The League's Reward

Mewtwo and the cloned Pokémon had been living at YoYo Day Care for over a week now, and they were adapting well to life in the Ecopark.

The cloned Pokémon stayed quietly in Oasis No. 1 every day, never venturing elsewhere. They lived peaceful, simple lives and rarely interacted with other Pokémon. Although Yuga thought this wasn't ideal, he respected their preferences and let them be.

Given the unique circumstances of the cloned Pokémon, Yuga didn't want to pressure them into behaving like the others.

Mewtwo, for the most part, spent its time in the lab working on research with the Rotom Computer and others. During its free time, it would occasionally guide Chimecho and the others in their training, as per Yuga's requests. Even Nana would occasionally come to exchange experiences with Mewtwo.

Though Nana's strength didn't match Mewtwo's, it had lived longer and had more experience in using Psychic powers. This often gave Mewtwo new insights, allowing it to grow stronger. Mewtwo had also become quite adept at freely utilizing Mega Evolution.

One day in the Ecopark, Mienfoo had gone to spar with Krokorok again. After several days without seeing their friend, Wartortle and Frogadier were dissatisfied and decided to go to the Desert Sub-Ecopark themselves to find Mienfoo.

The entrance to the Desert Sub-Ecopark was located in Oasis No. 1. As soon as Wartortle entered, it began looking around curiously.

Frogadier, puzzled, asked, "What are you looking for?"

With a mysterious expression, Wartortle replied, "I heard from my mom that some strange new residents have moved in here recently. I want to see what's so strange about them."

Frogadier wasn't particularly interested and tugged on Wartortle, saying, "Let's just go find Mienfoo."

"Oh, come on! What's the harm in taking a look?" Wartortle protested.

Left with no choice, Frogadier reluctantly followed Wartortle further into the oasis. Before long, they arrived at the lakeshore.

The area around the lake was very quiet at the moment. Only a Blastoise and a Squirtle were leisurely swimming in the water.

Blastoise lay floating on the surface, gently moving its limbs, while Squirtle reclined on Blastoise's shell with its legs crossed, looking utterly relaxed.

Both Blastoise and Squirtle were quite satisfied with their current lives. During their days of constant movement outside, they never had the chance to enjoy life like this. Especially in the early days after leaving New Island, they had been relentlessly hunted by Team Rocket, forced to hide and flee daily.

As Blastoise and Squirtle reflected on the unpredictability of life, they suddenly heard laughter. Turning their heads, they saw Wartortle and an unfamiliar Pokémon standing on the shore.

When Squirtle and Blastoise looked over, Wartortle instinctively blurted out, "You two look so ugly!"

No sooner had Wartortle spoken than it noticed Frogadier's disapproving gaze. Realizing its mistake, Wartortle quickly covered its mouth and shot an apologetic look at Blastoise and Squirtle.

Of course, what Wartortle said wasn't entirely wrong.

Blastoise and Squirtle bore unique black patterns on their bodies, which humans often found mysteriously beautiful. However, other Pokémon thought they were downright ugly. This was one reason Mewtwo and its cloned Pokémon had been shunned by wild Pokémon during their search for a home.

When Blastoise heard Wartortle's comment, it flew into a rage and immediately blasted Wartortle away with a Hydro Pump. Wartortle only stopped when it crashed into a large tree.

In truth, Blastoise didn't care about being called ugly. What angered it was that its companion had been mocked.

Wartortle had intended to offer a sincere apology, knowing it was wrong to make fun of someone's appearance. But Blastoise's retaliation made it furious.

"It was just one comment—was it worth getting so mad about? You are ugly, though!" Wartortle thought indignantly. It didn't understand that Blastoise and the others had been mocked countless times and were incredibly sensitive to such insults.

Wartortle wanted to retaliate, but rational Frogadier held it back, reasoning that they were in the wrong and the attack should be seen as punishment.

Blastoise wasn't done and wanted to continue teaching Wartortle a lesson, but Squirtle stopped it.

Despite its small size, Squirtle was mature and level-headed. It wasn't upset by Wartortle's words but was surprised that Blastoise had reacted so strongly.

Squirtle didn't realize that Blastoise had gotten angry on its behalf. It assumed Blastoise was upset about its own appearance being mocked. Determined to settle the matter, Squirtle decided to take action and teach Wartortle a lesson.

However, since their current home was different, they couldn't just cause trouble randomly. Squirtle formally challenged Wartortle to a duel instead.

The Desert Sub-Ecopark served as the designated battleground for resolving conflicts between Pokémon in the Ecopark. It was a common spot for battles, and since Oasis No. 1 was the entry point to the Desert Sub-Ecopark, Squirtle was familiar with the area even though it didn't interact much with other Pokémon.

As soon as Squirtle issued the challenge, Wartortle eagerly accepted, leaving Frogadier no time to stop them.

Wartortle believed Squirtle's lack of evolution meant it was weak and didn't take it seriously.

So, Blissey Yuan Yuan was invited to serve as the referee.

The commotion also alerted the other cloned Pokémon, who were just as angry with Wartortle. If Squirtle hadn't intervened, they might have ganged up on Wartortle.

The duel was eventually set to take place in a section of the desert near Oasis No. 1. All the cloned Pokémon, as well as the reluctant Frogadier, went to watch. The Ursaring family, excited by the commotion, also rushed over to spectate.

The only ones who didn't attend were the reclusive Kecleon family and the Snorlax, who was still fast asleep.

Mienfoo, returning from a sparring session with Krokorok, was about to leave the Desert Sub-Ecopark when a Kecleon suddenly appeared on a tree branch.

"Hey, your friend is in a duel!"

Mienfoo was about to ask more, but the Kecleon disappeared before it could get a word in.

Mienfoo didn't have many friends—just Wartortle, Frogadier, and Krokorok. Since it had just returned from Krokorok, it knew the Kecleon must be referring to Wartortle or Frogadier.

By the time Mienfoo anxiously found the duel's location, Wartortle and Squirtle were already locked in combat.

To everyone's surprise, Wartortle was completely outmatched by Squirtle. Wartortle had assumed Squirtle was weak, but in reality, Squirtle's strength was nearly on par with its mother, Blastoise. This left Wartortle humiliated and hopeless.

Wartortle used Water Gun against Squirtle, but Squirtle easily countered it with Aqua Tail, scattering the attack. Before Wartortle could react, Squirtle slammed into it with Rapid Spin.

Wartortle struggled to its feet, preparing to fight back, but Squirtle was already behind it. With a raised fist, Squirtle delivered a devastating Rock Smash, knocking Wartortle to the ground, unable to get back up.

With Blissey Yuan Yuan supervising, the duel was kept under control, so when Wartortle was knocked down, Squirtle didn't press the attack. Once Yuan Yuan declared it victorious, Squirtle left with its companions, laughing and chatting as they went.

In stark contrast to Squirtle's triumphant demeanor, the defeated Wartortle was in a miserable state. It lay dejected on the ground, unresponsive even when Yuan Yuan treated its injuries. Yuan Yuan, watching the disheartened Wartortle, sighed and shook her head. "Still too inexperienced," she thought. "Getting beaten up once isn't the end of the world. If anything, this is your fault for not watching your mouth."

"Learn from your mistakes!" she added before leaving.

After Yuan Yuan departed, Frogadier and Mienfoo helped the despondent Wartortle back to the slShallow Sea blBeach Sub-Ecopark where it lived. Wartortle remained silent the entire way, as if it had lost all spirit.

Mienfoo, having heard the full story from Frogadier, agreed that Wartortle had been too careless with its words. However, seeing it in this pitiful state, it didn't feel right to say anything further.

When they got home, both Wartortle's and Frogadier's parents happened to be there. Seeing Wartortle's lifeless demeanor, they asked with concern what had happened. Frogadier had no choice but to recount the events.

Frogadier had expected its parents to be furious, but Greninja and Blastoise remained silent for a long time after hearing the story. Finally, Greninja spoke. "You're both old enough now. It's time to grow up. Starting tomorrow, you'll train with me."

Greninja had been so focused on its own training that it rarely paid much attention to the two young ones after they were born. Today's events made it realize that leaving them to their own devices wasn't working.

Sure enough, the next day, Greninja began to keep Frogadier and Wartortle by its side at all times. It not only taught them serious training techniques but also took them around to challenge other Pokémon.

Initially, Wartortle was still lost in a daze. However, after experiencing numerous battles, it finally understood how naïve it had been. The world wasn't as simple as it appeared; there were countless hidden experts.

Take that Spoink from earlier, for instance. It was still in its basic stage and spent most of its time dabbling in fortune-telling instead of training. Yet after battling it, Wartortle realized that Spoink was far stronger than it had ever imagined. Before, Wartortle hadn't had the slightest clue.

After that, Wartortle became much more grounded. It stopped wasting its days wandering aimlessly and spent most of its time training with Frogadier under their father's guidance.

As the friends spent less time playing together, Mienfoo dedicated more time to training with Krokorok, also keeping itself busy to the point of losing track of time.

The incident between Wartortle and Squirtle passed quietly. Yuan Yuan didn't report it to Yuga, nor did the cloned Pokémon inform Mewtwo. The matter simply faded into obscurity.

However, after this event, everyone in the Ecopark became aware of the cloned Pokémon's sensitivity about their appearance. Out of mutual respect, they tacitly avoided discussing the subject, allowing the cloned Pokémon to resume their peaceful and comfortable lives.

While Yuga remained unaware of the small incidents within the Ecopark, the League's reward for Yuga's discovery of the Water Gem deposit finally arrived.

As previously speculated by surveyors, the Water Gem deposit was confirmed to be the largest elemental gem vein ever discovered by the League. This made Yuga's contribution highly significant.

The vein was located in the sea at the border between the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions. After the deposit's immense reserves were revealed, the Sinnoh League had initially wanted a share of the spoils. However, the Hoenn League had already dispatched personnel to fully take over the management and excavation of the deposit, leaving no room for Sinnoh's involvement. Sinnoh had no choice but to back down empty-handed.

This gave the Hoenn League yet another moment in the spotlight.

With the discovery of this super-sized Water Gem vein, the Hoenn League not only eased the pressure of cultivating Trainers but also gained more flexibility in energy and scientific research.

Elemental gems, often referred to as strategic resources, are valued not only for their use in Pokémon training but also for their role as a critical energy source applied in numerous scientific fields. For example, the battle suit previously rewarded to Yuga by the League, which he later gifted to Luna, was powered by elemental gems.

Thanks to Yuga bringing immense prestige to the Hoenn League, the League was especially generous this time. They not only credited Yuga with a significant achievement but also gifted him two large crates of Water Gen.

Each of these crates contained over a thousand gems, all of exceptionally high quality, freshly mined from the vein.

In truth, even if the League had not rewarded Yuga with Water Gem, he could have easily used his massive achievement points to purchase them directly from the League's store.

For ordinary Trainers, resources like Water Gem are typically rationed; the lower a Trainer's rank, the less they are allowed to purchase.

As a Hall of Fame-level Trainer of the highest rank, Yuga not only faces no purchasing limits but also enjoys significant discounts.

However, due to the exorbitant prices of elemental gems, buying them in bulk would still be financially unfeasible, even for Yuga.

In addition to Water Gems and merit points, the League, aware of Yuga's passion for collecting Pokémon, made sure not to forget to include a Pokémon-related reward.

The League's rewards were delivered by staff from the distribution department. Early in the morning, a large truck pulled up in front of the YoYo Day Care. The delivery personnel first unloaded the two large crates and then handed Yuga a briefcase containing Poké Balls.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, everything has been delivered. Please check the items," the delivery leader said.

"Alright, thank you very much," Yuga replied gratefully.

He first opened the two crates of Water Stones, revealing them to be filled to the brim with dazzling, water-blue gems radiating a brilliant light.

Satisfied, Yuga nodded and then opened the briefcase containing the Poké Balls. Inside, twenty Poké Balls were neatly arranged in rows.

The briefcase was secured with a code, which had been shared with Yuga by the League prior to delivery. The delivery personnel didn't know the code and couldn't open it, ensuring that only Yuga, as the recipient, could access the contents.

After re-securing the briefcase, Yuga said to the delivery leader, "Everything is in order."

The leader let out a quiet sigh of relief and said, "That's great. We'll take our leave now as we have other tasks to attend to."

Since the distribution department headquarters was located in Verdanturf Town, Yuga didn't insist on keeping them.

Once the delivery team had departed, Yuga called out Gengar and Mismagius to carry the crates of Water Gems, while he personally carried the briefcase into his house.

Back home, Yuga stored the Water Gems in the system's inventory before taking the briefcase into the Ecopark.

The twenty Pokémon gifted by the League were all Treecko, high potential Grass-type starter Pokémon. The League had clearly spared no expense for this reward.

Yuga's Ecopark already housed five Sceptile and none of which had partners or offspring. These five would now have the perfect opportunity to mentor the new arrivals.