Chapter 107: The Orphanage

Although the Pokémon world is generally harmonious, "accidents" and "irresponsible people" still exist, which means there are orphanages—an institution Am familiar with.

Am was quite experienced at volunteering at orphanages, so he agreed immediately. It worked out perfectly, as he wanted to search both the orphanage and the adjacent cemetery anyway.

As for playing with the children, Clefable should be up to the task, right? At the very least, he just needed to make sure it didn't curse in front of them!

When the old woman heard that his Pokémon was not only cute but also a Fairy-type Clefable, her eyes lit up, and she immediately allowed him to stay the night. There were plenty of empty rooms, and even if the conditions were modest, it would do for a night. Since they were already some distance from the city, Am didn't refuse.

Noticing the old woman appeared to be the director, Am asked with some hesitation, "Does this place... not receive funding from Saffron City?" He wondered if this was some kind of shady, illicit orphanage.

"Those people... Hmph! There is funding, but not much!" There was a hint of irritation in the old woman's tone.

It was true that the orphanage usually received financial support from Saffron City, but due to certain conflicts between the director—the old woman before him—and the Saffron City League officials, the funding had been reduced to the bare minimum. They wouldn't starve, but for anything beyond the basics, the director had to raise the funds herself.

"Grandma, what's wrong?" Just then, as if hearing the commotion at the entrance, a young woman wearing a coat walked over carrying a lantern. Am noticed that the wiring in this old building was likely in poor condition. Such old-fashioned houses were common in small towns, but in Saffron City—or even its outskirts—they stood out quite noticeably.

"Lala, you've come at just the right time. Find him an empty room. He's going to be volunteering here for three days," the old woman told the young woman.

"Eh? Grandma, you didn't trick him again, did you?" Lala frowned.

"Of course not! He volunteered... didn't you?" The old woman looked at Am.

"Oh? Ah... well, I was an orphan myself. If the orphanage needs help, I'm happy to pitch in," Am said, realizing there were likely some "complications" here.

Hearing that Am was also an orphan, Lala’s gaze softened. Having grown up in the system himself, Am could tell from that look alone that Lala was also an orphan and not the old woman's biological granddaughter.

As Lala led Am upstairs, he couldn't help but ask, "Miss Lala, is this orphanage... facing some difficulties?"

"You can just call me Lala. It's not exactly 'difficulties,' it's just that Grandma is a bit... well, stubborn." Lala chose the most neutral word possible.

In fact, half a year ago, the Saffron City League had wanted to requisition the land, but the director had refused. "Although the League promised to provide a replacement building in the city along with additional compensation, and even offered to move the children to a unified welfare facility, Grandma remained uneasy and ended up getting into a heated argument with the officials," Lala explained helplessly.

The result was that the officials weren't exactly patient, and they slashed the orphanage's funding significantly.

"That's no way to force a director into submission!" Am’s stance was clear—he stood with the orphanage, and everything else was secondary.

Originally, this wasn't an official institution. After her husband passed away years ago, the director had poured her own wealth into running the orphanage herself. It was only in the last decade or so, as her resources dwindled and expenses outpaced income, that she began to rely on Saffron City's funding. While Saffron City had its own official welfare facilities, this orphanage had served as an important private supplement for a long time.

Now that Saffron City wanted to take full control, the stubborn old woman insisted that the League's welfare facilities lacked "love."

"But Grandma has softened quite a bit. Even though she won't admit it, she now asks the League to send all school-age children to boarding schools, and she isn't taking in any new children. In another two or three years, when there are no more children left to care for, Grandma will likely agree to sign the papers and move," Lala added to defend the director.

Am breathed a sigh of relief. He realized that while the old woman was stubborn, she was kind-hearted; she had clearly used part of the compensation to ensure the League covered the children's tuition and living expenses. Otherwise, even the Indigo League would only provide the most basic of necessities.

"What is the League planning to build here? Will the cemetery next door have to be moved?" Am asked casually.

"They're planning to expand the mixed cemetery for Pokémon and humans," Lala replied.

Am: "..."

"The one next door... is a cemetery built by the League?" Am felt like he had been played.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Lala looked at him, puzzled.

"It's nothing..." Am thought of the old woman's clever scheme, shaking his head with a mixture of annoyance and amusement, but he chose not to expose her.

Lala might have guessed something, as she said sheepishly, "I'm so sorry. Grandma is always just so... well, invested in the orphanage. She even refused when the Saffron Gym tried to acquire this land."

Lala was just giving an example—even the "she-devil" Sabrina had been turned away—which made it sound very resolute. But Am, hearing this, began to wonder: if Sabrina’s gym was built on the former site of the Uchiha clan's territory, could her attempt to acquire this place, which held suspicions of being the Naka Shrine, really just be a coincidence?

He immediately shook his head. It was too early to tell if this was even the Naka Shrine—it was far too soon to dwell on that.

"Get some good rest tonight. Tomorrow... all you have to do is let your Pokémon play with the children!" Lala led him to an empty bedroom. It was so empty that it contained nothing but a bed and a thin quilt.

After Am agreed and said "goodnight," he lay on the bed and sent a message to Misty. It seemed she and Sonoko were having a good time, not too hindered by the two murder cases. She wasn't asleep yet and immediately sent a video call request.

"What's going on? Why are you suddenly volunteering?" Misty asked, sounding puzzled.

"This orphanage seems to be in a bit of trouble..." Am explained briefly, omitting the fact that he had been tricked.

"Well, fine. Heiji and Conan are off investigating the case anyway, so it works out for us girls to hang out together... We'll drop by to see you when we go to the End Park the day after tomorrow." Knowing Am's background and that he had lived in an orphanage for over a decade, she didn't question him further. Since Heiji, their host, was entirely focused on the case and had dragged Conan along, Am volunteering for three days wouldn't delay their trip. It actually worked out well, giving the girls more to talk about.

"Any new discoveries regarding the case?" Am specifically asked. If the case was solved and the treasure located, he wouldn't need to worry about the treasure and could focus on volunteering.

"No, for some reason, that 'Whirlpool' character... even though he only choked on some water and his external injuries aren't that serious, he still hasn't woken up..." Misty’s tone was also full of confusion.

It seemed the "Ninja Village Tour Group Incident" in the Pokémon world was more complicated than expected; it wasn't something that would be resolved in a single night.