Attraction

After leaving Mr. Kobayashi and his daughter in the care of Wigglytuff, Yuga headed to the Ecopark.

Because the mutated Jaboca berry tree he had carefully cultivated had finally matured.

This Jaboca berry tree had been transplanted to the oasis in the Desert Sub-Ecopark and had grown very tall.

However, strangely, this tall Jaboca berry tree had only produced one Jaboca berry.

Yuga had been ecstatic when the Jaboca berry tree first bloomed, as it had bloomed with many flowers, almost covering every branch.

The results had also thrilled him; small Jaboca berry had hung all over the tree.

Although these small Jaboca berry looked slightly different from the regular ones, he could feel that they contained a rich Ground-type energy.

But as time passed, Yuga's excitement waned. The berrys on the tree started to wither one by one until only one remained at the top.

It seemed like this berry absorbed the nutrients from the others, growing fuller and larger, eventually twice the size of a regular Jaboca berry and golden in color, like it was cast in gold.

Unfortunately, the three Gliscor queens had already completed their breeding, and not one of their offspring had Blue Potential.

Yuga believed that even if he gave these hatched Pokémon the mutated Jaboca berry to eat, it wouldn't have much effect, so they didn't get a chance to consume this mutated Jaboca berry.

He was now waiting for the Gliscor's queens to become pregnant again. During this time, he needed to figure out what was special about this mutated berry.

In the oasis of the Desert Sub-Ecopark, Yuga picked the mutated Jaboca berry and then went to the Pokémon Center, planning to ask Joyka for help in examining this Jaboca berry.

At the Pokémon Center, Joyka readily agreed to Yuga's request.

They had worked together before, and their relationship was good. Moreover, Joyka was very interested in the mutated Jaboca berry cultivated by Yuga.

Under the precise instruments at the Pokémon Center, the general situation of this Jaboca berry was quickly examined.

Firstly, it was found that this mutated Jaboca berry contained an incredibly rich Ground-type energy, far beyond what regular Jaboca berry possessed, and this energy was exceptionally pure.

Secondly, it perfectly inherited the characteristics of the special energy in the meteorite and did not contain any substances harmful to Pokémon.

Lastly, this berry had the potential to be turned into a permanent held item, unlike regular Jaboca berry berries that were consumed after one use.

Jaboca berry berries could already be held by Pokémon as items. When a Pokémon holding one was hit by a physical move, the opponent would take damage equal to one-eighth of its maximum HP.

Joyka informed Yuga that this mutated Jaboca berry could be crafted into a permanent held item, locking in this one-time effect.

The last revelation surprised Yuga. It was similar to the Pokémon ability Rough Skin, except that one affected close-range attacks, while the other affected physical attacks.

However, Yuga didn't consider turning this precious mutated Jaboca berry into a held item. His primary goal was to breed Gligar with Blue Potential, to obtain the method of crafting Razor Fangs.

To preserve it better, with Joyka's assistance, Yuga turned this mutated Jaboca berry into a Potion.

After all, the Gliscor's queens had recently given birth. It would take some time before they could become pregnant again, and if he left the Jaboca berry for too long, it might rot.

He had considered using other Gligar for this purpose, but after careful thought, he decided against it. Having a better individual would increase his chances of success in the breeding program.

Joyka had also informed Yuga that this mutated Jaboca berry was unique in its growth. Due to its high energy requirements during growth, it could only produce one berry each season, and not more.

In this situation, Yuga couldn't afford to waste such a precious item carelessly.

However, he still had a few meteorites in his possession. He was now thinking about whether he could follow the previous steps to cultivate another mutated Jaboca berry tree. If he succeeded, it would be a significant gain.

Joyka was also interested in the breeding process for this special Jaboca berry and proposed that she would be willing to pay a high price for the method.

However, Yuga declined Joyka's offer, citing that it was merely a coincidence, and he wasn't certain about the exact method. Joyka, half skeptical, didn't press further.

In truth, Yuga wasn't lying. This berry tree had indeed been an accidental result of his experimentation. Originally, he had wanted to conduct an experiment to see if the unique energy from the meteorite would affect Ground-type Pokémon. He hadn't anticipated stumbling upon this mutated berry tree.

Several other types of berry trees that had participated in the experiment hadn't undergone this particular transformation.

As for whether he could cultivate a second one, Yuga couldn't be certain himself. He could only return and continue experimenting with the remaining meteorites.

With the prepared Potion in hand, Yuga happily prepared to return to the YoYo Day Care.

However, while walking along the road, he suddenly sensed something following him from behind, and it emanated the aura of Ghost-type Pokémon.

Yuga had become extremely sensitive to Ghost-type Pokémon now.

He abruptly halted his steps, and from the shadows behind him emerged a Gengar. Gengar extended its chubby little hand and gently pulled a few Ghost-type Pokémon out of the corner's shadows.

A Shuppet, two Gastly, and a Midreaveous looked at Gengar, who was grinning at them. Fear filled their eyes.

It turned out these Ghost-type Pokémon had been attracted by the energy emanating from Yuga's body, thanks to the Ghost Realm Origin Stone.

Previously, Gengar and Mismagius had told him that he would frequently be harassed by Ghost-type Pokémon, and now he was experiencing it firsthand.

This was still in a town with a scarcity of Ghost-type Pokémon. If he were in the wild, even more Ghost-type Pokémon might be drawn to him.

When the Ghost Realm Origin Stone entered Yuga's body, it formed a special space within his shadow, a unique space where only Ghost-type Pokémon could exist.

Most of the energy released by the Origin Stone would flow into his shadow and remain in this special space. Gengar and Mismagius would reside there as well.

Even though most of the energy from the Origin Stone was locked away in his shadow by Gengar and Mismagius, there was still a portion that was difficult to control and would scatter, attracting nearby Ghost-type Pokémon to him.

It could be said that the allure of the Ghost Realm Origin Stone's power to Ghost-type Pokémon was irresistible.

However, this situation wasn't particularly friendly for Yuga, as his peculiarity could easily be noticed by Ghost-type Pokémon trainers.

Fortunately, Gengar and Mismagius informed him that once they advanced to Elite level, they could completely seal the power of the Origin Stone within Yuga's shadow, putting an end to these encounters.

Looking at the trembling Ghost-type Pokémon, Gengar raised a shadow ball, seemingly ready to deal with them. However, Yuga stopped it.

These Pokémon didn't have any ill intentions; they were simply attracted by the power. There was no need to harm them, especially since their abilities and potential were quite ordinary. Yuga had no interest in capturing them, so he let Gengar release them.

Gengar nodded to Yuga, controlled their psychic power, and sent the Ghost-type Pokémon flying away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Watching Gengar return to its shadow, Yuga continued on his way toward the YoYo Day Care.