Harrison

Lain, seeing Yuga's hesitation to speak, smiled and said, "Don't you find it strange why I decided to keep Kano."

Yuga nodded in agreement, saying, "It is a bit unusual."

"It's nothing significant, really. She just reminded me of some things from my past, when i'm still at the orphanage," Lain replied, her expression turning somber, hinting at unpleasant memories. Yuga could tell that these memories were far from pleasant.

Seeing that Lain had no intention of elaborating, Yuga refrained from pressing further. If those memories were painful, he saw no reason to bring them up; he had no interest in reopening old wounds.

Two days later, Yuga returned to Forest Home to pick up Kano and Sean and bring them to the YoYo Day Care. Taking children from an orphanage involved some paperwork, signifying that the children were now independent and start a new life.

Thanks to Mayor Ishida's arrangements, the procedures for Kano and Sean leaving the orphanage were swift.

Yuga assigned Kano to Lain's care and Sean to Yasushi's. Yuga planned to "Squeeze" Yasushi before he left.

However, Yuga didn't intend for Sean to learn Yasushi's incense making techniques, as those were closely guarded family secrets. Notably, Yasushi's grandfather had driven his granddaughter away due to these secrets.

Yuga merely wanted Sean to gain experience in incense making under Yasushi's guidance, as it would be too demanding for Lain to teach both apprentices simultaneously.

It was also the first time for Lain to lead an apprentice, she had little experience. So she needed to take her time.

Despite this, it was still Lain who would teach Sean in the art of incense making.

And so, Kano and Sean settled into the YoYo Day Care. Like Anya, Misaki, and Fururo, they resided on the second floor of the new shop, which now served as the staff dormitory.

While apprentices at the YoYo Day Care, Yuga provided room and board, along with a relatively modest salary. Once they became proficient in making incense independently, their salaries would increase.

After bringing back Kano and Sean, Yuga made a point to visit Mayor Ishida again. On behalf of the YoYo Day Care, he donated a sum of money to Forest Home, hoping to assist more homeless children.

Yuga was financially secure at this point and took satisfaction in being able to help those in need. It wasn't just about contributing to society; it was a form of self-fulfillment and inner peace for him. He chose to keep this act of kindness anonymous, as he didn't seek recognition for his deeds.

One day, while Yuga was assisting customers in the shop, Beidou suddenly rushed in to inform him that someone wanted to challenge the Gym.

Curious, Yuga followed Beidou back to the Gym and was surprised to see a familiar face among the challengers.

"Are you... Harrison?" Yuga asked in astonishment.

"Big brother, we meet again!" Harrison greeted Yuga with a cheerful smile.

Their first encounter had been on the outskirts of Littleroot Town. At the time, Harrison had been a bit clumsy and even fell into the water while riding a bicycle. Now, after traveling for some time, he seemed more composed and had grown taller.

"Yes, I never expected that you'd be the one challenging the Gym today," Yuga replied, still taken aback by the unexpected reunion.

Yuga was quite surprised by Harrison's arrival. He hadn't expected to see him again over a year later.

"Hehe, I heard that you're the Gym Leader here, so I came to check it out," Harrison said somewhat bashfully.

After becoming a Trainer, Harrison had heard of Yuga's name. He couldn't believe that the person who had once helped him out of the water turned out to be so formidable.

Yuga chuckled and replied, "Alright, you came to challenge the Gym, didn't you? Let's get started then."

"Ah, thank you," Harrison said with a cheerful bow.

Both of them took their positions on opposite sides of the battle arena, with Beidou serving as the referee. Several apprentices from the Gym stood by to observe Yuga's battle with the challenger.

Whenever Yuga had a Gym battle, Ayato, Ayagiri, Anrin, and Anmu, the four younger children of the Gym, would watch closely. Since they were still quite young and hadn't embarked on their journeys yet, they didn't have many opportunities for battles. Watching Gym battles helped them gain valuable experience.

As for Kazuma and Shin, the two brothers, they didn't attend these Gym battles because they already had ample battle experience. What they lacked were strong Pokémon.

After receiving Eevee as their standard Pokémon from the Verdanturf Gym, Yuga had also given them each an additional Pokémon. Kazuma received a Gligar, while Shin received a Trapinch.

When Arata Sena and Akihito had joined Yuga, they received Pokémon from him as well, including Beidou. Kazuma and Shin were no exceptions.

After receiving their new Pokémon, the brothers were attached to them, focusing their energy on raising and training their new companions.

Yuga used Pokémon other than his main Pokémon in Gym battles, because his main Pokémon had changed too much since returning from Arus Empire. His old main team was no longer suitable for Gym battles.

So he used Pokémon from the Ecopark and rotated them during Gym challenges or used them for practice battles with the younger children.

For the Gym battle, Yuga chose to send out his Whimsicott.

This Whimsicott was the only one of its kind in the Day Care, evolved from the Cottonee he had brought back from Unova.

Seeing Yuga's Whimsicott, Harrison was surprised because it was rare to encounter Whimsicott in the Hoenn region.

The Whimsicott Yuga had was quite lively and had a different personality compared to Lain's Whimsicott. It floated in the air happily and emitted a melodious, tinkling laughter.

Harrison's first Pokémon was a Houndoom. Although Whimsicott resisted Dark-type moves, it was vulnerable to Fire-type attacks, so Harrison had prepared well for this Gym battle.

Yuga still remembers that Harrison received a starter Pokémon, Torchic, from Professor Birch, so it's highly likely that he will use it in this battle.