Scale Powder

In the butterfly pillar formed by Beautifly and Dustox, every time Beautifly and Dustox flapped their wings, shimmering scale powder would detach from their wings and merge into the circular airflow surrounding Vivillon.

As Vivillon were increasingly impatient with being surrounded by Beautifly and Dustox, they suddenly flapped their wings vigorously, creating strong gusts of wind within the circular airflow, blowing all the Beautifly and Dustox away.

These Beautifly and Dustox weren't particularly strong and couldn't resist the powerful winds created by Vivillon, so they were scattered in the blink of an eye.

With no more Beautifly and Dustox to shield them, the true form of Vivillon was revealed. Yuga seemed to see the glistening scale powder being drawn towards Vivillon, floating towards them.

Scale powder was very fine, and if you didn't look closely, it was hard to see them clearly. Yuga rubbed his eyes and confirmed that he wasn't mistaken.

All those scale powders floated towards Vivillon and settled on their wings.

Yuga could tell that as these scale powders gathered more and more, Vivillon' wings became increasingly radiant and magnificent. Whenever Vivillon flapped their wings, Yuga could see them sparkling.

After shaking off the Beautifly and Dustox, Vivillon flew to Yuga's side unhappily, seemingly seeking comfort.

"Vivillon..."

Once Vivillon arrived in front of Yuga, he gently touched their wings and observed the scale powders up close.

Scale powders on butterfly-like Pokémon wings served a significant purpose. Not only did they make their wings more beautiful, but they also played a crucial role in protecting them.

Yuga looked closely, touched the scale powders, and realized that although Vivillon' wings were becoming more beautiful, their scale powders hadn't increased due to the Beautifly and Dustox' scale powders landing on them.

So, where did those scale powders that landed on Vivillon' wings go?

Yuga stubbornly checked again but couldn't find those scale powders.

The scale powders on Beautifly and Dustox were different from those on Vivillon, not only in color but also in texture.

The scale powders scattered on Beautifly' wings were mostly bright yellow, mixed with a small amount of rose-red and light blue hues, and felt grainy to the touch.

The scale powders on Dustox were all green, delicate, and felt somewhat like the texture of high-quality flour, with a stronger adhesive quality.

On the other hand, the scale powders on Vivillon came in various colors, depending on the pattern on their wings. Yuga's Vivillon had an ice and snow pattern, so their scale powders were mainly white and black, giving them a subtle yet mysterious appearance.

Compared to the scale powders on Beautifly and Dustox, the scale powders on Vivillon were lighter. Yuga could tell that, judging by the frequency at which the three butterfly-like Pokémon flapped their wings, Vivillon had a higher wing flapping rate.

Comparing the scale powders on his Vivillon with those on Beautifly and Dustox, Yuga could see that the scale powders from Beautifly and Dustox were more vibrant. Under normal circumstances, he would have been able to detect their presence if they had landed on Vivillon' wings.

However, reality was that those scale powders had inexplicably disappeared. Yuga had witnessed them drifting towards Vivillon, but where had they gone?

Apart from the black and white scale powders on his Vivillon, Yuga couldn't see or feel the presence of any other scale powders.

Yuga furrowed his brow, deep in thought, while Vivillon danced gracefully around him.

Huh? Did Vivillon' aura become a bit stronger? At this moment, Yuga suddenly noticed a slight change in Vivillon' aura compared to before they arrived here.

Could it be because of those scale powders?

The change in Vivillon' aura was indeed very subtle, so subtle that Yuga couldn't be entirely sure if his perception was accurate.

Just then, a voice from the system sounded in Yuga's mind.

...

[ Congratulations, host, you've triggered the task: The Mystery of Vivillon's Scale Powder.

[ Description: Something strange has occurred with Vivillon, and as their trainer, you have a responsibility and obligation to fully understand the secrets of Vivillon. ]

[ Rewards: Special Sub-Ecopark Insect Paradise access qualification and the universal Pokéblock formula for Bug-type Pokémon. ]

...

Upon hearing the system's voice, Yuga was extremely surprised. He hadn't expected that the scale powder on Vivillon would trigger a Sub-Ecopark mission.

Furthermore, this mission was related to a special Sub-Ecopark, which added to its complexity.

Yuga remembered that the system had mentioned that special Sub-Ecoparks had different functions compared to regular ones, making them relatively more challenging to unlock.

In this light, uncovering the mystery of Vivillon' scale powder might not be an easy task.

Vivillon had undergone a strange change.

These were the words of the system, and Yuga was certain that this peculiar change in Vivillon was related to the events that had occurred in the Petalburg Forest earlier.

After that incident, Vivillon not only experienced a significant change in their physical appearance but also gained an additional scale powder ability.

This scale powder ability must be connected to the current mission and could be the reason behind the changes in Vivillon.

Previously, Yuga had merely considered this new ability as a regular one, but now it seemed that it was not.

However, to verify this conjecture, he would need a significant amount of scale powder for experimentation.

Yuga looked at the Beautifly and Dustox fluttering not far away and felt that the number and variety of these Pokémon were insufficient.

Many Pokémon possessed scale powder, and common types included Butterfree, Venomoth, Beautifly, Dustox, Vivillon, Ribombee, and even the rare one like Volcarona and Alolan Guardian Deities Tapu Lele.

Not all butterfly-like Pokémon had scale powder, though, such as Mothim and Masquerain.

The quantity of scale powder on butterfly-like Pokémon could also vary. For example, while Butterfree, Beautifly, and Volcarona had scale powder, it was not as abundant as that on Venomoth, Dustox, and Vivillon.

This could be determined by whether the base species ability included the scale powder feature.

In the world of Pokémon, extensive research had already been conducted on various species, and butterfly-like Pokémon were one of the significant branches of Bug-Types. Therefore, the ability of scale powder was an important research topic for Pokémon scholars.

After arriving in the Pokémon world, Yuga had read numerous books related to Pokémon to compensate for his lack of knowledge, especially those related to his main Pokémon.

Regarding butterfly-like Pokémon and their scale powder, Yuga had started researching them only after capturing Vivillon.

In comparison to the extensive research findings of scholars in this world, Yuga's shallow knowledge about Pokémon was almost negligible.

Yuga decided that after leaving this place, he would need to find more books related to scale powder ability and butterfly-like Pokémon.

Moreover, to uncover the secret of Vivillon' scale powder, Yuga decided to collect more butterfly-like Pokémon.

Apart from the rare Pokémon like Volcarona, other butterfly-like Pokémon were quite common in various regions (specifically those with scale powder). So, collecting them shouldn't be too difficult.

The rarest among them was probably the Venomoth, but whether he could collect one wouldn't have a significant impact.

Of course, in a way, some Vivillon were also considered rare.

As it was well-known, Vivillon had twenty different patterns, with the most common being the Garden pattern. The others were relatively rare, and some of the special patterns were nearly as rare as the League's Trio Starter Pokémon.

Some collectors even took pride in collecting all twenty different patterns of Vivillon. Therefore, in the Kalos region, there was a specialized Pokémon Poacher for Vivillon, mainly focusing on capturing those with unique patterns.

However, in the Kalos region, some rare-patterned Vivillon were protected, and not even normal capture was allowed.

Yuga's Ice and Snow pattern Vivillon were not particularly rare among the twenty patterns but were still not very common, with a rarity ranking somewhere in the upper-middle range.

He had seen Viola's collection of Vivillon, and they were all the most common Garden pattern.

Anyway, even though he hadn't found a move to complement Vivillon' Quiver Dance yet, discovering the unusual nature of their scale powder was already a significant gain.

However, the investigation into the secret of Vivillon' scale powder couldn't be started immediately, and the quest for the Quiver Dance combination move couldn't be neglected either.

Originally, Yuga had intended to take Vivillon to see the Hoppip, Skiploom, and Jumpluff. However, since they had encountered Beautifly and Dustox, Yuga thought it might be worthwhile to observe these two species first.

As both are butterfly-like Pokémon, there are many similarities between Vivillon and Beautifly and Dustox. Perhaps by observing them, he could find a breakthrough

.