It's delicious."

Anya, helpless but touched, took a bite and then returned the gesture, putting food on Yuga's and her brothers' plates. "You guys focus on eating. Don't worry about me—I'll eat on my own."

Having lived together for so long, everyone knew each other's favorite foods by heart. The dishes Anya chose for them were also their favorites.

The meal passed in a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

After lunch, instead of heading back to the ranch, Anya stayed behind to chat with her brothers, listening to them recount funny stories from their travels.

Anya listened with great interest.

Of course, traveling wasn't all fun and games—it inevitably came with various dangers. However, the brothers carefully avoided mentioning the risky parts to their sister.

Anya wasn't naive; she understood that her brothers' journeys couldn't possibly be as carefree and entertaining as they described. But she didn't press them for details, choosing to listen to whatever they wanted to share.

She knew well that her brothers needed to grow, and experiencing challenges and dangers was a necessary part of that process. After all, no tree sheltered in a greenhouse could ever grow strong enough to withstand fierce storms.

The good life they now enjoyed was all thanks to their boss. Anya hoped that she and her brothers could mature quickly and become capable helpers to Yuga.

While Anya was chatting with her twin brothers, Shoryu pulled up a chair to sit nearby, quietly listening. He marveled at the brothers' thrilling adventures and envied the deep bond between the three siblings.

Shoryu was currently the only child living in the gym. Though he had Beidou and Yuga taking care of him, they weren't his peers, so they couldn't fully relate to him. He couldn't play with them or share many of his thoughts.

Because of this, Shoryu greatly admired the closeness between Anya, Anlin, Anmu, Ryo, and Ryoshi, who had all grown up together as siblings.

If Shoryu had come a few years earlier, he might have had more time to bond with them. But by the time he arrived, everyone had already left for their journeys, and the only one left at home was Anya, who was always busy and rarely stayed still.

Seeing Shoryu enjoy their stories so much, Anmu and Anlin tried their best to make their tales even more entertaining, filling them with dramatic flair. Shoryu listened with wide eyes, gasping and exclaiming in delight, his little face brimming with excitement.

Even though Anmu and Anlin hadn't spent much time with Shoryu, they both adored their well-behaved and thoughtful little brother. Anya felt the same way.

After lunch, Yuga went to the Ecopark to check on the newly arrived Pokémon and how they were adapting. Seeing they were doing well, he left the park.

On his way out, he ran into Ninetales.

"Hey, I've been meaning to say—we haven't gone to the beauty salon in ages," Ninetales said, trailing behind him.

"Drop the 'we.' I couldn't care less about going," Yuga replied without even looking back.

"But I gave you all my money!" Ninetales said, pretending to be pitiful.

Yuga saw through the act and mercilessly exposed the truth. "If I recall correctly, all your money was spent on clothes and accessories the last time I helped you shop."

Buying clothes and accessories could be quite expensive.

"Uh…" Ninetales was left speechless. After a pause, it said indignantly, "Don't you ever want to enjoy life a little? You're so rich—why are you so stingy?"

Every time Ninetales saw Yuga buy whatever he wanted and go wherever he pleased, it couldn't help but feel envious. If only it had that kind of money!

Money was such a wonderful thing.

Yuga turned his head, smiling as he looked at Ninetales. "Alright then, I'll go by myself. You don't need to come along. My enjoyment of life has nothing to do with you."

Hearing this, Ninetales immediately used its front paws to grab onto Yuga's leg. "Please take me with you! Think of how hard I worked in Unova last time."

Yuga was silent for a few seconds, as if considering something, before finally saying, "Alright then, fine."

Ninetales wasn't one of Yuga's Pokémon—it worked for him under an employment arrangement. Since Ninetales had been diligent in its duties, it seemed fair to offer some rewards to keep it motivated.

Besides, Yuga did have some business to discuss with the manager at the private Pokémon spa.

The moment Yuga agreed, Ninetales immediately let go of his leg, adjusted its fur and attire, and adopted a serious demeanor. "Let's go," it said, as though it hadn't just been pleading moments ago.

Yuga couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "Now you care about appearances!"

When they stepped outside, Anya and the others were still chatting. Seeing them, Yuga asked, "Ninetales and I are heading to the Pokémon private club. Do you want to come and take a look?"

Anmu asked, "Is that the super expensive private club in the town center?"

Yuga nodded. "Yep, that's the one."

Anmu and Anlin hurriedly shook their heads. "No, no, we'd better not go. It's too expensive!" Their money was better saved for raising their Pokémon.

Yuga turned to Anya. "What about you, Anya?"

Anya shook her head as well. "I'm not going either. I can't afford it."

In truth, Anya did have money and could afford to go. Her salary at the Pokemon Day Care was quite good, but she not only had to care for her own Pokémon but also wanted to save money for her younger brothers. As a result, she was usually very frugal.

Yuga thought for a moment and said, "How about this: Anya, you've been working hard lately. Anmu and Anlin have made great progress in their training. As a reward, I'll treat you all to a relaxing day.

"Shoryu can come along too... let's call him a bonus."

Yuga wasn't short on money. Every time he pretended not to take Ninetales to the Pokémon private club, it was just to tease it.

"Really?" Anmu and Anlin jumped up excitedly. Shoryu, not entirely understanding, joined in the laughter.

And so, the group set off for the Pokémon private club together.

When they arrived, Ninetales confidently chose its favorite fur treatment and happily followed the staff into a private room.

What Ninetales didn't know was that it received a 50% discount at the club because it was their official mascot. Since Yuga always paid the bills, Ninetales had never been informed of this and remained blissfully unaware.

While the Pokémon relaxed in their respective treatments, Yuga chose a massage service for himself.

However, the one massaging Yuga wasn't a stunning beauty—or even a human. It was a Tyrogue.

The Pokémon serving humans at the private club weren't particularly strong, but they were all specially trained with unique skills. This Tyrogue, for instance, excelled in massage. Others specialized in tea ceremonies, flower arranging, or chess, showcasing a wide range of talents.

At this club, humans served Pokémon, and Pokémon served humans. Visitors, whether human or Pokémon, always left thoroughly satisfied.

Rumor had it that the club was home to an Alakazam with extraordinary chess skills. To date, no guest had managed to defeat it, drawing a large crowd of chess enthusiasts eager to take on the challenge.

Of course, Yuga had never witnessed this; he had no interest in chess.

The massage by Tyrogue was so relaxing that Yuga drifted off to sleep. When the session ended, Tyrogue gently woke him up.

Once awake, Yuga followed Tyrogue out of the private room, where someone was already waiting for him.

It was the assistant to the club manager.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, please follow me."

The assistant bowed slightly and gestured for Yuga to follow. Yuga trailed behind him to the manager's office.

When Yuga entered, the manager greeted him warmly. "Gym Leader Shimizu, it's been quite a few days since you last visited. If you hadn't come today, I might've had to track you down!"

Yuga had been away in Unova, so the business deal he had discussed with the manager had been delayed.

Hearing this, Yuga smiled and asked, "So, how's it going, Manager Nagamoto? Have there been any results with the training of Meditite and Lopunny?"

"Yes, yes, the training has been very successful. I was planning to invite you over these past few days to discuss it, and now you've arrived just in time," Manager Nagamoto replied enthusiastically.

Before Yuga left for Unova, he had entrusted a Meditite and a Lopunny to Manager Nagamoto, asking him to send them to the Pokémon private club's training institution. The idea was to see if the training would yield good results. If so, the private club would then purchase its service Pokémon from YoYo Day Care.

Though the private club had its own training facilities, the Pokémon in those programs were mostly brought in from outside.

Yuga had visited the club multiple times to enjoy the Pokémon's massage services, and when it came to technique, the Pokémon there were unmatched.

However, Yuga believed that for massage services, while a pure Fighting-type like Tyrogue was good, Meditite and Lopunny from YoYo Day Care would be more suitable.

To secure this business deal, Yuga had sent two Pokémon ahead to test the training results. Now, it seemed that Manager Nagamoto was very pleased with the performance of Meditite and Lopunny.

At the moment, the incense and Pokeblock used by the club were all sourced from YoYo Day Care. If the deal went through, the club would become a major client of the Pokémon Day Care.

Manager Nagamoto took a document from his drawer and had his assistant hand it to Yuga.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, please take a look at the contract. If everything seems fine, we can proceed with the cooperation," he said.

Yuga carefully examined the contract.

Manager Nagamoto continued, "For now, our headquarters has decided to have our Verdanturf Town branch work with YoYo Day Care. If the results are satisfactory, we will extend the cooperation to other branches and even the headquarters."

After thoroughly reviewing the contract and finding no issues, Yuga placed it down.

Having dealt with many contracts over the years, Yuga was confident in his ability to recognize a good deal.

"The contract looks fine, so here's to a smooth cooperation," Yuga said as he stood and extended his right hand to Manager Nagamoto.

"A pleasant cooperation," Manager Nagamoto replied, shaking Yuga's hand.

After finalizing the business, Yuga noticed that others hadn't finished yet, so he stayed in Manager Nagamoto's office to chat for a while longer.

As they were talking, Manager Nagamoto suddenly asked, "Gym Leader Shimizu, have you heard about any strange happenings lately?"

"Strange happenings? What kind of strange things?" Yuga asked, puzzled.

"The Ancient Plant Research Institute on the outskirts of town," Manager Nagamoto said, sounding intrigued.

"The Ancient Plant Research Institute?" Yuga thought for a moment, recalling that it was under the Devon Corporation. "What happened there?"

Yuga had only recently returned and wasn't up to date on the local gossip.

Manager Nagamoto replied, "The entire institute is overrun with unidentified plants. It's nearly been completely covered by vegetation. If I hadn't driven by yesterday, I wouldn't have known about it."

Yuga was intrigued by what Manager Nagamoto had said. "Is that so? Tell me more."

"I think it's the work of a Grass-type Pokémon," Manager Nagamoto said with a mischievous grin. "Otherwise, how could a well-established research institute suddenly be overtaken by plants? You're a Grass-type trainer—maybe you could take a look and figure something out."

Yuga, still puzzled, asked, "Why hasn't anyone from the institute come to town for help? And I haven't heard anyone else in town talk about it."

Manager Nagamoto shrugged. "I'm not sure. The research institute is on the outskirts, so it's not surprising that the news hasn't reached the town. Actually, when I passed by, I don't think I saw anyone from the institute outside."

This certainly sounded suspicious, and Yuga thought to himself that he should go investigate it.

As Yuga was contemplating this, Manager Nagamoto added, "Well, who cares about that stuff? The people at the research institute are always messing with strange things, so it's no surprise they got into trouble."

Yuga nodded, agreeing, "That's true."

After chatting a bit more with Manager Nagamoto, Yuga left the office, accompanied by Ninetales, Anya, her two younger brothers, and Shoryu.