The Second Day

The main event of the second day of the exchange conference was the Pokémon Showcase, which could be seen as a way for various Day Cares to promote themselves. After all, the conference was also being televised.

Yuga found today's activities much more interesting than yesterday's, and he felt that he was learning a lot.

Participating in the Pokémon Showcase required advance registration. However, most of the participants were League-affiliated Day Cares and large to medium-sized private Day Cares.

It wasn't that small Day Cares weren't allowed to participate, but even if they did, they wouldn't achieve good rankings. In fact, they might just end up being stepping stones for others, so many of them chose not to participate.

However, not all small Day Cares refrained from participating. Some small Day Cares that didn't care much about rankings still chose to register.

This event was like a Pokémon-themed fashion show, where each Day Care showcased a minimum of fifteen identical baby Pokémon of the same species. Otherwise, they wouldn't qualify to participate.

Of course, a Day Care could also present two different species of Pokémon, but each species needed to have more than fifteen representatives.

It's worth noting that Reggie's grandfather's Day Care, Blue Sky Day Care, also registered for this event. So, apart from Yuga and Rand, both his grandfather and Reggie were in backstage preparing.

The first Day Care to appear was the official Day Care of Rainbow City in the Kanto region. This Day Care focused on raising Grass-type Pokémon, and when a group of twenty Bulbasaur appeared on stage, they immediately caught everyone's attention.

It was probably the organizers' way of starting on a high note—having the first group of Pokémon be the Grass-type starter trio from the Kanto region.

Rainbow City Day Care owned a breeding facility designated by the League to specialize in the Grass-type starter trio. Most new Trainers in the Kanto region received their Bulbasaur from this facility.

This was why Reggie's grandfather had mentioned that even if the League-affiliated Day Cares couldn't sell their Pokémon, they would still find a place for them.

The League had a large number of in-house Trainers, including police officers, investigators, forest rangers, and others who required Pokémon from official Day Cares. The starters for new Trainers were among these Pokémon.

The second group to appear was another League-affiliated Day Care, the Red Lotus Island Day Care. They specialized in Fire-type Pokémon, particularly Magby.

The Magby, fiery red all over, held hands and took cautious steps on stage, following the gestures of the Breeders guiding them. They performed various adorable actions, melting the hearts of the audience.

Apart from the impressive performance of the League-affiliated Day Cares, private Day Cares also showed their strengths.

From the Day Care Joint Council's top five members, Midnight Day Care exhibited Houndoom, a Pokémon that combined Dark and Fire types.

They presented twice the required number of Houndoom, thirty ferocious Houndoom stepping onto the stage and letting out a series of howls, effectively showcasing the traits of Dark-type Pokémon.

Yuga had previously owned a Houndour that had evolved into a Houndoom. Before evolving, its personality was a bit of an anomaly among Dark-type Pokémon.

Common characteristics of Dark-type Pokémon included arrogance, ferocity, intelligence, cunning, and mischief. However, Midnight Day Care's Houndoom seemed even more aggressive than the typical Houndoom.

Midnight Day Care was headquartered in Johto and specialized in raising Dark-type Pokémon. They excelled not only in nurturing Houndoom, but also in raising Murkrow, making them a formidable enterprise.

As for the leading private Day Care in the Hoenn Region, it was Aroma Day Care, also among the top five members of the Day Care Joint Council.

Judging from the name, it was apparent that Aroma Day Care specialized in nurturing Grass-type Pokémon. They were the only Day Care in the event that exhibited two different species.

The first group of Pokémon they showcased was the Cacnea, a cactus Pokémon. This unevolved Cacnea had a peculiar appearance and a somewhat goofy expression, making it quite endearing.

The second group of Pokémon consisted of Water and Grass types, the Lotad line.

As the Lotad children, each wearing a lily pad on their heads with vacant expressions, slowly and leisurely lined up on the stage, Yuga felt that regardless of how odd Ludicolo and Lombre looked, Lotad was undeniably adorable.

Also, Edward's "Truly Adorable" Day Care participated in this event as well, showcasing their signature Pokémon, Clamperl.

Yuga thought that while Edward might not be much of a person, the Clamperls in his Day Care actually looked quite good.

Reggie's grandfather's Blue Sky Day Care presented Starly, one of the most common Pokémon in the Sinnoh Region.

Though the Starly in this group were of low levels and young age, they displayed advanced flying skills on stage. Yuga also noticed that all these Starly had green potential values.

Reggie's grandfather had definitely put in a lot of effort for this showcase. These young Starly might be small, but they had undergone rigorous training.

Yuga believed that Reggie's grandfather was undoubtedly a wise person.

From the potential values of these Starly, it was evident that he considered them to be the flagship Pokémon of his Day Care, and the results were already starting to show.

Compared to other less common Pokémon, Starly was widely distributed in the Sinnoh Region. It was relatively easier to find excellent individuals for breeding purposes from them.

Staraptor, Starly's final evolution, was an exceptional Flying-type Pokémon. As long as their potential was sufficient, there would certainly be no shortage of buyers for them.

From these Starly, Yuga could see that Reggie's grandfather had achieved preliminary success.

Apart from the exceptional performances of the aforementioned Day Cares, the subsequent presentations by many other Day Cares were also impressive.

For instance, the official Day Care of the Sinnoh Region Seaside City showcased Piplup, while the Unova Region Verdant Leaf Day Care exhibited the Sewaddle. The Aurora Day Care of Lumiose in the Kalos region showcased Swirlix, among others.

Each Day Care showcased their unique Pokémon in their own way, leaving the live audience thoroughly impressed.

Even though Yuga was knowledgeable about many Pokémon, he hadn't seen most of them firsthand. Today's Pokémon Showcase truly broadened his horizons, as different Pokémon from various regions were gathered together, creating a visual feast.

When the Pokémon Showcase segment concluded, not only Yuga and Rand felt somewhat unsatisfied, but many in the audience also sighed.

However, this showcase wasn't just about spectators enjoying the show. Rankings needed to be determined, making it a form of competition among the Day Cares.

After careful evaluation, the Rainbow City Day Care claimed the first place, Midnight Day Care took second, and the Seaside City Day Care secured third.

Two out of the top three were League-affiliated Day Cares, indicating that private Day Cares were slightly less skilled in Pokémon breeding techniques compared to official Day Cares.

The evaluation of this event wasn't solely based on the variety of Pokémon. It also took into account various factors like the Pokémon's development, inherited skills, and potential values.

Reggie's grandfather's Day Care did reasonably well, ranking above average. For a Day Care of its size, this was already quite impressive, considering the participating Day Cares came from all over the world.