YoYo Daycare's Membership Card

Just as the swarm of Unfezants was about to close in, the ground around Decidueye suddenly surged. Thick brown tree roots, even larger than Decidueye itself, burst from the earth like a blooming flower. Each root was like a sharp sword, piercing through every descending Unfezant.

The real Unfezant, hidden among the many shadow clones, was caught off guard and struck by the roots. It had no time to escape and could only flap its wings in a futile struggle. However, its strength was insignificant compared to Decidueye's Frenzy Plant. The real Unfezant was caught mid-air, restrained by two thick roots.

Unlike the physically-oriented Unfezant, which excelled in physical attacks but lacked in special attacks, Yuga's Decidueye was a dual wielder, equally skilled in both. It could wield physical moves like Leaf Blade with precision and also unleash special moves like Frenzy Plant with great power.

However, due to Decidueye's primary focus on archery, it wasn't as proficient with Frenzy Plant as a Pokémon like Venusaur. If the Unfezant hadn't dived straight into its attack range, the move would have missed entirely.

As Frenzy Plant swept across the battlefield, the illusionary Unfezant clones created by Double Team vanished, leaving only the real Unfezant struggling among the roots.

The side effects of Frenzy Plant caused Decidueye to freeze after it landed. If Unfezant could break free from Frenzy Plant's control, there was still a chance for it to turn the battle around.

But despite its desperate struggle, Unfezant couldn't break free at all.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Soon, Decidueye recovered from its temporary freeze. Under its control, a series of Leaf Blade arrows floated beside it, then shot toward Unfezant like meteors, trailing long green tails.

Unfezant was already injured from Frenzy Plant. If not for its Flying-type resistance to Grass-type moves, it would have been knocked out by the ultimate attack.

Now, after being hit by several Leaf Blades, Unfezant let out a final cry, its head drooping as it lost its ability to continue battling.

As Unfezant fell, all the brown roots created by Frenzy Plant dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind a battlefield in ruins. The gym staff responsible for maintaining the field were going to have a tough time cleaning up.

After recalling the unconscious Unfezant, Cheren's expression shifted from disappointment to deep thought. Seeing this, Yuga said.

"Your strategy was good, but too focused on achieving quick results. The more the situation favors us, the more we need to stay calm. What if I was deliberately setting a trap for you?"

Cheren, understanding Yuga's intent to guide him, humbly nodded and replied, "You're right. I wasn't thinking thoroughly enough!"

Yuga had a good first impression of Cheren and nodded in approval. "Alright, send out your last Pokémon!"

Cheren's final Pokémon was a Cinccino, elegant and petite, yet full of charm. Robert also had one, so Yuga was quite familiar with it.

...

[ Cinccino ]

Type: Normal

Ability: Technician

Gender: Female

Potential: Blue

Level: 67

Moves: Pound, Tickle, Double Slap, Swift, Tail Slap, Wake-Up Slap, Attract, Covet, Sleep Talk, Thunder Wave, Iron Tail, Bullet Seed, Charm, Seed Bomb, Swagger.

...

This Cinccino was Cheren's strongest Pokémon, not only having a higher level than the previous two but also superior potential.

As Cinccino struck an elegant pose on the battlefield, Yuga released Kartana.

Upon seeing Kartana appear, Cheren unconsciously furrowed his brow—he didn't recognize this Pokémon!

Noticing Cheren's confusion, Yuga smiled and explained, "It's called Kartana, a Grass and Steel-type.

Cheren nodded, then instructed Cinccino, "Cinccino, use Seed Bomb!"

"Cinccino!"

Cinccino responded with a cry, opened its mouth, and shot a green bomb toward Kartana. But to its surprise, before the bomb could get close, Kartana suddenly disappeared from its original position.

Boom!

The bomb hit the ground and exploded, leaving a massive crater. At the same moment, Kartana silently reappeared right in front of Cinccino, raising its sharp blade-like arm to strike with Leaf Blade.

Clang!

Cinccino had no idea how Kartana had appeared near it in the blink of an eye. Startled, it quickly used Iron Tail to clash head-on with Kartana.

Although Kartana wasn't much bigger than Cinccino, and its weight was far less, it had an overwhelming strength advantage! If Cinccino hadn't reacted quickly, it might not have even had time to respond.

"Cinccino!"

Cinccino was sent flying by Kartana's strike, tumbling across the ground several times. Its once pristine scarf and beautiful fur were instantly covered in dirt.

Cinccino was known to have a cleanliness obsession and couldn't stand having even a speck of dirt on its body, but right now, it had no time to care about such things. Swiftly rolling back onto its feet, it leaped away, trying to create some distance from Kartana.

However, the moment it jumped, the spot where it had just been was slashed with deep sword marks. Cinccino continued to retreat, but no matter where it went, Kartana's sword light followed closely behind.

Fortunately, Cinccino was fast. Otherwise, it would have already been sliced into several pieces!

Seeing Cinccino being completely overpowered by Kartana, Cheren thought for a moment and said, "Cinccino, calm down and wait for an opportunity to use Swagger."

Kartana was far too fast, making it impossible for Cinccino to land a hit using conventional means. Cheren had no choice but to rely on status-altering moves.

Swagger would increase the opponent's attack power, but Cheren had already realized that Kartana's attack was absurdly high. Whether or not it increased, Cinccino couldn't survive even one more hit.

In the midst of its frantic dodging, Cinccino finally spotted a flaw in Kartana's movements. Letting out a soft chirp, its fluffy fur suddenly bristled. Kartana, rushing toward it, was hit directly by the move and fell into confusion.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Affected by Swagger, Kartana abandoned its pursuit of Cinccino. It leaped into the air and began wildly swinging its blade-like arms, sending waves of sword energy crashing down. Deep sword scars littered the ground as it slashed in all directions.

The battlefield, already riddled with damage, was torn to shreds by Kartana's frenzied attacks.

Taking advantage of Kartana's confused state, Cinccino hurriedly used Tail Slap on itself, cleaning its fur with lightning speed until it was once again shiny and spotless. From the practiced way it moved, it was clear this was something it did often.

Its obsession with cleanliness was evident!

"Cinccino, now's your chance—Seed Bomb!"

Taking advantage of Kartana's confusion, Cheren ordered Cinccino to attack. However, with Kartana slashing wildly and sword lights everywhere, he didn't dare let Cinccino get close, so he resorted to using Seed Bomb for a long-range attack.

Though Kartana was confused, its attack power had been boosted by Swagger. If Cinccino got hit by one of its sword strikes, it would definitely lose the ability to fight in an instant!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One green bomb after another exploded on Kartana. If it had been any ordinary Pokémon, it would have fallen by now.

But Cheren and Cinccino didn't know that Kartana excelled in three key areas: attack, speed, and defense. Combined with the boost from its Beast Boost ability, it managed to withstand Cinccino's attack and snapped out of its confusion.

The moment Kartana regained clarity, it raised its right arm high, and a giant sword of light quickly formed in its hand!

It was Sacred Sword!

Clang!

With unstoppable force, the Sacred Sword came crashing down toward Cinccino. After the dust settled, Cinccino lay unconscious in the crater, its once-clean fur now blackened with dirt again.

Kartana had struck with all its might, and Cinccino was gravely injured. Yuga quickly called for Chimecho to heal it, then apologized to Cheren with a regretful smile, "I'm so sorry, Kartana didn't know its own strength!"

Even Kartana, realizing it had gone too far, hovered beside Yuga and bent its body in an apologetic bow.

Thanks to Chimecho's excellent healing abilities, Cinccino recovered quickly. Cheren, feeling awkward, replied, "No, no, it's not Kartana's fault. Cinccino and I were the ones who used Swagger to enrage it."

Yuga waved his hand dismissively and said, "That's just part of a normal battle strategy. How about this—to show my sincerity, I'll take you on a tour of my Ecopark."

"You're about to become the Gym Leader of Aspertia City, right? I've got plenty of Normal-type Pokémon in my Ecopark. If you need some for your gym, you can pick a few, and I'll even give you a discount!"

Cheren: ...

Looking at Yuga enthusiastically recommending Pokémon to him, Cheren's image of a top-tier Trainer shattered. He couldn't help but wonder if all other top Trainers were like this too.

If Yuga knew what Cheren was thinking, he'd definitely tell him, "Oh, there are way weirder top Trainers than me. There's one who loves wearing edgy capes, one obsessed with digging rocks, one who loves showing off, and one who can't decide between ice cream flavors… The list goes on!"

Despite his disillusionment with Yuga's persistent sales pitch, Cheren eventually agreed to Yuga's suggestion. After all, Yuga wasn't wrong.

The Aspertia Gym would indeed need a group of Pokémon to be stationed there. He couldn't use his main team for every gym battle. While the Pokémon League would send a batch to the Aspertia Gym, that might not be enough.

Besides, he had already agreed to be a part-time instructor at Aspertia City's Trainer School. Training another batch of Pokémon would be beneficial for his teaching.

And so, led by Yuga, Cheren entered Yuga's Ecopark. Of course, they only visited the new Ecopark.

As backup Pokémon for the Gym, yellow potential is more than sufficient. In fact, most Gym backup Pokémon have yellow potential. Only someone as wealthy as Yuga would use all green or even blue potential Pokémon.

In most Gym battles, Gym Trainers don't go all out. After all, with so many rookie Trainers challenging the Gyms each year, if the Gym Trainers used their full strength, most challengers would probably turn back after the first Gym.

In Yuga's new Ecopark, there were quite a few Normal-type Pokémon—Taillow, Starly, Buneary, Rufflet, Eevee, Swablu—most of which were rare in the Unova region.

As a Normal-type Trainer, Cheren couldn't help but be tempted when he saw so many Normal-types. He promised to buy a few Pokémon from Yuga after his internship ended and bring them back to Unova.

Seeing how straightforward Cheren was, Yuga even gave him a membership card for YoYo Daycare.

The membership card for YoYo Daycare was different from regular membership cards—it represented a certain level of privilege, specifically the qualification to purchase high-potential Pokémon from the daycare.

This membership card service was an offshoot of a previous business Yuga had developed.

Purchasing high-potential Pokémon from YoYo Daycare required an advance reservation. Without a reservation, there was no qualification to buy.

But to make things easier for his friends, Yuga set up a special "green channel" for them. They didn't need to make a reservation and could directly buy high-potential Pokémon from YoYo Daycare.

In other words, this service was a legitimate way to bypass the system.

Initially, Yuga started this service to sell Pokémon that didn't meet the quantity requirements for public sale but could still be sold in small numbers. Later, he realized that randomly making exceptions didn't seem fair, so he introduced the membership card system.

Only Yuga, as the owner of YoYo Daycare, had the authority to give out membership cards.

Once someone had a membership card, they were qualified to purchase high-potential Pokémon from the daycare. The card was not tied to a specific person after it was given out (though the final interpretation of the membership rules was up to YoYo Daycare, and whether or not they would sell to the cardholder depended on the situation).

Of course, the privilege of using the membership card wasn't unlimited—each cardholder could only use it once per year. Each card had a unique number, and YoYo Daycare kept a clear record of which cards had been used and which hadn't.

So far, Yuga had only given membership cards to certain individuals like Robert, Steven, Wallace, Cynthia, Reggie, Volkner, and Flint. Cheren was the first outside of his circle of close friends to receive one.

When Cheren took the card from Yuga, he was genuinely surprised!

YoYo Daycare was very famous now, and its unique sales rules had become well-known, even to someone from Unova like Cheren.

Now that he had a membership card, it meant he had a direct privilege!

The membership card from YoYo Daycare was exquisitely made, and its material was very special—it was crafted from dragon scales shed by a Dragonite mother, making it nearly impossible to forge. Even if someone managed to replicate the appearance, Dragonite would easily be able to tell if it was her own scale.

Looking at the golden card in his hand, Cheren asked, "Can I use it now?"

Yuga was surprised and said, "You want to use it now? You only get one chance to use it per year—are you sure you want to use it now?"

Cheren nodded, "Yes, isn't the year almost over? If I don't use it now and the year ends, won't that be wasting a chance?"

Yuga: ...

That... actually made perfect sense!