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

Chapter 1216: One, Two, Three, Four

After flying for another half a day out of the forest, Yuga and his companions finally reached their destination.

Returning to their long-lost home, Crobat, Golbat, and Zubat chattered excitedly, stirring up several Pokémon residing nearby.

Some of the Pokémon here remembered Crobat and its group as neighbors and peeked out curiously to observe them, mainly focusing on Yuga, the unfamiliar human among them.

Crobat's home mountain was hidden away and not very tall, but it was lush with dense, ancient trees, providing a shady, humid environment, perfectly suited for bats like Crobat and its kin.

If it hadn't been for Crobat leading the way, Yuga wasn't sure he would've been able to find this place.

After a quick look around, Yuga said to Crobat, "Alright, take me to your home."

Crobat chirped excitedly, thrilled at the thought of soon driving out the intruder that had taken over its home.

Crobat's home was deep within the mountain, in a cave, and after following a winding path led by the bats, Yuga finally arrived at the cave entrance.

The cave looked large, with a small stream trickling out, but the lighting was poor, making it impossible to see inside from outside.

Yuga took a flashlight out of his bag and said to Crobat, "Let's head in."

"Screech~"

Crobat responded eagerly, flying in first to lead the way. Its kin stayed outside, wary of the bully still inside, making it unsafe for them to enter.

Realizing he couldn't rely on the cowardly Crobat for protection, Yuga released Bellossom to guard him closely.

Once inside, Yuga found the cave even more spacious than he had imagined. The ceiling was high, and water dripped from certain areas, producing a gentle, tinkling sound as the drops landed in the stream below.

The stream was shallow, only reaching Yuga's ankles at its deepest point, but in the quiet cave, the sound of the flowing water and the droplets was very pronounced.

After walking a while, Yuga's shoes were completely soaked. He suddenly felt as if he had stepped on something and nudged it with his foot, only to see something leap out of the water and land on a nearby rock.

Shining his flashlight toward it, Yuga saw a Magikarp flapping its tail vigorously on the rock, bursting with energy.

Yuga: ...

"There are Magikarp living here too?" Yuga asked Crobat.

Crobat nodded. The water here was shallow, but small Water-type Pokémon like Magikarp could still live comfortably. Moreover, the stream and the land were separate enough that the bully wouldn't bother chasing the Water Pokémon out of the cave.

After listening, Yuga nodded, walked over, and kicked the still-jumping Magikarp back into the water, thinking to himself: I wonder if I have the "Evolution Kick."

Obviously, Yuga didn't actually have such a power. The Magikarp flopped about in the water and then disappeared; the Gyarados he had hoped for didn't appear.

As he continued on, Yuga encountered several more Magikarp, but he ignored them until he felt he'd stepped on something again.

This time, instead of kicking, he bent down and reached into the water. With a splash, he pulled something up.

When he shone his flashlight, he found himself holding a Feebas, staring back at him listlessly, its pale eyes devoid of any vitality.

After a few moments of staring at each other, Yuga activated his Insight skill.

...

[ Feebas ]

Type: Water

Ability: Oblivious

Gender: Female

Potential: Green

Level: 44

Moves: Splash, Tackle, Haze.

...

A Feebas with green potential, a high level, but only three moves—it was an unexpected surprise.

True to its Oblivious nature, the Feebas barely reacted as Yuga held it for half a day, even when he captured it in a Poké Ball.

After catching the Feebas, Crobat led Yuga and Bellossom further into the cave. Suddenly, they heard a series of bang bang sounds of something hitting against a surface.

Following the sound, Yuga spotted a Mawile using the large mouth on the back of its head to pound on a rock, seemingly practicing a move.

Yuga looked at Crobat, asking with his eyes: Didn't you say there were no other Pokémon here?

Although he hadn't spoken, Crobat quickly understood his meaning and was equally puzzled.

In the dim cave, Yuga's flashlight stood out, immediately drawing Mawile's attention.

The Mawile looked wary, noticing the unfamiliar human, and quickly backed away, then tapped on the nearby rock wall.

Before long, dozens of Mawile, big and small, appeared in front of Yuga. One of the Mawile chattered something to the others, and they all launched an attack on Yuga, Crobat, and Bellossom.

Crobat was already furious to see so many Mawile occupying its home. And now they were attacking! This was beyond outrageous!

Angry as it was, this didn't stop Crobat from being cowardly; as soon as the Mawile attacked, it quickly hid behind Yuga and Bellossom.

Seeing the overwhelming Fairy Winds approaching, Yuga's Palossand burst out from his Shadow Space, and Yuga quickly dove into its hollow body for cover.

The quick yet timid Crobat, seeing that Yuga had found shelter, wasted no time and slipped inside right after him.

The Mawile's Fairy Winds hit Palossand, who immediately activated its Sand Veil ability, constantly absorbing moisture and sand from the ground. In the blink of an eye, its wounds healed.

Meanwhile, outside, Bellossom began her counterattack on the Mawile, hurling Energy Balls at them like raindrops. Although the Mawile resisted Grass-type moves, the gap in power between them and Bellossom was vast, so each Energy Ball rendered them instantly unable to fight.

Inside Palossand, Yuga noticed the limp and exhausted Crobat lying on the ground and shook his head helplessly. Is this what they call "drinking poison to quench thirst?"

It hadn't been long since Crobat entered, yet it had already been drained of all energy by Palossand. Yuga had warned it not to enter Palossand's body, and Crobat had listened, but in the moment of urgency, it had lost its head and made a foolish decision.

Now, Crobat finally understood why Yuga had prohibited it from entering; the feeling of being slowly drained of all strength was truly terrifying!

Yuga used his King of Ghost ability, covering Crobat with a layer of Ghost-type energy, which gradually helped ease the weakness it felt.

Concerned that Bellossom might not handle the dozens of Mawile alone, Yuga released Decidueye and Kartana from the castle balcony to assist.

With Decidueye and Kartana's help, the Mawile were quickly dealt with. When Yuga emerged from Palossand, he saw the Mawile scattered on the ground, lying every which way.

After some thought, he took out Poké Balls and captured them one by one.

Although Mawile weren't particularly strong, they were rare Pokémon; rarity increases value, so bringing them back for careful training would certainly pay off.

After finishing with the Mawile, Yuga turned to the still-weak Crobat he was holding and asked, "What's going on? You never mentioned there were Mawile here!"

Crobat, still a bit frail, replied weakly, "I don't know, maybe they came later."

"Came later?" Yuga mused, rubbing his chin. "It doesn't make sense. If that Pokémon you mentioned is as overbearing as you say, why would it drive you out but allow them to stay?"

Crobat shook its head, indicating it didn't know.

Unable to figure it out, Yuga had no choice but to continue deeper into the cave with Crobat.

As they went further, the cave began to branch off, with some paths leading to the stream's source and others to different areas.

Yuga guessed that if the Pokémon he was looking for was still here, it wouldn't like a particularly damp environment, so he avoided the paths with water flow.

After choosing a dry path, Yuga noticed that as he continued forward, the light improved significantly. This was due to numerous openings in the cave ceiling, which not only reduced the humidity but also provided excellent ventilation.

After an unknown amount of time, a dark shadow suddenly shot out from somewhere, heading straight for Yuga. Swiftly, he dodged to the side, and the shadow missed its mark.

Boom!

With a loud crash, the shadow slammed into the cave wall, creating a large dent. Before Yuga could get a clear look at what it was, the shadow charged at him again.

But this time, Bellossom was ready. She wielded her Leaf Blade with force, striking the shadow and sending it crashing to the ground.

As Yuga got a closer look, he realized it was a Beldum.

...

[ Beldum ]

Type: Steel, Psychic

Ability: Clear Body

Gender: None

Potential: Green

Level: 18

Moves: Take Down, Iron Defense.

...

Yuga was thrilled to discover that it was a Beldum.

But he quickly grew puzzled. According to Crobat, the Pokémon that had driven them out was a Metagross. So why was there a Beldum here now? Could it be that there was more than one Metagross?

That would be a great find!

Regardless, Yuga decided to capture the Beldum in a Poké Ball first.

Just as he was about to throw the Poké Ball, several dark shadows suddenly appeared from the darkness, surrounding the unconscious Beldum and blocking Yuga from capturing it.

Seeing the shadows clearly, Yuga was stunned. One, two, three, four... including the fainted one, there were sixteen Beldum in total.

"Wow, did I just stumble into a Beldum nest?"

Pseudo-legendary Pokémon were incredibly rare and valuable, especially Metagross, which was notoriously difficult to breed. Encountering even one Beldum was usually a blessing, but Yuga hadn't expected to find so many here.

However, Yuga didn't refer to these Beldum as "pseudo-legendary juveniles" because, although they were all in their basic stage, each was fully grown—there were no young Beldum among them. This puzzled Yuga, as Beldum aren't typically low in potential, and two of these even had green potential. It made no sense for them to remain un-evolved and at such a low level even as adults.

Could it be that they were too lazy to train?

That seemed unlikely. Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon are born with high potential, so even with limited training, they shouldn't still be at such a low level as adults. Yuga's mind was filled with questions.

But his curiosity didn't stop him from trying to capture the Pokémon. Just as he prepared to "catch them all," two strange sounds echoed behind him.

Yuga turned around to see two Metagross staring at him with hostile eyes.

...

[ Metagross ]

Type: Steel, Psychic

Ability: Clear Body

Gender: None

Potential: Green

Level: 65

Moves: Tackle, Iron Defense, Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Miracle Eye, Scary Face, Agility, Meteor Mash, Earthquake, Flash Cannon, Psychic, Brick Break, Gravity, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Hammer Arm

...

[ Metagross ]

Type: Steel, Psychic

Ability: Clear Body

Gender: None

Potential: Blue

Level: 58

Moves: Tackle, Iron Defense, Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Miracle Eye, Scary Face, Agility, Meteor Mash, Earthquake, Flash Cannon, Psychic, Brick Break, Gravity, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Hammer Arm.

...

Two Metagross, one with blue potential at a level nearing pseudo-Elite, and one with green potential, both at respectable power levels for Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon.

Each Metagross raised a Meteor Mash and charged at Yuga furiously, intent on attacking him with full force.

Bellossom and Kartana rushed forward to intercept.

With a clang, Bellossom's Leaf Blade clashed with one Metagross's fist, while Kartana's Leaf Blade met the other's.

Bellossom wasn't particularly strong in physical attacks, but as an Elite level Pokémon that had undergone a life evolution, it managed to hold its own against the physically formidable Metagross.

Kartana, on the other hand, easily overpowered the Metagross below level 60, despite its status as a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon.

Watching the two Metagross's fierce, desperate attacks, Yuga thought something was odd. He hadn't even done anything to them yet—why were they attacking him with such reckless abandon? Even though he had knocked out a Beldum earlier, that's hardly a serious offense for Pokémon; it would just wake up in a bit.

Yuga sent out Florges and instructed her, "Use Aromatherapy to calm their emotions."

Florges nodded and released a faint aroma into the air.

But Yuga soon realized this was a miscalculation. The Aromatherapy had no effect on the Metagrosses. They fought even more fiercely, launching deadly attacks as if Yuga were their mortal enemy.

With no other option, Yuga instructed Bellossom and Kartana, "Take them down quickly."

Bellossom and Kartana, no longer holding back, unleashed their full strength.

Kartana, being a pseudo-Elite-level Pokémon, easily handled the level-58 Metagross, slicing it down with a Sacred Sword.

Meanwhile, the pseudo-Elite Metagross fighting Bellossom grew flustered after seeing its companion fall. Bellossom seized the opportunity, finishing it off with Petal Dance.

After defeating the two Metagross, Yuga wanted to know how they and the sixteen Beldum had come to be in this place.

Interrogating the maddened Metagross was obviously unrealistic, so Yuga turned his attention to the Beldum.

Initially, the Beldum were reluctant to speak, but under Yuga's shameless threat—he claimed he would have Charizard roast the Metagross if they didn't tell the truth—they had no choice but to tell him the reason they and the Mawile had come here.

After hearing the Beldum's story, Yuga's expression turned complex. It seemed the birth of so many Beldum was no coincidence, and it was no wonder they were in such poor condition.