In this world, most orphans were perfectly healthy.
There were no missing limbs, no incurable diseases, no children abandoned due to physical defects.
The reason was simple.
Trainers.
The wilderness was extremely dangerous. And this world was nearly twice the size of Su Yu's previous one.
Especially places like the Trackless Forest—regions filled with unknown dangers and special Pokémon.
Many of these children became orphans because their parents encountered accidents while exploring the wild. With nowhere else to go, the children were sent to orphanages.
Some didn't even know who their parents were.
After all, when Trainers traveled together, certain… unexpected situations inevitably happened.
An accident.A child born.A mother unwilling—or unable—to raise it.
In the end, the baby was left at an orphanage.
Because of this, orphanages were everywhere in this world.
No one found it strange when two- or three-year-old children suddenly arrived.
Su Yu had seen it many times.
As for adoption, it did happen—but rarely.
Raising a child was expensive.
And if that child wanted to become a Trainer?
You had to support their education, help them obtain certifications, and eventually deal with Pokémon adoption fees and training expenses.
After graduating from high school and obtaining the necessary licenses, a person could legally raise Pokémon.
Su Yu hadn't done that.
He had planned to finish his education first, then capture Pokémon later.
But reality had other plans.
Before high school, students learned basic knowledge. Some barely passed.
After graduating, some immediately set out on journeys, challenging Gyms.
Others stayed in school to continue their studies.
Su Yu belonged to the latter group.
Naturally, Pokémon battle classes existed in university.
But the Pokémon used there were all school-owned.
They were teaching tools.
Not personal partners.
Even the Pokémon used in each class were different.
Pokémon grew extremely fast.
Obtaining a Pokémon early meant having more possibilities.
That said, even those who started late could catch up.
There was only one condition.
Money.
A Pokémon with good aptitude could reach its fully evolved form within months.
After that, everything depended on training quality.
If you had money, raising Pokémon wasn't difficult.
Resources could be poured in endlessly, allowing rapid growth.
In short—
This world ran on money.
Without it, you were nothing.
It wasn't that Su Yu had never considered adopting a Pokémon after graduating high school.
He had.
But after doing the math, he gave up immediately.
Even if he obtained a Pokémon early, without money for energy cubes and training resources, cultivation would be painfully slow.
And that was just food.
What about injuries?
During battles and training, Pokémon inevitably got hurt.
Healing machines cost several hundred per use.
Even schools charged fees—discounted, but unavoidable.
Who among ordinary people could afford daily injuries?
Some Pokémon required evolution stones or special items.
Those easily cost thousands, even tens of thousands.
A normal family couldn't bear that burden.
After calculating everything, Su Yu realized—
Raising even an ordinary Pokémon required at least one hundred thousand a year.
And that didn't even include the initial cost of obtaining it.
Originally, Su Yu had prepared five hundred thousand as startup capital.
Then a Tauros happened.
So… maybe being a Trainer wasn't the right path.
Farming.Raising children.Becoming a breeder.
That sounded far more realistic.
His thoughts wandered too far.
Looking at the group of children surrounding him, Su Yu couldn't help but smile.
He picked up a small, adorable little girl and gently rubbed her head.
"Were you good today?"
"Did you listen to the aunties?"
Of course, Su Yu wasn't alone at the orphanage.
Several middle-aged women from the neighborhood helped care for the children.
They cleaned, cooked, and looked after daily affairs.
The orphanage paid them wages.
Sometimes, volunteers would also come by.
Occasionally, kind-hearted female Trainers would visit to check on the children.
At Su Yu's question, several children answered eagerly.
"Yes!""We were very obedient today!""Brother Su Yu, did you graduate?""Don't you have to go to school anymore?""Hey—what are you carrying on your back?""It looks like an egg!""Eh? An egg?""Is it a Pokémon?""Awesome! Brother Su Yu has a Pokémon now!"
The moment they noticed the egg, excitement erupted.
There was no one in this world who didn't like Pokémon.
Knowing that Su Yu had a Pokémon egg meant that soon, they'd have a Pokémon to play with.
The former director wasn't a Trainer.
He was a junior-level breeder.
That identity alone allowed him to keep the orphanage running.
The fruit trees he cultivated were used to produce low-level energy cubes, which were sold for income.
That money supported the children's daily needs.
Thanks to the old director's selfless dedication, Su Yu and the others never suffered from malnutrition.
Now that the old director was gone, that responsibility fell onto Su Yu.
But Su Yu was even more capable.
He was already an intermediate breeder.
It wouldn't take long before he advanced to senior level.
Once that happened, the energy cubes he produced would be extremely valuable.
At that point, money would no longer be an issue.
And maybe—just maybe—he could try raising Pokémon seriously.
But that was a story for later.
After playing with the children for a while, Su Yu returned to his room with the egg.
His room was separate—once shared by older orphans who had since left for other cities.
Now, it belonged to him alone.
In recent years, fewer children had been sent to the orphanage.
Many rooms stood empty.
Aside from living quarters, the orphanage also had several workshops.
These were where the old director produced low-level energy cubes.
Every child here had learned the basics of making them.
They had all been taught personally.
And it was precisely because of this…
That Su Yu had come up with a certain idea earlier.
Let the children work the production line—
Ahem.
—work together to make money.