Shadows Under The Moon

This gift was a token of gratitude to Yuga, and through it, Yuga learned that Ruri and Amber were the granddaughters of Professor Oak's cousin—Samson Oak. To thank Yuga for saving Ruri, Amber, and Gary in the Petalburg Woods, Principal Oak sent him a gift. Upon learning that Yuga was in Kalos at the time, he sent the gift directly there.

The gift consisted of two red-and-white Poké Balls. When the Poké Balls were opened, two snow-white Vulpix appeared before Yuga.

However, the moment the Vulpix appeared, Yuga heard a voice from the system in his mind.

...

[ Congratulations, host, for triggering a new mission: The Final Sub-Ecopark. ]

[ Explanation: Thanks to your tireless efforts, your Pokémon Day Care has gained a small reputation, and now you're finally about to gather all the sub-Ecopark. Keep up the good work! ]

[ Requirements: Capture more than 10 high-potential (green or higher) Ice-type Pokémon. ]

[ Reward: The right to unlock the Ice Mountain Sub-Ecopark. ]

...

After reading the system's task, Yuga was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected the next sub-Ecopark to be the last one. What changes will occur in the system after the main sub-Ecopark missions are completed?

As he thought about this, Yuga couldn't help but feel a little excited.

After understanding the new system task, Yuga turned his attention to the two Vulpix in front of him. At that moment, the two Vulpix were curiously staring at Yuga with their amber-clear eyes, filled with confusion. What was this person suddenly daydreaming about? Was there something wrong with his brain?

Suspected of having a problem by the Vulpix, Yuga activated his <<Insight >> skill.

...

[ Vulpix ]

Type: Ice

Ability: Snow Cloak

Gender: Male

Potential: Blue

Level: 24

Moves: Powder Snow, Baby-Doll Eyes, Ice Shard, Freeze-Dry, Role Play.

...

[ Vulpix ]

Type: Ice

Ability: Snow Cloak

Gender: Female

Potential: Blue

Level: 20

Moves: Powder Snow, Baby-Doll Eyes, Haze, Icy Wind, Moonblast.

...

After checking the data of the two Pokémon, Yuga couldn't help but be impressed by Principal Oak's generosity. A pair of blue-potential Pokémon, and rare Ice-type Vulpix at that!

Since they are a variant of the Fire-type Vulpix, Ice Vulpix are much rarer, currently only found in the Alola region.

"Vulpix!"

The two Vulpix softly called out, noticing Yuga was daydreaming again, and successfully pulled his attention back.

Snapping back to reality, Yuga was immediately captivated by the cuteness of the two little creatures. He stretched out his hands, gently patting their heads. The little ones didn't shy away and affectionately rubbed against his palms in return.

Seeing how adorable the little ones were, Yuga took out the Brisk Pokéblocks he had prepared for Lapras, and the two little Vulpix were immediately drawn to the treat.

Watching the Vulpix feast, Yuga thought to himself: in order to provide a comfortable environment for these two little ones, he'd need to quickly capture the Ice-type Pokémon required by the system.

However, he remembered that there were already some Ice-types Pokemon in the Ecopark, like Cloyster, Dewgong, and Lapras. He wondered if they could count towards the mission's goal.

Thinking this, Yuga asked the system, only to be promptly rejected... Clearly, there was no shortcut here.

On the same day Yuga received the Vulpix, he left Lumiose City. Since Lysandre had been captured, there was no longer a need to move in secrecy, and he could now walk openly across the Kalos region.

Before leaving Lumiose City, Yuga sent his Grass-type Pokémon and Florges back to the YoYo Day Care. In exchange, his home-staying Pokémon like Bagon, Kartana, and Abomasnow were sent over.

The two Vulpix were also sent back in advance. Although the Ice Mountain Sub-Ecopark hadn't been unlocked yet, it would give them a chance to adapt to life in the Ecopark.

Yuga's destination this time was the Santalune Plateau, located in the eastern part of the Kalos continent, where he would help Aegislash find its original owner's tomb.

Unlike the Hoenn region, Kalos had diverse climates and terrains. To the north and west, there were warm coastal areas; the south was covered in vast forests and mountains, while the northeast and southeast featured plateaus and swamps.

The Santalune Plateau, the largest in the northeast of Kalos, was where Ogata's friend had taken Aegislash from.

It was a cold, high-altitude region that connected many undeveloped areas of the Kalos continent.

Though vast, only a small portion of Kalos region had been developed and used by humans, mostly concentrated in the northern part of the continent. Large areas in the northeast, south, and southeast were still beyond human reach.

In a narrow sense, the Kalos region referred only to the parts already developed by humans. When Yuga and his friends mentioned Coumarine City being on the northern coast of Kalos, it was relative to this narrow definition. In reality, Coumarine City was in the northwest of the entire Kalos continent.

The Santalune Plateau's northeastern location was also relative to this narrow definition of Kalos.

The nearest human settlement to the Santalune Plateau was Snowbreeze Town. Due to its proximity to the cold plateau, it was constantly swept by cold winds.

However, thanks to the abundant wind energy, Snowbreeze Town had developed a unique form of agriculture powered by wind.

Though not too far from Lumiose City, as soon as Yuga's train entered Snowbreeze Town's territory, the climate drastically changed, with the temperature dropping significantly. This was quite uncomfortable for Yuga, who had spent much of his life in the warm Hoenn region.

Reluctantly, Yuga pulled on a thick coat, and even the Bagon in his arms started shivering.

Bagon's body has been growing rapidly, entering a stage of accelerated development. A side effect of this rapid growth is bone-related growing pains.

After a diagnosis by Joyka, she recommended that Yuga supplement Bagon's calcium intake. For Pokémon like Bagon, which have an abundance of bones, timely calcium supplementation is crucial. It becomes especially important during the evolution to Shelgon, where ample calcium intake plays a key role.

In addition to prescribing special calcium tablets for Bagon, Joyka also taught Yuga a special massage technique. The right massage can help alleviate Bagon's growing pains and promote healthy bone development.

"Bagon..."

After a round of massage, Bagon let out a contented sigh, feeling so comfortable that even the coldness in its body seemed to dissipate.

Once the massage was done, Yuga gave Bagon a specially formulated calcium tablet from Joyka, along with a Dragon Bone Pokeblock.

The Dragon Bone Pokeblock is named as such because its primary ingredients are bones and scales from Dragon-type Pokémon. These are highly beneficial for the growth and development of Dragon-types, helping to lay a strong foundation when consumed from a young age.

However, materials like dragon bones and dragon scales are not easy to come by, so the Dragon Bone Pokeblock is the rarest and most expensive of all the Pokéblocks produced at YoYo Day Care.

The quality of Dragon Bone Pokéblocks varies depending on the type of bones and scales used. Currently, the Pokeblock that YoYo Day Care distributes to the market are made from the bones and scales of pseudo Dragon-type Pokémon.

These so-called pseudo Dragon-type Pokémon aren't true Dragon-types, but Pokémon with Dragon lineage, such as Arbok, Seviper, and Salazzle. The term "pseudo Dragon-types" is simply a more appealing label.

While real Dragon-type bones and scales are hard to come by in large quantities, pseudo Dragon-type Pokemon materials are more readily available.

In certain places, Arbok or Seviper are raised in large numbers, and their shed skin is highly valued for medicinal purposes, fetching high prices at pharmacies.

YoYo Day Care primarily sources these snake skins from Arbok and Seviper, while any pure-blooded Dragon-type materials they occasionally receive are kept for internal use.

However, the Dragon Bone Pokéblocks that Yuga feeds Bagon are made by Yuga himself, and he adds a small amount of Rayquaza blood to them. After extensive experimentation, he finally felt confident enough to offer the finished product to Bagon. He carefully regulates the amount of dragon blood included in the Pokéblocks to ensure it is safe.

Bagon was still very young, so Yuga only added a single drop of Rayquaza's blood to each batch of Pokéblocks. This ensured that Bagon could fully absorb it without causing any harm to its body.

As for the Rayquaza scales, Yuga planned to use them to make Pokéblocks for Bagon once it evolved into Shelgon. For now, the dragon blood would last Bagon for a long time.

Shelgon is the transitional stage in Bagon's evolution into Salamence, and during this period, energy accumulation is the most important factor. The more energy it stores, the stronger the foundation Salamence will have after evolution.

Pseudo-legendary Pokémon like Bagon are powerful but extremely expensive to raise. Without the Rayquaza blood and scales Yuga had collected earlier, he would have had to scour the world for high-quality dragon bones and scales to feed it.

Dragonite had the support of its Dragonite mother's savings, occasionally getting special treatment that saved Yuga a lot of trouble. But now, with Bagon, everything rested entirely on him.

It wasn't just about money—Yuga had plenty of that now—but some materials couldn't simply be bought with money. The higher the quality of dragon bones and scales, the harder they were to find.

After half a day on the train, Yuga finally arrived in Snowbreeze Town. With Bagon keeping him company, the journey wasn't boring at all.

The first thing Yuga did upon arriving in Snowbreeze Town was to buy plenty of warm clothing at a clothing store. He could already foresee how unbearable the temperatures would be once he reached the Santalune Plateau.

Having lived in Hoenn for so long, Yuga wasn't used to the cold and found this low-temperature weather uncomfortable. Even in winter, Hoenn never got too cold, and snow was rare.

Yuga didn't stay long in Snowbreeze Town. After stocking up on enough clothing and food, he headed straight for the Santalune Plateau.

The first obstacle Yuga had to pass through upon entering the Santalune Plateau was the Frost Cavern.

Despite its name, the Frost Cavern isn't a true cave but rather a wind tunnel formed by the cold winds blowing down from the Santalune Plateau.

Although Yuga had mentally prepared himself, when he arrived at the cavern entrance, dressed in thick snow gear and riding on Absol, he was still taken aback by the fierce winds and the heavy snowfall swirling around him like large feathers.

This scene reminded Yuga of the snowy peaks of Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh!

At that moment, Yuga had already recalled Bagon into its Pokéball. In such extreme weather, he was worried that Bagon might accidentally get frostbitten—Dragon-type Pokémon aren't known for their resistance to the cold.

With Bagon safely stored away, Aegislash appeared at Yuga's side.

Noticing Yuga's cheeks turning red from the cold and his eyes struggling against the wind, Aegislash's body glowed with a faint purple light. A protective shield of psychic energy appeared, enveloping both Yuga and Absol, shielding them from the harsh elements.

As the wind and snow were blocked outside the barrier, Yuga rubbed his numb cheeks and said, "Thank you," to Aegislash. Aegislash gave no reaction, merely floating silently above him.

With Aegislash's protection, Yuga was no longer troubled by the storm, and his pace quickened considerably. For a Pokémon as powerful as Aegislash, keeping the wind and snow at bay was an easy task.

It was unclear how long they had been traveling, but the snowstorm showed no signs of letting up. Along the way, Yuga occasionally spotted some Ice-type Pokémon huddling in caves. Even for Ice-types, going out in such harsh weather wasn't appealing.

Each time Yuga encountered a Pokémon, he would use his Insight skill to check if any could be a suitable target for his task. Unfortunately, he didn't find any.

It was unclear if it was due to the snowstorm or if Ice-type Pokémon were naturally scarce along the wind tunnel of the Frost Cavern, but Yuga saw far fewer Ice-types than he had expected. The variety was also very limited, with most of them being Snover and Abomasnow, and occasionally a few Swinub.

Abomasnow are solitary Pokémon, usually seen with at most one Snover nearby, whereas Swinub tend to gather in small groups of three to five. Unlike the individually strong Abomasnow, the Swinub survive only by sticking together.

As night began to fall, Yuga still hadn't made it out of the Frost Cavern. The snowstorm made traveling slow, so he decided to find a place to spend the night.

Fortunately, there were many caves around the Frost Cavern, and Yuga quickly found a spacious one, large enough for even Absol's massive frame to easily enter.

When Yuga entered the cave, there were already a few Pokémon inside—Swinub, Snover, and Snorunt. As soon as they saw Yuga and Absol, they huddled together, trembling, especially frightened by the intimidating aura surrounding Absol.

However, Yuga didn't bother them. He found a spot for himself, lit a fire, and sat down with Absol to warm themselves. Even though Aegislash had protected them, Absol's fur was still wet from traveling for so long.

The Ice-type Pokémon, seeing that Yuga and Absol had no intention of harming them, gradually relaxed. However, they didn't like the fire, so they didn't come near Yuga, though they did stare longingly at his food when he brought it out, practically drooling.

Noticing their small number, Yuga decided to share one Pokeblock with each of them.

Pokéblocks are highly nutritious, and just one is enough to satisfy hunger.

When night fully set in, the snowstorm finally showed signs of subsiding. By midnight, the storm had completely stopped.

After the storm passed, the surroundings became eerily quiet—so quiet that Yuga found it difficult to fall asleep.

Listening to the soft snores of the Swinub in the cave, Yuga lay awake.

While trying to lull himself to sleep by counting Mareep over and over, the Abomasnow he had stationed at the entrance suddenly stirred.

Yuga had placed Abomasnow at the entrance to block the wind and snow from blowing inside. For an Ice-type Pokémon like Abomasnow, the chill was perfectly tolerable.

Unexpectedly, after the storm stopped, Abomasnow alerted Yuga to something in the middle of the night.

Yuga walked to the entrance, and Abomasnow shifted slightly to give him a clear view of what was happening outside.

After the storm had ceased, a cold silver moon hung in the sky. Its bright light, reflected off the snow-covered ground, made the night glow even more.

In the moonlight, Yuga saw several dark figures swiftly darting across the snow.