179 The Talkative Bird

After seeing off Gabby and Ty, Yuga's mood became quite good. Following this television station coverage, Yuga believed that more people would come to know about YoYo Day Care's existence.

It seems the path to the rise of his Day Care is about to begin, Yuga thought.

"Sister Koen, keep an eye on the shop. I'm heading to the Pokémon Center," Yuga called out to Suzuki Koen.

Today was the day Yuga took the Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for a check-up. As soon as Yuga left the Ecopark, he recalled the Pokémon into their Poké Balls.

"Sure, go ahead," Suzuki Koen replied upon hearing Yuga's voice.

Upon arriving at the Pokémon Center, the lobby was broadcasting the Pokémon Contest of Lilycove City. The screen displayed Yuga's good friend, Robert.

"The winner of the Lilycove City Pokémon Contest is once again Robert."

"Yeah, he's so strong. I heard he already has five Ribbon Badges."

"Really? So fast!"

"But he's known as the genius coordinator. This doesn't count as fast."

...

Regarding Robert winning the Lilycove City Pokémon Contest again, the lobby of the Pokémon Center was buzzing with discussions. There were expressions of astonishment, envy, and even some sarcastic remarks... Various reactions were abound.

So Robert won again in the Lilycove City Pokémon Contest. I should give him a call to congratulate him, Yuga thought.

Ignoring the people in the lobby, Yuga went straight to find Nurse Joy.

Seeing Yuga approaching with Eevee in his arms, Nurse Joy said, "You're here. Still for the check-up?"

Yuga nodded, took out the Poké Balls, and said, "Same as before."

After Chansey taking Yuga's Poké Balls, Nurse Joy said, "Please wait a moment."

During the waiting time, Yuga decided to give Robert a call, and he chose a video call.

"Hey, how are you?"

Yuga greeted Robert with a smile as he appeared on the other end of the call.

"Why did you suddenly decide to call me? Is there something wrong?" Robert asked in a puzzled tone.

"What? Do I have to have a reason to call you? Can't I just call you for no reason?" Yuga feigned seriousness.

"Speak if there's something! If not, I'm hanging up!" Robert wasn't falling for Yuga's bluffs. Seeing that Yuga wasn't getting to the point, he was about to hang up.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you." Seeing that Robert wasn't taking the bait, Yuga dropped the playful act. "I heard you won the Lilycove City Pokémon Contest again?"

Robert nodded and said, "Yes."

"Congratulations! You got all five Ribbon Badges, right? Let me know when the Grand Festival takes place. I'll come to cheer you on."

"Sure, I'll let you know when the competition happens."

After ending the call with Robert, Yuga's Pokémon had also finished the check-up.

"Your Pokémon are fine, very healthy. You take good care of them." Nurse Joy handed the Poké Balls back to Yuga, looking pleased.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Yuga took the Poké Balls and expressed his gratitude.

Seeing Eevee in Yuga's arms, Nurse Joy suddenly asked, "Didn't I see you holding a Budew some time ago? Did you sell it?"

Being a breeder himself, Yuga understood what Pokémon Nurse Joy was referring to—there's no Eevee or Budew in his lineup. But they appeared in his arms one after the other.

Hearing Nurse Joy's words, Yuga froze for a moment, answering somewhat awkwardly, "No, no, Budew evolved. It's at home."

Upon hearing that Budew hadn't been sold and had actually evolved, Nurse Joy's expression turned puzzled. Why would Budew evolve and then be replaced by Eevee? However, Nurse Joy didn't voice this question.

"I see!" This phrase from Nurse Joy carried a deeper meaning.

Nurse Joy was well aware of the Pokémon Yuga had. Eevee wasn't part of them, and neither was Budew. But both of them appeared successively in Yuga's arms.

Nurse Joy: Hmmm, Mr. Shimizu, I think I've stumbled upon something.

Under Nurse Joy's curious gaze, Yuga "escaped" from the Pokémon Center.

I'm really not a cute Pokémon enthusiast, Nurse Joy! Yuga felt like crying without tears, but he couldn't reveal that he was doing all this for the sake of completing a system task.

While walking down the street, Yuga's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of something hanging on a branch. He walked over and took it down.

It turned out to be a dead bird. Yuga sighed.

At that moment, the dead bird suddenly opened its eyes. The gaze of a person met the gaze of a bird, and Yuga was momentarily stunned.

"Hello! Could you spare some food?"

Oh my god, the bird is talking!

Yuga instinctively took out a Poké Ball and tossed it.

Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk!

Without any struggle, the light on the Poké Ball dimmed, indicating a successful capture.

"Did it work that easily?" Yuga picked up the Poké Ball from the ground, muttering to himself.

...

<<Chatot>>

Type: Normal/Flying

Gender: Male

Ability: Keen Eye

Potential: Yellow

Level: 18

Moves: Chatter, Whisper, Taunt, Mimicry, Screech, Imitate.

...

After Identification, it's a true newbie.

But never mind, it can talk! potential, strength, and such things don't matter.

So Yuga brought the Chatot back home.

Upon returning to the shop, Yuga released the Chatot from the Poké Ball, then prepared some food and water for it.

Half an hour later.

"Ah! Finally coming back to life!"

After eating and drinking, the Chatot collapsed onto the table, patting its round belly where it had consumed a lot of food.

Seeing the Chatot eat so much in one go, Yuga worried that its stomach might burst. He had refilled its food multiple times.

"Human, I thank you for the meal," the Chatot turned its head to Yuga and said.

Yuga couldn't help but think that this bird surprisingly understood gratitude.

"In appreciation of your somewhat handsome appearance, I'll give myself to you!"

Yuga had barely finished complimenting the bird in his mind for not even three seconds before its next sentence dropped his jaw.

"Hey, hey! You're a male bird, can't you tell I'm also a male?" Yuga helplessly replied.

"Hey, kid, no need to pretend. Who doesn't know about a thing called 'gay' these days?" The Chatot slyly looked at Yuga and winked.

Pffft!!! Yuga felt like he was spraying a mouthful of blood thirty meters away. What kind of bird is this? How does it know everything?

"Even if I could be gay, our species are different, so we can't fall in love," Yuga felt like he was going to vomit. He actually had a serious conversation about "being gay" with a bird.

The Chatot climbed up from the table, flapped its tiny wings, and fluttered onto Yuga's shoulder. It patted his cheek and said, "Hey, gender, species—it doesn't matter. True love is what matters! Don't worry, I'll love you well in the future."

Yuga immediately yanked the Chatot off his shoulder, then pressed it down onto the table. "No need to love me. Just keep your mouth shut."