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

Chapter 1215: An unexpected surprise

When the Crobat was still hesitating about whether to rescue its subordinates, Charizard had already charged forward and struck it with a powerful Iron Tail. With Crobat's average strength, there was no way it could withstand a move from a Pokémon at the Elite level, and it was instantly knocked out.

The remaining few Zubat and Golbat, now without their leader, panicked and scattered like headless flies. Vivillon quickly dealt with each of them one by one.

After a long night of effort, once all the Golbat and Zubat had been captured, Yuga noticed that dawn was breaking. He counted the Pokémon they had caught and found that there was one Crobat, eighteen Golbat, and nearly fifty Zubat—a decent-sized Zubat colony.

Zubat and its evolutions are naturally inclined to live in colonies and typically prefer dark environments like caves, bridge undersides, or abandoned old houses, with colony sizes ranging from a few individuals to over a hundred.

The Zubat colony Yuga had caught was quite average in both strength and aptitude. Logically, they shouldn't have appeared in this environment, which didn't fully suit their way of life.

Thinking of this, Yuga woke up the Crobat and began interrogating it.

The Crobat was rather timid, and now that its whole family was in Yuga's hands, it spilled everything without hesitation.

As it turned out, the Crobat and its colony indeed hadn't originally lived in this area. Their original home was on a mountain some distance away, where many natural caves made for a deep, cool environment ideal for them.

However, one day, a Pokémon arrived on the mountain. This Pokémon was very aggressive and, after taking a liking to the caves inhabited by the Zubat colony, not only seized the area but drove the Zubat out entirely.

Left homeless, the Golbat and Zubat, led by the Crobat, began to wander. Though their numbers were significant, their strength was not, so they were constantly bullied and driven away by other wild Pokémon, struggling even to find a place to rest.

After who knows how long of wandering, they eventually arrived nearby. Although this environment wasn't ideal for them, it had few wild Pokémon to trouble them.

Knowing they were now in human territory, the Crobat led the Golbat and Zubat to lie low during the day and sneak out only at night to suck a bit of blood from the Tauros herd.

But the area didn't suit their needs, so after some thought, the Crobat decided it was time to move on, leading to tonight's "last hurrah."

Unfortunately, they really had no luck. Mustering up all their courage for one final big feast, they were ambushed by Yuga.

Hearing Crobat mention that Pokémon, Yuga's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "There's really such a Pokémon?"

Crobat, puzzled by Yuga's sudden excitement, nodded obediently.

Calming down, Yuga then said to Crobat, "Take me there, and I'll help you reclaim your home. How about that?"

"Really?" Crobat asked cautiously.

"Really," Yuga promised.

Anyway, he didn't plan to keep this Zubat colony. Their potential were too ordinary, mostly red or orange. Even with Innovation potion, there wasn't much that could be done to enhance them.

After confirming multiple times that Yuga was telling the truth, Crobat grew excited and assured him it would obediently lead the way. No matter how luxurious another place might be, nothing compares to one's own home. If it could go back, Crobat would not only guide Yuga but also gladly serve him as a loyal helper.

After dawn, Yuga took Crobat, along with the Golbat and Zubat, to meet Fostor.

Seeing several bags full of Golbat and Zubat, plus Crobat being held by Charizard, Fostor was astonished. "Are these the culprits?"

Yuga nodded. "Yes, they've been secretly feeding on the Tauros' blood, which is why the Tauros became so weak."

"You're certain it's them?" Fostor asked cautiously. It wasn't that he doubted Yuga, but as the pasture manager, he had to be prudent.

After a moment of thought, Yuga replied, "How about this: I'll take them away for now, and I'll come back in a few days. Without them feeding on the Tauros, they should recover quickly, and no new Tauros should be affected. This way, we can confirm if it's this Zubat group causing trouble. We can discuss cooperation once we're sure."

Fostor was grateful for Yuga's understanding and, with a smile, said, "That would be very helpful. If it turns out this Zubat group is responsible, we certainly won't disappoint you."

Yuga was equally pleased; Fostor's response was essentially a promise that as long as what Yuga said was true, their collaboration was guaranteed.

"Oh, Gym Leader Shimizu, you've been busy all night. I've prepared a place for you to rest," Fostor offered.

"Thank you, Mr. Fostor."

Yuga, indeed quite tired, accepted Fostor's kindness without hesitation.

He ended up sleeping until noon, and when he woke up, Fostor had even thoughtfully prepared lunch for him.

After lunch, Yuga bid farewell to Fostor. Fostor didn't insist on prolonging his stay; if the Zubat matter was resolved, they'd be meeting again soon.

Leaving the Wild Bull Club's pasture, Yuga didn't return to Verdanturf Town. Instead, as promised, he decided to help Crobat reclaim its home.

Yuga released Crobat, Golbat, and Zubat. Riding Charizard, he flew ahead while the swarm of Crobat and its group followed closely behind.

Since the Crobat group had wandered for a long time before arriving at the Wild Bull Club's pasture, their original home wasn't near the pasture.

They flew from the afternoon until dusk without reaching their destination. As night was falling, Yuga had to find a place to camp.

Though the journey was longer than expected, Yuga didn't mind. If the Pokémon Crobat mentioned really existed, the extra time and effort would be well worth it.

That night, Palossand stood quietly in the forest.

After flying all afternoon, the nocturnal Crobat and its group were all exhausted. Now, they hung upside-down from tree branches, resting with their eyes closed.

After feeding his Pokémon with Pokeblock outside, Yuga returned them to their Poké Balls and set up a simple bed inside the castle. He lay down, closed his eyes, and fell asleep almost immediately.

The summer forest was anything but quiet, filled with the occasional bird call and the chorus of insects. But lying inside the castle, Yuga was unaffected by any of it.

Swish~ swish~ swish~

Suddenly, shadows darted through the forest, moving lightly without disturbing the sleeping Crobat, Golbat, and Zubat.

The shadows looked cautiously around. After confirming there was no danger, they crept into the castle. Wandering inside for a while, they found Yuga sound asleep.

Their target wasn't Yuga but his spatial backpack.

Just as one shadow reached out for the backpack, it suddenly felt all its strength drain away and couldn't help but collapse to the ground.

Once the first shadow fell, the others followed suit, one by one, until none remained standing.

The next day, when Yuga woke up, he was surprised to find several "withered" Nuzleaf lying beside his bed.

Don't be mistaken—they weren't dead, just drained unconscious by the Palossand. They looked haggard, like fruit dried out from lack of water, giving them a somewhat eerie appearance.

After asking the Palossand, Yuga learned that these little guys had come to steal.

Apparently, they had been watching him since the evening when he was feeding Pokeblock to his Pokémon. In the wild, Pokémon often live a tough life, especially those in large groups where food is scarce. Seeing that Yuga had so much food, these Nuzleaf couldn't resist.

Once he understood the situation, Yuga didn't blame them. He simply carried them outside one by one, to prevent the Palossand from draining them completely.

Afterward, Yuga fed the unconscious Nuzleaf some Pokeblock and gave them a bit of water. One cube was enough to satisfy these little guys.

Given how much life energy Palossand had absorbed from them, they would likely need a long time to fully recover; otherwise, they might suffer lingering effects.

After taking care of the Nuzleaf , Yuga started preparing breakfast while also getting Palossand ready for his Pokémon. Crobat and its group each received one as well.

The Palossand they were eating were leftovers from Roserade. Since Roserade had gone to the Distortion World, the extra Pokeblock were now benefiting Crobat and its group. Without some food, they'd be too tired to fly when they set off later.

Once Yuga finished feeding the Pokémon, he was just about to eat his breakfast when a sudden strong wind blew, scattering his dining table messily.

Yuga looked up to see a Shiftry standing on a branch of a large tree; it was the one who conjured the gust of wind.

Seeing his carefully prepared breakfast ruined, Yuga felt a bit angry, his gaze toward Shiftry now carrying a hint of rage. But he quickly noticed Shiftry's eyes were focused on the unconscious Shiftry nearby. Realizing this was likely the elder, Yuga understood that the parent had come for its young kin.

Whoosh!

With a powerful wave of its large leaf-fans, Shiftry sent a whirlwind hurtling toward Yuga.

Since he hadn't provoked this situation, Yuga felt no guilt. He commanded, "Serperior, Leaf Storm, hit it hard!"

Upon hearing this, Serperior raised its tail, summoning a leaf tornado even larger than Shiftry's windstorm. It tore the wind pillar to shreds and then surged toward Shiftry.

Seeing this, Shiftry's pupils shrank.

Luckily, Shiftry reacted quickly, leaping among the branches to dodge Serperior's Leaf Storm. However, the large tree it had been standing on was shredded to pieces.

Before Shiftry could catch its breath, Serperior shot forward like an arrow.

Serperior was very fast, especially in the forest. In a mere blink, it was next to Shiftry, using its Wrap move to bind tightly around it.

The Wrap Move is only a basic skill, but when used by the Serperior against the much weaker Shiftry, it was more than sufficient.

As Serperior tightened its grip, Shiftry groaned involuntarily, with the faint sound of bones straining under pressure.

Seeing Shiftry about to suffocate, Serperior executed a powerful Dragon Tail move, flinging it from the tree. Shiftry hit the ground with a dull thud and struggled to get back up.

At that moment, a few of the still-dazed Nuzleaf happened to regain consciousness and saw their leader beaten, looking bewildered and unsure of what had happened.

In fact, Shiftry's troubles with Yuga were just a misunderstanding.

Shiftry had no idea about the Nuzleaf's attempt to steal anything. When it noticed the young ones hadn't returned all night, it went out in concern. When it found them in their weakened state, it assumed Yuga had captured them, and in its anger, it rushed into action without thinking clearly.

Once Yuga explained the whole story, Shiftry was deeply embarrassed. It glared at the Nuzleaf, feeling like scolding them, then sincerely apologized to Yuga.

With the misunderstanding cleared up, Yuga saw that Shiftry had reason and decided not to hold a grudge. He simply asked Shiftry to clean up the scattered table and food, then let them go.

Before leaving, Shiftry apologized once more, and Yuga, considering that the Nuzleaf had lost a significant amount of life energy, offered them two jars of Vitality Pokeblock.

Stealing was indeed wrong, but not deserving of death.

Due to Shiftry's visit, Yuga lost his breakfast and had to make a new one. After finishing his meal, he resumed his journey with the Golbat and the others.

As he was nearing the edge of the forest, Yuga spotted Shiftry waiting atop a large tree ahead.

Riding on Charizard, Yuga flew over and asked, "Do you need something else?"

Shiftry didn't speak but silently extended its hand. In its palm lay a shining blue stone with a spiral pattern in alternating black and blue at its center.

A Mega Stone? And specifically, a Mega Stone for Charizard X.

"For me?" Yuga asked, surprised.

Shiftry nodded, indicating this was both an apology and a thank-you gift for the two jars of Pokeblock.

This stone had been left to Shiftry by its father, who had explained that, long ago, there was a volcano here, and the stone had surfaced during an eruption, carried along with the lava.

Over the years, the volcano had disappeared, but Shiftry's father had found and preserved the stone.

Shiftry didn't know what purpose the stone served, but sensing it was something special, it decided to gift it to Yuga.

"Are you really giving this to me?" Yuga asked again, seeking confirmation.

Shiftry nodded and held out its hand toward Yuga.

"Well, then, I'll accept it!" Yuga took the Mega Stone from Shiftry's hand.

However, he felt it was a bit unbalanced to take such a valuable gift so easily. After some thought, he took a small box about the size of a person's head from his system backpack.

"This stone is precious and I truly like it, so let me give you this in return."

Shiftry looked at the box with curiosity. When it opened it, it saw a box filled with Leaf Stones, over a dozen in total.

Seeing a boxful of Leaf Stones, Shiftry was delighted. With these, its clan would be able to produce several more Shiftry.

But Leaf Stones were valuable, and Shiftry hesitated, unsure whether it should accept.

Yuga noticed its hesitation and said, "Your stone is valuable too. Think of it as an exchange, and honestly, I'm getting the better deal."

Evolution Stones can be bought with money, but Mega Stones are rare and priceless.

If he had more Leaf Stones on him, Yuga would have gladly given Shiftry even more.

After hearing Yuga's words, Shiftry accepted the Leaf Stones with relief, then bid Yuga farewell, leaping away and disappearing from Yuga's sight.