The Duel Tournament and New Ventures

After the brawl incident, Yuga imposed strict rules for the Pokémon in the Ecopark: fighting was allowed, but no real harm was to be inflicted, even if there were irreconcilable differences between them. If they truly wanted to settle things seriously, they could report to Yuga, who would then organize a grand duel where they could resolve their issues in front of everyone.

To Yuga's surprise, a Pokémon actually requested a duel.

The challenger was Alolan Persian, and its target was the recently confined Persian.

Aside from its own two children, Rockruff and Alolan Meowth, Alolan Persian had a particular fondness for Weavile. The fact that Weavile and Diggersby were chased down and beaten by Persian and his three wives was something Alolan Persian took great offense to.

Though this recent conflict had indeed been initiated by Weavile, Alolan Persian knew all too well the past grievances between Weavile and Persian. It felt that Weavile's actions were perfectly justified.

Alolan Persian itself was the type that would never let a slight go unpunished. If it suffered at someone else's hands, it would make sure to get even.

Had Alolan Persian been present when Weavile sought revenge on Persian, it certainly wouldn't have stood idly by.

With Alolan Persian resolute in its stance, Yuga had no choice but to bring Persian back.

Alolan Persian recounted the history of grievances between Weavile and Persian to Yuga, and Yuga finally understood why Weavile had initiated the conflict.

After listening, Yuga shot a sharp glare at Persian: "Look at you! All you ever do is stir up trouble for yourself. Now karma's come around."

Hearing Alolan Persian's recounting, Persian was completely baffled—it had no memory of bullying Weavile. Maybe... perhaps... possibly it had done so once.

Persian had bullied so many Pokémon over time that it couldn't remember who it had wronged on which day.

Since there was indeed a genuine conflict, with Alolan Persian determined to stand up for Weavile, and both Weavile and Alolan Persian unwavering in their resolve, Yuga agreed to the duel.

And so, the first-ever Duel Tournament at YoYo Day Care began.

Persian was no match for Alolan Persian, who was careful not to deal any heavy blows or target any vulnerable areas. Instead, it aimed for the spots that would hurt the most, making sure Persian felt the sting without suffering a serious injury, leaving him thoroughly subdued.

After this duel, Persian was very well-behaved for a long time, no longer harboring the slightest inappropriate thoughts toward Alolan Persian.

Before, it might have considered their little skirmishes as a bit of fun, but the combination of psychological and physical torment was far too terrifying!

After dealing with the duel between the two Persian, Yuga returned to the shop and found that Mayor Ishida was also there.

"Mayor Ishida, what brings you here? Something up?" Yuga asked curiously.

"I've got something to discuss with you," Mayor Ishida replied, pulling Yuga into the guest room.

"So here's the thing: I want to hold a Grass-type Pokémon Duel Tournament in Verdanturf Town and invite Grass-type trainers from all over the world to participate. What do you think?" Mayor Ishida said, rubbing his hands together.

Yuga was surprised and replied, "That sounds great! But why a tournament only for Grass-type Pokémon?"

Mayor Ishida smiled, "You might not know this, but our Verdanturf Town is now being called the 'Land of Grass-type Pokémon' by outsiders, and it's all thanks to your Grass-type Pokémon promotion plan from back in the day! I want to take this opportunity to put the Verdanturf Town on the world stage."

The "Land of Grass-type Pokémon"? Yuga truly hadn't known that; the town's development was mainly handled by Mayor Ishida, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

But the Verdanturf Town truly deserved this title. Now, almost every household in town kept at least one or two Grass-type Pokémon, with wealthier families even keeping five or six, or even seven or eight.

These Grass-type Pokémon were different from ordinary ones; most of them had mastered the Grassy Terrain move and were adept at tending to plants and flowers. As a result, Verdanturf Town was lush and in full bloom nearly every day of the year.

In recent years, the number of Grass-type trainers in the Verdanturf Town has been steadily increasing, and last year, these trainers had made appearances at various regional league tournaments. Although they hadn't achieved ideal rankings, it was still far better than in previous years.

"I think this is a great idea! Go for it," Yuga said supportively.

"With your blessing, I'm relieved! I was worried I might be overreaching and that you wouldn't agree!" Mayor Ishida sighed in relief. Yuga was the pillar of Verdanturf Town; with his support, the mayor felt confident he could succeed.

Yuga laughed, "There's nothing to worry about! The Verdanturf Town isn't the little place it used to be. Even if the results aren't perfect, we can handle it now. Go ahead and make it happen."

Yuga could tell that Mayor Ishida was aiming to do something big this time, but that was a good thing. For a town like the Verdanturf, which relied heavily on tourism and agriculture, a bit of publicity was necessary to reach the global stage.

Yuga's support brought a broad smile to Mayor Ishida's face; nothing boosted his confidence more than Yuga's endorsement.

"How about this? We can offer a Grass-type Pokémon with a blue potential from YoYo Day Care as a prize for the tournament," Yuga suggested.

Since Mayor Ishida was putting so much effort into the Verdanturf Town's development, Yuga, as the Gym Leader, couldn't just sit back and do nothing. With a blue potential Grass-type Pokémon as the prize, there would surely be no shortage of trainers who are eager to participate.

Hearing Yuga's words, Mayor Ishida exclaimed in delight, "Really? That's wonderful!" He knew well the kind of appeal a green potential Pokémon would bring.

After chatting for a while in the guest room, Mayor Ishida left in a hurry; now that the decision was made, there was a lot to prepare.

Although Mayor Ishida wasn't young, he was incredibly proactive. Since he was planning to host a major tournament, he knew sponsors were essential—relying solely on the Verdanturf Town's finances wouldn't be enough for such a large-scale event.

After a period of running around, Mayor Ishida successfully got Devon Corporation to come aboard. In addition, many large companies with branches in Verdanturf Town also joined as sponsors.

This was partly due to Yuga's prominent role as the town's Gym Leader and partly because these companies saw potential in Verdanturf Town's future.

Over the past few years, Verdanturf Town has shown remarkable development, with continuous expansion and a flourishing economy, making it a worthy place for investment.

While Mayor Ishida worked tirelessly for the town, Yuga wasn't idle either. Leveraging his connections, he reached out to various leagues to help promote the tournament in their regions.

It was during times like these that Yuga's vast network proved invaluable.

With the leagues' assistance in spreading the word, news of the Verdanturf Town's Grass-type Pokémon Duel Tournament quickly spread across various regions.

Yuga already had a strong reputation, and now, with a blue potential Grass-type Pokémon as the prize, more and more trainers were taking notice.

Moreover, Yuga invited Cynthia, Diantha, and Caitlin to serve as judges for the tournament, which further elevated the event's prominence.

Yuga and Cynthia were friends, so when he asked her, she readily agreed.

Caitlin, who was close friends with Cynthia, happened to be there when Yuga called, and she volunteered to serve as a judge too, even lowering her usual appearance fee.

Yuga, of course, had no objections; the more support, the better.

As for Diantha, Yuga invited her through his connections. Although he knew her, their relationship wasn't quite close enough to consider each other friends.

Initially, Yuga had thought about inviting more high-profile figures to serve as judges, but hiring them would be too costly, and having too many people would increase expenses, so he decided against it.

If there were unlimited funds, he could invite as many big names as he wanted. Unfortunately, Champion and Elite Four appearance fees were sky-high, and even though he didn't have to pay directly, he still had to consider the sponsors.

YoYo Day Care was also one of the tournament sponsors. As the Gym Leader of the Verdanturf Town, Yuga felt it was his duty to lead by example.

However, YoYo Day Care's sponsorship share was modest and couldn't compare to major corporations like Devon.

When considering the judges, Yuga had thought about inviting Steven as a "free helper," but Mayor Ishida suggested that Yuga himself was enough representation from Hoenn, so there was no need to trouble Steven, who was always busy.

Yuga agreed; if Steven used this as an excuse to try and dump the Champion's position on him again, it would be more trouble than it was worth.

Since the Verdanturf Town placed great importance on this tournament, Yuga was noticeably busier than usual.

Since Mayor Ishida was mainly responsible for organizing the Duel Tournament, Yuga, after handling the initial phase, found himself gradually less busy as things began to run smoothly.

After some thought, Yuga decided to add a new service to YoYo Day Care.

In the past, there had been requests from parents wanting to reserve Pokémon for their children under the age of ten at YoYo Day Care, so the child could come to receive it once they were old enough—somewhat akin to how children would receive their first Pokémon from League professors.

At that time, Yuga had declined due to tax-related issues.

Now that YoYo Day Care was tax-exempt, there would be no problems in launching this service.

Yuga spent a long time in his room, listing all the details that needed attention, and once he felt he'd covered everything, he went to discuss it thoroughly with Windy.

The two of them spent a long time deliberating before finalizing the service and then posted an announcement on the YoYo Day Care website.

Starting today, YoYo Day Care would allow parents to pre-order Pokémon for their children, paying a fixed amount to YoYo Day Care each year, so that when the child reaches ten, they could come to receive the Pokémon.

For example, if a five-year-old child wanted to reserve a Pokémon worth 500,000, their parents could pay 100,000 annually to YoYo Day Care, and by the time the child turned ten, the payments would be complete.

This could ease the financial burden on some families; after all, not every family could produce 500,000 all at once, and paying in installments would be much more manageable.

This was quite different from YoYo Day Care's previous service, where customers would receive the Pokémon first and then make installment payments.

However, there were restrictions on this service.

First, the child's parents must be legal citizens of the League, with no record of serious crimes.

Second, the child must be under seven years old; those older than seven would not pass the service review, and those over ten or adults would be outright ineligible.

Lastly, only ten slots would be available each year, with five opening in the first half and five in the latter half, on a first-come, first-served basis. However, YoYo Day Care held the right to final approval.

Once this service announcement was released, it immediately caused a great stir. Unfortunately, the service was aimed at children under ten, so it wasn't relevant to most trainers.

After finalizing the new service, Windy hesitantly spoke to Yuga, "Boss, I'd like to find some time to visit Kanto."

Surprised, Yuga looked at him and asked, "What made you suddenly want to go back?"

Yuga knew that Windy's sudden desire to return to Kanto was likely related to Sasaki Shindou's recent visit; otherwise, Windy, who hadn't returned in so many years, wouldn't have suddenly wanted to go back.

Windy replied, "I'd like to visit my uncle and aunt. I won't stay long, so it won't interfere with my work."

Windy's main responsibility was maintaining and managing YoYo Day Care's website, so as long as he had access to a computer, his physical presence at YoYo Day Care wasn't strictly necessary.

After considering for a moment, Yuga said, "It's a good idea for you to go and visit them, after all, they're some of the few family members you have left."

Windy nodded, saying no more. Truthfully, after working at YoYo Day Care for six or seven years, his feelings for his uncle and aunt might not be stronger than his bond with the people at YoYo Day Care.

Over the years, the boss had treated him like family, allowing him to live free of worries aside from his designated work, a far better life than he'd had with the Sasaki family.

"Oh, and I'll have the Great Flygon to accompany you on your trip. Since you don't know how long you'll be gone, having a Pokémon with you for protection will ease my mind," Yuga suggested to Windy.

The Great Flygon was at the Elite level now, more than adequate as a bodyguard.

Although Porygon was always with Windy, it usually assisted with work and had never been in battle, so it couldn't be relied on in a fight.

"Understood. Thank you, Boss," Windy accepted without hesitation. Having known Yuga for so many years, he understood Yuga's nature and knew that he wasn't just being polite. Having a bodyguard along would make him feel more secure, too.

The tournament venue was set to be the Contest Hall, currently the largest venue in the Verdanturf Town. However, modifications were necessary to turn it into a proper dueling arena.

Yuga and Mayor Ishida decided to take this opportunity to remodel the space into a multifunctional venue, allowing it to be readily used for both contests and battles in the future.

To avoid clashing with the regular annual league tournaments, Yuga and Mayor Ishida ultimately scheduled the duel tournament to take place a month after the league tournament ended, giving Verdanturf Town ample time to prepare.