Chapter 305: Quaxmen’s Prestige Just Keeps Rising!

The video continued playing.

Several more months passed, and the Day Care entered its true golden age.

More and more Trainers came after hearing of its reputation, entrusting their Pokémon Eggs to Hina for incubation and care.

Hina lived up to everyone’s expectations.

Every day, she nourished the Eggs with the Power of Viridian, causing the hatching success rate to skyrocket. The Pokémon born there were also exceptionally healthy and gifted.

But what happened afterward was where things truly started getting ridiculous.

One day, a Trainer came to pick up the Piplup he’d left at the Day Care.

When he arrived, he discovered his Piplup standing at the entrance wearing sunglasses.

The Piplup raised one wing and made a "hold it" gesture.

The Trainer froze.

"Piplup?"

Piplup pushed up its sunglasses.

Then it picked up a leaf in its beak and wrote a line across it: Please address me as Quaxmen Trainee Disciple No. 007.

The Trainer turned to stone on the spot.

As time passed, more and more Trainers began noticing something strange.

Any Pokémon picked up from Dawsher House seemed to have undergone some mysterious form of "evolution"

Their feet would unconsciously slide backward whenever they walked.

Whenever they rested, they constantly fiddled with the sunglasses on their faces.

Even more absurdly—

Some of them began spontaneously gathering together and forming scattered Quaxmen branches.

They caused no trouble.

They disturbed no public order.

Every morning, they simply gathered in parks in neat formations and practiced dancing under the leadership of whichever Pokémon had the highest seniority in Quaxmen.

Naturally, this attracted even more Pokémon to join them.

Quaxmen expanded far faster than anyone had imagined.

Before long—

Branches appeared throughout Kanto, Hoenn, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and other regions.

The branches even maintained contact with one another and regularly organized joint performances.

The Pokémon settled on the fifteenth day of every month as the official performance date.

Within Pokémon circles, the fifteenth had practically become a sacred day.

Eventually, the various Pokémon Leagues were forced to hold a special meeting to discuss one question: Should the "Quaxmen phenomenon" be regulated?

"Everyone."

Lance cleared his throat.

"I believe we’re all aware of today’s topic."

"Regarding the recent Quaxmen phenomenon—should we regulate it? And if so, how?"

"Please share your opinions."

Flint was the first to speak.

"I have a question first."

"How many people sitting here don’t have a Pokémon that’s stayed at Dawsher House?"

"My Infernape joined Quaxmen recently. It practices the Quaxmen Dance at home every day, and its physical combat ability has been improving at an insane rate!"

Raihan immediately leaned back in his chair.

"Exactly."

"So what’s the point of this meeting?"

"We can’t even control our own Pokémon, and we’re supposed to regulate everyone else’s?"

Lance pressed a hand against his forehead.

"That’s not exactly how this works..."

"Cynthia."

"Sinnoh is the birthplace of Quaxmen. Don’t you have anything to say?"

"I think..."

Cynthia closed the ancient book in her hands.

"Joining Quaxmen seems quite healthy."

"Healthy?"

"They wake up early every morning to dance, don’t overeat Berries, and maintain regular routines."

Cynthia lightly tapped one finger against her lips.

"They live healthier lives than Flint and Lucian."

From the corner of the room came Flint’s quiet voice.

"Isn’t the reason our lives are so irregular because of you...?"

"Regardless."

Lucian adjusted his glasses and joined in.

"Quaxmen promotes a positive and optimistic attitude toward life, and it hasn’t caused any disruption to League operations."

"We have no reasonable basis for restricting it."

Bruno suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Lucian just reminded me of something!"

"If Quaxmen is such a positive organization, why don’t we officially recognize it?"

"We can affiliate it with the League and give it a formal name!"

"Something like—"

The World Pokémon Dance Culture Promotion Association!

Lance frowned.

"That doesn’t seem particularly appropriate."

"If nobody works overtime, we won’t even finish our basic workload."

"How exactly is the League supposed to keep operating?"

Volkner raised his hand.

"What’s inappropriate about it?!"

"I think that’s exactly what the League is missing!"

"I propose we write No Mandatory Overtime directly into the League’s basic charter!"

"I agree!"

Flint shot to his feet.

Two enormous dark circles were hanging beneath his eyes.

"Put no overtime into law!"

"It needs to take effect this year!"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"..."

Lance looked around the table.

At last he understood something.

This meeting was supposedly about regulating Quaxmen.

In reality—

It had already turned into a Quaxmen recruitment convention.

Lance took a deep breath.

Then forced out a difficult smile.

"Since everyone’s opinion is apparently so unanimous..."

"Then let’s formally discuss granting Quaxmen official recognition."

Steven stood up and straightened his tie, which was covered in tiny duck patterns.

"Ahem."

"In that case, allow me, Steven Stone—who also happens to serve as an Honorary Elder of Quaxmen—to take responsibility for handling its official recognition!"

"My proposal is—"

Wallace immediately reached out and cut him off before Steven could say anything catastrophic.

"Lance."

"I propose we skip directly to the vote."

"...Fine."

"We’ll now proceed to voting."

And so—

The meeting concerning the Quaxmen phenomenon concluded with:

27 votes in favor.

1 abstention.

0 votes against.

The sole abstention—was Lance.

When the meeting ended, Lance was also the last person to leave.

He remained seated.

Then took out Dragonite’s Poké Ball and tossed it into the air.

A flash of red light and a Dragonite wearing sunglasses appeared beside the conference table.

"Dragonite."

Lance lowered his voice.

"I’m asking you one more time."

"When exactly did you join Quaxmen?"

Dragonite used its tail to push up its sunglasses.

Then it planted one foot on the floor, leaned its entire body backward—

And moonwalked flawlessly from one end of the conference table to the other.

"Roooar~" (Guess.)

[VIP Chat Group]

[Raihan]: QUAXMEN! QUAXMEN! QUAXMEN! THIS GLORIOUS AGE IS EVERYTHING I DREAMED OF! QUAXMEN IS THE FUTURE! QUAXMEN IS THE ANSWER!

[Flint]: Starting today, every Trainer in the Sinnoh League should learn from the spirit of Quaxmen! "Reasonable overtime"? Whoever wants to work it can work it! I’m clocking out!

[Aaron]: Flint, wake up. We’re already the two people doing the most overtime in the entire Sinnoh League.

[Flint]: That’s because I hadn’t found my organization yet! Now I have! Whoever wants to handle those documents can handle them! I’m done!

[Aaron]: You know what? You’ve got a point. I’m out too! I’m also a disciple of Quaxmen!

[Lucian]: You... You two are not going to meet a good end...

[Raihan]: Lance, there’s still time to join Quaxmen. You still have a chance. @Lance

[Lance]: NEVER!

The video continued playing.

After Quaxmen received official recognition—

The Day Care’s workload immediately increased tenfold.

Every morning, before the sun had even risen, a long line would already have formed outside.

And the visitors weren’t just coming to leave Pokémon Eggs anymore.

Even more of them came to make a pilgrimage or apply to join Quaxmen.

Someone even flew overnight all the way from the Paldea region just to request a recommendation letter for direct discipleship in Quaxmen for their Quaxly.

At first, Hina still diligently examined every Pokémon one by one.

But eventually, the line wrapped around Twinleaf Town two and a half times.

Left with no other choice she turned to Quaquaval for help.

Quaquaval’s solution was extremely simple.

And extremely ruthless.

It erected a sign outside the Day Care bearing eight large words:

NO EGGS, NO BUSINESS. NO BOARDING, DON’T COME.

Less than five minutes after the sign went up—someone arrived pushing an entire cart filled with Pokémon Eggs.

Hina looked past it.

Behind the first cart stretched an endless procession of Egg-filled carts.

For the first time in her life a thought entered Hina’s mind.

Maybe I should just go traveling again...