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

Chapter 1222: Opening

Since the matter involved Ecopark, Yuga pondered for a long time before ultimately deciding to handle it privately. Given that several people had already died, he figured he might as well deal with it all at once.

These individuals were clearly under some sort of control, and Hypnosis had no effect on them. It was unlikely the police could extract anything useful from them. Worse, if this drew attention to the peculiarities of Ecopark, it would spell trouble.

Yuga entrusted the task of disposing of these bodies to Jellicent, who threw them into the Distortion World. For this, Giratina personally came to confront Yuga, accusing him of treating the Distortion World as a garbage dump. Yuga was forced to sign numerous "unequal treaties" with Giratina to placate its displeasure.

And so, the incident quietly came to an end. Throughout it all, Yuga never managed to figure out who had tried to harm him. While he suspected Team Rocket—given their deep-seated animosity—it was impossible to confirm without solid evidence.

After the nighttime attack, YoYo Day Care gradually returned to its usual tranquility. With no further incidents, Yuga himself began to put the matter behind him over time.

Time flew by, and several months passed. Just a few days ago, the League Conferences across various regions concluded, and Verdanturf Town's Grass-type Pokémon Duel Tournament was fast approaching.

As the event date drew nearer, the town saw a significant influx of visitors. All departments in Verdanturf were bustling with activity, and as the Gym Leader, Yuga also had to start preparing for the tournament.

As previously agreed, Erika arrived early from Kanto and stayed at Yuga's Paradise Hotel.

Originally, Erika had hoped to spend time exchanging training insights with Yuga, but as the host of the tournament, Yuga was far too busy to interact with her much.

Fortunately, Ash and Dawn arrived just a few days later. A lively tournament like this was naturally the kind of event Ash wouldn't miss. Though not a Grass-type specialist, Ash had plenty of Grass-type Pokémon to join in the excitement.

Ash and Erika were already acquainted, so the two of them quickly struck up conversations. They often visited Verdanturf Gym to spar with each other.

However, neither of them went all out. With the tournament so close, it would be more interesting to save their real strength for the actual competition.

Incidentally, Ash performed exceptionally well in the recent Sinnoh League Conference, clinching the championship title.

In Yuga's memory, the original anime depicted Ash as only reaching the semifinals due to being targeted by a mysterious trainer with a Legendary Pokémon.

Perhaps due to the influence of the butterfly effect, Yuga watched the live television broadcast of the Sinnoh League Conference, and the mysterious trainer with the Legendary Pokémon never appeared.

Without the interference of the trainer, Ash naturally secured the championship title.

With the win, Ash became quite smug. When Yuga met him, Ash's nose was practically in the air.

However, he was soon taught a lesson. During a sparring match with Erika, he suffered a crushing defeat.

Ash's battles with Erika could be traced back to when he had just started as a rookie Trainer. At that time, Erika had shown leniency during their Gym match, leading Ash to remember her as not particularly strong.

In reality, however, Erika was one of the most outstanding Gym Leaders in the Kanto region, and her strength indeed surpassed Ash's. Although neither went all out, it was obvious to any observer where the difference lay.

After that sparring match, Ash was brought back down to earth and no longer acted so smug.

Ash, being a determined individual, dedicated himself to training over the next few days, vowing to defeat Erika in the tournament.

One day, after finishing his work at the town hall, Yuga returned home. Just as he was about to step through the door, he suddenly heard someone calling him. Turning around, he saw a charming young woman looking at him.

"You are...?"

She looked familiar, but no matter how hard Yuga tried, he couldn't recall who she was.

"It seems Gym Leader Shimizu has completely forgotten me!" the young woman joked. "Here's a hint: the Gym Competition."

"Ah... you're... Anya." Yuga suddenly realized, though he felt a little embarrassed. He had truly forgotten all about her.

Among the group who participated in the Gym Competition and became Gym Leaders alongside him, Yuga still kept in touch with some, like Brawly and Viola, while others, like Anya, had gradually fallen out of contact.

Yuga recalled that Anya was from Crown City in the Sinnoh region and was now the Gym Leader there.

Like Verdanturf Gym, Crown City's Gym also specialized in Grass-type Pokémon.

Speaking of Crown City, one couldn't help but mention something that Ash experienced there.

This incident dated back more than twenty years. At that time, Crown City had suffered a disaster where all the city's vegetation withered overnight.

Through the combined efforts of both people and Pokémon, Crown City eventually regained its vitality.

However, the disaster in Crown City had been tied to the Mythical Pokémon Celebi. A man named Kodai had used the opportunity to gain the ability of Celebi's Time Ripple, allowing him to briefly see glimpses of the future.

Using this power, Kodai gradually became the wealthiest and most influential person in Crown City.

Twenty years later, Kodai's Time Ripple ability began to fade. Eager to regain this power, Kodai's ambitions grew, and he decided to capture Celebi for himself, causing significant chaos in Crown City.

Fortunately, his plans were thwarted by Ash and his friends, preventing Crown City from enduring a repeat of the disaster from two decades prior.

These were all things Ash later recounted to Yuga directly when they stayed in touch.

Although the major antagonist, Kodai, was eventually captured, Yuga speculated that Anya, as the Gym Leader of Crown City, must have borne some responsibility for the incident—at the very least, negligence.

In fact, Yuga's guess was correct. Anya was indeed reprimanded by the League for her oversight, and a significant portion of her accolades with the League was docked as punishment. As a result, she harbored a deep hatred for the troublemaking Kodai.

"So you finally remembered who I am!" Anya said. "Well, it makes sense. We haven't seen each other in so many years, and we've been out of touch. It's normal that you forgot me."

It was indeed normal, but admitting it aloud was awkward.

"Are you here to participate in the Duel Tournament?"

As Anya approached, Yuga asked. But as soon as he spoke, he froze because he sensed Celebi's blessing emanating from her.

Almost instinctively, Yuga noticed Celebi's blessing on Anya, and at the same time, Anya sensed the same blessing on Yuga. Both of them paused momentarily, surprised.

However, it was clear that Anya had only recently received this ability, as the energy fluctuations on her were weak and far less potent compared to Yuga's.

"Y-Yes, of course! How could I miss such a lively event?" Anya quickly diverted the topic after her brief hesitation, and the two tacitly avoided mentioning Celebi's blessing.

"Fair enough..." Yuga responded with a nod. "Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

"Sure! I might as well see if there's anything in your shop that suits me," Anya replied cheerfully.

"You won't be disappointed," Yuga said, inviting her into the shop.

Because they hadn't seen each other in so long, there was a bit of awkwardness between Yuga and Anya. Struggling to find a suitable topic, Yuga simply began introducing the shop's products to her.

Anya had already heard about YoYo Day Care and found herself genuinely interested after Yuga's introduction. She ended up purchasing quite a few items from the store.

As Anya finished shopping and the two were chatting, Ash and Hikaru happened to walk into the shop.

Seeing Anya talking to Yuga, Ash exclaimed in surprise, "Gym Leader Anya, you're here too? You know Yuga?"

Anya was equally surprised for a moment but then smiled. "Why wouldn't I be here? I didn't expect you and Dawn to know Gym Leader Shimizu as well."

Dawn chimed in, "Of course! Yuga is my cousin!"

"No wonder," Anya said, now understanding.

Hearing their conversation, Yuga laughed. "So you all know each other too! Anya and I were in the same batch of Gym Leader candidates during the Gym Competition."

After chatting for a while, Anya left. Watching her departing figure, Yuga pondered: if he hadn't traveled to this world, would Anya, with Celebi's blessing, have become his Master's disciple instead?

Shaking his head to dispel the thought, Yuga reminded himself that there was no point dwelling on "what-ifs." The world didn't work that way!

In the following days, Anya frequently joined Ash and the others to exchange experiences, eventually becoming acquainted with Erika. Meanwhile, Yuga remained busy with the preparations for the Duel Tournament, barely able to catch his breath.

As the tournament approached, Grass-type Trainers from all over the world gathered in Verdanturf Town. The invited judges—Cynthia, Caitlin, and Diantha—arrived one after another in the days leading up to the event.

Returning to Verdanturf Town alongside Diantha were Ninetales and Spoink, who had been filming a movie. The production had officially wrapped just before Diantha's trip.

Before anyone realized, the day of the Duel Tournament had arrived. The entire Verdanturf Town Stadium (formerly the Contest Hall) was packed with people. Fireworks exploded above the stadium, celebrating the grand opening of the tournament.

"Welcome, participants and spectators, to the Verdanturf Town Grass-Type Pokémon Duel Tournament..."

The host and commentator for this competition was specially invited—Vivian. After a stirring opening speech, Yuga and Mayor Ishida each took the stage. Mayor Ishida gave words of encouragement to the participants, while Yuga outlined the competition rules and prizes.

The Grass-Type Pokémon Duel Tournament was divided into three parts: the preliminaries, the advancement rounds, and the finals. Only Grass-type Pokémon were allowed in the competition.

The preliminaries were an initial elimination round, with participants allowed to use only one Pokémon to filter out the weaker competitors. Participants were grouped into trios, and each trainer would battle the other two in their group. For each victory, the trainer would earn one point, while those with zero points would be eliminated.

The advancement round rules were simpler. The remaining participants were randomly paired, and each pair would face off in a double battle using two Pokémon at once. The winners would advance to the finals, while the losers were eliminated.

The finals followed a more traditional format. Contestants could use up to three Pokémon, sending them out one at a time. The first trainer whose entire team was rendered unable to battle would lose.

Once the rules were explained, Vivian took the stage again and addressed the audience: "Before the competition begins, our host, Gym Leader Shimizu, and Champion Diantha will perform an exhibition match for everyone!"

The moment Vivian finished speaking, the crowd erupted in loud cheers. Who wouldn't want to see a battle between Champion-level Trainers?

Amidst the enthusiastic applause, Yuga and Diantha walked onto the stage.

"Let's have a great match," Yuga said politely to Diantha.

"Looking forward to it," Diantha replied with a warm smile.

"Begin!" announced Vivian.

At her cue, both trainers tossed their Poké Balls into the air. Two Pokémon appeared as red light flashed across the stage, their cries echoing—one fierce and roaring, the other gentle and composed.

Yuga sent out his Charizard, while Diantha sent out her Aurorus. Both trainers had tacitly agreed not to use their Champion-tier Pokémon in this setting.

Using their ace Pokémon in such an event would indeed be inappropriate.

To further excite the crowd, Yuga took out his Key Stone and called to Charizard, "Let's Mega Evolve, Charizard!"

As a dazzling rainbow glow surrounded Charizard, it completed its Mega Evolution. This time, however, it didn't transform into the usual Mega Charizard Y. Instead, using a Mega Stone gifted by Shiftry, it evolved into Mega Charizard X.

Mega Charizard X's typing changed from Fire/Flying to Fire/Dragon, and its ability became Tough Claws, replacing Charizard's Blaze and Mega Charizard Y's Drought.

The Mega Evolution drew another wave of thunderous cheers from the audience. Even Diantha's eyes widened in surprise, though she was more excited than anything else.

Yuga made the first move.

"Roarrr!"

Mega Charizard X let out a ferocious roar and surged toward Aurorus with its claws glowing with blue flame, ready to strike. The Tough Claws ability significantly amplified its close-range combat power.

But as a Pokémon raised by a Champion, Aurorus was anything but defenseless. It swiftly erected a Reflect barrier. Although Charizard's attack forced Aurorus to retreat a few steps, the Pokémon retaliated with an Ice Beam that sent Mega Charizard X flying backward.

While Charizard was thrown back, Aurorus used its speed to cast Hail, changing the weather to snow—perfectly suited to its abilities.

Recovering quickly, Mega Charizard X unleashed a Flamethrower at Aurorus, while Aurorus countered with another Ice Beam. The red pillar of fire and the bluish-white beam collided midair, creating a massive plume of white steam. However, before the steam could dissipate, the frigid temperature caused it to crystallize into tiny ice particles that fell to the ground.

Aurorus displayed expert control over the Hail weather. Under its command, the snowstorm was confined to the stage, leaving the audience entirely unaffected.

When the energy clash ended, Mega Charizard X instantly reappeared beside Aurorus, swinging its tail in a powerful Dragon Tail attack.

Aurorus reacted quickly, stomping its front feet to raise an Ice Wall from the ground. Charizard's tail slammed into the wall, shattering it into icy powder, but Aurorus remained unharmed behind its barrier.