Aunt

In the morning, after finishing training with Turtwig and Deerling Pokémon in the Ecopark, Yuga made a trip to the Volcano Sub-Ecopark.

Over the past month, many Fire Stones had been gradually mined by the Fire-type Pokémon. Yuga collected these Fire Stones and handed them over to Suzuki Koen to be sold in the shop.

Suzuki Koen, curious about why her boss had so many Fire Stones, decided not to inquire. It was similar to when the shop suddenly started supplying Razor Fangs a while back.

As long as YoYo Day Care continued to prosper, it was a good thing for her. She understood that her boss was a person with secrets, and their relationship required maintaining a certain distance and air of mystery.

If the boss didn't say, she wouldn't ask or dwell on it.

Due to Yuga's growing reputation, business at YoYo Day Care had also been thriving.

Especially after the online circulation of Yuga and Harris's battles, it had caused quite a sensation. Harris was a formidable Trainer with a significant presence in the Trainer community. Yuga's Absol defeated him in a three-on-one battle, which brought even more attention to Yuga and YoYo Day Care.

The items sold at YoYo Day Care were already superior to the average, and now, with their reputation spreading, business had experienced a sudden and explosive growth.

All the employees at the shop had received substantial raises recently, and they were working even harder.

However, Yuga felt that he might need to hire someone else soon.

Once the Verdanturf Gym was completed, Arata Sena would transfer there to become a Gym apprentice. It wouldn't be practical for him to manage both responsibilities simultaneously, as it would only hinder his progress.

But this matter required careful consideration.

Now that YoYo Day Care's business was expanding, and more secrets were involved, Yuga had raised his standards for hiring. After all, they were no longer the small and inconspicuous Day Care they used to be.

While Yuga was discussing the sale of Fire Stones with Suzuki Koen, Aunt Hisako arrived with a basket filled to the brim.

"Yuga, I've brought some vegetables for all of you."

These vegetables had been sent over from Luna's grandfather's place. Aunt Hisako and her husband were the only ones living in their household, and they couldn't possibly consume all of it, so she decided to share some with Yuga's group, considering there were more people here.

Seeing Aunt Hisako, Yuga's eyes lit up.

Right! He could ask Aunt Hisako for help! Who else could he trust more than her?

"Aunt, come over here. I have something to discuss with you."

With a cheerful smile, Yuga took the basket from Aunt Hisako and linked arms with her, leading her inside the shop.

"You, kid! Why are you rushing me like this?" Aunt Hisako said with a helpless look, following Yuga into the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, Yuga put down the basket filled with vegetables and said to Aunt Hisako, "Aunt, the thing is, my shop is currently understaffed, and I'm thinking about having you help out."

Yuga had a reason for thinking of asking Aunt Hisako.

Yuga's grandparents had passed away at an early age, and Aunt Hisako had helped raise him along with his father. Later, when his father married his mother, Aunt Hisako came to live with them, and she used to work at the Day Care before. She handled sales at the shop.

However, after getting married and moving away, Aunt Hisako had found a different job. The shop's responsibilities had shifted to his parents.

Now, Yuga wanted Aunt Hisako to come back because she had experience in this field.

After hearing Yuga's words, Aunt Hisako fell silent for a moment and said, "I'm not sure if I can still do it well."

She was aware of the business at YoYo Day Care and was happy to help if she could, but it had been a long time since she worked in this line of business, and she wasn't certain if she could still perform her duties effectively.

Yuga comforted her, saying, "You don't have to worry. Take it slow, you have experience, and I believe you'll pick it up quickly."

"But... what about my current job?" Aunt Hisako still had some hesitation.

Yuga replied, "Of course, you should resign from your current job! Your current job doesn't pay well, and it's not as good as working here."

Aunt Hisako's current job was just an ordinary position in a small company in town, and her salary was far lower than that of any employee at YoYo Day Care.

YoYo Day Care was making a considerable amount of money, and with a small staff, the salaries were continually raised by Yuga, reaching a level close to those elite employees in big companies.

As the saying goes, why look for talent outside when the best resources are inside? Instead of hiring someone unfamiliar, Yuga thought it was better to have Aunt Hisako help.

After some consideration, Aunt Hisako bit her lip and agreed, "Alright, I'll come and help you here!"

Yuga, feeling relieved, said, "Great! Please resign from your job as soon as possible, then come to the shop to help me."

With one matter resolved, Yuga's mood improved significantly. He sent Aunt Hisako off with a smile.

Right after bidding farewell to Aunt Hisako, Yuga saw Lain approaching.

"Yuga, I've already become quite familiar with the incense-making process. When do you plan to let me start working?" Lain's tone held some annoyance. She had been in Verdanturf Town for nearly two months, and besides studying the incense manual Yuga gave her, she had been idle most of the time.

The reason Yuga hadn't allowed Lain to start making incense yet was mainly because most of the materials he planted in the Ecopark hadn't matured yet.

Yuga replied, "How about this? Let's start by making one type of incense. Once you become proficient with that, we can move on to the next one."

Although materials for the other incenses weren't ready yet, the ones for the Sea Incense were mostly matured, especially the main ingredient, the Water Hyacinth, which had grown abundantly.

Lain was delighted to hear this. "Really? That's great!"

Yuga said, "I'll bring the materials to you this afternoon, and you can start working."

With that, Lain left happily.

After sending Lain off, Yuga went to the Ecopark with Grass-type Pokémon to gather materials for the Sea Incense. He entrusted the preparation of the main ingredient, the Water Hyacinth, to the Melotic living there.

In the afternoon, several Tauros walked out of the Ecopark, carrying a large pile of materials to the new shop's studio, where they handed them over to Lain.

With work to do, Lain rarely left the studio. She was immersed in her work all afternoon, and her dedication put her colleague, Misaki, to shame.

When she successfully made her first batch of incense, Lain excitedly ran up to Yuga.

"Come and see how the incense I made turned out!"

The incense she made was in a small porcelain dish, consisting of blue granules.

Yuga gently pinched the granules with his fingers, and they turned into powder, emitting a faint and pleasant fragrance.