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

Chapter 1336: The Arrival of N

As soon as Yuga returned, the person standing at the entrance of YoYo Day Care said, "Gym Leader Shimizu, you're back."

Yuga was surprised and said, "N, what are you doing here?"

The visitor was none other than N, who had been captured by the League alongside Reshiram. Yuga had only heard later that N had joined the League, but he didn't know the specifics of how the League had arranged for him.

"I'm here on a mission today," N said with a smile.

"A mission? Let's go inside to talk," Yuga said, leading N into the shop.

After sitting down in the reception room, N explained, "It's Mr. Koni'o who sent me to find you."

"My master?" Yuga said in surprise.

"Yes," N nodded and then recounted the details to Yuga.

It turned out that there was trouble with the Pioneer Corps stationed near the Guli Mountain Range.

The Guli Mountain Range were a peculiar place, serving as a sort of boundary between the human world and the wilderness of the Hoenn region. East of the mountains, while not entirely human territory, there were traces of human activity. West of the mountains, however, was entirely the Pokémon world, untouched by humans.

Places like the Guli Mountain Range existed in every region, and without exception, the League had stationed Pioneer Corps in such areas.

The Pioneer Corps' role was not only to expand human settlement into the wilderness but also to act as guardians of the human world.

Large-scale Pokémon disasters often originated in places like the Guli Mountain Range. Compared to the disasters within human territory, those in the wilderness were on a much larger scale. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

What made the Guli Mountain Range particularly unique among the Pioneer Corps zones was that its ruler was the legendary Pokémon, Regigigas.

Regigigas was a Legendary Pokémon at Order faction and had a friendly attitude toward the League. It had mediated an agreement between the mountain's rulers Pokémon and the Pioneer Corps.

The Pioneer Corps could explore the Guli Mountain Range but were forbidden from launching major invasions westward. Similarly, Trainers of Elite level or higher could not enter the mountain's interior. On the other hand, Pokémon at or above the Elite level in the mountains were not allowed to enter the Pioneer Corps' base camp or attack their exploratory teams.

This agreement had been witnessed by Regigigas and Mr. Koni'o himself.

After the agreement was established, Regigigas fell into a deep slumber in the mountain's interior. Its exact location was known only to its three subordinates—Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.

For years, both humans and the mountain's rulers adhered to this agreement, and the three Regis served as enforcers.

But not long ago, a Pioneer Corps team that ventured into the Guli Mountain Range disappeared. An investigation revealed that it was Sceptile, one of the mountain's rulers, who had captured them.

The leader of the Pioneer Corps tried to negotiate with Sceptile, but it refused to show itself or release the captured team members.

Bound by the agreement, the Pioneer Corps sought mediation from the Regis, only to discover that they had mysteriously disappeared.

The Regis had never left their usual places for years, so their sudden disappearance immediately raised alarms among the Pioneer Corps.

They searched the mountains extensively, but there was no sign of the Regis.

At this point, the Pioneer Corps couldn't risk a conflict with the mountain's rulers. If other rulers were alarmed or misunderstandings arose, it could lead to an all-out war, breaking the peace that had lasted for over a decade in the Guli Mountain Range.

Unable to resolve the issue, the Pioneer Corps had no choice but to seek help from the League. The League, in turn, directed them to contact Mr. Kuni'o, hoping he could locate Regigigas. If he could also uncover the reason behind the disappearance of the three Regis, that would be even better.

However, after meeting Mr. Kuni'o, N was sent to find Yuga, and so he rushed to Verdanturf Town without pause.

"The Pioneer Corps?" Yuga exclaimed after listening to N's explanation. "Isn't that where Shin and Kazuma are stationed? But what can they do by asking me? I don't have a solution for this!"

"Oh, right, Mr. Kuni'o asked me to deliver this letter to you." N handed Yuga a letter from his pocket.

Mr. Kuni'o was a traditional man; rather than making a phone call, he opted to write a letter.

Taking the letter, Yuga opened it. There wasn't much written inside, and he finished reading it at a glance.

Mr. Kuni'o explained in the letter that he didn't know where Regigigas was sleeping, but Celebi might.

According to the letter, the Celebi of Hoenn should currently be in the Guli Mountain Range. Known as the Forest God, Celebi could communicate with the forest and might know Regigigas's location. Furthermore, Celebi commanded respect among all Pokémon. Its presence could help reduce conflict when the Pioneer Corps communicated with the rulers Pokémon of the Guli Mountain Range.

Mr. Kuni'o suggested that once Yuga reached the Guli Mountain Range, he could try using Celebi's Blessing to call for Celebi.

In the letter, Mr. Kuni'o wrote, "I'm getting old, so I can only leave such errands to my disciple."

After reading the letter, Yuga sighed and said to N, "I understand the situation. I'll go with you."

N was delighted to hear this and replied, "That's great! Thank you very much."

Yuga suddenly asked, "By the way, why are you with the Pioneer Corps in Hoenn? Haven't you returned to Unova?"

N didn't hide anything and recounted how he ended up joining Hoenn's Pioneer Corps.

Although N was raised by Ghetsis, he had always been manipulated and brainwashed, with little exposure to the outside world. His involvement with Team Plasma was also minimal.

When the League discovered his ability to communicate with Pokémon, they recognized his unique talent and sought to win him over.

Eventually, N was sent to a military training camp where he met many peers of his age. There, he learned how normal people lived, gradually realizing how Ghetsis had deceived him all along.

After spending some time in the training camp, N was sent back to Unova. However, the Unova League believed that staying there might risk exposure to Team Plasma, so they sent him to Hoenn instead.

Back in Hoenn, N returned to the same training camp. Not long after, he joined the new recruits in the Pioneer Corps and was stationed at the Guli Mountain Range, becoming a member of the team.

N enjoyed his life in the military. It was simple, stress-free, and gave him purpose.

His ability to communicate with Pokémon was particularly valuable to the Pioneer Corps, earning him many merits. By now, he had even formed his own team within the corps.

"I see," Yuga nodded, thinking N's current life seemed to suit him. "When should we depart?"

N replied, "That's up to you, but the sooner, the better."

After contemplating for a few seconds, Yuga decided, "Then let's leave tomorrow. I'll take care of things at home today."

N nodded in agreement.

"Oh, by the way, have you found a place to stay yet?" Yuga asked.

"Not yet," N shook his head. "I came straight here as soon as I arrived in Verdanturf Town."

"Let me arrange it for you," Yuga said, then called out to Shuuya, who was busy working in the store. "Shuuya, come here for a moment."

"What's up, boss?" Shuuya immediately set aside his tasks and came over.

Pointing at N, Yuga instructed, "Take this guest to a hotel and help him settle in."

"Got it! Sir, please follow me," Shuuya said to N.

"Thank you, Gym Leader Shimizu," N said gratefully before leaving with Shuuya.

Once N had left, Yuga began informing Duo Duo, Aunt Hisako, Suzuki Koen, Beidou, and others that he would be away for a few days.

After wrapping up the necessary arrangements, Yuga headed to the island Ecopark to inform Coco about his upcoming trip.

Upon entering the lake area, Yuga immediately noticed the Chatot perched on Ho-Oh's skeletal remains. At that moment, Chatot had its eyes closed, exuding a peculiar aura as though it were harmonizing with the essence of the Ho-Oh's bones.

"Ahem!"

Yuga cleared his throat. Chatot suddenly opened its eyes and flew up from the skeletal remains.

"Ahh... You scared me! Why'd you show up without making a sound?" Chatot shrieked in panic while complaining.

"What were you doing?" Yuga asked.

"Nothing much, just sleeping," Chatot replied.

For some reason, every time Chatot approached Ho-Oh's bones, it felt an inexplicable sense of closeness and was irresistibly drawn to it.

"Have you seen Coco?" Yuga asked again.

"Probably in the control room," Chatot replied, landing on Yuga's shoulder.

"I'll go find them," Yuga said and walked off.

While passing through the grassland area, a Noctowl flew down from the climate tree as soon as it spotted Yuga.

"You're here just in time. I have something to discuss with you," said Noctowl.

"What is it?" Yuga asked, puzzled.

"My underlings discovered a Squirtle habitat. I went to confirm it myself—it's real," Noctowl reported.

"Really?" Yuga exclaimed, delighted. "That's fantastic!"

The whole reason Yuga had accepted the Noctowl flock in the first place was for this kind of help. He hadn't expected results so quickly.

Just as he was about to ask for the location of the habitat, he remembered he was leaving the next day. Instead, he changed the question: "How large is the Squirtle group? What about their strength?"

Noctowl replied, "The group is quite large and fairly strong, but it shouldn't pose any problem for you."

"That's good," Yuga said after some thought. "Unfortunately, I can't check it out right now since I'm heading out. For now, have another Noctowl keep an eye on the habitat. I'll deal with it when I return."

"Understood," Noctowl said with a nod before flying back to the climate tree to rest.

Chatot sighed dramatically and remarked, "My wife is really working so hard for you. Yuga, you must reward my wife properly."

Yuga rolled his eyes. "If you know she working hard, why don't you help her?"

As if Yuga didn't know, Chatot was often lazy. Even his young Noctowls daughter were more diligent than him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chatot said, turning its head away to feign ignorance.

"Deadbeat!" Yuga muttered, scolding it.

Taking advantage of Yuga's distraction, Chatot swiped at him with a claw, cackled mischievously, and flew off.

When Yuga reached the control room and informed Coco about his trip, Coco reassured him, saying, "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of the island Ecopark."

Although Coco had initially been unsure of managing the Ecopark, they gradually adapted after some time and were now handling things quite competently.

The next day, Yuga set out with N.

This time, Yuga didn't bring too many Pokémon with him. He selected a few from his main team (Florges, Absol, Vivillon, Chimecho, Charizard, Dragonite, and Lapras), and added Venusaur, Gengar, Mismagius, Dusknoir, Palossand, and Ninetales.

Ninetales had returned some time ago after completing the filming of its movie a while back.

Nana had been reclusive recently, dedicating itself to studying the white stone Yuga had given it. Originally, Yuga hadn't planned on bringing it along, but when Nana heard he was going to meet Celebi, it insisted on joining. After some thought, Yuga decided to take it.

Nana's mastery of Teleport was exceptional, second only to Cosmoem. Since Cosmoem wasn't coming this time, having Nana along would be useful, especially for a quick escape in case of trouble.

Yuga felt that it would be better for Pokémon below the Champion level to stay home and focus on their training. Aegislash was left behind to supervise.

Yuga and N first went to Rustboro City, where they boarded a prearranged aircraft for their journey.

Along the way, Yuga found himself wondering if he'd get to see the brothers Kazuma and Shin. Ever since the two of them had joined the Pioneer Corps, they had rarely contacted their family or sent news back to the gym. Yuga had no idea how they were doing.

Of course, he was confident the brothers were alive and well—if anything had happened to them, the Pioneer Corps would certainly have informed their family.

The Guli Mountain Range located at the very edge of the Hoenn region's human-inhabited world, were their destination. Even traveling by aircraft, it took Yuga and N over half a month to reach the area.

On the eighteenth day, Yuga finally saw towering peaks piercing the sky through the aircraft's window. Those were the Guli Mountain Range.

Despite Hoenn's generally hot climate and lack of snow-capped mountains, many peaks in the Guli Mountain Range were covered in snow, a testament to their staggering altitude. These peaks could almost rival Mount Coronet in Sinnoh.

"Amazing, isn't it?" N, sitting beside Yuga, suddenly asked.

"Indeed, it's both magnificent and beautiful," Yuga replied sincerely, filled with awe.

"When I first came here, I felt the same way," N said, sharing the sentiment. It was at that time he realized how narrow his previous life experiences had been.

"But this place is also extremely dangerous," N added.

Behind the vast expanse of the Guli Mountain Range lies an endless wilderness inhabited by countless wild Pokémon in their most primal state. These Pokémon were unbound by any rules and occasionally crossed the Guli Mountain Range, disregarding the boundaries established there.

When that happened, the Pioneer Corps operating in the Guli Mountain Range had to be extra cautious.

At the same time, this wilderness represented untold wealth. The Pioneer Corps frequently organized expeditions into the area. However, since Trainers above the Elite Four level were prohibited from participating, these expeditions often incurred heavy casualties.

N had joined several such expeditions in the past, surviving multiple life-or-death crises to achieve his current growth.

The Totem Pokémon of the Guli Mountain Range acted as guardians, preventing the powerful Pokémon from the wilderness from crossing over. In a way, this served as a form of protection for the Pioneer Corps. It was also the primary reason the Pioneer Corps had refrained from outright conflict with the mountain's Totem Pokémon.