Seeing Chatot's behavior, Yuga wanted to cover his face, feeling genuinely embarrassed.
"Hehe, let's not mind it and continue the tour," Yuga said, pulling Reggie away, leaving Chatot swooning over the Staraptor by itself.
After visiting the Ecopark of the Blue Sky Day Care, Yuga realized how challenging it was to take care of such a garden. It required constant monitoring of temperature, humidity, plant growth, waste disposal, water quality testing, soil conditions, and much more.
Comparatively, Yuga had entrusted all the management of his Ecopark to the system, which made things much easier. The operational costs of his Ecopark were also negligible.
"Is your grandfather the only one taking care of all this normally?" Yuga asked.
"Of course not. The workload is enormous, and my grandfather's Day Care has dedicated caretakers for the Ecopark. They help take care of it," Reggie replied with a smile.
Yuga felt that even if the Ecopark wasn't large in scale, managing it single-handedly would still be a tremendous task.
In his own Ecopark, internal management was handled by the system. Pokémon care was overseen by the Audino and Miltanks, so his workload wasn't substantial.
Now, thinking back, if the system hadn't appeared by his side, Yuga might not have chosen to inherit the Day Care. He might have opted to become a straightforward Trainer instead.
Because running a Day Care was truly no easy feat.
After concluding the Ecopark tour, Yuga and Reggie returned to the yard. At the moment, Reggie's brother, Paul, was playing with a Elekid and a girl with a Riolu beside him.
"That's Maylene, a Trainer from the Veilstone Gym. She often brings Riolu here to play with Paul," Reggie explained, smiling at Maylene, then telling Yuga.
Looking at the energetic girl with pink hair playing energetically with Riolu in the yard, Yuga thought she was truly lively.
Leaving the yard, Yuga saw Reggie's grandfather mixing a white powder with a few people using wooden barrels. Curious, he approached and asked, "Grandpa, what is this white powder?"
Upon seeing Yuga, Reggie's grandfather smiled and said, "This is a kind of medicine powder used specifically for deworming."
"Deworming? What kind of worms are being targeted?" Yuga asked, perplexed.
Setting down the wooden mallet in his hand, Reggie's grandfather explained, "Bird-type Pokémon rarely bathe in water, so they often have various parasites on them. While the quantity might not be large, each type can greatly trouble bird Pokémon. This powder is specially formulated for deworming."
"I see!" Yuga suddenly understood. He had never considered the issue of deworming bird Pokémon.
The Flying-type Pokémon in his Ecopark were not numerous. There was just a Swellow, Honchkrow, two Taillow, and two Zubat. Furthermore, the Zubat was a non-bird Pokémon without feathers, so he hadn't thought about these things.
"Bird-type Pokémon have abundant feathers, making them susceptible to parasites. Regularly using this powder to cleanse their bodies is crucial," Reggie's grandfather continued to explain.
"But wild bird Pokémon don't have access to this powder, and they're still healthy, aren't they?" Yuga asked, puzzled.
Upon hearing Yuga's question, Reggie's grandfather burst into laughter and said, "Wild bird Pokémon live in harsh environments, and correspondingly, their parasites endure those conditions as well. Their challenging surroundings often naturally help cleanse their bodies through activities like crawling, rolling, and climbing.
However, the bird Pokémon in an Ecopark live in a much more comfortable environment. Unlike wild Pokémon that need to burrow into forests, roll in sand, or climb into caves to survive, these Pokémon naturally attract other organisms that prefer such a cozy living."
What Reggie's grandfather was explaining were things Yuga had never thought about before. He hadn't considered the particular needs of transitioning wild Pokémon into domesticated ones.
"By the way, since you also run a Day Care, would you like to learn how to make this medicine powder?" Reggie's grandfather asked Yuga.
"Really? Is it possible? Isn't the formula for this powder quite valuable?" Yuga expressed surprise, not expecting Reggie's grandfather to entrust him with such a precious formula.
"Valuable, but not overly so. This formula wasn't developed by me. I obtained it as a reward from the League back in the day." Reggie's grandfather patted Yuga's shoulder, nonchalantly explaining.
"Well, thank you so much for this," Yuga said delightedly.
Yuga thought that Reggie's grandfather might have been quite impressive in his prime as well. From what Yuga knew, Reggie's parents had recently become prominent members of the League's direct Trainers. Therefore, it was likely that the grandfather who raised them into such competent Trainers was also extraordinary.
Both Reggie and his younger brother Paul were descendants of the League's direct Trainers. In the future, they would enjoy various benefits provided by the League. Although Reggie had missed it, by the time Paul turned ten, he would already have the opportunity to receive a highly qualified Starter Pokémon.
Guided by Reggie's grandfather, Yuga began to learn how to prepare the medicine powder.
With the sentiment "I'll teach them both or none at all," Reggie's grandfather roped in both Reggie and Yuga to learn together.
In Reggie's grandfather's view, their Pokémon needed to be cared for by their trainers. He believed that Reggie's Staraptor would undoubtedly appreciate the medicine powder personally prepared by its Trainer.
Resigned to the situation, Reggie had no choice but to agree.
Every time Yuga successfully produced the powder, he would use Chatot as a test subject. Despite its initial reluctance each time, Yuga would say, "You claim to love me, don't you? Is this the extent of your love?"
At such moments, Chatot would obediently comply.
Though Yuga was pleased with Chatot's obedience, he sometimes doubted it: Could its affection for me really be genuine? Otherwise, how could it be so obedient?
Yuga spent four days at the Blue Sky Day Care. During this time, he learned not only how to prepare deworming powder but also gained a lot of knowledge about various breeding practices.
For example, the optimal duration and distance for flight training for Flying-type Pokémon, the different sunlight requirements of various Grass-type Pokémon, and the preferences for environmental conditions of Pokémon with primary and secondary types.
In these four days of learning, Yuga realized that Reggie's grandfather was actually a highly skilled breeder, but he had never participated in the ranking assessments of breeders.
Reggie's grandfather was attentive in teaching Yuga. Aside from the core secrets of the Blue Sky Day Care, he was almost always ready to answer Yuga's questions, providing him with substantial knowledge.
In truth, Reggie's grandfather had a hidden motive for being so invested.
His daughter and son-in-law were active Trainers in the League, making it unlikely that they would return to inherit the Day Care. Among his two grandchildren, Reggie and Paul, he saw the potential inheritor in Reggie. That's why he was earnestly instructing Yuga, hoping to influence Reggie and foster his interest in inheriting the Day Care.