Hoothoot stayed in the small Ecopark for a week in total before being picked up by the Chatot and taken back to the Ecopark.
Upon returning to the Ecopark, Hoothoot's lazy demeanor completely changed, and it became very diligent. The Noctowl was delighted by this transformation.
Furthermore, Hoothoot would often leave the Ecopark to visit the Spinarak and play together. Sometimes, it even brought small gifts like Pokéblocks to the Spinarak.
The Pokéblocks it gave to the Spinarak were obtained from Ariados within the Ecopark. Ariados, currently pregnant with Galvantula child, and curently was overflowing with maternal love and readily agreed to Hoothoot's requests. Who knows, there might be a little Spinarak egg inside Ariados's belly as well.
A month passed quickly. Yuga's Pokémon Paradise construction was nearing completion, and the region was gradually transitioning into winter, approaching the end of the year.
Yuga felt fortunate that the Pokémon Paradise would be finished before the year-end, allowing the workers to return home for the holidays without delay.
As for the stray Pokémon, they had already moved into their new homes. Although the Pokémon Paradise wasn't completed yet, the living quarters for the stray Pokémon were one of the first parts to be finished and were already fully constructed. The stray Pokémon were quite content with their new homes; even during winter, they wouldn't be cold.
Yuga had also hired several workers in town specifically for maintaining cleanliness in the Pokémon Paradise.
Once the stray Pokémon had settled into the Pokémon Paradise, Liliana began assisting Yuga in promoting the adoption of these stray Pokémon. The official website of YoYo Day Care also promoted this. Even Nurse Joy put up a simple promotional poster in the Pokémon Center.
However, after some time had passed, there were people coming to see the Pokémon, but none had been adopted yet. Yuga wasn't in a hurry, though; she understood that this was a long-term endeavor that couldn't be rushed.
In reality, there were still many people who loved Pokémon. In the world of Pokémon, not everyone was a Trainer, and the number of non-Trainers far exceeded the number of Trainers.
There were also quite a few amateur Trainers who treated Trainer just as a hobby rather than a profession, balancing it with their other jobs.
The world's functioning depended on production, and without production, human activities couldn't continue. Apart from Trainers, most humans had their own jobs and responsibilities.
Some people, in their leisure time, with the capability and time, chose to raise a Pokémon as companion.
For Pokémon who primarily served as companions, ordinary people didn't demand much in terms of Potentials (excluding some wealthy individuals).
Many of the lower potential Pokémon at YoYo Day Care were intended for this type of audience.
Yuga and the others were searching for potential adopters among this group of people.
Mr. Yasu and his wife, Keiko, had come to Verdanturf Town amidst their busy schedules to visit their parents. While Verdanturf Town wasn't economically prosperous, its environment was excellent, and many elderly people from well-off families chose to stay in the local nursing home.
Mr. Yasu's parents were among them. Of course, Mr. Yasu's family wasn't exceptionally wealthy, just comfortably middle-class.
After visiting their parents, the couple left the nursing home, intending to find a place to stay in Verdanturf Town.
Their visit coincided with the upcoming New Year, and, being busy with work most of the time, they hadn't had the chance to visit their parents properly. They couldn't possibly leave their parents here for the holiday season.
As they parked their car near a hotel and were about to leave the parking lot, they passed by a tall building. Suddenly, a billboard on top of the building seemed to fall straight toward them.
The incident happened so suddenly that the couple didn't know how to react. They could only watch in shock as the billboard descended towards them.
Just when the couple thought they were doomed, several blue water pillars suddenly appeared and shattered the falling billboard, saving both of them.
Turning around, the couple saw two Marill and one Azumarill standing not far away, and the water gun move they had just used came from these three Pokémon.
Yasu and Keiko wanted to call out to the three Pokémon, but as soon as the Pokémon noticed that the couple had seen them, they panicked and rushed into a nearby corner, disappearing in the blink of an eye. The couple didn't know what to do.
Passersby who witnessed this scene were equally shocked, realizing that if they had been in that spot instead of the couple, it wouldn't have been a playful accident; it could have been fatal.
The owner of the billboard, upon hearing the commotion, immediately came out to apologize to Yasu and Keiko. When he heard about the incident, he broke into a cold sweat, relieved that no lives were lost. Otherwise, he would have been held accountable.
The couple wasn't too concerned about the owner's apology as they were more intrigued by Marill and Azumarill's actions. Misinterpreting their lack of interest in the apology, the billboard owner generously compensated them.
Afterward, the couple wanted to find Marill and Azumarill to express their gratitude, but Verdanturf Town was neither too big nor too small, making it challenging to locate the three Pokémon without any clues.
So, the couple decided to visit the Pokémon Center to see if Nurse Joy had any information.
After hearing the couple's description, Nurse Joy smiled and said, "I see. You can check with YoYo Day Care."
The couple was puzzled.
Even though they weren't Trainers, they knew that Pokémon Day Care were places where Pokémon were sold. Could Pokémon from an Ecopark freely wander around?
"Regardless, you should go and inquire. You might get some results."
Nurse Joy playfully teased them.
She remembered that among the batch of stray Pokémon she had checked, there were indeed two Marill and one Azumarill. However, she couldn't guarantee it was the same group.
Although the couple was curious, they trusted Nurse Joy and didn't think she would deceive them. So, they left the Pokémon Center and headed to YoYo Day Care.
YoYo Day Care was quite famous in Verdanturf Town and easy to find. The couple simply asked someone and quickly located it.
Yuga had just returned from his Gym to accept a Challenger's challenge when he heard that someone wanted to see him.
"Are you looking for me?" Yuga asked with a puzzled expression.
"Are you... the owner of YoYo Day Care?" the couple inquired.
Yuga had matured quite a bit by now, and people were no longer surprised by his youth when they learned he was the owner.
"That's me. What can I do for you?" Yuga replied.
The couple proceeded to explain their experience to Yuga.
"I see," Yuga said after a moment of silence. "In that case, come with me."
With that, Yuga led the couple to the Pokémon Paradise.
I wonder if anyone will argue with the author about whether people in the Pokémon world can survive getting hit by a billboard, thinking Marill and Azumarill were interfering unnecessarily.