Investigation

Yuga believed that even if Buneary and Pachirisu couldn't remember the location of the strangers in town, it wouldn't be a problem. He was confident he could find out where those people were hiding.

Yuga: "This is Verdanturf Town, as long as those people are still in Verdanturf Town, there's no reason for me not to find them."

After settling Buneary and Pachirisu, Yuga sought out the Natus he had instructed to keep an eye on the scar-faced individual.

Yuga was convinced that the scar-faced person was connected to those people.

"I asked you to follow that person, how's it going?" Yuga inquired of the Natus.

The Natus nodded and let out a few calls in response to Yuga.

"Did you find out where that person lives?" Yuga's heart leaped with joy. It seemed they had found a breakthrough.

The Natus nodded again.

Yuga: "Take me there."

Yuga decided to first investigate the place and determine whether it had any connection to Buneary and Pachirisu, and then decide on his course of action.

The Natus nodded in agreement and flew back into the sky, left YoYo Day Care with Yuga followed behind.

As he followed the Natus further, Yuga eventually noticed that they had stopped in front of a closed shop.

"Is this the place you're talking about?" Yuga asked in amazement.

The Natus nodded once more.

Staring at the closed shop's door, Yuga didn't know what to say for a moment.

That shop belonged to the Truly Adorable Day Care. Since the manager, Paulo, had been arrested for breeding Pokémon with drugs, the shop had remained closed.

Yuga had always believed that Edward had some involvement in that incident, but since Paulo had confessed and there was no evidence to the contrary, there was little that could be done to him.

Thinking about this, Yuga squinted at the Truly Adorable Day Care and then turned to speak to the Natus:

"You can go back now; I'll handle the rest."

The Natus nodded and disappeared from Yuga's sight in an instant.

Originally, Yuga had thought that Edward had given up on the Verdanturf Town branch, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Gengar!"

Yuga called out softly to his shadow, and Gengar emerged from it. With a touch of his hand, both he and Gengar disappeared into thin air.

Invisibility cloaked Yuga as he approached the front of Truly Adorable Day Care, peering inside through the window.

The shop's interior remained as empty as before, with no sign of anyone living there.

If it weren't for the Natus's guidance, no one would have guessed that this place still had occupants.

Both Truly Adorable Day Care and YoYo Day Care had been established at the outskirts of Verdanturf Town, which had low foot traffic. So even if something happened there, it was difficult to be noticed.

Yuga suspected that the Pokémon Day Care mentioned by Buneary was most likely Truly Adorable Day Care.

Yuga couldn't help but marvel at Edward's audacity.

Just as Yuga was about to bypass the shop and investigate further, several individuals with Mightyena emerged from the shop's right side.

"I don't know where those two little things ran off to. We've been searching for days and still haven't found them," one of them grumbled.

"Who can understand what those two Pokémon are saying anyway? We're wasting our time," another person chimed in.

"You all know our boss's personality. He's naturally cautious. Besides, it's precisely because of that trait that we've had such a long period without trouble," the last person added.

"Ah, forget it, forget it. Whatever happens, happens. After we finish this job, we'll have enough money to last for quite some time."

The first person grew impatient, but when the topic of money came up, his eyes lit up with greed.

As soon as he spoke, another person with a Mightyena emerged from the corner, and it was the scar-faced individual that Yuga had seen earlier.

Seeing the scar-faced man stare at him expressionlessly, the first person gave him a glare.

Without uttering a word, the scar-faced man turned and walked away.

"Ah, what's with the attitude? He's just a young kid. When I was out on the streets, he was probably still in his mother's womb. Acting all high and mighty," the second person muttered under his breath, spitting on the ground.

"Keep your voice down. After all, he's the boss's nephew. Besides, you can't take him in a fight," the third person said, pulling the second one back.

Hearing the third person's words, the second one looked embarrassed, pursed his lips, and eventually said nothing.

Yuga thought, "It seems that these people are indeed related to Buneary and Pachirisu. The two little things they mentioned are most likely Buneary and Pachirisu."

Once these people had left, Yuga waited for a moment and then made his way to the backyard of Truly Adorable Day Care.

There were more guards here, and Yuga could see people patrolling with Mightyenas and Poochyena.

Even though Yuga was invisible, he remained cautious and maintained a safe distance from these individuals because the Mightyenas could easily detect his scent.

Finally, near the entrance to the Pokémon Day Care's former nursery, Yuga spotted the key figure in this situation, Edward.

Edward was currently talking to a towering middle-aged man. However, they were too far away for Yuga to hear their conversation.

Once Edward and the tall man left, Yuga sneaked up to the entrance of the nursery, following a soldier who went inside to check the situation.

Inside Truly Adorable Day Care's nursery, which had now fallen into disuse, Yuga saw rows of iron cages.

(Note: Here, when it mentions a nursery, it's not an ecological park but a simplified version, low-cost, without the ability to control the environment or provide a complete ecosystem for the Pokémon to live.)

These cages held Pachirisu, Buneary, and Lopunny, one by one. They appeared to be in poor spirits, most likely due to prolonged captivity and the hardships they faced on their journey from the Sinnoh to Hoenn.

While Yuga couldn't help but feel sorry for these Pokémon, he didn't rush to take action. Instead, he quietly retreated.

This was a matter that required careful consideration.

Rescuing these Pokémon was a straightforward task, but if he startled the criminals, they might escape. Edward, in particular, had a knack for finding ways to avoid punishment.

Given the precedent of Paulo's case, Yuga believed that Edward might manipulate the situation again if he wasn't directly caught. If he claimed ignorance about what was happening here, there might not be any evidence to prove otherwise.

Yuga realized he needed Liliana's assistance in this matter.

With that in mind, Yuga left the Verdanturf Town branch of Truly Adorable Day Care.