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

Chapter 1338: Kazuma and Shin

The two of them continued chatting for a while before Yuga suddenly asked Mr. Kaya, "Mr. Kaya, I'd like to ask you about something."

Mr. Kaya, puzzled, replied, "What is it? Go ahead."

Yuga explained, "It's like this: I have two gym apprentices serving in the Pioneer Corps. I haven't heard from them in a long time, so I thought since I'm here, I might as well visit them. I just don't know where they are."

"Is that so?" Mr. Kaya said, surprised. He genuinely hadn't known about this. However, it wasn't entirely unexpected, as it was common for gym apprentices to be assigned across various regions of the League for training and experience.

Gym apprentices are legitimate, registered trainers within the League, and the League actively supports sending them to various positions to contribute to its development. These apprentices are meticulously trained by their respective gyms, and it would be a waste not to utilize their talents.

"What are their names?" Mr. Kaya asked Yuga, then turned to his adjutant, saying, "Elio, look into this for Mr. Shimizu later." Elio was the name of the adjutant.

"Yes, understood," Elio replied.

"Thank you, Mr. Kaya, and you as well, Elio," Yuga said gratefully. "The two are brothers, and their names are Kazuma and Shin."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Kaya burst into laughter. "This is no trouble at all—just a small matter. But why do those names sound so familiar?" With that, he fell into deep thought, trying to recall where he had heard the names before.

Elio, however, had a change in expression the moment Yuga mentioned Kazuma and Shin's names. He then spoke up to remind the general, "One of the people that get captured by the Shiftry is a deputy captain named Kazuma. His squad leader is his elder brother, Shin."

With Elio's reminder, Mr. Kaya immediately remembered. "That's right, it's them!"

Upon hearing that Kazuma was among the captured individuals, Yuga's expression changed as well.

"Mr. Shimizu, I'm terribly sorry. You can meet Captain Shin, but as for Deputy Captain Kazuma..." Elio said apologetically, his face filled with regret.

Yuga waved his hand dismissively and said, "There's no need to apologize. This isn't your fault. Since they're part of the Pioneer Corps, encountering such dangers is not unusual. There's no one to blame. Let's focus on figuring out how to rescue the captives as quickly as possible."

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Shimizu," Elio said, letting out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Mr. Shimizu was not unreasonable, or it would have been difficult to handle the situation.

"Mr. Shimizu..." Mr. Kaya was about to say something when suddenly, Gis came running over in a hurry.

"Something's wrong! The Pokémon are attacking the orchard in the northern camp."

Mr. Kaya's face darkened upon hearing this, and he immediately said, "Let's go and check it out."

With that, he turned to Yuga, looking apologetic. "Mr. Shimizu, I'm sorry, but there's been an incident on my end."

"Please, attend to your duties," Yuga said understandingly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

After a moment of thought, Mr. Kaya replied, "In that case, I'd appreciate your assistance. Let's go take a look together."

In truth, wild Pokémon attacking the Pioneer Corps's camps was a fairly common occurrence and wasn't considered a major issue. However, since Yuga had offered to help, the general gladly accepted, as it would make their job easier.

Under Mr. Kaya's guidance, Yuga quickly arrived at the northern camp orchard that Gis had mentioned. There, they saw vast tracts of land filled with fruit trees, each laden with an abundance of fruit.

Beyond the orchard, Yuga also spotted expansive fields of vegetables, crops, and other plants.

The Guli Mountain Range was far removed from the human world, with extremely inconvenient transportation. Traveling to and from the region was no easy task, and securing material supplies was fraught with challenges. As a result, the Pioneer Corps needed to achieve a certain level of self-sufficiency, and farming was one of their means to achieve this goal.

The orchard is the backbone of the Pioneer Corps's supplies. Berries, as high-energy food, are in great demand not only by the soldiers but even more so by their Pokémon.

At this moment, however, the sky above the orchard was filled with Spearow and Fearow. Their harsh, grating cries of echoed as they swooped down, aiming to snatch berries with their sharp, long beaks and swallow them whole.

Fortunately, the soldiers guarding the orchard were doing an excellent job. They commanded their Pokémon to drive away the Spearow and Fearow, forcing most of them to stay airborne, unable to land. As a result, the orchard hadn't suffered significant losses.

This wasn't the first time they had dealt with such situations; the soldiers had grown accustomed to it.

Although the rulers of the Guli Mountains had an agreement with the Pioneer Corps, lower-level Pokémon were not bound by this accord.

Aside from the low-level Pokémon within the Guli Mountains, wild Pokémon from the wastelands beyond the mountain range often snuck across the border and attacked the camp.

The rulers of the Guli Mountains disapproved of Pokémon from the wastelands entering their domain. However, the sheer number of Pokémon in the wastelands was overwhelming, making it impossible for the rulers to fend them off entirely. As long as high-level Pokémon didn't cross the mountains, the rulers would typically turn a blind eye to smaller incursions.

The mountain Pokémon frequently faced food shortages. Meanwhile, the orchard within the Pioneer Corps's camp was always laden with tempting fruit. Whenever their hunger grew unbearable, the mountain Pokémon would descend in groups to scavenge. These disturbances happened so regularly that they joked it was "a small skirmish every three days, a major raid every five."

Today, the group of Spearow and Fearow seemed particularly tenacious. Despite failing to gain any advantage over the orchard guards, they refused to leave. Instead, they kept circling overhead, using moves like Uproar, Echoed Voice, and Round to harass the soldiers.

Seeing that the guards couldn't deal with the Spearow and Fearow promptly, Mr. Kaya released his Ferrothorn.

This Ferrothorn wasn't as formidable as the Bisharp from earlier—it wasn't a Champion-level Pokémon but rather a standard Elite level Pokémon with decent potential.

However, an Elite level Pokémon was more than sufficient to handle this flock of Spearow and Fearow.

"Ferrothorn, use Pin Missile!"

At Mr. Kaya's command, Ferrothorn unleashed a barrage of green needles into the sky.

Shrieks of pain filled the air as the Spearow and Fearow rained down from above. The few that hadn't been hit scattered in terror, fleeing in all directions.

"Bravo!"

The soldiers cheered as they witnessed Mr. Kaya's display of power. They then rushed into the orchard to capture the fallen Spearow and Fearow.

"Causing trouble here? Let's see how you like it now!"

Yuga felt that since he was already here, it wouldn't be right to just stand idly by. So, he called out Mismagius from the shadow space.

After several months of training in the Distortion World, Mismagius had become even stronger. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop significantly.

Although Mismagius hadn't yet reached Champion level, its aura was extraordinary, drawing frequent glances from Mr. Kaya.

"Mismagius, use Will-O-Wisp!"

Mismagius flickered briefly and vanished from Yuga's side in the blink of an eye, reappearing the next second in the midst of the Spearow and Fearow flock.

"Mismagius~"

A bright, ghostly blue ring of fire appeared around Mismagius. As it softly chanted an incantation, the fire ring suddenly expanded outward. Even in broad daylight, its brilliance dazzled everyone.

Though the fire ring was bright, it emanated a chilling coldness, devoid of any warmth.

The fire ring exploded like fireworks, scattering embers onto the Spearow and Fearow. The moment the embers touched them, they ignited with a sudden burst, like pouring oil onto a fire.

"Spearow~"

"Fearow~"

The cries of the Spearow and Fearow filled the air as they plummeted to the ground like fiery meteors, their bodies ablaze.

The ghostly Will-O-Wisp was eerie and almost lifelike. It burned on the Pokémon, flickering brightly, yet it did not spread to other areas.

When the flames finally extinguished, the Spearow and Fearow lay unconscious on the ground. Strangely, their feathers were intact, without a single scorch mark or sign of injury.

As it turned out, the Will-O-Wisp drained the Spearow and Fearow's stamina rather than harming their bodies. It was undeniably peculiar.

With both Yuga and Mr. Kaya taking action, the flock of Spearow and Fearow was swiftly dealt with.

The captain of the orchard's guard team rushed over and repeatedly apologized to Mr. Kaya, admitting his failure to guard the orchard properly and allowing the Spearow and Fearow to exploit the opportunity.

Mr. Kaya, however, didn't blame him. Although the intruding Spearow and Fearow weren't particularly strong, their numbers had indeed been overwhelming. It was understandable that the guards had been short-handed and unable to manage.

Besides, the orchard hadn't suffered any significant losses.

Mr. Kaya also expressed his gratitude to Yuga for stepping in. He hadn't expected the Spearow and Fearow to arrive in such large numbers this time. If Yuga hadn't helped quickly subdue them, the orchard's losses might have been far worse.

Shortly after Yuga returned to his quarters, Elio arrived with Shin.

The moment Shin saw Yuga, he was stunned and couldn't quite believe his eyes. For a long moment, he thought he was imagining things. Finally, he stammered, "Gym Leader?"

Yuga smiled and replied, "What's wrong? Don't recognize me?"

"It's really you, Gym Leader? Gym Leader, what brings you here?" Shin stepped forward excitedly, his face lighting up with joy.

When Elio had come to fetch him earlier, saying someone wanted to see him, Shin had been utterly confused. He'd spent the entire journey speculating about who it could be, especially since it was someone important enough to warrant Mr. Kaya's right man to personally escorting him.

After all, Mr. Kaya was the highest-ranking officer of the Guli Mountain Pioneer Corps! For his lieutenant to act as an errand-runner, the visitor's identity couldn't possibly be simple.

However, he never expected that the person he would see would be the Gym Leader from his own Gym.

At this moment, Shin was not in the best state. His younger brother and several teammates had been captured, their fates unknown. For days, he had been unable to eat or sleep properly, growing increasingly haggard.

The instant he saw Yuga, it was as if he had found a pillar of strength, his heart calming immediately. Yet, his emotions threatened to break down.

Truthfully, Shin was six years older than Yuga, but at this moment, it was Yuga who seemed like the older one.

Seeing that Shin was about to cry, Yuga comforted him, saying, "I already know about Kazuma's situation. I've come here specifically for this matter. Don't worry, I'll definitely bring Kazuma back."

Shin was overjoyed at these words and said excitedly, "That's wonderful, just wonderful!"

Like the other apprentices at Verdant Gym, Shin regarded Yuga as the most capable person. In his eyes, if Yuga stepped in, there was no problem that couldn't be resolved.

Elio, having delivered the person, said, "Mr. Shimizu, I've brought him over. You two can talk; I'll take my leave now."

Yuga replied, "Thank you, Elio. Please convey my gratitude to Mr. Kaya."

Elio nodded and then left.

After Elio's departure, Yuga and Shin began to chat. They hadn't seen each other in a long time, so they had much to talk about. Shin recounted everything about himself and Kazuma's experiences in the Pioneer Corps to Yuga.

Learning that both Shin and Kazuma had become pseudo-Elite level Trainers, Yuga was genuinely happy for them.

Kazuma and Shin's talents weren't particularly outstanding, and they came from underprivileged families. Their starting point as Trainers was much lower than others. If not for Yuga's sponsorship, they might never have achieved success in their lifetime.

Precisely because of this, the two brothers were deeply grateful to Yuga for recognizing their potential and helping them. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Fortunately, the two were diligent and motivated. The Pioneer Corps was an environment that rigorously honed individuals, which shaped their current achievements.

Although pseudo-Elite-level Trainers weren't rare in the League, they were considered high-level combat forces among Trainers. Wherever they went, they were respected and regarded as pillars of the League. Many Trainers could not reach this level in their entire lives.

After talking to Yuga, Shin's mental state improved significantly, and the heavy weight on his mind was lifted. When he left Yuga's place, a smile was evident on his face.

When he returned, his teammates noticed the change immediately and couldn't help but ask what had happened.

Ever since Kazuma and several teammates had been captured, the remaining members of Shin's team hadn't seen him smile for a long time. To their surprise, after going out this time, their captain came back with a smile.

Shin didn't elaborate and only said, "It's good news," leaving the others intrigued but not revealing more.

The next day, Yuga sought out Mr. Kaya, requesting someone to accompany him and guide him through the forests in the area.

Yuga planned to try summoning Celebi but wasn't certain if it would work. Hence, he didn't share the full details with Mr. Kaya. After all, his master had only mentioned that Celebi might be in the Guli Mountain Range. What if it wasn't there? The letter from his master hadn't provided a clear explanation.

The shrine passed down in their lineage had the ability to communicate with Celebi. Yuga believed that his master had likely already contacted Celebi, but Celebi had wings and a capricious nature—who knew if it had flown away long ago?

Although Mr. Kaya didn't know what Yuga intended to do, after spending the previous day with him, he had developed trust in Yuga. Without hesitation, he agreed.

The person he assigned to Yuga was N.

N, being naturally attuned to communicating with Pokémon and closely connected to nature, was very familiar with the environment around the camp. He was the perfect guide for Yuga.

Under N's guidance, Yuga arrived at the western side of the camp, near the location of the orchard from the previous day, and entered a forest from that direction.

Once inside the forest, Yuga didn't linger but instead followed his instincts, choosing a direction and heading deeper into the woods.

Although N didn't know what Yuga intended to do, he obediently followed behind, only stepping in to offer reminders when necessary. After all, not every place in the mountains was accessible.