When Yuga first crossed over, he was sixteen years old; now he had turned seventeen.
His seventeenth birthday had passed while they were in the desert searching for the Trapinch. However, Yuga's previous life birthday was not on that day, so he hadn't realized it.
Upon returning, due to having missed his birthday, Yuga had received a thorough scolding from Aunt Hisako. But, he managed to avoid further reprimand by explaining that his parents had recently passed away, and celebrating felt inappropriate.
"Why do you, at just sixteen years old, want to work?" Yuga asked in confusion.
In the world of trainers, children who didn't become trainers would lead normal lives, attending school and receiving a regular education. They'd begin working at an appropriate age, not much different from the regular world.
After all, for this world's progress, elite talents who had received higher education were necessary. Trainers weren't the sole mainstream; individuals from various disciplines and fields had achieved remarkable success and contributed greatly to this world.
As for why the original owner of this body didn't attend school properly and instead dropped out to manage the Day Care, it was solely because of his ambition to inherit the Day Care one day.
"I just want to work at the Day Care. There's only one Day Care in Verdanturf Town!" As if recalling something, Arata Sena suddenly spoke with unwavering determination, his previous nervousness gone.
This statement piqued Yuga's curiosity. Why did he insist on working at the Day Care? What connection did it have with starting work at such a young age?
After their conversation, Yuga finally understood the reasons behind his decision.
Originally, Arata Sena had been a student at Verdanturf Town's Trainer School. He was even a senior to Luna and Rand.
At ten years old, the school had required every student to have their own starter Pokémon. Arata Sena had looked forward to this, as he loved the idea of being a trainer. Excited, he went home and informed his parents about the school's requirement.
To his shock, not only did his parents refuse to help him acquire a starter Pokémon, but they also demanded that he quit the Trainer School altogether.
Of course, Arata Sena was unwilling, but his parents' stance was firm. He had no power to resist. Without their support, he couldn't acquire a starter Pokémon or continue to pay the tuition fees.
Thus, he was unjustly forced to drop out of the Trainer School.
His experience was somewhat similar to Suzuki Koen's, with the difference that Suzuki Koen had voluntarily left, whereas Arata Sena was forced out.
After leaving the Trainer School, Arata Sena enrolled in a regular school, but he soon dropped out from there as well. He still wanted to become a trainer, but by then he was past the suitable age to enroll in the Trainer School. Furthermore, his parents remained opposed.
After struggling till he reached sixteen, Arata Sena finally decided he would no longer let his parents dictate his dreams. He renewed his desire to become a trainer, even though he no longer held any advantage in age compared to others. However, he was determined to give it a try.
To break free from his parents' constraints, he first needed a job. With a job, he could become financially independent, affording Pokémon and nurturing them. Among the jobs related to trainers, what could be more suitable than working at the Day Care?
Yesterday, he had coincidentally passed by the Day Care's entrance and seen the recruitment notice on the wall, which bolstered his courage to walk in.
Although Yuga found his ideas somewhat naive, he admired Arata Sena's courage. While Yuga had pursued becoming a trainer without any burdens, Arata Sena carried both familial and financial pressures.
For those who dared to take action for their dreams, Yuga always held admiration, regardless of whether they ultimately succeeded.
Understanding Arata Sena's circumstances, Yuga decided to give him a chance, saying, "My new Day Care is still under renovation. During this time, you can learn from Sister Koen. If you perform well, I'll keep you."
As Yuga spoke, he pointed toward Suzuki Koen, who was busying herself not far away.
"Really?" Arata Sena stood up excitedly, his face flushing red with delight. He looked incredibly thrilled.
Seeing his reaction, Yuga smiled and said, "Don't get too excited just yet. If you don't perform well, I won't keep you either."
"I'll do my best. I won't let you down."
Regardless of whether he'd be kept on or not, Arata Sena was ecstatic to have been given an opportunity.
Hearing Arata Sena's words, Yuga found it somewhat amusing. "Don't let me down"? What's there to let down? If you perform well, you stay; if you don't, you leave. It's a straightforward business matter; there's no concept of being disappointed or not.
Watching him with that silly expression, Yuga began to doubt whether he was fit for this job.
After everything was settled, Yuga was ready to accompany Arata Sena out. Just then, Audino came down from the second floor.
Arata Sena and Audino simultaneously called out to each other.
Seeing this, Yuga was a bit puzzled. What? They know each other?
"Do you know each other?" Yuga asked hesitantly.
"We do, we do," Arata Sena hurriedly replied.
Audino also nodded beside him.
Only after listening to Arata Sena's explanation did Yuga finally understand what was happening.
It turned out that Arata Sena was the son of the Aunt Aoba from the market, and Audino was a regular customer at Aunt Aoba's place.
Before Audino came to the Day Care, Yuga used to go to the market to buy groceries himself. However, he didn't have a habit of shopping at any specific stall. After Audino arrived, it took over this task.
Unlike Yuga, Audino got used to shopping at one specific stall, which was Aunt Aoba's.
After Arata Sena stopped going to school, he often went to the market to help his mother sell vegetables. Thus, he got to know Audino.
Yuga thought to himself, "So there's this connection." Arata Sena wasn't entirely inexperienced in sales, at least he had experience in selling vegetables.
Seeing the joy on both their faces, Yuga almost mistook his own Audino for a wall-climber. His emotions were all over the place.
Fortunately, it was just a misunderstanding.
After seeing off Arata Sena, when Audino came downstairs, Yuga asked, "Is the lesson over?"
"Alright then, let's end today's study here. We'll continue another day."
Hearing Yuga's words, Audino nodded and turned to head back to the Ecopark.