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

Chapter 1230: A Dangerous Situation

The food made by Audino was so delicious that Yuga accidentally ate too much. Leaning back in his chair with a full belly, he noticed Ninetales on the other side, sitting in the exact same posture as him.

But just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door, and the knocks were extremely urgent.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, open the door! Quick, open the door!"

The store had already closed for the day, and apart from Yuga, there was no one else at home. So, he had no choice but to get up and open the door.

The moment Yuga opened the door, he saw Officer Jenny standing there, drenched in sweat.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, something has happened in town! There are violent criminals on the loose, and they've already injured several people."

"Criminals attacking people?" Yuga's expression grew serious at once. If this turned into a major incident and delayed the continuation of the Duel Tournament, it would be disastrous!

As the Verdanturf Town Gym Leader, he would be held accountable if the town experienced a large number of casualties. What were these criminals thinking? Terrorizing people at night—couldn't they let others enjoy their meals and rest?

"It's true. Even the International Police have been dispatched! You need to come quickly," Saskia urged.

"Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back!"

Yuga hurried back into the Ecopark and brought out all of his Pokémon.

"Let's go! Take me there. Has your chief already gone?" he asked as he rushed back out.

Saskia quickly followed behind, answering, "Our chief is already on-site. The criminals have taken hostages, and the International Police are currently negotiating with them."

Behind the door, Ninetales pricked up its ears, listening to the conversation between Yuga and Saskia. As soon as the two left, it immediately wanted to follow. However, after thinking for a moment, it stopped, called Audino to help remove the accessories from its head and body, and then leaped out of the door.

As Saskia led the way, she explained the situation at the scene to Yuga.

It turned out that these criminals had fled from Sinnoh, which was why the International Police were involved.

Some time ago, the dark organization called Team Galactic in Sinnoh had been dismantled. However, many of their lower-level members managed to escape, dispersing to various places.

In addition to Team Galactic, Sinnoh's notorious Hunter Organization was also taken down during their collaboration with Team Galactic. Their leader, Hunter J, had perished, leaving the organization leaderless and causing even more members to scatter than those from Team Galactic.

The criminals who fled to Verdanturf Town this time were members of that Hunter Organization. Their homeland was actually in Hoenn, and after finding themselves with no way out, they secretly smuggled themselves back from Sinnoh to Hoenn.

But they hadn't expected the International Police to track them all the way to Hoenn and discover their presence.

It just so happened that Verdanturf Town was hosting the Duel Tournament during this time, which brought a large influx of people. The criminals seized the opportunity to sneak into the town, hoping to blend into the crowds and evade the International Police.

After days on the run, the criminals were utterly destitute. For the sake of survival, they had to resort to attacking others once again. These people were long accustomed to a life of crime, committing misdeeds as naturally as eating or drinking, without the slightest moral hesitation.

Still being pursued by the International Police, the criminals decided to strike discreetly, planning to deal with their targets in secret so that no one would know what had happened.

With so many people in town every day, the disappearance of one person wouldn't attract too much attention. Others would simply assume the person had left Verdanturf Town.

But the criminals had no idea that their chosen target was a fairly skilled Trainer. A fierce clash broke out, which exposing their true identities and causing significant unrest in the town. In the chaos, several bystanders were unintentionally injured.

The incident occurred near Verdanturf Town's Trade Tower. When Yuga arrived at the scene, a large crowd had gathered, and the criminals were holding a hostage on the rooftop of the building.

As soon as Yuga showed up, Mashito Shirai, sweating profusely, rushed over to him.

"How's the situation?" Yuga asked.

Mashito Shirai glanced at the rooftop and shook his head. "The International Police are negotiating with the criminals, but they're too far away. We still don't know what's happening up there."

Yuga looked toward the rooftop as well, but the building was so tall that he could only vaguely see figures moving around. He couldn't make out any details.

"Unbelievable! Of all times to cause trouble, they had to pick now!" Yuga cursed.

"That's right!" Mashito Shirai responded in frustration.

At the scene, Joyka was also busy attending to many of the injured bystanders.

Yuga thought for a moment and then released his Pokémon: Bellossom, Venusaur, Serperior, and Florges.

Seeing Joyka and her Blissey overwhelmed with work, Yuga approached her and said, pointing to his Pokémon, "Joyka, let them give you a hand. I'll go deal with the criminals."

Relieved, Joyka wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "You're a lifesaver. Go ahead and handle things up there—I'll take care of everything here."

Yuga nodded and then turned to Mashito Shirai. "Can I go up and take a look?"

"Of course!" Shirai replied. He and his team were stationed below to prevent anyone from falling off the building.

"Alright then."

With that, Yuga released his Charizard.

Just as he was about to climb onto Charizard, a middle-aged man suddenly rushed over and grabbed his arm, pleading desperately, "Gym Leader Shimizu, you have to save my young master! He's still so young, with such a bright future ahead—nothing can happen to him!"

Seeing the man, Yuga was momentarily surprised. What are the odds?

It was none other than Andel's butler. The man was covered in blood and dragging a trembling, clearly injured leg. His disheveled appearance was worlds apart from the meticulously dressed figure Yuga had seen earlier in the day.

So the hostage is that boy Andel? That's just terrible, Yuga thought to himself.

"Don't worry, I'll do my best," Yuga reassured the butler.

Although this master-servant duo didn't give off the impression of being particularly upstanding people, as Verdanturf Town's Gym Leader, Yuga couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"Thank you, Gym Leader Shimizu. Thank you!" the butler sobbed, tears and snot streaming down his face. He genuinely seemed concerned for his young master's safety. He likely never imagined that he and his master would end up crossing paths with Yuga in such a disastrous way.

After reassuring the butler, Yuga mounted his Charizard and flew toward the rooftop of the Trade Tower. Gradually, he was able to clearly see what was happening up there.

Originally, there had been five criminals, but one had been captured during the chaos below, leaving four on the rooftop.

The hostages weren't just Andel—there was also a girl under the age of ten.

Two of the criminals stood at the back, holding the hostages, while the other two confronted the International Police at the front with their Pokémon. By the side of the police stood a couple, who were sobbing uncontrollably. It was clear they were the girl's parents. As they cried, they also tried to comfort their daughter. The little girl, surprisingly, remained calm and didn't cry or cause a fuss despite the situation.

To Yuga's surprise, the lead International Police officer was someone he knew: the officer Looker from the Kalos region.

This guy sure has a wide range of operations, Yuga thought. He's everywhere.

At that moment, the criminals were demanding that the police prepare a flying vehicle for their escape, threatening to kill the hostages if their demands weren't met.

Yuga's arrival quickly caught the criminals' attention, and Looker also recognized him.

"What are you planning? Trying to ambush us? Where's the flying vehicle? We told you to prepare one! And bring our captured brother back!"

The leader of the criminals became agitated upon seeing Yuga and shouted angrily at the police.

"Calm down. Preparing the vehicle will take some time," Looker said, trying to pacify the criminals.

"Stop wasting time! Bring our brother here first!" the criminal barked while signaling his Pokémon to take an aggressive stance.

The International Police had prepared Psychic-type Pokémon to try and rescue the hostages using psychic powers. However, the criminals had a Tyranitar, a Dark-type Pokémon with considerable strength. The moment the Psychic-types attempted to use their abilities, the Tyranitar would immediately sense and block them.

These criminals were members of a hunter organization, so it wasn't surprising they had a rare and powerful Pokémon like Tyranitar. With such a behemoth standing guard, the police didn't dare to make any reckless moves.

Meanwhile, Andel, who was being held by the neck, was lamenting his awful luck. What a terrible day. He had already lost a match earlier in the day, and now, while wandering the town to clear his head, he'd ended up in the hands of criminals.

Having fought the criminals before being captured, Andel was injured. One of his arms was unusable, and pain radiated from his abdomen and thigh.

The worst part? Seeing Gym Leader Shimizu at a time like this. Yuga was the very person Andel wanted to apprentice under. But now that Yuga was seeing him in such a pitiful state, would he still have any chance of being accepted as a disciple?

Yuga slowly guided Charizard to land on the rooftop, nodding at Looker before turning his attention to the criminals.

"Don't make any reckless moves," Yuga said calmly. "If you harm the hostages, you'll lose any chance of getting out of here."

"Don't try to scare us!" the leader of the criminals snarled viciously. "If you dare pull any tricks, I'll snap his neck!"

Feeling the grip around his neck tightening, Andel was terrified. His Pokémon had already been defeated by the Tyranitar, leaving him completely defenseless.

Yuga watched as the police brought the captured criminal over. He then spoke, "How about we make an exchange? You release the hostages, and we'll return your brother to you."

These criminals seemed to value loyalty, still insisting on getting their captured comrade back even in this dire situation.

While Yuga spoke to the criminals, he discreetly released Chimecho.

As the criminals began negotiating further with Yuga, a sudden surge of gravity hit them. Before they could react, all of them were forced to the ground, unable to move. Their hands loosened their grip on the hostages.

Ordinary Psychic-type Pokémon using their powers would have been detected by the Tyranitar, but Chimecho was different. With its overwhelming power, even a Dark-type Pokémon like Tyranitar was no match.

In an instant, Chimecho teleported to the center of the gravitational field, and with another teleport, it whisked the hostages to safety.

Seeing the hostages rescued, the criminals roared in anger, baring their teeth. But the intense gravity Chimecho had applied held them firmly in place—they couldn't even move a finger.

Andel, who had just been saved, was still in shock. He instinctively touched his face. When the gravity had struck, he had been knocked down along with the criminals, face-first into the ground. He worried whether his face was swollen.

The young girl, however, had fared better. Being small, she was held in the criminal's arms and had fallen on top of him when they hit the ground.

The girl's parents rushed forward, embracing her as they cried with relief.

They had only intended to go out for dinner that night but had encountered the criminals instead, and their daughter had been taken hostage in the chaos. The ordeal had terrified them.

With the hostages now safe, the criminals no longer posed a significant threat. Yuga immediately instructed Chimecho to knock out the criminals' Pokémon, including the Tyranitar, Houndoom, and two Purrloins.

Once all the criminals were subdued, Yuga signaled for Chimecho to lift the gravitational field.

After the parents finished crying, they brought their daughter over to thank Yuga. Seeing that the little girl seemed frightened, Yuga had Chimecho play a Healing Bell to soothe their nerves.

With the criminals in custody, Looker ordered his subordinates to search them for any concealed Pokémon.

From the three other criminals, the police found dozens of Poké Balls. However, when they searched the leader, he suddenly broke free, shaking off the grip of two officers.

The officers were caught off guard by the man's incredible strength.

Once free, the criminal laughed maniacally as he pulled out a Poké Ball and released an Aggron.

"Hahaha... You think you can capture me? Over my dead body! If I can't escape, you'll all die with me! Aggron, Earthquake!"

It was clear the criminal realized he had no way out and intended to bring everyone down with him.

The events unfolded in the blink of an eye, leaving no time for anyone to react.

They were on the rooftop of a building over 50 stories high. If the Aggron used Earthquake, the entire structure would collapse, dooming not only everyone on the rooftop but also those inside the building.

In that critical moment, a pillar of fire suddenly erupted from somewhere, engulfing the criminal and his Aggron just as he finished speaking.

When the flames dissipated, the Aggron lay on the ground, its steel armor melted and deformed. The intense heat had rendered it incapable of even attempting an Earthquake. As for the criminal, he had been reduced to a charred corpse.

The smell of burnt flesh filled the air, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.

At that moment, Ninetales walked out, its nine tails swaying gracefully as it strode forward with elegance. It held its head high, exuding an air of pride, as it approached Yuga. Casting a smug glance at him, it projected a telepathic message.

"Well? Still think all I'm good for is spending money?"

The sudden telepathic voice snapped everyone back to reality, including Yuga.

In truth, Ninetales had been there for a while. Initially, it hadn't planned to intervene, seeing that Yuga was handling the situation smoothly. However, it hadn't expected the criminal to pull such a desperate move.

As a Level 100 Pokémon, Ninetales possessed extraordinary mental acuity. Moreover, having achieved this level with the blessing of Mew, its perceptiveness was unparalleled. That was how it managed to act so swiftly and prevent disaster.

What a close call!