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

After contacting Steven, Yuga stayed in place to wait for him.

Since Steven had been busy with rescuing wild Pokémon, he wasn't far from Yuga's location. Before long, he arrived with his team.

As soon as he saw Yuga, Steven excitedly asked, "You said you discovered a Water Gem vein? Is that true? Where is it?"

Before Steven arrived, Yuga had Mewtwo hide, so now it was just Yuga, sitting atop Lapras, floating on the ocean surface.

"It's right below us, under the water. Can you go down there?" Yuga pointed to the water beneath them.

Steven hesitated. "I'd need to call in specialists to survey the area."

Although Steven had arrived on Metagross, its capabilities were nowhere near Mewtwo's. The immense water pressure at the ocean floor would likely overwhelm Metagross's psychic abilities after a short time.

After briefly discussing the situation with Yuga and confirming his claims were true, Steven left in a hurry.

When Steven returned, he came aboard a massive ship carrying a team of professional surveyors. These experts had extensive experience and could handle any terrain, whether high mountains or deep seas.

Upon his arrival, Steven invited Yuga onto the ship to provide details about the underwater situation.

Yuga didn't mention that he had seen it himself. Instead, he claimed that everything he knew had been described by his Pokémon. Since Yuga's ability to communicate with Pokémon wasn't a secret, no one questioned him.

After gathering general information from Yuga, the survey team donned diving suits, equipped themselves with various instruments, and dove into the water.

About thirty minutes later, the divers returned and excitedly reported that the underwater Water Gem vein might be a supermassive deposit—potentially the largest elemental gem vein the League had ever discovered.

Furthermore, the purity of the Water Gems in the vein was exceptionally high. Even the gems exposed on the surface were almost entirely of medium grade.

Upon hearing this news, everyone was elated, including Yuga. Discovering such a significant elemental gem vein for the League would certainly earn him considerable merit.

After clarifying the details of the Water Gem vein, there wasn't much left for Yuga to do. The extraction process would be handled by professionals, and since the vein was underwater, mechanical mining would be the primary method.

The first task, however, was dealing with the Water Pokémon drawn to the vein.

Since Yuga had lied to Steven about being there to provide humanitarian aid to displaced Pokémon, he decided to see the pretense through to the end. He stayed to help Steven for a few days.

Initially, Yuga wondered how the League planned to disperse the Water Pokémon that were attracted to the vein. Although they weren't particularly strong, their sheer numbers and underwater location made it a daunting task.

It didn't take long for him to find out. The League had invited the giant Milotic to assist. As soon as the massive Milotic arrived, the Water Pokémon scattered in all directions.

Because the League had previously helped Milotic and Manaphy drive Mewtwo away, Milotic was happy to assist with such a small favor.

Noticing Yuga's presence, Milotic, who remembered him, even greeted him specially.

Steven, surprised, pointed at the giant Milotic and then at Yuga. "You... you know each other?"

Yuga proceeded to explain how he had met Milotic, though he left out certain parts—after all, some details were better left unsaid.

After hearing the story, Steven remarked admiringly, "You really do have a 'wide circle of friends.'"

After helping Steven for a few days, Yuga made an excuse to return to Verdanturf Town. Before he left, Steven spoke earnestly to him, "Yuga, have you ever considered becoming a Champion? From what I've seen these past few days, you'd do an excellent job. I'm sure you'd make a great Champion."

Yuga pretended not to hear his words, mounted Dragonite, and flew off without looking back.

After returning to Verdanturf Town, Yuga greeted Suzuki Koen and his aunt before heading to the Ecopark with Mewtwo.

Once in the main Ecopark, Yuga released all the cloned Pokémon and asked them for their thoughts on their living arrangements. They unanimously replied that they didn't care about anything else as long as they could live together and not be separated. Mewtwo agreed with this sentiment.

Having lived together for so long, they had become like family to one another.

Yuga didn't object. After thinking it over for a long time, he decided to settle the cloned Pokémon in Oasis No. 1 of the Desert Sub-Ecopark. That area was currently home to a family of Ursaring and Pancham, a family of Kecleon, a Snorlax, and a small group of Sandile.

The Sandile group wasn't particularly large, nowhere near the numbers of the Gligar colony in Oasis No. 2 or the abundance of Spritzee and Pikachu in Oasis No. 3. Therefore, Oasis No. 1 had plenty of space, and adding twenty or so cloned Pokémon wouldn't be an issue.

Additionally, the oasis featured a lake, providing a suitable habitat for the Water-type Pokémon.

After leading the cloned Pokémon, including Mewtwo, on a tour of Oasis No. 1, they were all very pleased with their new home. The crystal-clear lake, lush green grass, and abundance of Berries made it seem like paradise.

Most of the Sandile group didn't spend much time in the oasis, so the cloned Pokémon primarily interacted with the Ursaring and Pancham family, the Kecleon family, and Snorlax.

The Kecleon family was relatively reclusive and rarely made appearances, while Snorlax spent most of its time sleeping. This left the Ursaring family as the main neighbors.

The Ursaring family was known for being unruly troublemakers, but the cloned Pokémon were strong and had the advantage of numbers. If the Ursaring tried anything, the cloned Pokémon could easily put them in their place, eliminating any potential conflicts.

In fact, that's exactly what happened later.

When the Ursaring family saw new neighbors moving in, they immediately tried to take advantage, especially eyeing the Sweet Honey allocated to the cloned Pokémon. However, they were soundly defeated.

Having wandered with Mewtwo for so long, the cloned Pokémon were far from softhearted. Anyone thinking they could bully them was in for a rude awakening!

After settling the cloned Pokémon, Yuga sought out Mewtwo and hesitantly said, "Mewtwo, there's something I need to confess. I've lied to you about a few things, and I want to come clean now."

Hearing that Yuga had deceived it, Mewtwo's expression immediately darkened. Yuga, bracing himself, explained everything honestly: the Ecopark was not a subsidiary space of Giratina, and the one who injured Mewtwo was actually Yuga's master.

Yuga had thought long and hard before deciding to confess these two truths. Since he hoped to keep Mewtwo around, he wanted their relationship to be based on honesty. It was better to be upfront now than to have Mewtwo discover the truth later.

He also explained why he had lied, laying out his reasons as straightforwardly as possible.

Mewtwo was silent for a long time after hearing this.

To be honest, when it first realized it had been deceived, it was genuinely furious. Having been betrayed by Team Rocket, Mewtwo detested being lied to. However, as Yuga spoke with such honesty, its anger inexplicably faded.

While Mewtwo didn't fully understand the nuances of human relationships, it knew the importance of being cautious around others. Hadn't it been wary of Yuga all along?

As for the matter of Mr. Kuni'o injuring it, Mewtwo had long stopped caring. After witnessing so many innocent Pokémon getting caught up in the incident, it had come to realize that what it had done was wrong, and it deeply regretted its actions.

After a moment of silence, Mewtwo said to Yuga, "Since you've been so honest, I'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again!"

Mewtwo, swayed by Yuga's sincerity, even labeled him as "honest." If Yuga were truly honest, he wouldn't have managed to coax so many Pokémon into coming back with him.

Seeing Mewtwo's expression lighten, Yuga immediately broke into a cheerful smile. "To make up for deceiving and hiding the truth from you, how about I give you a gift?"

"A gift?" Mewtwo asked, its face filled with confusion. "You don't need to give me a gift. I'm not mad anymore." Mewtwo was the real straightforward one here—so quick to refuse without even asking what the gift might be.

Yuga smirked knowingly and asked, "Are you sure? If you say no now, don't regret it later."

"I really don't need—"

Before Mewtwo could finish speaking, its eyes widened as it noticed a stone in Yuga's hand emitting a dazzling rainbow light. It stood there, stunned.

"How do you have…" Mewtwo asked, shocked.

Yuga waved the fragment of the giant stone in his hand and replied, "Don't worry about how I got it. Just tell me—do you want it or not?" This giant rock fragment had been chipped off the larger piece stored in Yuga's system inventory.

Originally, Yuga had planned to use this fragment to placate Mewtwo if it became enraged upon learning of the deception. But Mewtwo's unexpectedly straightforward reaction left him feeling a bit guilty. After thinking it over, he decided to give the fragment to Mewtwo anyway.

Staring at the fragment in Yuga's hand, Mewtwo couldn't bring itself to say "no." After struggling internally for a long time, it finally asked, "Are you… really giving it to me?"

With a smile, Yuga pressed the fragment into Mewtwo's hand. "I said I'd give it to you, so it's yours."

Clutching the fragment, Mewtwo felt a mix of emotions. It hadn't expected to acquire a piece of the giant stone in such a manner.

As Mewtwo was lost in thought, the fragment in its hand suddenly began radiating an intense light. Countless strands of rainbow-colored energy surged from the fragment and flowed into Mewtwo's body.

Within the glowing radiance, Mewtwo's form began to change dramatically. When the light finally faded, Mewtwo stood in a completely new form.

Yuga's jaw dropped in astonishment. "This… is Mega Evolution?" Mewtwo had transformed into its Mega Mewtwo Y form.

Mewtwo raised its hands to inspect them and then looked down at its body, murmuring, "Mega Evolution…"

It had long sensed that its body was undergoing some sort of special transformation, which was why it had been so eager to seize Manaphy's treasure. Now, holding this fragment, it realized the truth—this was Mega Evolution.

Mewtwo had heard of Mega Evolution before. During its travels with the cloned Pokémon, it had seen human Trainers using Mega Evolution in battle, though its understanding of the process was limited.

Yuga led Mewtwo to the lakeside. "Take a look at yourself now."

Mewtwo gazed into the water. The reflection in the lake was completely different from its usual self. It felt an immense surge in its power.

Mewtwo turned left and right, spinning in circles by the lake as it admired its new form. Its fascination drew the cloned Pokémon over to watch.

Seeing Mewtwo's expression of wonder, Yuga silently pondered why Mewtwo had evolved into its Y form instead of its X form. Could it gain the ability to evolve into the X form in the future?

Unable to figure it out, Yuga decided not to dwell on it—overthinking would get him nowhere.

Mewtwo joyfully played with the cloned Pokémon in its new form, but after a while, it suddenly reverted from its Mega Evolution form, leaving both itself and the cloned Pokémon confused.

To help Mewtwo understand, Yuga explained the various details and mechanics of Mega Evolution, even demonstrating a Mega Evolution with a Gengar.

Since Mewtwo had already used Mega Evolution once, it couldn't perform another transformation in a short time. This left the previously excited Mewtwo feeling a bit deflated.

To divert its attention, Yuga took Mewtwo on a tour of the laboratory in the Haunted House Sub-Ecopark, introducing it to three Malamars, two Meowstic, and the Rotom Computer.

After observing the production of the innovation potion and other experiments, Mewtwo developed a strong interest in the lab.

Back in the days on New Island, Mewtwo had cloned numerous Pokémon using the research data left behind by Team Rocket, showing that it had significant talent in experimental and scientific work.

After conversing with the Rotom Computer for a while, Mewtwo began to familiarize itself with the various instruments in the lab. This made the three Malamars a bit unhappy.

However, Yuga had already instructed the Malamars to not only grant Mewtwo full access to the laboratory but also to teach it everything they knew.

Reluctantly, the three Malamars had to comply, yielding to Yuga's authority. After all, they were mere captives, and their status was far inferior to that of the ecosystem residents like Mewtwo.

The Rotom Computer, after chatting with Mewtwo, quickly became fond of it. Compared to the three Malamars, Mewtwo clearly won more of the Rotom Computer's favor.

As for the two Meowstic, they were naturally closer to Mewtwo. They already held a grudge against the Malamars and served not only as lab assistants but also as Yuga's spies to monitor the Malamars.

Sharing the same pure Psychic typing as Mewtwo, the Meowstic had an inherent affinity for it.

Seeing Mewtwo adapt so well, Yuga was quite pleased. He believed it wouldn't be long before Mewtwo replaced the three Malamars in the lab's hierarchy.

When that happened, whether or not to keep these three Malamars, who had always been less than loyal, would be a decision for another day.

After Mewtwo finished its exchanges with the Rotom Computer and the two Meowstic, Yuga had it place an additional seal on the three Malamars.

The original seals on the Malamars had been applied by Deoxys. However, since Deoxys wasn't as powerful as Mewtwo, Yuga decided it was safer to have Mewtwo reinforce the seals to prevent the trio from causing any trouble in the future.

The three Malamars were furious about this action. Despite having worked for Yuga for so long, they couldn't believe he still distrusted them so deeply.

However, they had no choice. With Mewtwo's seals in place, they dared not oppose Yuga any further.

When Mewtwo applied the seals, the Malamars could clearly sense its terrifying power, making them even more afraid to act out.