The Crybaby Charmander
Following Yuga out of the Ecopark, Charmander gazed around with curious, wide eyes at the unfamiliar surroundings, completely different from where it had lived before.
"Oh, Yuga, is this Charmander yours? It's so cute," said Suzuki Koen, who had been at the shop for a while, counting energy cubes at the counter.
Charmander was a rare sight at the Hoenn region!
Suzuki Koen crouched down, wanting to pat Charmander's smooth head, but it dodged out of the way.
Yuga smiled and said, "This little one is a bit shy, especially around strangers."
Seeing that Charmander avoided her touch, Suzuki Koen didn't mind and stood up, smiling. "It looks like it's just been taken out for a walk. It should get better as it grows."
Suzuki Koen had also attended a Trainer school and had some knowledge about Pokémon.
Yuga nodded in agreement.
"Hey, Yuga!"
Just as Yuga and Suzuki Koen were talking, someone suddenly called out to Yuga at the entrance.
Yuga looked up and saw Kris, half hanging out of the doorway, with her head and upper body visible.
"Kris! What brings you here? Come on in," Yuga said, surprised by Kris's visit, waving her in.
"Hi, Sister Koen!" Kris bounced into the room, approaching the two. She first greeted Suzuki Koen.
Suzuki Koen nodded to her and remarked, "You're here again."
Kris had visited the YoYo Day Care shortly after arriving in Verdanturf Town, but Yuga hadn't been there at the time.
Kris smiled and asked, "I hope I'm not interrupting your work?"
Yuga chuckled and replied, "Not at all! Are you here to visit your grandparents in Verdanturf Town?"
Yuga had known about Kris's grandparents, who were in the town's sanatorium, which was why he asked.
"Yeah, I visit them every so often! I heard from the townsfolk that you're back, so I came to find you," Kris explained.
As Kris continued to speak, she suddenly noticed the Charmander hiding behind Yuga's legs. Her eyes lit up, and she rushed over to Yuga, exclaiming, "Wow, a Charmander!"
Startled by Kris's loud exclamation, Charmander, with a frightened expression, stepped back, stumbled, and ended up sitting on its rear.
Charmander gazed at Kris with eyes brimming with tears. It tried to hold back its tears but ultimately couldn't and started crying, sobbing uncontrollably.
Seeing Charmander cry, Kris felt at a loss and hurriedly apologized. "Oh no, Charmander, I didn't mean to scare you! Please don't cry..."
The more Kris tried to comfort it, the harder Charmander cried. Yuga sighed and shook his head.
Charmander's crying tendencies really needed to change. Even though it was frightened, its crying was quite intense.
"Alright, Charmander, stop crying. This young lady didn't mean to scare you," Yuga said, bending down to pick up Charmander, which was crying loudly on the ground.
After wiping away Charmander's tears, Yuga thought to himself, "Even though there's a saying that girls are made of water, you're a Fire-type Pokémon! Your tear ducts are way too developed!"
Under Yuga's reassurance, Charmander finally stopped crying. It clung to Yuga's shirt, sniffling and snuffling, showing signs of having cried itself out.
Seeing the now quiet Charmander, Kris let out a sigh of relief. She looked at Yuga, her expression somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I'm really sorry, Yuga!"
She never expected Charmander to be so easily scared. Could it be that all the Pokémon she's been in contact with are too resilient?
Yuga shook his head and said, "It's not your fault; it's just this little one..."
In fact, Kris's behavior earlier wouldn't have fazed most Pokémon, not even those that are newly born. Her Charmander seemed overly sensitive.
As Yuga looked at Charmander, now peacefully asleep in his arms after its earlier crying fit, he decided to recall it into its Poké Ball. He didn't want it to get startled by any incoming customers.
Retrieving Charmander's Poké Ball, Yuga turned to Kris and asked, "So, did you come to visit me or is there something you need?"
Kris patted her forehead lightly and replied, "I actually have a reason for coming!"
"What is it? Just tell me, I'll help you if I can," Yuga offered.
Kris explained, "Well, I've decided to go on a journey in a while, but I only have one Spheal in my hand. My cousin suggested I come to you, asking if you could help me find another Pokémon."
"Robert sent you to me?" Yuga asked in surprise.
Why did Robert suddenly think of sending Kris to him? Did he somehow know about his special ability?
In fact, Yuga's guess wasn't far off. Ever since Robert learned that the Misdreavus Yuga had given to him have blue potential, he realized that Yuga was highly knowledgeable about Pokémon. However, he hadn't figured out that Yuga possessed unique eyes; he simply thought Yuga had extensive knowledge about Pokémon due to growing up in a Day Care.
Yuga took a moment to think, and Kris, worried he might refuse, hurriedly said, "Don't worry; I'll pay you fairly."
In reality, Kris knew the rules of YoYo Day Care, and she assured Yuga that she'd compensate him fairly.
Eventually, Yuga agreed. After all, Kris was his good friend's cousin, and he couldn't refuse her request.
"Okay, what kind of Pokémon are you looking for?" Yuga asked.
Kris rubbed her chin, pretending to think like an adult, and furrowed her brows, saying, "I haven't really thought about it yet."
"Then at least consider the type of Pokémon you want!" Yuga sighed.
Kris quickly replied, "Water type! Just like my Spheal!"
"You want to specialize in Water types?" Yuga asked in surprise.
Kris tilted her head and said, "Yeah, what's wrong with that?"
Yuga shook his head and said, "No problem at all; Water-type Pokémon are great. I'm just thinking about finding one that suits you."
Currently, Yuga had several Water-type Pokémon available: Clauncher, Feebas, Surkrit, and Lotad. He wasn't sure which one Kris would prefer.
Yuga told Kris, "Wait here; I'll bring over a few Pokémon for you to choose from. I hope one of them catches your eye."
Kris was delighted and said, "Great, take your time!"
Yuga nodded and turned to leave, heading towards the Ecopark.