Collaboration Once Again

After erasing all traces of Hunter J, Yuga turned his attention to the Skarmory flock. He was still thinking about having them help collect Moonlight Pearls.

At this moment, the Skarmory were still unconscious due to their injuries. Yuga instructed Serperior to use Grassy Terrain for a group healing. Although this didn't completely heal their wounds, it was enough to wake them up.

These Skarmory had undergone years of specialized training under Hunter J, with their diet primarily consisting of other Pokémon. As a result, their temperaments were exceptionally aggressive. The moment they woke up, they bared their fangs and claws, ready to attack Yuga.

However, Serperior wasn't one to be trifled with. Any Skarmory daring to rebel was met with a Dragon Pulse. After a few rounds of being beaten, the Skarmory reluctantly settled down.

Still, Yuga knew their submission was only superficial. He said, "Your previous master won't be coming back. From now on, you'll have to listen to me. Otherwise…" As he spoke, he had Serperior give them another intimidating display.

The Skarmory's first reaction was, of course, disbelief. Seeing this, Yuga added, "Your master was Hunter J, right? She's already been here once, but I dealt with her. You didn't see it because you were still unconscious.

"If you don't believe me, you can ask the Skorupi and Croagunk here. They won't lie to you."

As he spoke, Yuga called over a few Skorupi and Croagunk as witnesses. These Pokémon, already terrified of the Skarmory, recounted everything they had seen during the battle between Yuga and Hunter J in full detail.

Because the Skorupi and Croagunk were weaker, they hadn't participated in the fight and had instead watched the entire battle unfold.

Hearing their testimony, the Skarmory had no choice but to believe Yuga's words and temporarily submitted to him.

Although their submission was insincere, Yuga pretended not to notice. He didn't plan to rely heavily on these Skarmory anyway. As long as they behaved for the time being, that was enough.

He had plenty of ways to deal with them later. When it came to collecting Moonlight Pearls, he could always raise a new flock of Skarmory. These ones, having been conditioned by Hunter J, were already ruined and wouldn't sincerely obey anyone else.

It wasn't that these Skarmory were particularly loyal to Hunter J. She hadn't used proper methods to train them. They had simply grown accustomed to living unchecked and tyrannical lives on the plateau and wouldn't willingly submit to anyone's control. Moreover, they had killed numerous innocent adventurers.

Although it was a pity to give up so many high-potential Pokémon, Yuga couldn't afford to keep them around. If they corrupted his other Pokémon, the losses would outweigh the benefits.

Evil influences are contagious, and it's easy for Pokémon to learn bad habits.

Didn't the Skorupi and Croagunk tremble in fear at the sight of the Skarmory? That alone showed how much these Skarmory had bullied them in the past.

After taming the Skarmory, Yuga drove the Skorupi and Croagunk into the underground Ecopark.

Apart from the Skarmory and the Drapion that had attacked Yuga earlier, the other Pokémon in the underground Ecopark were relatively decent. Having been isolated in this enclosed space for so long, many of them still retained a simple and naive temperament.

Once Yuga calmed the Pokémon in the underground Ecopark, he rode on Charizard and herded the Skarmory toward the Qwilfish territory.

By now, all the Pokémon in the underground Ecopark had realized that their owner had changed. However, they didn't mind. They had only been kept here by their previous master, with little interaction or emotional connection to her.

Yuga found a highly advanced robot in the depths of the underground Ecopark. It had been managing the entire facility on behalf of Hunter J.

Since Hunter J rarely visited the Ecopark, the robot's supervision had prevented the Pokémon from being negatively influenced by her, or so Yuga speculated.

The robot itself was not equipped with any combat capabilities, so Yuga subdued it with ease.

However, since the robot's owner was programmed to be Hunter J, it obviously would not acknowledge Yuga. Without hesitation, Yuga turned off its power.

Still, he found the high level of artificial intelligence intriguing. Deciding it might have potential, Yuga stored the robot in his system space, intending to see if he could modify it for his own use later.

Hunter J's mastery of advanced technology was impressive. The petrification device she used to capture Pokémon and her invisible aircraft were key to her dominance in Sinnoh. Unfortunately, both were destroyed during the battle at Lake Valor.

As for the Drapion under her control, since they were trained by Hunter J, Yuga didn't plan to keep them either. After finding their Poké Balls in the underground Ecopark, he stored them all away, intending to deal with them alongside the Skarmory later.

Of course, Yuga had no intention of harming them. Living Pokémon could be repurposed in many ways.

With the Skarmory accompanying him, Yuga soon reached the Qwilfish territory. Thanks to their assistance, gathering the Moonlight Pearls this time was a breeze. In no time, he had collected a sufficient amount.

Standing before the vast wetland brimming with Marsh Grass, Yuga decided to develop the area properly. Unlike Hunter J, who had wasted the resources here, Yuga saw its potential.

He had already witnessed the incredible value of Moonlight Pearls. Controlling this Great Marsh meant a steady stream of wealth flowing into his coffers.

With this plan in mind, Yuga decided to return to Pastoria City first.

After making his way back to the plateau with the Skarmory, Yuga collected all the Pokémon from the underground Ecopark into their Poké Balls. He intended to transfer them to his own Ecopark—he had plenty of space, so there was no need to leave them behind.

The Skarmory were also stored away. Leaving them unattended could result in them disappearing entirely the next time he came back.

Having already traversed the route once, Yuga's return to Pastoria City was much quicker.

Upon reaching Pastoria City, Yuga headed straight to the hospital to find Dr. Maury and handed over the Moonlight Pearls he had collected.

Seeing the large quantity, Dr. Maury exclaimed, "You managed to gather so many!"

Yuga smiled and replied, "It was just luck. I ventured into the depths of the Great Marsh and managed to snatch these from wild Pokémon. It wasn't easy." He didn't share the full truth with Dr. Maury.

"You've worked hard," Dr. Maury said, trusting Yuga's explanation due to his capabilities. "With these Moonlight Pearls, Shoryu will recover and be discharged soon."

Yuga expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Dr. Maury. You've been working tirelessly."

Dr. Maury explained that he would turn the Moonlight Pearls into medicinal pills to aid recovery. Since Yuga didn't understand the process, he left everything in Dr. Maury's hands.

After saying goodbye to Dr. Maury, Yuga visited Shoryu in his hospital room, where an Audino was keeping him company.

After a few days apart, Yuga could clearly see that Shoryu looked much healthier.

When Yuga pushed the door open and entered, Shoryu exclaimed in surprise, "Big Brother, you're back!" Its voice sounded much stronger than before the surgery.

"Yeah, I'm back. How have you been these past few days? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?" Yuga asked with concern, inquiring about Shoryu's condition over the past few days.

"I'm doing great! Dr. Maury has been taking good care of me, and Audino made me lots of delicious food," Shoryu said happily. After the surgery, the physical burden on its body was lifted, and it felt more relaxed with each passing day. The smile on its face grew brighter and more frequent.

Yuga sat by the bedside and started chatting with Shoryu and Audino.

Over the past few days, Dr. Maury had indeed been attentive to both Audino and Shoryu. The food that Audino made for Shoryu was prepared in Dr. Maury's kitchen at his home. Yuga decided he needed to thank Dr. Maury properly.

That night, Yuga stayed at the hospital, keeping Shoryu company with Audino in the ward.

The next morning, Yuga went out to buy breakfast for Audino and Shoryu. After they all ate, Yuga gave Shoryu and Audino a few reminders before leaving the hospital.

His first stop was the Pokémon Center, where he contacted Wigglytuff back home to transfer all the Pokémon he had with him. He also gave Wigglytuff some specific instructions.

Yuga told Wigglytuff to first send the Pokémon to the new Ecopark for a few days of observation. If there were no issues, they could then be integrated into the Ecopark.

Even though Yuga hadn't noticed any problems with these Pokémon, they had originally belonged to Hunter J. He couldn't guarantee that nothing had slipped past his inspection.

If everything checked out after observation, the Skorupi would be placed in the Insect Paradise Sub-Ecopaek. There were already some Drapion there, so they could provide companionship and help train the Skorupi.

The Croagunk would be relocated to the Island No. 2 in the Shallow Sea Beach Sub-Ecopark, where Nihilego resided. The area had a low Pokémon density and included a poison pool that was ideal for training Poison-type Pokémon, making it perfect for the Croagunk.

The Kangaskhan would naturally go to the Grassland Sub-Ecopark, where land Pokémon lived.

Turtwig, Grotle, and Torterra would be sent to the Flower Sea Sub-Ecopark, while Piplup, Prinplup, and Empoleon would go to the Shallow Sea Beach Sub-Ecopark.

The two Riolu would be entrusted to Lucario. Since Lucario and Zoroark's younger sister didn't have children yet, it would be a good opportunity for them to get some experience as parents in advance.

The Metang and Beldum would, of course, join their kin in the Mine Sub-Ecopark.

Previously, the Beldum in Yuga's Ecopark were all closely related, making it difficult for them to reproduce. With the addition of new members, this problem was naturally resolved.

Yuga's only concern was whether the existing Beldum might develop psychological barriers to reproduction due to past difficulties.

As for the two Gible with green potential, Yuga decided to have Dragonite's mother train them.

Now that Dragonite had completed its training, its mother spent most of its time idle in the Ecopark, occasionally keeping an eye on the Dratini. Giving her something to do would be better than letting her grow bored.

On the other hand, Druddigon, already busy taking care of its young Tyrunt and Helioptile, wouldn't be burdened with additional responsibilities.

Yuga had initially considered Goodra, but Goodra wasn't strong enough, and its compatibility with Gible didn't seem ideal. After some thought, he decided to drop the idea.

Transferring these dozens of Pokémon back home ended up costing Yuga quite a bit of money. If it weren't for the special discounts he received due to his unique status, the cost of transferring the Pokémon this time would have been close to tens of thousands.

When others travel, they typically bring a fixed group of Pokémon and rarely swap them out, and for good reason—it's just too expensive.

After giving Wigglytuff detailed instructions, Yuga finally ended the call.

Next, Yuga contacted Joyka. He planned to collaborate with the Joy family regarding the Moonlight Pearls. They had previously worked together on the Revival Herb project, and their cooperation had been pleasant. Naturally, the Joy family was the first partner Yuga thought of for this venture.

Moonlight Pearls were also a type of medicinal herb, so the Joy family was the most suitable choice for a collaborator.

Developing the Moonlight Pearl production site would require a large workforce, which Yuga didn't have. Finding a partner was the best solution.

His status allowed him to negotiate as an equal with any potential partner.

The call was quickly answered, and Joyka teased him from the other end of the line: "Even in Sinnoh, you didn't forget to call me. Do you miss me that much?"

(° °) Yuga: I feel like you're flirting with me, and I have evidence.

Without wasting time, Yuga got straight to the point. "Do you know about Moonlight Pearls?"

Joyka, a true elite of the Joy family, immediately recognized the term. Despite Moonlight Pearls being relatively obscure, she answered without hesitation, "Moonlight Pearls? You mean the specialty of the Great Marsh near Pastoria City—the fruit of the Marshgrass?"

She quickly connected the dots, realizing that Yuga was currently in Pastoria City. It wasn't surprising for him to encounter Moonlight Pearls.

"That's right, exactly that," Yuga confirmed.

Joyka sighed and said, "It's a pity that Moonlight Pearls are so hard to come by. Otherwise, I'd have asked you to bring me a couple for research. I've heard they have incredible medicinal value, but I've never seen one myself."

She knew that Moonlight Pearls were rare and seldom left Pastoria City, so she didn't press Yuga for any favors.

However, Yuga said, "I have a business proposal involving Moonlight Pearls that I'd like to discuss with the Joy family. I hope the family can send someone with enough authority to meet me in person."

Joyka was surprised. "Are you serious?" She knew that if Yuga was making such a request, it must involve a significant deal; he wouldn't go to such lengths otherwise.

"Of course, I'm serious. I have a Moonlight Pearl production site under my control. However, I lack the manpower for its development, so I need a partner."

Yuga didn't beat around the bush, nor did he need to. The production site was in his hands, and so was the initiative. The Joy family wouldn't refuse this opportunity for collaboration.

Joyka immediately realized the importance of the matter and quickly responded, "Understood. I'll contact my family right away and get back to you."

"Alright, I'll be waiting. Move quickly—I might not stay in Pastoria City for long," Yuga reminded her.

After hanging up the call with Joyka, Yuga returned to the hospital. On the way, he pondered how to structure the collaboration with the Joy family.

He couldn't stay in Pastoria City indefinitely, and the Great Marsh where the Marshgrass grew required someone to guard and manage it. This responsibility would have to fall on the Joy family.

As for the base in the highlands, leaving it unused would be a waste. It might as well be repurposed as the management hub for the Moonlight Pearl production site—a classic case of recycling resources.

Regarding the origins of that place, Yuga felt no need to explain everything in detail to the Joy family. Let them think whatever they wanted; after all, no one knew about Hunter J's involvement.