The Mysterious Highlands

After much contemplation, Yuga released Florges, Venusaur, and Serperior, instructing them to use their vines to collect the Moonlight Pearls from a distance. This way, the Qwilfish wouldn't be able to attack them directly. However, the efficiency of this method was low. As soon as their vines reached into the Marshgrass, the Qwilfish hidden in the water would launch attacks. Most of the Moonlight Pearls were either destroyed by the Qwilfish's toxic spikes before they could be retrieved or tainted by poison, rendering them unusable.

The Moonlight Pearls contaminated by Qwilfish's poison were no longer salvageable.

After spending most of the day, Yuga counted the collected Moonlight Pearls and realized they were far from enough. Besides, he wanted to bring some back for Joyka to study.

During this time, Yuga also managed to gather a few Marshgrass, intending to take them back to see if they could be cultivated in the Shallow Sea Beach Sub-Ecopark.

Since Marshgrass reproduces entirely through root division rather than seeds, the Moonlight Pearls couldn't serve as seeds. However, Yuga only intended to try cultivating it, fully aware of the challenges. According to the book he obtained from Dr. Maury, Marshgrass only grows in the Great Marsh and struggles to survive outside. Otherwise, the people of Pastoria City would have started artificially growing it long ago.

Seeing how inefficient the collection process was, Yuga realized that this approach was too time-consuming.

Just then, Yuga suddenly heard a series of harsh cries. Looking up, he saw several silver silhouettes flying in from the horizon. As the figures approached, he realized they were more than a dozen Skarmory.

The Skarmory were targeting the Moonlight Pearls and the Qwilfish hidden underwater.

One Skarmory dove down, snatched a Moonlight Pearl in its beak, and soared back into the sky. With a gulp, it swallowed the pearl whole.

The Qwilfish immediately retaliated with their toxic spikes, but the sound of spikes hitting the Skarmory's metallic feathers rang out with a "clang," leaving the Skarmory unscathed.

Some Skarmory even directly plucked Qwilfish out of the water, swallowing them whole without hesitation, showing no concern for the Qwilfish's spines or venom.

Seeing this, Yuga's eyes lit up.

Nature works in mysterious ways, with everything having its counterbalance. It was clear that the Qwilfish's nemesis was the Skarmory. If he could capture these Skarmory and use them to collect Moonlight Pearls, wouldn't the efficiency improve drastically?

However, since the Skarmory were still in the middle of the water zone, capturing them immediately wasn't convenient. He would need to wait.

Yuga also noticed that the Skarmory were quite high-level. Remarkably, all more than a dozen of them had green potential, and the two leading Skarmory were even at the pseudo-Elite level.

This seemed unusual. The odds of encountering wild Pokémon with high potential were already low, let alone so many of them gathered in one place.

Suppressing his doubts, Yuga patiently waited.

Soon, the Skarmory had eaten their fill and flapped their wings to fly back the way they came, leaving the Qwilfish helplessly watching them.

Yuga trailed the Skarmory from a distance. Since he had to avoid the Qwilfish's territory, it took him some time to catch up completely.

Once outside the Qwilfish's territory, Yuga refrained from taking immediate action against the Skarmory. Instead, he decided to follow them to see where their nesting grounds were.

He couldn't shake the feeling that it was unusual for more than a dozen high-potential Skarmory to be together. On further thought, it was strange enough that Skarmory were even living in the Great Marsh.

The Great Marsh are primarily composed of lakes, shallows, and marshes, meaning the area is perpetually damp. Such an environment is unsuitable for Steel-type Pokémon like Skarmory, which typically prefer drier habitats.

The Skarmory's nesting grounds weren't far from the Qwilfish's territory. Riding Charizard, Yuga crossed a small lake and reached the area. He strongly suspected that the Skarmory treated the Qwilfish's territory as a food storage site.

The Skarmory's home was located on a highland, a rare feature in the Great Marsh, which is dominated by water and marsh vegetation.

Surprisingly, this highland was lush with green grass and tall trees, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding environment.

Beneath the elevated terrain was a sizable tidal flat, home to numerous Shellos and Gastrodon.

The water in the tidal flat barely reached an adult's knees. The Shellos and Gastrodon crawled back and forth, undisturbed by the Skarmory flying overhead. However, Yuga wasn't so fortunate. As soon as he and Charizard attempted to approach the elevated terrain, the Shellos and Gastrodon unleashed streams of Water Gun attacks, nearly turning them into perforated targets.

Unable to get closer to the high ground, Yuga resorted to observing the area from the edge of the tidal flat. He discovered that not only were there Skarmory living there, but the area was also populated with numerous Skorupi and Croagunk, each numbering in the dozens.

Furthermore, all the Skorupi and Croagunk were of high potential.

If just ten or so high-potential Skarmory could be written off as a coincidence, the appearance of so many high-potential Skorupi and Croagunk made it impossible to dismiss.

Yuga became deeply curious about who had created this elevated area and why so many Pokémon were being raised there.

Indeed, Yuga now suspected that the elevated terrain had been artificially constructed.

The Skarmory clearly displayed signs of rigorous training—not only did they act with precision and discipline, but they also seemed to take special care of the Skorupi and Croagunk.

Yuga spent the better part of the day observing the area, and before he realized it, night had fallen.

When night came, the Shellos and Gastrodon fell asleep, and Yuga decided it was time to infiltrate the high ground.

To be cautious, he discreetly released his Vivillon, instructing it to silently scatter Sleep Powder across the tidal flat to ensure the Shellos and Gastrodon wouldn't wake up midway through the operation.

Yuga found himself tempted by the prospect of capturing some Shellos and Gastrodon. While he hadn't spotted any of particularly high potential, taking a few of yellow potential back and using Innovation Potion on them might yield good results.

Although his Ecopark already housed some Shellos and Gastrodon, their numbers were insufficient for large-scale sales.

However, the sheer number of Shellos and Gastrodon in this area made the use of force a risky option. Even with Champion-level Pokémon at his disposal, Yuga wouldn't be able to withstand a simultaneous assault from so many Pokémon.

Once Vivillon finished its task, Yuga recalled it into its Poké Ball. Then, with utmost stealth, he and Charizard landed on the elevated terrain.

To avoid alarming the Pokémon there, Yuga refrained from using a flashlight and instead relied on the moonlight to explore.

Under the clear moonlight, he could see well enough even at night, allowing him to quickly get a sense of the terrain.

The more Yuga explored, the more convinced he became that this place had been artificially created. There were clear signs of human activity, and the layout had evidently been carefully planned.

The elevated area formed a gentle bowl shape, with the central depression serving as the nesting ground for the Croagunk and Skorupi.

The edges of the depression were densely lined with tall trees, effectively shielding the interior from outside view.

Of course, this barrier was no obstacle to someone as determined as Yuga.

The tall trees also served as the roosts for the Skarmory.

In truth, the internal defenses of this high ground were not particularly stringent. Considering the sheer number of Shellos and Gastrodon acting as an outer defense, the internal security wasn't as critical. For an average person, getting past the tidal flat alone would be nearly impossible.

If this place was indeed man-made, Yuga suspected there must be another passageway connecting it to the outside world; otherwise, how would the supposed owner come and go?

While investigating, the night passed without Yuga realizing it. Hidden within the high ground, he refrained from making any rash moves—not because he couldn't handle the Pokémon there, but because he hadn't fully grasped the situation yet.

Regardless of the purpose behind the creation of this place in the center of the Great Marsh, Yuga understood that his uninvited intrusion was impolite at best.

Partway through, the Skarmory went out to hunt again. Their targets appeared to be Qwilfish and Moonlight Pearls, as they returned with a significant number of Moonlight Pearls to feed the Skorupi and Croagunk.

Ultimately, Yuga was discovered by the Skarmory. With limited hiding spots on the high ground and some Skarmory possessing the Keen Eye ability with exceptionally sharp vision, it was nearly impossible for Yuga to avoid detection.

The moment the Skarmory spotted the intruder, they dived ferociously from the sky, giving Yuga the unsettling sense that they intended to tear him apart.

With no other choice, Yuga released Charizard to counterattack.

"Roar!"

Charizard unleashed a blazing column of fire, and the Skarmory leading the charge was instantly seared red before plummeting to the ground.

The fall of this Skarmory didn't deter the others; they continued their fierce assault on Yuga, claws and wings spread aggressively.

It became clear that these Skarmory were the high ground's sentinels, and they had likely received explicit orders from their master to drive out—or even kill—any intruders.

Yuga quickly realized that there might be some hidden secrets here; otherwise, the Skarmory wouldn't be so merciless toward anyone entering the area.

What Yuga didn't know was that the corpse he had encountered earlier belonged to someone who had inadvertently stumbled upon this place. The Skarmory had killed the person and attempted to dispose of the body, only to accidentally toss it into the domain of the Palossand.

Since it was late at night, the Skarmory hadn't noticed the Palossand or Yuga's presence.

To maintain the illusion that the death had been caused by wild Pokémon, the Skarmory hadn't cared much about where they left the body. After dumping it, they simply left.

Charizard's Fire-type moves were naturally effective against the Steel-type Skarmory. With its recent breakthrough to Champion level, Charizard quickly defeated the dozen or so Skarmory with ease.

The Croagunk and Skorupi, most of which were still young, had never encountered a Pokémon as imposing as Charizard. Terrified, they cowered in fear, making no attempt to provoke Yuga.

Since he had already been exposed, Yuga decided there was no need to keep hiding. He began openly exploring the high ground.

Before long, he discovered something unusual: inside the Skorupi's nesting area, he found a door. The door was camouflaged to resemble the surrounding rock, making it nearly impossible to spot without careful inspection.

The door required a password to open, leaving Yuga momentarily stumped.

Should he force it open?

He could break it down, but Yuga hesitated, uncertain about the identity of the place's owner.

This was clearly not some long-lost ancient ruin; the door itself was made with cutting-edge technology.

After much deliberation, Charizard made the decision for him. It opened its mouth and unleashed a blazing flame, melting the door before Yuga's eyes.

Fine, any sense of guilt was tossed aside. He had already trespassed, defeated the Skarmory guards, and now destroyed the door. Overthinking it would just be unnecessarily sentimental.

Judging by the aggressive behavior of the Skarmory outside, the owner of this place probably wasn't any virtuous character anyway.

Once the door was opened, Yuga discovered a stairway leading underground. Following the stairs downward, he entered a medium-sized Ecopark.

Yes, an Ecopark that was constructed underground.

There were flowers, grass, trees, and water. The garden was divided into several smaller sections, each containing rare Pokémon playing and frolicking.

Although the Ecopark wasn't large, its value was immeasurable.

As Yuga walked further along the passageway, he came to the first section and saw a dozen or so Kangaskhan with their child.

The arrival of Yuga didn't seem to disturb the Kangaskhan mothers, who continued doting on their child nestled in their pouches.

Opposite the Kangaskhan habitat was a section dedicated to Grass-type Pokémon, housing four Turtwig, two Grotle, and one Torterra.

Further in, there was a Water-type section where an Empoleon was happily swimming with five Piplup and two Prinplup.

Next, he found a section inhabited by two Riolu, who were sparring with each other and remained undisturbed by Yuga's presence.

Across from the Riolu habitat was a section with three Metang and eight Beldum.

The deepest section housed two Gible that were digging through the sand. Both Gible possessed green potential.

Yuga couldn't fathom who had the capability to construct an Ecopark here and raise such a collection of rare Pokémon.

Except for the two Gible, all the other Pokémon also had exceptionally high potential.

As Yuga pondered this mystery, several Drapion suddenly appeared out of nowhere and charged at him with their massive pincers. Their ferocity surpassed even that of the Skarmory outside.

Yuga quickly released his Serperior, whose Vine Whip lashed out just in time to grab the Drapion's pincers, followed by a powerful Leaf Storm that sent all the Drapion flying.

The sounds of the battle finally alarmed the Pokémon in the habitats. One by one, they grew uneasy and restless.

Although the Ecopark wasn't spacious, Serperior moved with remarkable agility. It swiftly and effortlessly dealt with the Drapion.

Just like the Skarmory outside, these Drapion were clearly guard Pokémon.

Meanwhile, back on the high ground, a person appeared silently. When they saw the unconscious Skarmory piled up together, their expression changed dramatically.

They hurriedly ran to the door to inspect it, only to find that it had been burned through, leaving a large gaping hole courtesy of Yuga's Charizard.