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

Chapter 1207: Trip to Mt. Hideaway

Yuga woke up Ninetales and handed it a tissue, intending for it to wipe away some drool.

Realizing how it looked upon waking, Ninetales stiffened, staring at the tissue in Yuga's hand for a few seconds before looking up at him. "You didn't see anything just now, right?"

Yuga: ...

"Yes, I didn't see anything," Yuga replied without hesitation, sensing that if he answered otherwise, he might be burned to a crisp...

Hearing this, Ninetales was very pleased and raised its chin, signaling Yuga to tidy its appearance. Yuga, expressionless, used the tissue to wipe off the drool and adjusted the accessory on its head.

As he left, Salem and Misty saw Yuga to the door, and just before he left, even Sabrina, rarely, bid him farewell.

At dusk, Yuga returned to Professor Oak's lab. Before he could enter, a shadow darted toward him, crashing right into his arms with a distressed whimper.

Looking down, Yuga saw it was none other than Spoink.

Of course, this was Yuga's Spoink. Lately, Professor Oak and Gary had been enthusiastically doing research and had insisted Yuga send over his fortune-telling expert Spoink so they could examine it.

So, before leaving the lab that morning, Yuga had instructed Audino to send Spoink over.

"What happened?" Yuga asked, setting Spoink down and looking at it with concern.

Seeing Yuga back, Spoink immediately started whining and complaining, tearfully accusing Professor Oak and Gary of "abusing" it.

Apparently, the professor and Gary had kept Spoink busy in the lab all day for their research, hardly letting it eat properly. Their experiments were bizarre and non-stop, tossing Spoink between tasks and leaving it utterly exhausted.

Spoink wasn't the obedient type by nature, and fortune-telling rarely worked anyway. Spoink just couldn't handle the tedious lab environment any longer.

When mealtime rolled around and the two researchers showed no sign of stopping, Spoink's stomach started growling in hunger. Feeling wronged, it secretly ran out to find Yuga.

Seeing Spoink's teary face, Ninetales scoffed, "Pathetic."

Yuga shot Ninetales a look, then gently consoled Spoink, "I'll talk to them. It's too much to keep you from eating!"

Spoink clung to Yuga's leg, casting a defiant glance at Ninetales, who bristled, its tail almost puffing out in irritation. "Hmph! You little rascal, thinking this old fox can't still wield its claws, do you?"

Seeing Ninetales' fierce expression, Spoink clung even tighter to Yuga's leg, looking up at him with tearful eyes, pitifully pleading.

Yuga turned to Ninetales and said, "Come on, it's just a kid. Why bother picking on it? Besides, you started it by calling it names."

"Hmph!"

With one last glare at Spoink, Ninetales turned around and walked back into the lab, leaving Spoink smirking in triumph.

Once Ninetales was gone, Yuga squeezed Spoink's soft cheeks. "Why did you provoke it? Be careful; I might not be able to stop it from hitting you."

Spoink just chuckled, unconcerned.

When Yuga entered the lab, Professor Oak and Gary were coming out of the experiment room, looking rather disheveled, clearly having worked all day without a break.

"You should take breaks during research," Yuga advised. "Working like this all the time isn't good for you."

Professor Oak awkwardly waved it off. "We don't do this often. It's just that we're busy lately; special circumstances."

Yuga didn't press the issue further, and then Professor Oak remarked, "Your Spoink is pretty impressive. Want to trade it? How about a blue potential Bulbasaur in exchange?"

A trade? Wouldn't that mean Spoink would have to stay here permanently?

The thought of being subjected to Professor Oak and Gary's relentless experiments in the future made Spoink shiver.

"Spoink..."

Spoink quickly hugged Yuga's leg, looking at him pitifully, terrified that he might actually trade it for a Bulbasaur.

The Ninetales lounging on the couch with its eyes closed caught sight of Spoink putting on a pitiful look again and couldn't help but roll its eyes, thinking, Hmph, you little faker!

"Don't worry," Yuga patted Spoink reassuringly, then turned to Professor Oak. "As much as I'd love your Bulbasaur, you can see this little one isn't willing, so there's nothing I can do."

"That's truly a shame," Professor Oak said regretfully. He had already guessed that Yuga wouldn't agree but had hoped that maybe, just maybe, he'd get lucky since he genuinely liked Spoink.

The three chatted for a while, and Yuga noticed that neither Professor Oak, Gary, nor Windy, who was still holed up in his room, had eaten dinner yet. He took the initiative to cook for them. Although Yuga wasn't a master chef, his skills were decent, and Gary, who had previously spent several days with him, knew this well.

In the past, whenever Gary traveled or conducted fieldwork alone, he often subsisted on rations.

Professor Oak, a disaster in the kitchen, and Gary, who had grown up living a life of luxury, were both terrible at cooking. Usually, they survived on instant noodles and rarely had a proper meal. If it weren't for Ash's mom occasionally coming over to cook for them, they'd likely turn into instant noodle addicts by now.

The ingredients in the Oak Research Lab were only stocked up because of Yuga's recent trips to buy them. Otherwise, even if Yuga wanted to cook for the two of them now, it'd be impossible to work with an empty pantry.

The next morning, people from the Pidgey Express arrived. Yuga handed over the pre-packed items to them, then called home to remind Audino and Suzuki Koen to expect the delivery.

After the Pidgey Express team left, Gary came out of his room and, seeing that Yuga had some free time, said, "Not far from Pallet Town, there's Mt. Hideaway. Loads of Onix live there; do you want to go check it out? Trainers often go there to try catching an Onix."

Yuga's interest was piqued immediately. "Where's it located?"

"Wait a sec," Gary said, then ran back inside, returning shortly with a map in hand.

"Mt. Hideaway isn't far from Pallet Town, and a map is more convenient than GPS. Follow this red line, and you'll get there," Gary explained, pointing to the map.

"I'll go check it out, then. I probably won't be back for lunch, but I left some food in the fridge, so make do with that for now," Yuga said after looking over the map.

Gary waved a dismissive hand. "Go on, don't worry about us. We've managed fine when you weren't here."

Yuga nodded, packed up briefly, and headed out with his backpack.

This time, Yuga left with a few bodyguards hidden in his shadow space and took Ninetales, Florges, and Spoink with him, leaving the others to rest in Professor Oak's garden.

Spoink had begged Yuga to let it tag along. Professor Oak's research on it was nearly complete, and Spoink had no interest in staying at the lab any longer.

With the detailed map Gary provided and the proximity of Mt. Hideaway to Pallet Town, Yuga reached his destination quickly.

Mt. Hideaway was distinctly different from the other nearby hills. While most of the surrounding mountains were lush and covered in vegetation, this one had many barren areas. According to Gary, the scarcity of plants on Mt. Hideaway was due to its unique geological makeup, which was rich in special minerals within the mountain itself. This unique composition was also why so many Onix gathered here.

The Onix fed on the mountain rocks, and the mineral-rich stones here contributed to their superior growth compared to those in other areas. It was even rumored that some Onix Trainers would bring their Onix here specifically for the minerals as a supplement.

After circling the mountain's base a few times, Yuga was just about to head up when he felt the ground begin to tremble. Soon, two Onix locked in battle came into view.

These were indeed two well-developed Onix, though they were rather low in potential. Yuga decided to ignore them and continued up the mountain.

After walking a bit farther, Yuga finally understood why Gary had mentioned the abundance of Onix on Mt. Miacha. He had only covered a short distance and had already encountered more than a dozen Onix. Some were sleeping, others were eating, and some were even mating... All of them were in robust health, and aside from potential, their appearances were without fault.

With such ideal conditions, even if he didn't encounter any high-potential Onix, Yuga could still capture a few Onix with good qualities and decent potential, then use innovation potion on them later. This approach would still yield good results.

Feeling optimistic, Yuga continued up the mountain with Spoink hopping along cheerfully behind him. Ninetales, however, looked rather bored.

To make outdoor activities easier, Ninetales wasn't wearing any elaborate accessories today. Instead, it simply wore a scarf around its neck, adorned with a bright, decorative flower pinned to it. With the gentle breeze, the flower petals swayed lightly, giving Ninetales an air of elegance.

When they reached the mountainside, Yuga spotted his first target: a young-looking Onix with yellow potential, excelling in skill mastery and overall development compared to others of its kind.

Spoink was the one to take on the Onix, and it even volunteered for the challenge. Although Spoink lacked extensive battle experience, with Yuga's guidance, it managed to defeat the Onix and allowed Yuga to capture it.

Seeing Spoink's proud expression, Ninetales, feeling a bit annoyed, couldn't resist throwing in a jab: "What's there to be proud of? You still have a long way to go."

Spoink pretended not to hear and ignored Ninetales, which only irritated Ninetales further.

Yuga couldn't help but chide it, "You always have something sharp to say. Why keep picking on it?"

"Hmph!" Ninetales gave a cold snort and fell silent. It just couldn't stand that little 'fake.'

After wandering around the mountainside for a while longer, Yuga captured two more Onix.

Just as Yuga was about to continue up the mountain, a loud rumbling sound echoed, and an Onix came hurtling down from the peak as if fleeing for its life. It dashed past Yuga and his team, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake, and they were left coughing and covered in grime.

The most annoyed of all was Ninetales; its beautiful fur was now coated in dust, and the scarf around its neck was smeared with dirt. For a beauty-loving Pokémon like Ninetales, this was absolutely infuriating.

With an indignant growl, Ninetales unleashed a Fire Vortex. However, the fleeing Onix was already out of range, leaving the flames to scorch a hole in the ground.

As Yuga wondered what could have scared the Onix so badly, several more Pokémon—Rhyhorn, Golem, Graveler, and Sandshrew—came charging down the mountain, each looking as if they were running for their lives.

"Run, big brother up ahead! The Pokémon on the mountain are in a panic! If you don't run now, it'll be too late!"

A boy's voice called out, and Yuga looked to see a young boy riding atop an Onix, frantically waving at him.

The boy was being chased by a stampede of Pokémon, all large and heavy types like Onix, Golem, and Rhydon. Judging by their numbers, there were at least a hundred of them, and the ground shook as they ran.

Yuga frowned deeply at the sight. If these Pokémon continued charging down unchecked, smaller Pokémon in their path would surely be crushed.

With this in mind, he quickly grabbed a Poké Ball and released Florges.

"Florges, stop those Pokémon!"

"Flo~orges!"

Florges responded with a nod, spreading her arms as green light flowed from her body into the ground. Almost immediately, shoots of green began sprouting, and trees in the distance stretched out new branches.

Within moments, the stampeding Pokémon found themselves halted: some were ensnared by thick vines, others were blocked by newly extended tree branches, and still others were tripped up by resilient grass that sprang up beneath them. One by one, they all came to a stop.

Ninetales, the old fox, widened its eyes in surprise at the sight.

This... this is incredible.

It was Ninetales' first time seeing Florges in action, and it was suddenly clear that this equally beautiful Pokémon was far more powerful than it had realized. Other than the forest deity Celebi, Ninetales had never heard of anyone with this kind of power, and seeing it in person was even more awe-inspiring than the tales.

Seems like this new Trainer of mine is pretty remarkable, Ninetales thought to itself.

Sensing Ninetales watching her, Florges turned and gave it a gentle smile, dazzling Ninetales and leaving it feeling a bit like, "Darn it, she showed me up!"

While Ninetales was merely astonished, the boy riding the Onix was completely stunned. He could only stare, speechless, at the sight of the struggling Pokémon bound tightly and unable to break free.

Is this... a miracle?

To further soothe the distressed Pokémon, Yuga had Florges use Aromatherapy. The gentle, calming fragrance washed over them, and most of the Pokémon quickly settled down.

Just then, a loud roar echoed from the mountain. Yuga looked up to see the true culprit behind the chaos—a Shiny Onix.

This Shiny Onix was far more muscular than an average Onix, and it rolled down the mountain, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.