Returning to Verdanturf Town and the New Sub-Ecopark

When Yuga returned to the Seaside House after purchasing Pokéblocks, it was already late in the day.

Early the next morning, Yuga was informed that Mr. Norman had come to see him. Upon meeting, Yuga learned that Norman had come to bid him farewell.

Due to the significant incident involving the Team Aqua's occupation of the Lilycove City's television station, it had caught the attention of higher-ups in the League. As the Gym Leader, Mr. Norman had many responsibilities to attend to, which compelled him to conclude his journey early and return to Petalburg City with his family.

Yuga, Robert, and Kris, after staying for three more days in Lilycove City, headed back to Verdanturf Town.

Upon disembarking from the return flight, Sister Koen led Dian back home, and Yuga dropped Luna off at his house. He also picked up the belongings he had sent back from his uncle's place. With Rand and Windy, he began the journey back.

During the journey home, the townsfolk greeted Yuga warmly upon seeing him, asking why they hadn't seen him for a few days. Yuga would reply to each person with a smile, explaining his absence.

At this point, Yuga had completely assimilated into the peaceful and natural life of Verdanturf Town. The blue sky, white clouds, quaint streets, short buildings, abundant flowers and leaves—everything was so different from Lilycove City's towering skyscrapers and bustling crowds. Familiar faces and sights made Yuga feel extremely comfortable.

After bidding farewell to Rand at the shop entrance, Yuga used his keys to open the door of the Day Care.

Though there hadn't been any changes to the store's layout over the past few days, a thin layer of dust had settled on everything.

Seeing this, Audino, who hadn't done any chores for several days, immediately became enthusiastic and began cleaning energetically.

Upon entering the house, Windy went straight to his room. Over the past few days, Yuga had kept his promise and spared Windy from his punishment. He had returned Windy's computer to him, and the only constant was that Windy still had to go for a run every day.

As for Yuga himself, he headed to the Ecopark. Having been away with Audino and Linoone for a few days, he wasn't sure if any trouble had arisen in his absence.

Once he entered the Ecopark, the baby Pokémon inside immediately surrounded him, chirping and chattering happily, expressing their "yearning."

Yuga let out Budew, and upon seeing their long-lost companion, the other Pokémon immediately played with it joyfully.

Yuga also released his new friend, Greninja, and introduced it to the other Pokémon.

However, Greninja was just too cool in appearance. It seemed difficult to approach it, and even though the other baby Pokémon gazed at it with curious eyes, they didn't dare get too close.

Of course, Yuga was most interested in the reward for exploring the sunken shipwreck this time—the opening of the new sub-Ecopark.

"System, I want to select the new sub-Ecopark," Yuga called out to the system in his mind.

System: [ Please choose a sub-Ecopark: Volcano, Shallow Seashore, Grassland, Mine, Snowy Peak, Forest, Rock Cave, Haunted House, Dragon's Den… ]

After some thought, Yuga chose Shallow Seashore. It was clearly a sub-Ecopark suitable for Water-type Pokémon, a complete contrast to the desert environment from before. This would be perfect for the recently captured Clawitzer and Clauncher.

System: [ Sub-Ecopark activation has begun. Please be patient for five minutes. ]

Yuga was eager to see what the new sub-Ecopark looked like. Waiting anxiously for five minutes, he suddenly felt that what used to feel like a mere instant had become incredibly lengthy.

When another light gate appeared beside the entrance to the Desert sub-Ecopark, the system's voice followed, [ Sub-Ecopark: Shallow Seashore, activation complete. ]

Hearing the prompt from the system, Yuga couldn't wait any longer. He brought Greninja and walked into the light gate, entering the new sub-Ecopark.

As he crossed the threshold of the light gate, Yuga was greeted by a sandy beach. Before him stretched an endless expanse of azure blue sea.

Just like the endless desert in the Desert sub-Ecopark, the sea in the Shallow Seashore sub-Ecopark also extended as far as the eye could see, without end.

The sea was calm, without wind or waves, resembling an unblemished mirror. According to the system's explanation, the sea within the Shallow Seashore sub-Ecopark was all shallow waters, equivalent to the real-world nearshore coastal waters. Even the underwater terrain wasn't particularly uneven.

The seafloor was covered in various types of seaweed, aquatic plants, and small aquatic creatures that served as food for Water-type Pokémon. The most diverse aspect of the seafloor was the myriad corals and coral reefs.

Not far from the shore in the sea, there was a small island. The island was lush with leaves and adorned with colorful fruits, even visible from a distance.

Yuga realized that ever since his sub-Ecoparks had gradually opened, he no longer had to worry about running out of fruits. Everywhere within the sub-Ecoparks where vegetation could grow, there were fruit-bearing trees planted. He felt that he could comfortably raise several Snorlax without any pressure.

Soon, Yuga noticed that the spot he was standing on was also a small island. He followed the shoreline and saw a small stream flowing from the center of the island to the sea.

Yuga decided to follow the stream upstream. Along the way, he encountered bountiful fruit trees. Finally reaching the center of the island, he found a lake identical to the oasis in the desert sub-Ecopark. The lake was crystal clear, allowing Yuga to even see the underwater plants at the bottom.

The system informed Yuga that there were a total of three islands within this area, and the situation on each island was identical.

Yuga couldn't help but sigh; it seemed the attractions of these sub-Ecoparks were likely mass-produced.

Returning to the beach, Yuga released all the Clawitzer and Clauncher. He said to them, "From now on, this will be your new home."

The Clawitzer and Clauncher, who hadn't been in the water for several days, eagerly crawled into the sea from the beach, enjoying themselves by swimming freely.

The well-spaced corals in the sea naturally became the nesting grounds for the Clawitzer and Clauncher. They were very satisfied with their new home. The bright lighting and clear seawater here were much better than the dark environment of the cave where they used to live.

Clawitzer and Clauncher were foreign Pokémon, so they had always struggled to be accepted by the native sea-dwelling Pokémon. That's why they had lived in the gloomy cave, guarding the wrecked ship.

These Pokémon, like Lapras, Seel, Sharpedo, and Wailord, usually lived in the sea, and it was rare to see them in freshwater environments. This was why Yuga chose to release them by the seaside instead of in the central lake of the main island.

Comparatively, Greninja, also a Water-type Pokémon, seemed to prefer the lake that he had just seen. Yuga could tell from its expression, even though it had lived in the sea before.

Afterward, Yuga carefully placed the Clawitzer and Clauncher eggs in the Shallow Seashore sub-Ecopark and then headed to the Desert sub-Ecopark to check on the Gligars and Flygon.

Fortunately, they hadn't caused any trouble during the days Yuga was absent. They appeared to be training well, and their energy seemed quite high.