The group agreed without hesitation.
They immediately decided to head over to the Day Care.
Once they exited the Pokémon Center, Yumi took the lead while the others followed behind her.
"To be closer to the forest and wild areas, Grandpa Yanagi specifically built the Day Care in a more remote spot," she explained as they walked.
"Even so, trainers come here to raise Pokémon nonstop."
"That's because Grandpa Yanagi isn't just a pseudo-Elite Four-level trainer—he's also one of the top-ranked breeders in the entire country."
"Just imagine how rare the Pokémon Egg he's offering today must be."
Hearing this, Ash's heart stirred slightly.
He had just received the system's reward: [Cocoon of Destiny] — guaranteeing a Shiny Pokémon from his next Egg.
Now, this gave him the perfect opportunity to get a top-tier Pokémon Egg.
Looks like he'd have to go all out in the upcoming battle tournament.
…
The Day Care wasn't far from the forest-side Pokémon Center.
They walked for about twenty minutes down a shaded path lined with towering oak trees.
The air smelled of fresh grass and damp soil, with the distant sounds of insects, birds, and playful Pokémon echoing through the woods.
Another five minutes later, the woods opened into a sunny clearing.
"There it is," said Yumi, pointing to a building ahead.
Everyone turned to look.
The Day Care wasn't some luxurious, flashy estate. It looked more like a peaceful manor in harmony with nature.
The main structure was a two-story wooden and stone house with a rustic charm.
A gentle grassy slope lay in front of the house, where a few Tauros were lazily grazing, swishing their tails.
To the side, a clear shallow pond sparkled under the sun, with Poliwag and Wooper happily swimming around.
At the moment, the front of the Day Care was packed with people.
Even the number of Pokémon watching had climbed into the hundreds, covering all sorts of types.
The atmosphere was electric—on the verge of boiling over.
In front of the Day Care, on the battle platform, two trainers were in the middle of a 3-on-3 match.
One of them was Paul, the trainer from Sinnoh.
His opponent was a sweating, middle-aged man—a local Elite-tier trainer from Viridian City.
Yet against this young man, who looked about the same age as his own son, he was completely outmatched.
Two of his carefully raised Pokémon were already down.
Only one Grass-type Leafeon remained.
But even that one seemed like it wouldn't last long.
"It's over!" Paul commanded. "Drapion, use Poison Fang!"
In the center of the field, Paul raised his hand sharply.
The moment the order came, a massive purple Drapion opened its jaws.
With powerful legs, it kicked off the ground, sending cracks through the hardened dirt beneath it.
Rather than a straight charge, it launched in a low, powerful arc using incredible jumping strength!
"Leafeon, dodge! Counter with Leaf Blade!" the middle-aged trainer shouted hoarsely.
Too late.
Drapion moved like a bolt of purple lightning. Its terrifying jaws opened wide, revealing venom-coated fangs gleaming with a sinister glow.
Chomp!
It sank its teeth deep into Leafeon's side.
"Leeeaf!"
Leafeon let out a pained cry and collapsed to the ground.
Its HP hit zero—and it had been poisoned too.
Just then, the announcer's voice rang out from the speakers, cracked with excitement:
"Super effective!"
"Leafeon is unable to battle! Drapion wins!"
"Incredible!!"
"Paul has achieved an unbelievable NINE-WIN STREAK!!"
The crowd watched as the man scooped up his Leafeon and sprinted off toward the Pokémon Center.
Around the battlefield, a brief moment of silence fell—then erupted into gasps and murmurs of shock.
This kid from Sinnoh… was terrifying.
"Holy crap… another 3-0?"
"That guy's one of Viridian's top Elite-tier trainers!"
"He's a prodigy—this is what real talent looks like."
In the crowd, the chubby trainer gulped.
"He's insanely strong. This guy probably already has Gym Leader-level strength."
"With just one more Badge, he'll qualify to challenge Sinnoh's Elite Four."
The tall guy beside him looked equally stunned and nodded.
"He's not even twenty yet. What a monster."
"Seems like Paul is already the standout among Sinnoh's younger generation…"
For a moment, all the trainers around the arena silently acknowledged Paul's power.
The tournament had only been going for about an hour, and he had already racked up nine consecutive wins.
Most of Viridian's Elite-tier trainers had been completely wiped out by him.
Even the top trainers from other regions were hesitating to go up next.
After all, that last guy's entire team had been wrecked.
Nobody wanted their Pokémon to get brutalized.
"Unless a full-on Gym Leader steps in, no one can beat him."
"But Gym Leaders are all well-known figures. None of them would show up for an unofficial tournament like this."
"Looks like that Egg is as good as his."
One trainer let out a long sigh.
To think that on their own home turf in Viridian City, they were getting steamrolled by a Sinnoh trainer.
It was humiliating.
The local trainers' faces were all burning with shame.
"…Impressive."
The crowd had gone quiet again. Nearly five minutes had passed with no challengers stepping up.
Just then, the heavy oak doors of the Day Care creaked open.
An old man stepped out—white-haired, but full of energy.
He wasn't tall. In fact, he looked rather lean. But his eyes were deep and piercing, brimming with wisdom and an unmistakable air of authority.
This was the owner of the Day Care: Grandpa Yanagi.
"You're very impressive," he said, gazing at Paul with quiet admiration.
He walked to the edge of the field. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried to every corner of the crowd with a calm gravity.
"Who would've thought… After Cynthia, Sinnoh would produce another dazzling young star like you."
"Looks like this Pokémon Egg has already found its rightful owner…"
Grandpa Yanagi was just about to ask his assistant to bring out the Egg from the incubator…
When suddenly—just as everything seemed decided, and all eyes were fixed on Paul—
"Hold on."
A different boy's voice cut through the air.
[End of Chapter]