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

The opportunity was rare, and with Sceptile fast asleep, Roserade immediately launched a barrage of Sludge Bombs at it, quickly reducing Sceptile's health to a dangerously low level.

Seeing that Sceptile was about to fall, Roserade prepared to land the final blow. However, at that moment, Sceptile suddenly opened its eyes and unleashed a Leaf Storm, pulling Roserade into its vortex.

Despite this, Roserade successfully threw out its Sludge Bomb, and the two Pokémon ended up in a mutual destruction.

After recalling their respective Pokémon, both Ash and Anya released their final Pokémon. Ash sent out his Venusaur, while Anya shocked everyone by releasing the mythical Pokémon Shaymin.

When Shaymin appeared, not only did the audience gasp in surprise, but Yuga also widened his eyes in astonishment.

However, from the legendary aura surrounding this Shaymin, Yuga could tell it was probably still in its juvenile form.

"This... This is Shaymin!" Ash exclaimed.

Ash had encountered Shaymin during his time in Sinnoh, so he instantly recognized the Pokémon.

Considering Anya's connection to Celebi, Yuga thought it wasn't too hard to accept that she had earned Shaymin's favor.

The first to act was Ash's Venusaur.

Not only was Venusaur the strongest Grass-type Pokémon in Ash's team, but it was also one of his earliest companions, ranking among his top performers overall.

Venusaur had once resisted evolution, but as Ash's strength grew and his other Pokémon evolved, Venusaur realized that if it remained at Ivysaur stage, it would soon be unable to keep up with Ash's progress.

For Ash's sake, Ivysaur chose to evolve into Venusaur it was today.

Venusaur's Vine Whip was far superior to that of Torterra, swinging with such precision that it seemed impenetrable. Yet, Shaymin was still able to dodge it with agility.

"Shaymin~"

Shaymin leaped onto a vine, pushed off forcefully, and jumped up, throwing an Energy Ball toward Venusaur.

"Venusaur ~"

Venusaur responded in kind, releasing its own Energy Ball. The two spheres collided midair, resulting in a violent explosion.

"Venusaur, Grass Pledge!" Ash shouted.

Ash knew that if he didn't give his all, he would lose this battle, so he shouted with urgency.

"Venusaur ~"

Venusaur roared in response and stomped its foot on the ground. A green line surged along the ground, aiming straight for Shaymin. At Anya's warning, Shaymin quickly jumped out of the way.

Boom!

A green light pillar shot up from the ground, but Shaymin was already gone, narrowly avoiding the attack. Grass Pledge's assault missed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Pillars of light from the Grass Pledge continued to erupt across the battlefield, but none of them managed to land a hit on Shaymin, which made both Ash and Venusaur grow more anxious.

"Shaymin, Sweet Kiss!"

Shaymin suddenly came to a stop while running at full speed and blew a flying kiss toward Venusaur. A giant, magenta heart immediately crashed into Venusaur, causing it to fall into a state of confusion.

In its confusion, Venusaur began using Vine Whip to lash at itself, and after several strikes, it recklessly fired Energy Balls in all directions.

"Venusaur, snap out of it!" Ash shouted urgently, trying to call Venusaur back to its senses.

"Shaymin, Seed Flare!"

Taking advantage of Venusaur's disorientation, Anya commanded Shaymin to use its signature move.

"Shay~min~"

Shaymin jumped close to Venusaur, inhaled deeply, and then its body began to glow with brilliance. Moments later, with a loud boom, Venusaur was blasted into the air.

The light from Seed Flare was so dazzling that many people couldn't clearly see what was happening in the arena. However, they soon saw Venusaur fly out from the cloud of dust that had been kicked up.

Bang~

Venusaur wasn't light, and the heavy fall to the ground caused it to gasp in pain. But thanks to the fall, Venusaur managed to shake off its confusion and regain its senses.

Venusaur, being a sturdy Pokémon, was able to withstand Shaymin's Seed Flare, which would have otherwise been difficult for any other Pokémon.

"Venusaur, use Synthesis!"

At Ash's command, Venusaur closed its eyes, and the flowers and leaves on its back began to glow with a green light. Slowly, it absorbed the energy of the sun to heal its injuries.

Although Synthesis isn't as effective on a cloudy day as it would be in bright sunlight, it was enough for Venusaur's current condition.

Seeing that Venusaur's injuries were starting to heal, Anya quickly ordered, "Shaymin, use Zen Headbutt!"

"Shaymin~"

Shaymin leapt into the air, its body radiating purple light as it crashed toward Venusaur.

Psychic-type moves are strong against Poison-types like Venusaur, and if it got hit now, it was almost certain that Venusaur would lose.

But at that moment, Venusaur opened its eyes.

"Venusaur, use Frenzy Plants!" Ash commanded.

"Venusaur ~"

Venusaur responded with a cry, stomping both its front feet onto the ground. Countless brown roots burst from the earth and formed a wooden wall in front of Venusaur.

Bang~

Shaymin collided with the wooden wall. Though the wall cracked and created a large hole, the Venusaur behind it was unscathed.

Realizing something was wrong, Shaymin tried to move away from Venusaur, but to its surprise, several roots had already wrapped around its back, quickly constricting and tightening around it.

"Shaymin!" Anya called out anxiously.

"Shay~min~"

The thick roots tightened bit by bit, and Shaymin struggled to breathe, groaning in pain.

At this moment, Ash shouted, "Venusaur, use Absorb!"

Shaymin soon realized its strength was starting to drain. Green energy flowed through the roots holding it, transferring to Venusaur.

Suddenly, Anya shouted, "Shaymin, use Seed Flare!"

Hearing Anya's command, Ash's face changed, and he quickly shouted at Venusaur, "Venusaur, throw it away!"

But it was already too late. A blinding light filled the arena, and when the glow faded, the roots that had been restraining Shaymin had been blown away. Venusaur had also been affected, and all the energy it had regained through Synthesis and Absorb was wasted.

Now free, Shaymin used Confusion Headbutt again, slamming into Venusaur. This time, Venusaur, still affected by the side effects of using Frenzied Plants, couldn't move at all.

Bang~

With a loud crash, Venusaur was knocked down and lost its ability to continue fighting.

Ash lost the match!

It was a surprise for many that Ash lost to Anya, but looking at the Shaymin on the stage, some of them began to understand why.

"I... lost..." Ash mumbled to himself.

"The second round has ended, and congratulations to Anya for advancing to the top four!"

Amidst the cheers of the audience, both Ash and Anya left the arena.

Back in the stands, Ash was in low spirits. Brock, Misty, and May quickly comforted him, but Ash, being the optimist that he was, soon recovered his mood.

The final match for the top four was between Bill and Nobukata.

Nobukata was an incredibly cute girl, small in stature, and appeared to be a young girl. However, she was actually in her twenties.

However, despite her cute appearance, this girl was no slouch when it came to strength. Although she advanced by a bye, even without it, she still had the power to make it to the next round.

Nobukata's first Pokémon was a lively and adorable Bellossom, whose temperament was quite similar to hers. Bill's first Pokémon, on the other hand, was a Sceptile.

As soon as Sceptile appeared, it swiftly dashed behind Bellossom, raising its Leaf Blade to strike. But Bellossom seemed to sense it coming. It suddenly spun around, crossing the blades on its arms to block Sceptile's strike.

However, Bellossom was physically weaker than Sceptile and was pushed back by the force of the blow. Still, it managed to throw two Magical Leaves, hitting Sceptile accurately.

Enduring the pain, Sceptile didn't back down. It fired two Energy Balls in quick succession. The first missed as Bellossom dodged, but the second one hit its target.

The hit Bellossom, under Nobukata's command, used Lucky Chant. This move prevented Bellossom from taking critical damage from attacks.

Both Pokémon then began to trade Energy Balls, causing the ground to be littered with craters from the explosions.

During their exchange, Sceptile suddenly used Swagger, catching Bellossom off guard. In its confusion, Bellossom started hurling Energy Balls indiscriminately in all directions, no longer targeting Sceptile.

Seizing the opportunity, Sceptile used Quick Attack to close the distance, then unleashed a series of four quick strikes aimed at Bellossom's weak points. The confused Bellossom was knocked out from the relentless blows.

Nobukata's second Pokémon was Leafeon.

Knowing that Sceptile's speed would make it difficult for Leafeon to keep up, Nobukata didn't immediately command an attack. Instead, she instructed Leafeon to dodge and use Swords Dance to enhance its attack, waiting for the perfect moment.

Though Leafeon struggled to avoid Sceptile's attacks, even taking two Leaf Blade hits, it completed two rounds of Swords Dance to boost its power.

When Sceptile approached once again, Nobukata sensed that the time was right.

"Leafeon, use Grass Whistle!"

Grass Whistle has a low accuracy, which is why Nobukata had been waiting for the right opportunity.

The sweet melody of the flute filled the air. Sceptile, just inches away from Leafeon, suddenly felt its eyelids grow heavy, and its mind became groggy. In no time, it closed its eyes and fell asleep.

"Sceptile!" Bill called out loudly, trying to rouse his Pokémon, but it was futile.

"Leafeon, use X-Scissor!"

Seeing her opportunity, Nobukata quickly gave the command.

Two X-Scissors landed squarely on Sceptile. Being weak to Bug-type moves, Sceptile immediately lost its ability to continue fighting.

Bill's second Pokémon was Chesnaught, the same one he used in the previous round. Like Nobukata's Leafeon, it specialized in physical attacks.

In the face of the powerful Chesnaught, Leafeon used Double Team, creating several illusory copies of itself to surround Chesnaught.

Seeing that Chesnaught was confused by the illusions, Nobukata gave the order: "Leafeon, use Aerial Ace."

Flying-type moves, such as Aerial Ace, deal four times the damage to Fighting-types like Chesnaught, which is a significant advantage.

Just as Leafeon was about to launch its attack, Bill commanded Chesnaught, "Chesnaught, use Pin Missile!"

Suddenly, Chesnaught fired a barrage of green arrows from its body, scattering the illusory Leafeons that surrounded it. Among them, the real Leafeon was hit, letting out a cry as it was knocked back.

"Chesnaught, Arm Thrust!" Bill continued, commanding Chesnaught to press the attack.

"Leafeon, quickly dodge!" Nobukata urgently called out.

Boom~

The ground was smashed into a giant crater by Chesnaught's Arm Thrust. Leafeon, following Nobukata's warning, barely managed to dodge in time.

"Chesnaught, keep attacking!" Bill ordered.

Chesnaught raised its arms and began to hammer them down one after the other toward Leafeon. However, this time it wasn't using the more energy-draining Arm Thrust, but rather Drain Punch, a move that not only caused damage but also restored its own health.

Leafeon, now recovered, nimbly jumped and avoided Chesnaught's attacks, causing them to miss.

Bang~

Leafeon's Aerial Ace collided with Chesnaught's Drain Punch. Both Pokémon were pushed back a few steps, but from the way they retreated, it was clear that Leafeon was at a disadvantage in terms of strength.

Leafeon once again used Aerial Ace to charge toward Chesnaught. This time, Chesnaught didn't counter, but instead slightly tilted its body, exposing its right side, which was covered in a hard shell. As Leafeon slammed into it, Chesnaught used Spiky Shield.

In an instant, sharp spikes protruded from Chesnaught's shell. It not only avoided damage but also pierced Leafeon, causing it to cry out in pain.

Taking advantage of the moment, Chesnaught grabbed Leafeon by the neck.

Leafeon kicked its legs desperately, but with no solid footing, it couldn't put up much of a struggle and could only be carried by Chesnaught.

Boom!

With a powerful Arm Thrust, Leafeon was knocked unconscious.

Nobukata's final Pokémon was Shiinotic, a Grass-type and Fairy-type, leading to a true showdown between fists.

Bang~ Bang~ Bang~

Chesnaught's Drain Punch and

Shiinotic's Sky Uppercut collided repeatedly, with both Pokémon exchanging blows over a dozen times in the blink of an eye. The audience's eyes struggled to keep up with the rapid pace.

Boom~

After another exchange of blows, the two Pokémon quickly separated, bending over and panting heavily.

In comparison, Chesnaught seemed to be in worse shape. Not only had it been injured from its previous battle with Leafeon, but also the repeated use of Arm Thrust had taken a toll, slowing down its speed and reactions. During the exchange, it was hit several times by Shiinotic.

After catching their breath for a few moments, the two Pokémon squared off again.

Boom!

The two fists collided, but this time, Chesnaught managed to knock Shiinotic flying with a single punch. A flash of green light passed over Chesnaught's body.

At that moment, it became clear that Chesnaught's Ability, Overgrow, had activated.

Seeing Shiinotic downed, Chesnaught seized the moment to press forward, delivering another punch toward Shiinotic.

Shiinotic, not willing to give up, threw a punch in return.

Chesnaught struck Shiinotic in the abdomen, while Shiinotic landed a hit on Chesnaught's chest. Both Pokémon were already on the verge of collapse from earlier battles. Their eyes rolled back, and they simultaneously fainted.

With that, the top four of the Duel Tournament were decided: Erika, Anya, Bill, and the bye-winner Hana.

The morning saw the final four settle, while in the afternoon, the battle for 7th to 5th place took place.

After an intense series of battles, the final rankings for 7th to 5th place were as follows: Grandpa in 7th, Nobukata in 6th, and Ash in 5th.