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

After the battle ended, Ash and Iris gazed at Yuga and Cynthia with admiration on their faces.

"That's amazing! I want to become that strong too," Ash said enviously, stealing glances at Yuga's Gengar and Mismagius from the corner of his eye.

Yuga encouraged him, saying, "You'll get there one day. Work hard!"

Yuga and Cynthia's Pokémon weren't seriously injured. After some simple treatment, they were back on their feet. Noticing Ash's actions, Gengar and Mismagius swiftly dove into Yuga's shadow with a "whoosh," disappearing from sight.

Seeing this, Iris let out another cry of surprise, which piqued the curiosity of Meloetta, causing it to reveal itself briefly out of curiosity.

When Yuga saw Meloetta, he pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh, what's this…"

Ash, seeing Meloetta appear, immediately pointed at it and introduced it to Yuga. "This is Meloetta! It's a friend we met on the road! Right, Meloetta?"

Initially, Meloetta was a bit nervous being stared at by strangers like Yuga and Dawn, but after hearing Ash's words, it quickly forgot its fear and nodded in agreement with an earnest expression.

"So that's how it is," Yuga said, feigning realization.

"The reason we were a day late was because someone was trying to capture Meloetta! It almost got caught by those bad people," Iris said angrily.

With Ash and the others introducing it, Yuga and Dawn soon became acquainted with Meloetta. Meloetta gradually stopped maintaining its invisibility, and most of the time, it started freely moving around the house.

In the evening, Yuga and the others were sitting leisurely on the second-floor balcony of the house, sipping tea, when they suddenly heard a beautiful song.

Looking down, they saw that it was Meloetta singing, lost in its own world.

Undella Town was a small seaside town, and Cynthia's house was a beachfront villa. At this moment, Meloetta was sitting on the rocks by the sea, singing.

The crimson sunset, the calm ocean, the enchanting melody, and Meloetta's graceful figure came together to form a stunningly picturesque scene.

For a moment, everyone was completely entranced.

Yuga had always known that Meloetta was a Pokémon with an extraordinarily beautiful singing voice. However, knowing it and hearing it in person were entirely different things. Only now did he truly understand what it meant to hear a natural, unadorned song that could strike directly at the soul.

No words could fully describe the beauty and power of this ancient, melodious song.

Since there were still a few days until the Junior Cup began, Yuga and the others decided to stay at Cynthia's villa for the time being.

However, Cynthia herself was hardly at home during the day, as she needed to help her best friend Caitlin in the neighboring Lacunosa Town.

As one of the Elite Four in the Unova region, Caitlin's presence was naturally indispensable for a major event like the Junior Cup. This time, she would also serve as one of the judges.

In addition, as a member of the host region's Elite Four, Caitlin had to help with the preparations for the Junior Cup. To avoid doing all the work herself, this pampered lady pulled her best friend, Cynthia—who was attending as a guest—into helping her.

In the days leading up to the Junior Cup, Ash and his friends were focused on intensive training. Whenever Yuga had free time, he would guide them, occasionally even sparring with them himself. He didn't find it boring in the slightest.

With such an expert guiding them, Ash, Iris, Dawn, and Cilan all made remarkable progress, and each of them was brimming with confidence for the upcoming Junior Cup.

However, over the past few days, Yuga couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

There was no doubt that someone had their sights set on Meloetta. But despite thoroughly investigating the area several times, Yuga couldn't locate whoever was monitoring them, leaving him to wonder if he was imagining things.

That afternoon, after lunch, Ash and the others were practicing battles in the training grounds behind the villa, while Yuga sat on the second-floor balcony sipping tea.

After sparring for a while, the group sat down to rest and chat.

At that moment, Meloetta began singing its beautiful, ancient melody once again.

Yuga was initially enjoying the enchanting song, but that unsettling feeling of being watched suddenly returned.

"Gengar!"

Yuga sharply turned his gaze in a particular direction. Gengar emerged from the shadow space and hurled a Shadow Ball at a nearby tree.

Perched among the branches was a spider-shaped black surveillance camera. Under the impact of the Shadow Ball, the camera shattered into fragments.

Yuga's instincts had been correct—they were indeed being watched.

At the exact moment the spider-shaped camera was destroyed, far away beneath the ocean, a submarine's computer screen abruptly turned to static snow.

"Report to the professor: Monitor #25 has been discovered," said a person in a black uniform seated at the computer, turning to an elderly man with graying hair.

The old man, who had been staring up at a screen filled with wave-like patterns, watched as the oscillating lines flattened out and vanished when the camera was destroyed.

These patterns were visual representations of Meloetta's recorded and analyzed singing.

Turning to his subordinates, the old man said indifferently, "Continue the surveillance."

At his command, the subordinates shuddered slightly and refocused on their tasks. Each of them had a computer in front of them, displaying live footage of Yuga, Meloetta, and the others. Clearly, the camera Yuga destroyed was just one of many.

After destroying the camera, Yuga immediately released Gengar, Mismagius, Mimikyu, Vivillon, and Chimecho to scout the surroundings.

Meanwhile, a man and a woman who had been hiding in the shadows exchanged glances before silently retreating.

Had Yuga seen them, he would have instantly recognized them as Jessie and James.

Surprisingly, the duo, usually preoccupied with causing trouble for Ash, was now earnestly carrying out a mission for Team Rocket.

Hearing the commotion upstairs, Ash shouted, "Yuga, what happened?"

"It's nothing. Carry on," Yuga replied.

He decided to wait until the evening to inform Ash and the others about his discovery, not wanting to disrupt their enthusiasm for training.

Hearing Yuga's reassurance, Ash and his friends didn't press further. Before long, they were happily resuming their intensive training.

After more than half an hour, Gengar, Chimecho, and the others gradually returned. This time, they didn't come back empty-handed—they brought back several devices identical to the camera destroyed earlier.

Meanwhile, Jessie and James returned to the submarine underwater and reported the surveillance situation regarding Meloetta to the Rocket Team scientist.

The two let out a sigh of relief upon making it back unscathed. They were fully aware that Yuga was not someone to mess with—if caught, escaping would not have been easy.

James frowned and addressed the scientist: "Doctor, now that the Verdanturf Town Gym Leader is here, will it affect our operation?"

The scientist replied, "Ignore him. Just keep monitoring Meloetta. They won't stay together forever."

"Yes, sir!"

The two acknowledged the order and then stepped aside.

That evening, Yuga informed Ash and the others about discovering the surveillance cameras. Except for Dawn, the rest were not particularly surprised, as Meloetta had already been targeted during their journey.

They were more shocked that these people had tracked them all the way to Undella Town.

This incident, however, made everyone even more vigilant.

Later, Cynthia learned about the matter as well. She had a private conversation with Yuga and entrusted the villa's security to him.

"I'll be busy helping Caitlin in the neighboring town during the day, so I won't be able to keep an eye on things here," she explained. Yuga, of course, agreed without hesitation.

The next day, Ash and his friends continued their intense training. Inspired by their enthusiasm, Meloetta unexpectedly expressed a desire to join the battles. Ash naturally welcomed the idea.

As a Mythical Pokémon, Meloetta wasn't particularly adept at combat, and this specific Meloetta was still quite young. Consequently, it was flustered and overwhelmed early on in its fight against Ash.

During the battle, Yuga and the others witnessed Meloetta's alternate form for the first time—its Pirouette Forme, a truly remarkable sight.

Transforming into its Pirouette Forme was far easier for Meloetta compared to Shaymin switching to its Sky Forme. While Shaymin required the assistance of Gracidea flower pollen, Meloetta simply needed to sing its Ancient Song, without any external aid.

When Meloetta shifted from its Aria Forme to its Pirouette Forme, its type changed from Normal/Psychic to Normal/Fighting. Its appearance became more valiant, and its combat ability underwent a qualitative transformation.

However, this transformation wasn't about raw power but rather a change in its demeanor and mindset.

Take Shaymin as an example: Sky Forme Shaymin is significantly stronger in battle than its Land Forme counterpart.

This isn't because Sky Forme Shaymin is inherently more capable but because Land Forme Shaymin is timid and cowardly, while Sky Forme Shaymin is confident, bold, and eager to fight.

In battle, the timid Land Forme Shaymin often becomes fearful, choosing to evade or retreat. Conversely, Sky Forme Shaymin charges forward fearlessly and takes the initiative to attack.

The difference between Meloetta's Aria Forme and Pirouette Forme follows a similar pattern.

In fact, this issue is common among many Mythical Pokémon. As members of the Legendary Pokémon family, Mythical Pokémon are inherently strong in combat.

However, some of them tend to flee from battles, showing reluctance and passivity during fights. This significantly diminishes their combat effectiveness. Celebi is a typical example of this behavior.

Just as Ash and the others were enthusiastically coaching Meloetta on its battle skills, a towering Golurk suddenly descended from the sky. It swung its fist at Ash's Krookodile, creating a massive crater in the ground.

Fortunately, Krookodile reacted swiftly and avoided the attack. Otherwise, it would have been struck directly by Golurk's powerful blow.

The sudden appearance of Golurk startled everyone, but things didn't end there.

A strangely dressed young man then burst out from the bushes, grabbing Meloetta tightly in his arms. He shouted angrily, "You evil people! How dare you kidnap Meloetta! Golurk, attack them!"

Hearing the command, Golurk once again raised its Shadow Punch and aimed for Krookodile. This time, Krookodile didn't dodge but countered the attack head-on with its Dragon Claw.

Ash's Feraligatr was quite formidable, but the opposing Golurk matched it evenly, indicating it was equally strong.

"Stop!"

Seeing Meloetta's close and affectionate attitude toward the sudden intruder, Yuga immediately realized there must be a misunderstanding and hurriedly intervened to stop the fight.

However, Golurk and Feraligatr seemed to pay no attention, continuing their intense brawl. Yuga, left with no choice, sent out Chimecho.

With Chimecho's Gravity skill unleashed, the battling Golurk and Feraligatr were instantly pinned to the ground, unable to move.

Chimecho floated above the two Pokémon, sternly reprimanding them. How dare they treat its master Yuga's words as mere noise! Such impudence would not be tolerated!

After Yuga's detailed explanation, the young man finally realized he had misunderstood Ash and the others.

"I'm so sorry! I thought you were with the people who took Meloetta," he said. Learning that Ash and his group had saved Meloetta, the young man expressed his sincere gratitude while feeling deeply apologetic for his rash actions.

Just as the young man was about to introduce himself, Yuga suddenly pointed toward a certain direction and said to Chimecho, "Chimecho, Shadow Ball."

Without hesitation, Chimecho launched a Shadow Ball in the direction Yuga indicated. A loud explosion ensued, and two figures scrambled out of the shadows in a panic.

"Who are you?" Yuga shouted sternly.

The two figures said nothing and tried to flee. But with Chimecho present, how could they escape? In the blink of an eye, they were restrained by Chimecho's Psychic attack.

Seeing that escape was futile, the two immediately reached for their Poké Balls, intending to resist. However, their Scolipede and Seismitoad were knocked out as soon as they were released, courtesy of another Shadow Ball from Chimecho.

When the young man saw the two faces clearly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't they the ones who've been following me these past few days?"

It turned out the young man's name was Ridley. He lived with his people in a distant forest, isolated from the outside world, and their tribe had been the guardians of Meloetta for generations.

Not long ago, a group of villains had invaded their home and forcibly taken Meloetta. Determined to rescue Meloetta, Ridley left his homeland to search for it on his own.

During his journey, he encountered these two people and was repeatedly attacked by them and their accomplices. They had even attempted to abduct him. If not for his considerable strength, Ridley might have already fallen into their hands.

He didn't need to guess why this group was targeting him—they were after Meloetta.

Ironically, if it weren't for these people following him and secretly guiding him, Ridley might never have found Meloetta.

"Are these two people part of the group that took Meloetta from your home?" Yuga asked after hearing Ridley's account.

Ridley shook his head and replied, "I don't know, but they weren't the ones who took Meloetta."

Yuga nodded thoughtfully at this response and began interrogating the captured pair. However, they clamped their mouths shut and refused to say a word.

If they wouldn't drink the toast, they'd have to drink the punishment. Left with no choice, Yuga used Hypnosis on them. The interrogation results quickly came to light.

When Yuga learned their identities, he was utterly astonished.