I'm the Owner of the Pokémon Day Care In the World of Pokémon

Chapter 1084: Yuga vs. Ash and Gary

May performed quite well in this Pokemon Contest in Verdanturf Town, outshining his competitor, Drew, and earned the coveted ribbon badge.

In order to celebrate May's achievement, Yuga had his Audino showcase its skills to prepare a celebration feast for her. For May, who was a foodie, this was the greatest reward imaginable.

However, calling it a celebration feast was a bit of an exaggeration; it was actually a small party.

Since Ash and the others found the gathering too small and not lively enough, Yuga invited Drew and Gary to join as well. When Gary arrived, the two sisters, Ruri and Amber, came along too.

Yuga had saved the people from the inspection team, so the two sisters were extremely grateful to him, making Yuga feel quite embarrassed.

Yuga didn't reveal the real reason behind the sudden sleepiness in the Petalberg Woods to the others, as he couldn't disclose Darkrai's whereabouts to prevent ill-intentioned people from getting ideas about it.

However, both Yuga and the forest rangers had reported Darkrai's settlement in the Petalberg Woods to the League. In the future, they would also help to conceal Darkrai's movements to prevent unnecessary disturbances.

At the end of the party, Yuga found Ash and informed him that he would be going on a business trip and wasn't sure when he would return. Thus, he hoped Ash could postpone their Gym battle to the next day. Without hesitation, Ash agreed.

Gary, who overheard Yuga's conversation with Ash, immediately expressed his discontent and said to Yuga, "What about our promised battle? When will that be fulfilled?"

Seeing that Gary was about to cause trouble, Ash instantly made a fuss.

"This is a Gym battle; it's important! Your matters can wait until Mr. Shimizu has the time to deal with it!"

Gary, hearing this, immediately puffed out his neck and said, "Why should it be that way? I clearly had an agreement with Gym Leader Shimizu first! How can you, who cuts in line, say such things?"

Ash glared at him, saying, "It doesn't matter who came first; what's important is whose matter is more significant!"

Gary retorted, "What kind of joke is that? Do you look down on me?"

...

And just like that, the two started arguing.

One must admit, that these two were natural enemies. Ever since Gary returned from the Petalburg Woods, they had been bickering whenever they met. Normally, Gary appeared quite mature, but when he faced Ash, he instantly reverted to a childish state.

Yuga was headachy from the bickering of the two, and in the end, he could only helplessly say, "How about this? You two can join me for a double battle."

Upon hearing Yuga's words, both Ash and Gary exclaimed in unison, "I'm teaming up with Gary (Ash) for a double battle?"

Yuga nodded, "If you're unwilling, then you can decide among yourselves who battles me first tomorrow."

Ash and Gary exchanged glances, and with a look of disdain, they said, "Well, if that's the case, let's do it that way."

"However, Ash, you'd better be sharp; if you drag me down, I won't let you off easily!" Gary said arrogantly to Ash.

"What? I'm dragging you down? Don't forget who lost so badly in the Silver Conference!" Ash retorted with a fierce look.

Upon hearing Ash mention the Silver Conference, Gary's face turned pale with anger: "Don't flatter yourself; let's not forget that before coming to Hoenn, our battles only ended in a draw."

At this point, Yuga was surprised; in his memory, after the Silver Conference in the original story, Ash had lost in all of his encounters with Gary, but now it was a draw. It seemed that Ash had really improved compared to the original story.

"Alright, alright, since it's been decided, let's not keep arguing over these small matters," Yuga quickly calmed the two down and then asked Ash, "Ash, are you sure you want to team up with Gary? If you lose, I won't give you the Verdant Badge just because you performed a little better."

Ash thought for a moment and then firmly replied, "Don't worry, Mr. Shimizu! We'll definitely win, so just wait and see." Although he spoke disdainfully, Ash still recognized Gary's strength.

Yuga smiled knowingly: "Then I'll be looking forward to it. But remember, double battles emphasize cooperation, so you'd better discuss strategies well to avoid internal strife."

The next morning, Ash and Gary were already waiting for Yuga at the gym. Seeing them arrive so early, Yuga teased, "I didn't expect you two to have such a good relationship."

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

The two glared at each other, not responding to Yuga's comment.

Noticing their silence, Yuga chuckled, "Since everyone is here, let's start the match." With that, he signaled to Beidou, who nodded and stood in the referee position to announce the match rules.

The battle would be Yuga against Ash and Gary, with each side allowed to send out two Pokémon at a time. Yuga could send out a total of six Pokémon, while Ash and Gary each had three. After one Pokémon from either side fell, the next could come out without interruption. The side whose Pokémon were all knocked out would lose.

"Both sides ready, the match begins!"

At Beidou's command, all three released their Pokémon simultaneously.

Yuga's two Pokémon were Vileplume and Lurantis, while Gary sent out Nidoqueen, and Ash released Heracross.

Seeing Ash's Heracross, Yuga was surprised and said, "Ash, is that Heracross?"

Ash scratched his head and said, "After hearing what you said earlier, I found it very reasonable; I can't just focus on nurturing new Pokémon. So, I brought a few old friends from home."

"Heracross!"

Heracross happily waved at Ash upon hearing his words, looking quite pleased.

Yuga nodded and said, "Since that's the case, let's begin the match!"

"Heracross, Megahorn!"

"Nidoqueen, Mud Bomb!"

As soon as Yuga finished speaking, Ash and Gary took the initiative.

Watching Heracross charging with its large horn and the incoming Mud Bomb, Yuga remained unfazed and directed Vileplume and Lurantis: "Vileplume, Sunny Day! Lurantis, X-Scissor!"

At the command, Vileplume retreated behind Lurantis and threw a bright Weather Ball into the sky, causing an immediate change in the cool morning temperature.

Meanwhile, Lurantis dashed forward, using its enormous scythe to shred Nidoqueen's Mud Bombs one by one before colliding with Heracross's massive horn.

In terms of strength, Lurantis couldn't compete with a powerhouse like Heracross and was pushed back slightly. However, with the change in weather, Lurantis seemed to be invigorated, raising its other scythe to unleash Leaf Blade, sending Heracross flying.

Lurantis is a Pokémon that particularly loves sunlight. Under sunny conditions, its stats may not increase, but its fighting spirit becomes elevated.

Moreover, its ability, Leaf Guard, prevents it from falling into a status condition under sunny weather, meaning it won't be poisoned by Nidoqueen's Toxic.

"Lurantis!"

Lurantis raised its arms towards the sun, forming a gigantic golden blade of light in its hands.

Solar Blade is Lurantis's signature move. With the Sunny Day boost, it doesn't require charging, and Lurantis can use it almost effortlessly.

Boom!

The light blade sliced straight down towards Heracross, who narrowly dodged it, but Lurantis didn't hold back, grasping the golden blade once more.

Boom, boom, boom!

The display was truly impressive.

Blades of light came crashing down near Heracross's body, which rolled to evade them, but was forced into a desperate situation.

Ash's Heracross had blue potential, while Yuga's Lurantis was not as strong, but Lurantis had been at the Ecopark for quite some time and frequently participated in gym battles. The daily training had made it even stronger than Ash's blue potential Heracross.

Seeing Heracross in a disadvantageous position, Gary's Nidoqueen immediately began to provide support with Mud Bombs. However, Yuga's Vileplume was also ready and shot a beam of sunlight to repel the Mud Bombs.

Under sunny conditions, the Solar Beam didn't require any charging.

In terms of strength, Vileplume was the weakest on the field at that moment, but the Solar Beam was exceptionally powerful under clear skies, momentarily restraining Gary's Nidoqueen.

As Heracross was about to succumb to Lurantis's fierce and relentless attacks, Ash anxiously shouted, "Heracross, close combat!"

"Heracross!"

Heracross's momentum surged dramatically, and it pressed tightly against Lurantis. First, it delivered a punch to Lurantis's abdomen, which was blocked by Lurantis's broad scythe. Then, it grabbed Lurantis's sleeve and executed a shoulder throw, sending Lurantis sprawling on the ground.

Just as Heracross was about to stomp down on Lurantis's chest, Lurantis swiftly unleashed a golden blade of light, slicing horizontally at Heracross. Heracross was instantly sent flying.

Although close combat is powerful, it lowers one's defenses afterward. After taking a hit from the Solar Blade, Heracross couldn't get back up.

Seeing Heracross down, Gary instinctively wanted to taunt Ash, but realizing they were currently in a doubles battle, he swallowed the words back.

Watching Heracross fall, Ash promptly sent out his next Pokémon, Noctowl.

At this moment, Yuga's Lurantis, panting heavily, stood back up. The close combat had inflicted considerable damage on it.

Looking at Ash's shiny Noctowl, Yuga smiled and said, "You two's coordination isn't quite in sync yet. Lurantis, continue with Solar Blade!"

"Lurantis!"

Lurantis called out energetically, a gigantic golden blade even larger than before hovering above its head, then swung down with unstoppable momentum.

Ash's Noctowl nimbly dodged it, but Lurantis's actual target was not it, but rather the Nidoqueen behind Noctowl.

Nidoqueen attempted to evade but was caught off guard, having no choice but to cross its arms and brace for the incoming Fire Punch.

However, the power of the Solar Blade was too strong, crushing the ground beneath Nidoqueen's feet, and causing her arms to feel numb from the shock.

At that moment, Ash's Noctowl had quietly circled around to Vileplume's back and used Psychic to knock Vileplume down. The effect of the sunny weather had just worn off, and before Vileplume could use Sunny Day again, Noctowl struck with an Air Slash.

Vileplume wasn't like Lurantis, who was an experienced battler in gym competitions; this was Vileplume's first gym battle, and its purpose was to assist Lurantis. Its own strength was not impressive, making it unable to withstand two of Noctowl's moves that were super effective against it.

Without the boost of sunny weather, Lurantis, which had originally planned to deliver another Solar Blade to Nidoqueen, ended up launching a dud, allowing Nidoqueen to seize the opportunity to use Megahorn and send Lurantis flying.

Lurantis had already suffered considerable injuries from Heracross's close combat, and Nidoqueen's Megahorn took it out in one hit.

Seeing Yuga lose two Pokémon in a row, Ash and Gary exchanged knowing smiles, feeling a hint of newfound synergy.

"Not bad, not bad, you're getting the hang of it!" Yuga said as he took out two more Poké Balls, praising the two, "But a harsher test awaits!"

Yuga's second and third Pokémon were a Vaporeon and a Jolteonn.

Among the Eevee family in Yuga's Ecopark, the strongest were Jolteon and Umbreon, followed by Vaporeon. These three were the leaders of the Eevee family. This time, Yuga sent out two of them at once, significantly increasing the difficulty of the match.

Upon seeing Yuga's Jolteon and Vaporeon, Ash exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, aren't they should be Grass-type Pokémon?" Before coming to Verdanturf Town, he had done a lot of research and knew that the Verdanturf Gym was a Grass-type gym.

Yuga raised an eyebrow and replied to Ash, "Wouldn't it be boring if they were all Grass-type? A bit of unpredictability makes it more fun, doesn't it? And it's more challenging!"

Ash's competitive spirit was immediately ignited by Yuga's words: "I love challenges the most; just bring it on!"

Seeing Ash so excited, Gary couldn't help but roll his eyes, thinking to himself: This fool. Jolteon and Vaporeon released by Gym Leader Shimizu were visibly stronger than Lurantis and Vileplume. Only a fool like Ash could be so carefree; let's see what he'll do if he can't earn a badge!

With this in mind, Gary looked at Vaporeon and Jolteon Pokémon on the field.

He saw Vaporeon lazily squatting on the ground, its long tail gently swaying, and the moisture in the air was slowly gathering towards it. In stark contrast, Jolteon had assumed a battle stance the moment it appeared, its golden fur standing on end, occasionally flashing with crackling electricity.

This is going to be tough! Gary frowned to himself.

"The match continues!"

The voice of Beidou rang out, and the battle began!

"Nidoqueen, Mud Bomb!"

"Noctowl, Air Slash!"

As Ash and Gary called their commands, a transparent air blade was sent out by Noctowl, while a mass of purple sludge was spat out by Nidoqueen, targeting both Vaporeon and Jolteon.

However, unlike the previous battle with Vileplume and Lurantis, Vaporeon and Jolteon were incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, they had vanished from sight.

While sprinting, Vaporeon tossed a blue water orb into the sky, and dark clouds slowly began to gather overhead. Soon, raindrops began to fall.

"Jolteon, Thunder! Vaporeon, Water Gun!"

Yuga's calm voice echoed in Ash and Gary's ears, and then the two saw golden lightning streaking across the sky, accompanied by crashing waves of blue water.

"Noctowl!!"

"Nidoqueen!!!"

The sounds of pain rang out as Nidoqueen was struck by the water column, and Noctowl was knocked down by the lightning.

Instant knockout!

"This is going to be tricky!"

Seeing Nidoqueen and Noctowl taken out so quickly, Gary's brows furrowed deeply, and even the normally carefree Ash was momentarily stunned.

Observing the two on the opposite side with looks of difficulty, Yuga smiled and said, "I told you, a tougher challenge awaits! Especially you, Ash. You've been training with me for a while now; if you don't show some real skill, I won't easily give you the badge."

Upon hearing Yuga's words, Gary looked at Ash in surprise. Ash trained with Gym Leader Shimizu?

"I understand; I will do my best!" Ash replied with a serious expression. After saying that, he took out a Poké Ball, and upon seeing this, Gary also took out his next Poké Ball.

With two flashes of red light, two new Pokémon appeared on the field: Snorlax and Umbreon.

...

[ Snorlax ]

Type: Normal

Ability: Thick Fat

Gender: Male

Potential: Indigo

Level: 60

Moves: Tackle, Rest, Amnesia, Body Slam, Sleep, Snore, Dream Eater, Hyper Beam, Rollout, Belly Drum, Giga Impact, Surf, Ice Punch, Light of Ruin, Self-Destruct.

...

[ Umbreon ]

Type: Dark

Ability: Synchronize

Gender: Male

Potential: Indigo

Level: 59

Moves: Pursuit, Helping Hand, Quick Attack, Aura Sphere, Foul Play, Moonlight, Collect, Guard Swap, Protect, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Roar, Dark Pulse, Wish, Iron Tail, Hyper Voice, Trick.

...

After reviewing Ash and Gary's Pokémon data, Yuga was momentarily taken aback, surprised that both their Snorlax and Umbreon were of Indigo potential.

Gary was the grandson of Professor Oak, so Yuga wasn't surprised that Umbreon was of indigo potential, but Ash's Snorlax seemed to have been caught by accident in the Orange Archipelago.

It seemed that this Snorlax had devoured someone's orchard and was rejected, which was how Ash caught it. To his surprise, it was also of indigo potential—talk about luck!

No wonder Snorlax was able to accompany Ash all the way to the end.

The levels of the two Pokémon also surprised Yuga; Umbreon was just a step away from being an Elite level Pokémon, while Snorlax was almost equivalent to an Elite level Pokémon.

Both sides' Pokémon were now equal in level, but in terms of potential, the opponents were superior. (Snorlax's level was the same as Jolteon, while Umbreon's level was the same as Vaporeon's.)

"Snorlax, you've got to do your best!" Ash shouted, encouraging Snorlax.

"Snorlax!" Snorlax squinted its eyes and responded to Ash with a goofy expression.

"Umbreon, we can't lose either!" Gary imitated Ash, cheering for Umbreon.

"Umbreon!" In contrast to Snorlax, Umbreon had a much cooler demeanor.

Seeing that both were ready, Yuga said, "Then I'll start my attack! Vaporeon, Water Gun! Jolteon, Thunder!"

At the same time, Gary and Ash simultaneously gave orders to Umbreon and Snorlax.

"Umbreon, run!"

"Snorlax, use Amnesia!"

Vaporeon's Water Guns shot out one after another, but Umbreon's speed was incredible, causing all the Water Guns to miss; meanwhile, Jolteon's Thunder struck Snorlax but was unexpectedly bounced back.

"Umbreon, Wish!"

"Snorlax, keep using Amnesia!"

As the attacks from Vaporeon and Jolteon continued, Gary and Ash once again issued commands to Umbreon and Snorlax. After a short period of coordination, their teamwork was becoming increasingly seamless.

Ash's Snorlax's defensive capabilities surprised Yuga; every time a bolt of lightning struck it, Snorlax would bounce back, and any remaining damage would be completely healed by Umbreon's Wish shortly after.

Snorlax is already a Pokémon with extremely high special defense, and this particular one seemed to be exceptionally gifted. Combined with the boost from Amnesia, Ash's Snorlax was a total nightmare for Vaporeon and Jolteon, which excelled in special attacks.

Realizing the strength of the opposing side, Gary no longer acted rashly; instead, he commanded Umbreon to protect itself while assisting Snorlax.

After a period of buildup, Snorlax's special defense finally reached its limit, and Ash and Gary's voices sounded simultaneously on the field.

"Umbreon, use Helping Hand on Snorlax!"

"Snorlax, use Giga Impact!"

Umbreon flashed with light and then tapped Snorlax. Immediately, Snorlax charged forward like a battering ram, targeting Vaporeon directly.

Vaporeon initially wanted to dodge, but a flash of purple light appeared in Umbreon's eyes as it activated Psychic, causing Vaporeon's movements to momentarily freeze, allowing Snorlax's Giga Impact to hit precisely.

Vaporeon let out a cry and lost its combat ability.

Seeing Vaporeon attacked, Jolteon unleashed a Thunder attack on both Snorlax and Umbreon. However, the two Pokémon, with their extremely high defenses, braced the attack and remained unscathed.

Once Umbreon went down, Yuga immediately released Decidueye.

As one of Yuga's main Pokémon, Decidueye, while at a similar level to Vaporeon, was far superior in strength.

Upon its entry, it drew back its bow and activated the Spirit Shackle move. Umbreon attempted to evade but couldn't outrun the arrow shot by Decidueye; the shadow arrow pinned Umbreon in place.

Meanwhile, without Vaporeon, the rain gradually returned to normal, causing Jolteon's Thunder to lose accuracy. In a moment of panic, Snorlax who is just recovering from the side effect of Giga Impact, seized the opportunity to attack and landed a Body Slam, knocking out Jolteon.

It must be said that Snorlax using Amnesia was truly a "Pokémon killer."

With Jolteon gone, Yuga's last Pokémon chosen was Abomasnow, his second main Pokémon, which was at Elite level, slightly higher than Snorlax but with inferior potential.

As soon as Abomasnow entered, it swung its fist, using Ice Punch against Snorlax, who retaliated with a Brick Break.

Boom!

A sound wave rolled through the arena, and Snorlax was actually pushed back several steps.

"Wow, that's huge!"

"Wow, that's huge!"

Seeing Abomasnow appear, both Ash and Gary exclaimed in unison. Even Snorlax's massive size seemed lacking compared to Abomasnow.

Thus, the two large Pokémon started trading punches, one after another.

On the other side, Umbreon was pinned in place by Decidueye's Spirit Shackle. It immediately used Dark Pulse to counter, but Decidueye, with its flying advantage, nimbly dodged Umbreon's attack and shot another Spirit Shackle arrow.