Suddenly, three Swellow flew in from the distant sky, signaling to Rex that Yuli, Yui, and Karen had returned.
"Why are you back so soon? Didn't you want to spend more time at the orphanage?" Rex asked, puzzled, as the three landed.
"We got fed up with Yuta. He's been acting so out of line lately. We just tried to talk to him, and he mocked us," Yui responded, clearly upset.
"Calm down, Yui. Yuta is just going through a rebellious phase. He'll improve with time," Yuli reassured her.
"Yuli, you're too soft. You even lent him money," Yui retorted.
"Alright, alright. It's getting late, and we should start preparing dinner. Otherwise, our boss and Akiko will be starving!" Karen, now quite familiar with the two girls, tried to change the subject.
Hearing Karen's suggestion, Yuli and Yui finally stopped arguing.
Yuli glanced at Rex, who was listening to their debate with a confused look, then hurried inside to prepare dinner.
From their conversation, Rex gathered that the argument was about Yuta. However, he didn't know the details and would have to wait until they were ready to tell him.
"What's going on? You both seem down," Rex finally asked during dinner, noticing that Yuli and Yui were still visibly upset and had little appetite.
Yuli hesitated, wanting to speak but then holding back.
"If Yuli is hesitant, let me explain," Yui said, seeing Yuli's reluctance.
Yuli wanted to stop her but ultimately remained silent. She didn't want to hide anything but feared Rex might confront Yuta.
Yui then recounted their experience at the orphanage in detail.
After parting ways with Rex, they bought some things from a store and headed to the orphanage. Their arrival delighted Grandma Nieno and the children, and everything seemed harmonious until Meirei mentioned that Yuta had been frequently asking Grandma Nieno for money and even causing a ruckus.
Grandma Nieno hadn't wanted to share this but eventually did under Yuli and Yui's persistent questioning. She revealed that Yuta had been asking for increasing amounts of money under various pretexts. Initially, she thought it was for legitimate school expenses and gave it to him without question.
However, as the amounts grew, she became suspicious and called the school to inquire. She discovered that the school didn't require these expenses and learned from his teachers that Yuta had been skipping classes and his grades had plummeted, now ranking among the lowest in his class.
Since then, Grandma Nieno refused to give Yuta more money, leading to his angry outbursts, which saddened her greatly. Though she had made some money from selling the orphanage's land, the costs of relocating and supporting the children's education were substantial. She couldn't give all the money to Yuta without jeopardizing the others' welfare.
Unfortunately, Yuta seemed like a different person, frequently causing trouble at the orphanage. When Yuli and Yui visited today, Meirei had disclosed these issues.
"Yuta has gone too far!" Yui exclaimed indignantly.
"We should talk to him to understand his side before jumping to conclusions. Maybe he has reasons we're not aware of," Yuli suggested, still finding it hard to believe the cheerful and ambitious Yuta could change so drastically.
Karen, who had come along to see the orphanage, was surprised by the situation. Such incidents were common in her old orphanage, where stronger kids bullied the weaker ones, and many former orphans joined local gangs or became street thugs, often causing trouble.
Compared to that, Yuli and Yui's situation seemed minor. Karen was impressed that Grandma Nieno managed to send the children to school, something she herself had never had the chance to experience, making her current struggles seem less significant.
"Hey, Yuli, Yui, you're back!" Yuta walked in casually, hands in his pockets, with a Swellow beside him.
"Yuta, you've gone too far! Apologize to Grandma Nieno right now!" Yui demanded, her anger flaring up again.
"I did nothing wrong. Grandma Nieno sent me to the trainer school. Isn't it her responsibility to cover my living expenses?" Yuta retorted angrily.
"But the money you asked for wasn't required by the school," Yui pointed out, frustrated.
"True, but that money is essential for any trainer. I'm sick of being called a country bumpkin and watching others capture Pokémon while I can't even afford basic food for Swellow," Yuta exploded, his eyes red with frustration, venting all his pent-up grievances.
Initially content with working at Rex's farm and excited to have caught a Swellow, Yuta soon grew tired of farm life, which was far from what he had imagined. Hearing from Grandma Nieno about the chance to attend the trainer school, he persuaded her to give him the spot.
Afraid Rex might reclaim Swellow, he avoided the farm and lived cautiously, relieved when Grandma Nieno smoothed things over with Rex, who chose not to pursue the matter, allowing Yuta to focus entirely on his training journey.
End of Chapter