The Route 5 Day Care Ranch was a rehabilitation and wellbeing centre for Pokémon who couldn’t be handled by regular trainers. These included abandoned, disobedient, or injured Pokémon that required time and specialized care to recover. It was operated by Team Restoration Rocket, a group composed of ex-Rocket members on a path of redemption. Collaborating with Mr. Fuji’s protégés from Lavender Town, they provided both physical aid for the Pokémon and emotional support to help them overcome their traumas.
The Day Care Ranch staff were entrusted with the rehabilitation of Pokémon from the Simulated Battle Ball experiments, Berserk Pokémon were often passed to the Ranch by Professor Samanea to undo the damage caused by his endeavours with the SBB however every Pokémon exposed to the SBB eventually spent some time recovering under the caring hands of Restoration Rocket Grunts and Koichi Toiryake.
The reputation of the Ranch was tarnished with unfortunate incidents such as the theft of the first Berserk Pokémon Rhydon, its majority ex-Rocket staffing and eventually its tragic end, being razed to the ground by Admin Lucia Stratos during her altercation with Koichi when he attempted to walk away from Team Retro Rocket who had infiltrated the Ranches across Kanto and Johto, using it as a front to siphon Pokémon for their own ends.
