Migration

One week after parting ways with Chimecho, Yuga was arranging a place for a Skitty in the gym's Ecopark.

Yes, this Skitty was another one of the stray Pokémon that Persian and the Delcattys had brought home.

Ever since Yuga had agreed to let that Meowth help with his work, it seemed like Persian and the Delcattys had found some kind of switch to open, as they were constantly bringing back stray Pokémon.

And they seemed to have a preference for cat Pokémon.

In the town of Hoenn, the cat Pokémon that could appear were mainly Meowth and Skitty.

So, they alternated between bringing back a Meowth one day and a Skitty the next.

Meowth and Skitty weren't particularly rare Pokémon and were commonly found in most towns, so over this period, Persian and the Delcattys had brought back over ten Meowth and Skitty.

Stray Pokémon without Persian's leadership and Skitty Pokémon, which didn't particularly like living in groups, were generally in a disadvantaged position among the stray Pokémon.

So, these Pokémon they brought back had various issues.

Yuga wasn't a professional Doctor, at most, he could treat minor injuries, so he gradually became a regular at the Pokémon Center.

Joyka had gotten used to this.

Most of the Pokémon that were abandoned or roamed outside were Pokémon with poor potential.

So, the Meowth and Skitty brought back by Persian and the Delcattys were mainly red and orange in potential.

Yellow potential ones were few and far between.

But what could Yuga do?

Persian and the Delcattys had already brought them back, and Yuga had set a precedent for taking in Meowth, so he couldn't just be selective or show favoritism!

So, he had to keep those Meowth and Skitty.

Especially for Skitty, there was an additional problem.

That was, apart from the humans who hatched them from eggs, they were very difficult to get close to other humans.

So, although these Skitty they had brought back looked cute and lively, they weren't particularly close to Yuga.

At most, they saw Yuga as a caregiver and only obeyed Persian and the Delcattys who brought them back.

But Yuga didn't mind that. As long as they were well-behaved and obedient, he didn't see any problems with that.

Fortunately, Yuga had a high affinity for Pokémon, so although these Skitty weren't particularly close to him, they didn't dislike him.

Yuga felt like he had dug himself a huge hole.

One could imagine that in the future, Persian and the Delcattys would definitely bring back more stray cats.

In the end, all these Meowth and Skitty were hired by Yuga to follow Persian and the Delcattys to patrol around YoYo Day Care.

Taking in these stray Pokémon, Yuga considered it an act of kindness.

He had earned quite a bit of money, and it was time to give back to society.

These Pokémon weren't meant for battle, they didn't participate in training either, and they didn't need high energy food like Pokéblocks, so they were relatively easy to take care of.

Because of this, Persian and the Delcattys' patrols became larger and larger.

The range they patrolled gradually expanded, from the vicinity of the YoYo Day Care and the Verdanturf Gym to the surrounding neighborhoods, and even towards other parts of Verdanturf Town.

Yuga could understand what the Pokémon were saying since he could understand Pokémon language, so they often told him about trivial things happening in Verdanturf Town.

This made Yuga almost a town gossip.

Who lost a patch of vegetables today, and who had a fight with their spouse tomorrow, Yuga knew it all.

On the other hand, Linoone, Mightyena, Purrloin, and Liepard continued to guard around the YoYo Day Care and the Verdanturf Gym, never going anywhere else.

After arranging things for Skitty, Yuga returned to the YoYo Day Care and happened to see Liliana with a young man waiting for him in the shop.

Observing the man's attire, Yuga thought, "A forest ranger?"

Yuga had seen forest rangers before and knew their distinctive clothing.

Seeing Yuga return, Liliana took a step forward and said, "You're finally back."

Yuga smiled and asked, "What can I do for you? And who is this?"

Yuga and Liliana had known each other for a while and had collaborated many times, so their interactions were quite casual.

Liliana replied, "Oh, right, let me introduce you. This is a forest ranger from the Petalburg Forest. He's here today to request your assistance."

"Sure, let's go inside and talk about it."

With that, Yuga led the two of them to the meeting room inside.

It didn't take long for Yuga to learn the reason why this forest ranger, whose name was Zaden, had come to seek his help.

Zaden's work area was within the Petalburg Forest, but given the forest's vastness, he wasn't the only forest ranger there. In total, there were four of them.

Now, in the deep autumn season, a large number of Beautifly and Dustox were migrating in the Petalburg Forest.

Every year at this time, Beautifly and Dustox in the forest would form pairs and migrate to warmer regions.

By the following spring, they would return to the Petalburg Forest to lay eggs and raise the next generation of Wurmple.

However, during this time, the Swellow and Taillow in the Petalburg Forest would take the opportunity to launch attacks on the mating Beautifly and Dustox.

In nature, such relationships of predator and prey were not meant to be interfered with by humans.

But the Beautifly and Dustox in the Petalburg Forest faced a unique situation—they suffered significant losses during their annual migration.

If the Swellow and Taillow were allowed to continue their attacks, there would be very few Beautifly and Dustox able to return next year.

This would be detrimental to the ecological balance of the Petalburg Forest.

So, Zaden's purpose in coming here was to request Yuga's assistance.

In previous years, matters like these were handled by the trainers from the Petalburg Gym and the Rustboro Gym.

Rustboro City, Petalburg City, Oldale Town, and Verdanturf Town were the four largest towns and citys around the Petalburg Forest.

Previously, like Oldale Town, Verdanturf Town didn't have a gym, but this year, Mr. Norman from the Petalburg Gym recommended Verdanturf Gym to take over this responsibility.

"I see," Yuga said after hearing Zaden's explanation. "I understand, and I'll help. It's the right thing to do."

"That's wonderful, thank you, Gym Leader Shimizu!" Zaden was relieved after hearing Yuga's assurance.

Zaden had heard about Yuga, an Elite level trainer that currently in the limelight, and getting his help made him much more confident.

He hadn't been a forest ranger for long, and this was the first time he encountered the migration of Beautifly and Dustox in the Petalburg Forest, so he had some worries.

The reason he came to Yuga for help was that his area was closest to Verdanturf Town. Another forest ranger, closer to Rustboro City, had gone to seek assistance there.