A Problem and a Surprise

After ending the call with Robert, Yuga visited his new store, which seemed to be doing well. Upon returning, he entered the Ecopark.

Inside the main Ecopark, only Absol and a few Medidite were gathered for meditation training. They didn't react when Yuga approached, deep in their meditation.

It seemed they were in a deep meditative state. During deep meditation, Pokémon blocked their external awareness for higher meditation efficiency, even though they couldn't respond to danger.

However, Yuga's Ecopark was a safe place, allowing Absol and Medidite to meditate without worry.

Without disturbing Absol's training, Yuga headed to the Grassland Sub-Ecopark to check on the herb growth.

Upon entering the Grassland Sub-Ecopark, he first noticed the Tauros and Rapidash (Ponyta) galloping in the distance. Yuga thought, "Thank goodness they don't have a habit of running into people. I don't have a Super Beginner's body."

Currently, Ninetales and Houndoom, who had been with him from the beginning, were helping Yuga manage the Quadruple Pokémon. Although their strength was slightly inferior to two Rapidadh and Typhlosion, with Yuga's authority, the Pokémon were relatively obedient.

Seeing Yuga's arrival, Ninetales and Houndoom immediately approached happily. The nearby Persian, however, glanced at him lightly and walked away in a haughty manner.

But Yuga could feel from its gaze that Persian didn't dislike him.

Yuga carefully examined Houndoom's condition and saw that both Houndoom and the unborn pups in her belly were in good shape. He instructed them to return and rest.

After Ninetales and Houndoom left, Yuga went to the edge of the herb garden. At this moment, two Lotad were standing side by side on the field ridge, motionless, staring at the herb garden.

"What are you two doing?" Yuga crouched down and asked the two Lotad, who seemed lost in thought.

"Lo-tad..."

Both Lotad turned their heads in unison upon hearing Yuga's voice, gazing at him with innocent eyes.

Yuga felt that having a normal conversation with these two might be a bit challenging; their responses were somewhat...slow.

At this moment, the Grass-type Pokémon that tended to the herb garden were all in the Flower Sea. Only the two Lotad were guarding this area.

Yuga glanced into the herb garden and suddenly noticed something unusual about the white herbs. He quickly descended into the field to investigate.

He crouched down, pushed aside the soil around the roots of a white herb, and saw that the normally white roots had turned black.

He checked several other white herbs nearby, and the situation was the same. Not only the roots but even the leaves were covered in faint blue speckles.

White herbs were plants that were entirely white, from their roots to stems, and leaves. That's why they were called white herbs. This made it easy for Yuga to notice that something was wrong.

Yuga picked up a piece of soil from the roots of a white herb and crumbled it in his hand, furrowing his brows.

It was too moist.

Clearly, the problem with the white herbs was excessive watering, leading to root rot.

The Lotad had probably been keeping a close watch here and noticed this issue in time.

Fortunately, it was a problem that could be remedied easily.

Leaving the herb garden, Yuga told the two Lotad, "For now, please don't water the herbs in the herb garden, especially you and Marshtomp. Follow my instructions before taking any action."

The Lotad nodded obediently and then trotted in the direction of the Grassland Lake.

Afterwards, Yuga carefully checked the other herb fields and found no issues, which relieved him. If something irreparable happened to these herb fields, Yuga would face significant losses, as he wouldn't easily find so many precious herb seeds again.

With these thoughts in mind, Yuga decided to visit the Heart Island Lake in the Shallow Seashore Sub-Ecopark, where there was another type of herb.

Water Hyacinth, of course, wouldn't face the issue of excessive watering since they were aquatic plants. However, there might be other potential problems to deal with.

When Yuga arrived at the Heart Island Lake, he saw that the Water Hyacinth on the water's surface had grown lush.

Water Hyacinth were probably the fastest-growing among these medicinal herbs. Yuga even noticed a few flower buds rising among the leaves on the water's surface.

However, these buds were still small and tender, and it would take some time before they bloomed.

According to the "Comprehensive Guide to Medicinal Herb Cultivation," Water Hyacinth flowers were exceptionally beautiful, resembling Yuga's previous life's lotus but even more vibrant, entirely purple-red, and highly conspicuous when blooming on the water's surface.

This was also why wild Water Hyacinth were rarely seen in the wild; their striking appearance easily attracted herbivorous Pokémon, which might devour them.

For many Pokémon, Water Hyacinth flowers had a pleasant taste and high nutritional value.

To mature the Water Hyacinth's rhizomes, they had to wait until the flowers naturally withered. If the flowers were destroyed prematurely, the rhizomes wouldn't mature, and they couldn't be used for reproduction.

Yuga walked to the lake's edge and gently tugged on a piece of Water Hyacinth vine. He saw that their growth was excellent, which eased his mind.

Apparently, Yuga's action disturbed the underwater Pokémon. A Milotic's head suddenly emerged from the water and swam over to Yuga.

Just as Yuga was about to pat Milotic's head, it turned its head, gave a soft call towards the rear, and another Milotic emerged from the water.

Before Yuga could react, one after another, several Milotic surfaced from the water.

Yuga counted, and there were a total of five Milotic. All five Feebas with green potential had evolved.

"You've all evolved! That's fantastic!" Yuga exclaimed in delight as he looked at the five Milotic standing side by side before him.

The five Milotic nodded simultaneously in response to Yuga, their movements synchronized.

All five Feebas had evolved, which meant that Kris's Feebas was likely to evolve soon, Yuga thought.

Not long after the Milotic emerged, Gyarados, carrying the remaining four Feebas, rose from the water and approached Yuga.

The four remaining Feebas looked at the already-evolved Milotic with envy.

Yuga comforted them, saying, "No need to envy them. You'll evolve soon, too. Just be patient."

Yuga's words filled the Feebas with excitement. They couldn't help but jump and frolic on the water's surface, expressing their inner joy.

Before leaving, Yuga looked for Greninja and Linoone but found they were not there. They were probably off training again, most likely in the Desert Sub-Ecopark.