4. Become The Director Of The Orphanage

The orphans in this world are all physically healthy—there are no cases of missing limbs or serious illnesses causing abandonment by their parents.

The main reason for this lies in the dangers of being a Trainer.

Being a Trainer is incredibly hazardous in the wild. This world is twice the size of the one Evan came from, with regions like the Trackless Forest harboring unique challenges.

Many of these orphans lost their parents because their parents encountered dangers in the wild. With no one else to turn to, the children were sent to the orphanage.

Some don't even know who their parents are.

After all, Trainers often find themselves in unpredictable situations with their companions in the wild. Sometimes, unfortunate accidents occur. In certain cases, female Trainers choose not to raise their children and leave them at orphanages instead.

This situation is quite common.

So, orphans are found everywhere in this world.

It's not surprising when a few two- or three-year-olds are suddenly brought in.

Su Yu had seen this many times.

Adoptions do happen, but they're rare.

The cost of raising a child is high.

If a child wants to become a Trainer, you have to support them in studying and passing exams.

Then, there are the significant costs associated with Pokémon adoption and care.

Once you graduate from high school and get your Trainer certification, you can start raising Pokémon.

However, Evan didn't.

He had planned to finish his studies and then capture Pokémon, but things changed.

Before high school, everyone learns the basics, though some don't even learn them well.

Some people choose to travel and challenge gyms after high school.

Others, like Evan, stay in school to continue their education.

In college, there were Pokémon battle classes.

But the Pokémon used in those classes were trained by the school and only for teaching. They weren't personal Pokémon, and each class featured different Pokémon.

...

Pokémon grow rapidly.

Owning a Pokémon early gives you more opportunities.

Of course, even if you don't have a Pokémon right away, you can catch up with others later—if you have money!

A well-bred Pokémon can reach its full form in just a few months.

After that, it's all about your training and resources.

With money, training a Pokémon becomes easier.

You can pour all kinds of resources into it, allowing the Pokémon to grow swiftly.

In short, that's how things work in this world.

Without money, you're at a disadvantage.

Evan had considered paying to adopt a Pokémon after high school.

But after careful calculation, he gave up.

Even if you get a Pokémon early, if you don't have the money to buy energy cubes and other essentials, it's tough to raise one properly.

And that's not even counting energy cubes.

When your Pokémon gets injured in battle or training, you need to heal it, right?

There are healing machines, but each use costs several hundred.

Even at school, there's a charge, though it's cheaper. Still, Pokémon tend to get hurt after class every day.

Who can afford that on a regular basis?

Some Pokémon even need evolution stones or special items.

Those can cost thousands or even tens of thousands.

An average family just can't keep up with such expenses.

Emmm...

If you do the math, raising even an ordinary Pokémon costs at least 100,000 a year.

That doesn't even include the money spent acquiring the Pokémon in the first place.

So, Evan decided not to raise a Pokémon during college and planned to reconsider after graduation.

Initially, Evan had saved up 500,000 yuan as starting capital.

But then, out of nowhere, a Tauros hit The Orphanage.

In the end, it seemed like being a Trainer just wasn't for him.

Come back and raise your children to farm, and then take some time to be a breeder.

...

The topic had gone too far.

Evan looked at the group of little ones gathered around and couldn't help but smile slightly.

He gently picked up a very cute little girl and started ruffling her hair.

The scent of innocence on these children is... ahem.

"Have you been good today?"

"Did you listen to the aunties?"

Naturally, Evan was not alone in the orphanage.

There were many aunties here to help take care of the children, all of them from the neighborhood.

Of course, the orphanage paid them wages, asking them to help clean, cook, or do other chores.

At the same time, sometimes volunteers would come to help, or a caring girl Trainer might stop by to see the children.

...

Upon hearing Evan's question, several of the little ones hurriedly answered.

"Yes, yes!"

"We were very good today."

"Evan, have you graduated?"

"Do you not have to go to school anymore?"

"Hey, Evan, what's that on your back?"

"It looks like an egg."

"Eh, eh, eh? An egg?"

"Is it a Pokémon egg?"

"Wow, Evan has a Pokémon too!"

After answering Evan's questions, the curious kids quickly noticed the egg he was carrying on his back.

As soon as they spotted it, their excitement soared.

There's no one in this world who doesn't love Pokémon, and seeing Evan with a Pokémon egg made them even more thrilled.

In their minds, it wouldn't be long before a Pokémon would hatch, and they'd have one to play with.

Their previous dean wasn't a Trainer, but a junior breeder. It was thanks to his skills that the orphanage could keep running.

He used the fruit trees he grew to make energy cubes and sold them, gathering funds to ensure the children could grow up healthy and strong.

It was through the old dean's selfless dedication that Evan and the others never suffered from malnutrition.

Now that the old dean had passed, Evan had taken over that responsibility.

But Evan was much more skilled than the old dean. He was already an intermediate breeder.

It wouldn't be long before he could be promoted to a senior breeder.

Once he became a high-level breeder, the energy cubes he made would be in high demand.

By then, Evan wouldn't have to worry about money and could even consider raising and training Pokémon.

But, that was a plan for the future.

After playing with the little ones for a while, Evan took the egg back to his room.

His room was separate from the others, where he and the other orphans used to live.

However, most of the others had left the orphanage for different cities, so now it was just his room.

In recent years, fewer children had been sent to the orphanage, so many of the rooms remained empty.

In addition to the living quarters, the orphanage also had a few workshops.

These were the places where the old dean used to make basic energy cubes.

The children at the orphanage had learned how to make them, as the old dean had taught them all.

And it was precisely because of this that Evan had his earlier idea.

Let the children help with making energy cubes... ahem.