Kazuma

When Yuga emerged from the Ecopark, he found Audino and Windy sitting there with a look of utter dejection.

The only solace for Yuga these days was that the Pokémon in the Ecopark were being well taken care of by Audino. Their training seemed to be on track as well.

If the Ecopark's Pokémon were treated the way Audino had been pampered, Yuga might have been tempted to grab a knife and take drastic action.

Yuga had also checked Windy's computer, logged onto the "YoYo Day Care" website, and perused the comments section. He noticed that the recent confirmation of the sale of three Pokémon this month had boosted the website's popularity, thereby spreading awareness of the "YoYo Day Care" name.

Particularly noteworthy was the fact that the three slots released each month for aspiring Trainers to buy Pokémon were subject to fair competition. Regardless of one's authority or wealth, success depended on speed and luck.

This aspect had contributed to why Touya could manipulate the group into causing a scene here; it was nearly impossible for them to secure a slot amidst the multitude of Trainers.

It was worth mentioning that this month's Pokémon buyers had all been attended to by Sister Koen, as Yuga wasn't present in the shop. Consequently, he remained unaware of the specific details.

Nevertheless, Yuga had no intention of inquiring further. Since he had entrusted this responsibility to Sister Koen, he decided to extend his full trust, abiding by the adage "trust without doubt, doubt without trust."

At that moment, Suzuki Koen, seated behind the cash register, suddenly remembered something. Turning towards Yuga, she said, "By the way, boss, there's something I forgot to tell you."

Yuga had just finished browsing the website's status, closed Windy's computer, and looked puzzled as he asked, "What is it?"

After standing up and rummaging around inside the cash register for a while, Suzuki Koen retrieved a document and approached Yuga. She handed it over, saying, "Someone came to process your installment service. This is their information."

Yuga accepted the document, flipping through it to get a general sense of the Trainer named Kazuma.

Kazuma, 14 years old, a local resident of Verdanturf Town, just like Yuga. However, he lived quite a distance away from Yuga's Day Care, so the two had not previously crossed paths.

Apart from his parents, Kazuma had an older brother named Shin, who was eight years his senior and also a Trainer.

Kazuma's family wasn't well-off either, much like the Rand family. After putting their full effort into supporting Shin's aspirations to become a Trainer, they no longer had the means to back Kazuma's ambitions.

While Kazuma's parents were reluctant to have him give up his dream, they were truly limited in their ability to support him.

Furthermore, even though Shin had become a Trainer, he hadn't achieved significant success, remaining rather unremarkable among Trainers. So, Kazuma's parents thought that not becoming a Trainer might not necessarily be a bad thing.

However, Kazuma earnestly desired to become a Trainer. He assured his family that he wouldn't burden them a single bit once he became a Trainer; he would cover all his expenses on his own. Only then did he secure his parents' approval.

Kazuma's starter Pokémon was a Numell, captured by his older brother Shin.

Although his parents weren't entirely supportive of Kazuma's Trainer path, Shin was in favor of his younger brother's aspirations. Feeling guilty about not being able to support Kazuma's dream due to his own circumstances, he meticulously selected a Numell with yellow potential specifically for Kazuma.

Since acquiring Numell at the age of 10, Kazuma hadn't captured another Pokémon. He had focused solely on nurturing his Numell. Only after learning about the installment service provided by "YoYo Day Care" did he decide to take a gamble.

All these details were included in the document written by Kazuma himself, clearly outlining his situation.

After reading the document, Yuga was quite satisfied with Kazuma. Despite his family's modest circumstances, Kazuma displayed determination, a refusal to give up, a willingness to endure hardships, and a strong work ethic. This made him an ideal candidate for the installment service.

"Has this person named Kazuma visited?" Yuga raised the document in his hand and asked Suzuki Koen.

Suzuki Koen nodded and replied, "Yes, he has been here for about four or five days."

Yuga's criteria for the installment service weren't extensive. Firstly, the applicant needed to come from an underprivileged background. Secondly, they were required to provide a clear account of their background and origin. Lastly, the applicant needed to spend two weeks interacting with the Pokémon they were considering. If, after two weeks, the Pokémon was willing to go with the Trainer, then the applicant met all the criteria for the installment service.

Since the installment service didn't involve any interest charges, Yuga believed that these requirements were only fair.

"He's been here for four or five days? How's he been getting along with the Pokémon?" Yuga gazed at the attached photo on the document, feeling that this person named Kazuma seemed somewhat familiar.

However, Yuga didn't dwell on it too much. After all, it wasn't strange for people in the same town to seem familiar to one another.

"He applied for a Trapinch, and they seem to be getting along quite well. The Trapinch looks quite fond of him." Suzuki Koen seemed to have a rather positive impression of this Kazuma.

"Alright then!" Yuga nodded. "He should be back tomorrow. I'll take another look then."

After saying that, Yuga noticed Windy and Audino's expressionlessly sitting there. He angrily called out, "What are you two doing sitting there? Don't you have anything to do?"

Upon hearing Yuga's voice, both of them shivered uncontrollably. Windy, whose computer had been confiscated, stuttered, "Wh-what am I supposed to do?" He genuinely had no idea what to do in his current situation.

Yuga pointed to the Pokéblocks on the counter and said irritably, "With so many customers ordering Pokéblocks online, don't you know you need to send them out?"

"But I look like this if I go outside..." Windy began hesitantly.

The local delivery service for YoYo Day Care was managed by Pidgey's Delivery, a branch of Pidgey Express, a well-established courier company with branches all over the Pokémon world. Their couriers were well-trained Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot.

Typically, short-distance deliveries were handled by Pidgey, mid-distance by Pidgeotto, and long-distance by Pidgeot.

Their headquarters was located in Kanto, and the Verdanturf Town branch was just a small outpost.

"Blame it on me?" Yuga glared at him.

Windy eventually headed off to work with a dejected expression.

After dealing with Windy, Yuga turned his attention to Audino. "And what about you? Aren't you responsible for taking care of the Pokémon in the Ecopark? Are the Pokéblocks sufficient?" The more Yuga looked at the two of them, the more annoyed he became.