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

Chapter 1167: Shore Up

After Kiawe's family ranch and the Blue Sky Day Care reached an agreement, Reggie, due to Yuga's involvement, gave Rango a slight discount. Although the discount wasn't significant, it still saved Rango a fair amount of money, which delighted him, and he insisted on having Yuga stay for a meal.

Since Yuga didn't have anything to do at the hotel, he agreed.

In order to show their gratitude, Rango and his wife prepared an array of local dishes to treat Yuga, who ate to his heart's content, making it a pleasant experience for everyone.

After lunch, Yuga found a corner in the ranch and released Palossand. The injured Palossand had already woken up, and upon seeing Yuga, it looked defiant and tried to attack him.

Yuga summoned Gengar and Mismagius and instructed them, "Take this guy inside and give him some training!"

Gengar was thrilled and laughing mischievously as it motioned for Mismagius to drag Palossand into the Shadow Space. It had been a while since it got to "train" a newcomer!

Palossand shivered, trying to resist Gengar and Mismagius, but lacking the strength, it was gradually dragged into the Shadow Space.

Mimikyu found it amusing, peeking out to watch the fun and even trying to imitate Gengar's laugh, although it couldn't quite get it right.

Once Yuga finished dealing with Palossand, he turned around and saw Kiawe running over.

"Big brother, let's battle!"

"Sure!" Yuga agreed without hesitation.

"That's awesome!"

Kiawe was thrilled and immediately led Yuga to an open area suitable for battle.

Once they were both in position, Kiawe took out Charizard's Pokéball and said to Yuga, "Big brother, use Charizard too! I want to see how strong your Charizard is!"

"It's better if I don't. I'll use another Pokémon to battle you!" Yuga hesitated briefly before declining, feeling it would be too unfair to use his Charizard against Kiawe.

Although Kiawe was tall, he was about the same age as Ash and slightly less skilled. Yuga didn't think he could handle Charizard.

Hearing Yuga refuse to use Charizard, Kiawe looked disappointed for a moment but quickly perked up, realizing that as long as he could battle and improve, it didn't matter which Pokémon he faced.

When Kiawe released Charizard, Yuga summoned Mimikyu from the Shadow Space.

Mimikyu had been watching Gengar and Mismagius tag-team Palossand in the Shadow Space, so it was a bit dazed when suddenly called out.

Mimikyu was a high potential Pokémon with great talent, and thanks to the fragments of Spirit World Origin Stones in the Shadow Space, its level had long reached pseudo-Elite level, making it even stronger than Decidueye or Abomasnow.

So Kiawe's chances of defeating Mimikyu were slim, not to mention winning against an Elite-level Charizard.

As soon as Mimikyu saw the "fierce" Charizard, it realized it was time to "fight." It didn't often get the chance to battle others, so it was quite excited.

Kiawe was surprised to see Yuga's Pokémon was a Mimikyu, especially since it emerged from underground.

Are all Ghost-type Pokémon like this? Kiawe wondered, though he didn't ask, knowing it would be impolite to pry into someone else's Pokémon secrets.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!"

Once they were ready, Kiawe quickly commanded Charizard to attack.

Kiawe's grandfather, a former Island Champion, had left this Charizard to him, so it was quite strong, although it's still far from reaching pseudo-Elite level.

A scorching column of fire shot toward Mimikyu, but in the next second, Mimikyu vanished from its original spot. When it reappeared, it was already behind Charizard, striking with a Shadow Claw aimed directly at its back.

Charizard hadn't taken to the skies yet, which gave Mimikyu the opportunity to strike.

Luckily, Kiawe reacted quickly and immediately called out to Charizard, who was in sync with him. Hearing the command, Charizard flapped its wings and ascended just in time to narrowly avoid the attack.

The massive black claws struck the ground, leaving a muddy crater in the green grass, making Kiawe's heart skip a beat. If Charizard had been hit, it might have been "knocked out" on the spot!

After missing its initial attack, Mimikyu shot several fist-sized Shadow Balls into the air, causing Charizard, who had just recovered, to panic and dodge frantically.

"Charizard, fly higher!"

Seeing Charizard in a disadvantageous position, Kiawe quickly shouted a reminder.

Yuga chuckled at this. "Flying is useful?"

"Mimikyu, jump!"

Jump is a move with no special effects other than allowing the user to jump high. But even the most seemingly useless move can find its time to shine!

Charizard was just beginning to ascend when Mimikyu leapt up, positioning itself directly above Charizard. Then, Yuga's command rang out.

"Play Rough!"

Mimikyu let out a strange cry, its whole body glowing pink as it crashed into Charizard.

Boom! Charizard fell to the ground!

It struggled to get up, but Mimikyu was already perched on its back and struck it again with a Wood Hammer. The enormous hammer landed with a heavy blow, and Charizard stopped moving.

The battle ended quickly.

"So strong!"

Kiawe, still stunned from how quickly it ended, managed to blurt out. He knew Yuga was powerful, but he hadn't expected him to be this strong.

"The battle's over. Do you have any thoughts?"

Recalling Mimikyu into the Shadow Space, Yuga smiled and asked Kiawe.

Given Kiawe's current skill level, Yuga had expected the outcome to be one-sided. He hadn't rejected Kiawe's challenge, nor did he intend to hold back.

Young Trainers should experience and be motivated by the challenge of facing opponents of varying strengths.

Looking back, Yuga had grown from countless battles—whether against genius Trainers like Steven and Cynthia, or clashes with dark organizations, Legendary Pokémon, and level-100 Pokémon—each one was invaluable experience in his journey.

Being a Gym Leader for so long, Yuga had come to appreciate the role. Watching young Trainers grow little by little gave him a sense of pride as a mentor.

It was only now that he understood how Mr. Moore felt when he gave him his first Vulpix. When someone achieves a certain level in a field, there's a natural desire to nurture talented successors.

Although only twenty-four himself, seeing the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Kiawe made Yuga feel like an elder. (With only a ten-year difference, Yuga felt that it wouldn't be too strange if Kiawe called him "uncle"...)

"I feel there's still a lot I need to learn."

Kiawe wasn't discouraged by his swift defeat; instead, it ignited his fighting spirit.

"Big brother, you're from another region, right? Could you tell me what Trainers from other regions are like?" Kiawe asked Yuga excitedly.

"Of course!" Yuga readily agreed.

The two of them found a shady spot under a tree and started chatting.

Yuga told Kiawe about Trainers' journeys, Gym challenges, the League Championships, Pokémon Contests, and roles like Coordinators and Breeders. Kiawe listened intently, unable to help but dream about the outside world.

Compared to Trainers elsewhere, those in Alola seemed a bit limited. In comparison, it felt like rural kids meeting their urban counterparts.

Kiawe also shared with Yuga stories from his time at the Pokémon School. Although Yuga saw them as simple childhood games, he listened patiently to the end.

Yuga asked why Kiawe didn't use a Z-Move during the battle; he hadn't seen one used before and was eager to witness it. He remembered that in the original anime, Kiawe had both a Firium Z and a Z-Ring.

However, Yuga overlooked one detail—the anime's timeline had not yet reached that point.

Yuga himself owned a Grassium Z, but without a Z-Ring, it remained unused in his system's inventory.

The system had mentioned that the Trainer Store had a chance to refresh with Z-Rings, but since one hadn't appeared yet, it simply meant Yuga's luck was lacking.

When the system brought up luck, Yuga felt like an arrow had pierced his heart. In the system's Trainer Store, he might as well have been the unluckiest chief on the continent of misfortune.

But even if he did get a Z-Ring, Yuga wasn't entirely sure if he had the courage to do the awkward dance that went along with it. The thought of battling while dancing seemed quite embarrassing.

Yuga and Kiawe chatted for the entire afternoon, and by the time he returned to the hotel, it was nearly dark. Lana had already gone home before lunch, so Yuga left Kiawe's house alone.

When he got back, Luna, Ayashi, and Arata Sena had all returned.

During dinner, Ayashi and Arata Sena mentioned their plans to leave Akala Island to continue their adventures in other parts of Alola. They'd been away for a long time and couldn't stay in one place for too long.

Yuga didn't object but advised them to call home regularly to let their families know they were safe and to visit home whenever possible, not to disappear indefinitely.

The two of them agreed without hesitation.

Luna wasn't in a rush to leave, as the Investigation Bureau had given her and Kaname Hirakawa a few days off to recover from the recent events. She thought Alola was a lot of fun, so she decided to spend a few more days exploring.

Yuga was also planning to enjoy Alola a bit longer, so he invited Luna to join him. However, she declined, feeling she wouldn't have as much fun with him, so he didn't press her further.

In addition, the three of them mentioned that people from the Aether Foundation had approached them that day, hoping to inquire about Ultra Space. They even offered compensation, but none of the three agreed to meet with them.

Yuga praised them for their decision and advised that if Aether Foundation approached them again, they should continue responding in the same way.

The next day, Ayashi and Arata Sena packed their things and left Akala Island, while Luna went out early to shop.

Just as Yuga was about to head out himself, he remembered the Palossand he had thrown into the Shadow Space yesterday.

Since the three Ghost-types living in the Shadow Space had the Origin Stone of the Spirit World to sustain them, Yuga didn't need to feed them Pokeblock every day, so he'd completely forgotten about Palossand.

When he found a place to release Palossand, he discovered that it was sprawled on the ground like a heap of sludge, looking as though it had been through some ordeal. At any rate, it now followed Yuga's orders without question.

Satisfied with the training results from Gengar and Mismagius, Yuga said to Palossand, "Show me your sand-gathering ability."

Palossand dared not refuse and immediately began a vigorous display for its new master.

A yellowish-brown light shone over Palossand, and the surrounding muddy ground began to turn into sand, slowly gathering toward it. Its body also began to grow in size.

Moreover, the grass around it started to wilt, turning to ash and mixing into the sand that Palossand absorbed.

No wonder it was a Ghost-type Pokémon. While transforming the soil, it also absorbed the life force of the plants growing on it.

Upon close observation, Yuga noticed that Palossand's ability to transform the soil so easily had a lot to do with its Water Compaction Ability.

The ground naturally contained moisture, which hindered the sand transformation. Since water wouldn't simply vanish, Palossand used its ability to absorb this moisture first, enhancing its defense, and then turned the now-dried ground into sand.

This was also why Palossand's defense grew stronger over time.

With its unique ability, an idea suddenly struck Yuga: if he paired Palossand with a Water-type partner and had it create a swamp using Sand Tomb and water nearby, then close-combat specialists wouldn't even be able to get near it. Although Water-type moves were one of Palossand's weaknesses, in a damp environment, its ability to harden in water actually turned this into an advantage.

Moreover, this Water-type partner would need to specialize in ranged attacks. As long as it stayed within Palossand's defensive zone, it could bombard opponents from afar without any worries! This kind of setup was practically a nightmare for melee-based opponents.

Of course, this combination had significant limitations. Purely close-combat Pokémon weren't too common, though many Fighting-types fell into this category. However, since Palossand would have a teammate, so could its opponents.

Pokémon skilled in disruption, like Grass-types, or Ghost and Poison-types that inflict status conditions, could easily counter such a formation.

There are many factors to consider in battle, and adaptability is crucial.

Once Palossand's body had fully stabilized, Yuga stepped through its mouth to enter inside its body. Palossand's mouth acted as the entrance to the "castle."

As soon as he entered, Yuga felt his stamina start to drain, but this sensation lasted only a moment. The next instant, thanks to the protection of the Origin Stone of the Spirit World, that feeling of stamina loss faded. The energy Palossand tried to absorb was instead replaced by the special energy stored in the Shadow Space by the Origin Stone.

Palossand absorbed the life force of creatures inside it by instinct, not by conscious control, just as food is automatically digested in the human stomach. Because of this, Yuga didn't hold it against Palossand.

For anyone other than Yuga, entering Palossand's body without the protection of the Origin Stone would be a real risk.

Yuga then began to explore Palossand's inner structure.

He noticed that Palossand resembled a castle not only from the outside but also inside. The space was spacious, and there was even a staircase leading up to a second floor—perfectly suited to serve as a dwelling!

Yuga knocked on the castle's inner walls, which emitted a solid "thunk, thunk" sound, indicating they were quite sturdy—another effect of Palossand's Water Compaction ability.

Palossand's body was made of compacted sand, with its true essence actually residing in the shovel atop its head. So, even if its body were smashed to bits, its life wouldn't be in danger.

In battle, Palossand was very protective of its shovel. With layers of sand shielding it, getting to the shovel was no easy task.

Yuga became so engrossed in studying Palossand that he lost track of time.

In the blink of an eye, the entire morning had passed, and by the time he realized, it was already lunchtime. Thus, he had to postpone his outing until the afternoon.

After all, he hadn't yet taken the time to fully appreciate Alola's stunning landscapes!

In the afternoon, Yuga planned to explore beyond Akala Island. His first thought was to visit Melemele Island.

Samson Oak had set up the Pokémon School on Melemele Island, and since the principal had kindly gifted him two Alolan Vulpix, it would be a shame to visit Alola without stopping by for a visit.

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