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

Chapter 1332: Dragonite's Return

To develop a new incense, Lain began frequenting the Pokémon Center, seeking advice from Joyka on advanced pharmaceutical knowledge.

Joyka, seeing that Yuga had found her a side job to earn extra income, patiently answered many of Lain's questions. She even shared some of the Joy family's secret knowledge without hesitation.

In addition, Joyka often sought out professional medical and pharmaceutical books for Lain, keeping her extremely busy every day.

One day, after leaving the new store, Yuga decided to visit the Gym to check on Smoochum. When he arrived, he found Smoochum trailing behind Shoryu with a dejected look, like a wilted flower after a downpour.

The moment Smoochum saw Yuga, it lit up as though spotting a savior. Waddling quickly on its short legs, it ran up to him.

Yuga took a closer look and noticed that pieces of tape were stuck to Smoochum's upper eyelids, preventing it from even blinking.

Amused and bewildered, Yuga asked, "What's going on here?"

"Smuuchum! Smuuchum!"

Smoochum flailed its tiny arms and began complaining animatedly to Yuga. According to its version of events, Shoryu was nothing short of a devil, constantly bullying it. To prevent it from blinking, Shoryu had even taped its eyelids open!

Before Smoochum could finish its complaints, Shoryu appeared with Gastly in tow.

The moment Smoochum saw them, it began trembling and quickly hid behind Yuga.

Shoryu then explained his "method" for handling Smoochum.

It turned out that during the days Smoochum had been under Shoryu's care, he took it everywhere, even to school.

The Trainer School Shoryu attended had its own Pokémon. During class, Shoryu would leave Smoochum with those Pokémon and enforce a rule.

If any Pokémon complained to him after class, he would tape Smoochum's eyelids for one hour. Two complaints would mean two hours, and so on.

Initially, Smoochum didn't take Shoryu's threats seriously and continued to bully the other Pokémon. It hadn't realized how painful it would be to not blink or sleep.

After just one class, Shoryu found almost every Pokémon complaining about Smoochum. That night, Smoochum couldn't sleep or blink at all.

Although Smoochum wanted to fight back, Shoryu's Gastly shadowed it everywhere. Unable to win against Gastly, Smoochum had no choice but to accept its fate.

A dog's nature doesn't change. As soon as one round of punishment ended, Smoochum went right back to its old habits, bullying other Pokémon at the Trainer School after tagging along with Shoryu.

Shoryu didn't bother reprimanding it; he simply let it act up. If Smoochum dared to misbehave, Shoryu would slap tape on its eyelids and have Gastly stick to it like glue.

The prolonged inability to blink or sleep was unbearable for Smoochum. It even tried using Meditate to substitute for sleep, but its physical decline became visibly apparent.

Surprisingly, under Shoryu's relentless "discipline," Smoochum's mental strength significantly improved in a short time.

Finally, unable to endure the torment, Smoochum began learning its lesson. The frequency of its bullying dropped significantly, though it still occasionally couldn't resist acting out.

That day, after returning from the Trainer School, Smoochum once again found its eyelids taped shut.

After listening to Shoryu's account, Yuga burst into laughter, patting Shoryu on the shoulder and saying, "That's actually a pretty good method."

Hearing this, Smoochum was utterly devastated, its hope fading away.

"You're doing well. Come on, let's get your reward early today," Yuga said, leading Shoryu out of the Gym.

When they arrived at the store, Yuga pulled out a Poké Ball and handed it to Shoryu, saying, "This is yours now. Take good care of it."

Shoryu opened the Poké Ball to reveal a bewildered Phantump, which looked around curiously before fixing its gaze on Shoryu. This surprised Yuga.

Given Yuga's unique aura as a King eGhost, Phantump should have instinctively focused on him first.

Although Shoryu had a high affinity for Ghost-type Pokémon, it shouldn't surpass Yuga's, who possessed a special ability.

Could Shoryu's affinity with Ghost-types also stem from some unique power? Yuga couldn't help but wonder. If so, what kind of ability could it be?

Pointing at Shoryu, Yuga said to Phantump, "Phantump, Shoryu will be your Trainer from now on."

This Phantump had just been sent over by the League's breeding facility earlier that day as a benefit for the Gym apprentices.

Previously, others like An Mu and An Lin were assigned Eevees, but considering Shoryu's affinity for Ghost-types, Yuga specifically requested a Ghost Pokémon for him.

The League's breeding facility, mindful of Verdanturf Gym's Grass-type specialization, thoughtfully sent over a Phantump.

Having undergone special training at the breeding facility, Phantump easily accepted Shoryu as its new Trainer and quickly bonded with him.

Shoryu's Gastly warmly welcomed the new team member, though Smoochum remained out of sorts.

Months flew by, and Verdanturf Town gradually transitioned into autumn.

One day, Lain suddenly came running over, excitedly exclaiming, "Yuga, I did it! I finally did it!" She was shouting with joy and gave Yuga a big hug.

It wasn't until she calmed down that Yuga asked, "Did you successfully develop the new incense?"

Considering how hard Lain had worked these past few months—sacrificing sleep and losing weight—it was likely the only thing that could make her this happy.

While he felt sorry for her, Yuga still asked with concern, "Are you sure there won't be any side effects this time?"

Lain froze for a moment before playfully punching Yuga in "anger." "What nonsense are you talking about? I already had Joyka test it for me—it's completely free of side effects!" she declared proudly.

Thanks to her frequent visits to the Pokémon Center for advice, Lain and Joyka had become close friends.

Previously, Lain used to respectfully address Joykka as "Miss Joy," but now their relationship was so intimate that she simply called him Joyka.

"Really?" Yuga's face lit up with excitement. "That's fantastic news! Tell me all about this new incense." With a new incense formula, YoYo Day Care's business could reach even greater heights.

It turned out that this new incense was an improved version of a previous formula created by Lain.

The earlier version was excellent in every respect except for one flaw: it contained addictive substances. Lain had been determined to neutralize this flaw.

After months of effort and the assistance of Joyka, a professional pharmacist, Lain finally discovered a way to neutralize the addictive components.

The issue with the previous incense lay in the flowers of Nnlimora Chesto Berry and the Liligant's pollen. These ingredients produced the addictive substances. Lain theorized that if she could find a material to counteract these addictive properties without compromising the incense's original effects, the problem could be resolved.

To address this, Lain had to master the medicinal properties of various materials. For this reason, she frequently sought Joyka's advice, running back and forth to the Pokémon Center.

If Joyka hadn't owed Yuga a favor, most people would have lost their patience long ago.

Thankfully, hard work paid off. Lain eventually found a solution using a unique extract from the honey of Bulbasaur's flower bulb.

"And what about the cost of this new incense?" Yuga asked.

"It's... It's just slightly more expensive than the previous version," Lain stammered.

"I figured as much," Yuga replied, unsurprised. He had guessed it when Lain mentioned Bulbasaur's honey.

The honey produced by Bulbasaur's seed bulb is uniquely sweet and highly favored by Bug-type Pokémon. However, its production is very limited. Combined with the rarity of Bulbasaur, this honey was typically used for special medicines rather than as an ingredient in incense. Its price was naturally steep.

What's more, this honey was rarely available in private shops. It was primarily stocked in stores operated by the League.

"Didn't you say before that if it's expensive, we should just sell it as a premium product?" Lain asked with a conflicted expression.

"We don't have much choice," Yuga sighed. "The next step is to submit this new incense for testing. Once we have the League's certification, we can begin production."

While Joyka's testing was thorough, it was unofficial. For the incense to go to market, Yuga needed to submit it to the League's official testing centers. After ensuring the product was safe, he would apply for production and distribution licenses.

Currently, all the incense products sold at YoYo Day Care had undergone this strict process, as the League maintained tight control in this area.

"I'll handle this personally. You just wait for the results," Yuga assured Lain.

"Got it. I'll send you the samples later!" Lain responded cheerfully before leaving.

After Lain departed, Yuga went to see Windy, asking him to schedule an appointment with a testing agency. Once that was arranged, he left to visit the Ecopark.

Today was special: Dragonite and its companions were due to return from the Distortion World.

At the Haunted Mansion Sub-Ecopark, Yuga didn't have to wait long before the Reverse Mirror standing there began to glow faintly with an eerie light.

One by one, Dragonite, Gengar, Mismagius, Mimikyu, and Dusknoir stepped out of the Reverse Mirror. Their auras were noticeably stronger than five months ago, especially Mimikyu, who had the lowest level among them.

Naturally, the one with the most obvious change was Mimikyu due to its lower level. Meanwhile, the one with the least visible improvement was Dusknoir, as it had already reached the Master level. Advancing further would be incredibly difficult.

Dusknoir's primary goal in the Distortion World was to seek an opportunity to upgrade its potential to purple. However, achieving such a transformation was no easy feat, and it returned without success.

Despite this, Dusknoir wasn't disheartened. It had already prepared itself mentally for this outcome and found it manageable.

"Welcome home, everyone," Yuga greeted them with a bright smile from the other side. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

After several grueling months in the Distortion World, Dragonite and its companions had all started to miss home. Seeing Yuga, they immediately surrounded him, chattering excitedly about their experiences during their time away.

"Did Jellicent not come back with you?" Yuga asked, noticing the absence of Jellicent's figure. He distinctly remembered it had accompanied Dragonite and the others to the Distortion World. Jellicent had special authorization from Giratina, allowing it to bypass the usual restrictions on the Reverse Mirror's capacity.

Hearing Yuga's inquiry, the Pokémon all shook their heads. Jellicent was still in the Distortion World with Giratina, seemingly living a very comfortable life.

Thanks to Giratina's assistance, Jellicent had already reached the Elite level. It wouldn't be surprising if it achieved Champion level in the near future, a stark contrast to the others, who were pushing themselves to their limits.

As the lord of the Distortion World, Giratina possessed a vast reserve of treasures accumulated over time, and Jellicent had certainly taken advantage of this.

Knowing that Jellicent was safe and sound, Yuga felt relieved, though he couldn't help but chuckle. Was Jellicent planning to settle down in the Distortion World for good? It would often stay there for extended periods and only return when Giratina personally escorted it back. Most Pokémon could only dream of such a privilege.

After chatting with the Pokémon for a while, Yuga sent them off to rest. After months of training in the harsh environment of the Distortion World, they undoubtedly needed it.

Dusknoir vanished instantly upon hearing Yuga's words.

Meanwhile, Gengar, Mismagius, and Mimikyu dove straight into Yuga's Shadow Space, their preferred resting spot.

That left only Dragonite. Yuga turned to it and said, "Looks like it's just the two of us. Let's go; I have something for you."

Dragonite nodded and lowered itself, signaling Yuga to climb on. Once Yuga was securely seated, Dragonite soared into the sky, heading for the Dragon Den Sub-Ecopark.

Upon reaching its cave in the Dragon Den Sub-Ecopark, Dragonite landed and allowed Yuga to dismount. It gave Yuga a curious look, as if asking what he wanted to discuss. In response, Yuga retrieved the Soul Dew from his spatial system and said, "This is for you."

The moment Dragonite laid eyes on the Soul Dew, it was captivated by the Dragon-type energy emanating from it.

Taking the Soul Dew, Dragonite couldn't resist giving it a lick. Before Yuga could stop it, the Pokémon swallowed the Soul Dew whole in one gulp.

"Is it okay to eat it directly?" Yuga asked with concern. He wasn't entirely sure how Dragonite was supposed to use the item, but swallowing it outright seemed a bit hasty. Yet, even after consuming it, Dragonite didn't show any immediate changes.

The Soul Dew wasn't an Electric-type treasure; otherwise, Dragonite, with its Yellow Orb, might have been able to absorb and utilize it immediately.

"Dragonite~!"

Dragonite contentedly patted its stomach and flexed its muscles, signaling that it felt perfectly fine. Reassured by this, Yuga relaxed.

Whether Dragonite could fully absorb the Soul Dew's power would take time to confirm.

"Alright, take me back down, and then you can get some proper rest," Yuga said. After double-checking that Dragonite was indeed okay, he decided not to disturb its rest any longer.