ALL NOVEL Chapter 1257: Joyla
After contacting Joyka, Yuga contacted people in the Everlasting Workshop and ask them to send over Kiriha.
For this collaboration with the Joy family, Yuga planned to have the people in the Everlasting Workshop to handle the follow-up matter.
With both sides contacted, Yuga wandered around Pastoria City before returning to the hospital.
During his stroll, he inquired about Moonlight Pearls. As expected, none of the shops had any in stock; ordinary people simply couldn't get their hands on them.
Four days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, aside from staying at the hospital to keep Shoryu company, Yuga spent his free time investigating the market situation of Moonlight Pearls. By now, he had a clear understanding of how they were being handled.
The existing Moonlight Pearls in the market were entirely controlled by the wealthy or powerful residents of Pastoria City and were not in public circulation.
Meanwhile, Shoryu had already begun taking the pills made by Dr. Maury from Moonlight Pearls. His condition improved visibly day by day, and now he was well enough to get out of bed.
Seeing Shoryu's recovery, Yuga finally understood why Moonlight Pearls were overharvested and why they circulated only within Pastoria City.
The medicinal value was simply too high.
That day, while Yuga was strolling with Shoryu and Audino in the hospital courtyard, his phone suddenly rang.
Answering the call, Yuga said, "Got it. I'll head there now."
It turned out that Kiriha had arrived. After hanging up, Yuga turned to Audino and said, "Audino, please take care of Shoryu for a while. I have something to attend to."
"Audino~"
Audino reassured Yuga, smiling confidently and gesturing that she would take good care of Shoryu.
Seeing Audino's cheerful expression, Yuga suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He had brought Audino along on this trip, intending for her to have a chance to relax. Instead, she had been stuck in the hospital taking care of Shoryu because of his focus on the Moonlight Pearls. She hadn't had any time to enjoy herself outside.
"Audino? Audino~"
Noticing Yuga lost in thought, Audino assumed he was worried. She patted her chest as if to say, "Don't worry. I've got this."
This only made Yuga feel more touched.
After leaving the hospital, Yuga went to the Pastoria City airport to pick up Kiriha.
He first took her to a hotel to settle in, and then they began discussing the collaboration with the Joy family.
Before arriving, Kiriha hadn't been informed of Yuga's plans. She had simply followed orders, unaware that her boss was planning a business deal with the Joy family.
She was thrilled when she found out. The Joy family was one of the largest families in the Pokémon world, and not just anyone could qualify to negotiate a collaboration with them.
Following such a promising boss, Kiriha felt her future was bright.
After finalizing the basic framework of the collaboration, Yuga received a call from Pastoria City's Pokémon Center. The Joy family representative had arrived and wanted to meet him.
Yuga quickly brought Kiriha along to the Pokémon Center.
When they arrived, the local Nurse Joy led them to a private room in the Pokémon Center. Inside, Yuga met Joyka's mother, Joyla.
Seeing Yuga, Joyla's eyes lit up. "I've heard so much about Gym Leader Shimizu from my daughter. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
Yuga hadn't expected the Joy family to send Joyka's mother and was surprised. "The pleasure is mine. It's an honor to meet you. I didn't expect the representative from the Joy family to be... Aunt."
Since Yuga and Joyka were close friends and of similar age, calling Joyka's mother "Aunt" was perfectly natural.
As a member of the Joy family, Joyla naturally looked identical to her daughter Joyka. From Yuga's perspective, there was no discernible difference in their appearances, and even their personalities seemed similar. Truly, they were mother and daughter through and through.
Moreover, Joyla had taken excellent care of herself, and it was hard to believe she had a daughter over twenty years old.
That said, Yuga had been friends with Joyka for many years, so he didn't rely solely on appearances to recognize her. He was confident that even if Joyka were placed among a crowd of Joys, he would still be able to pick her out.
This was probably the tacit understanding that came with true friendship.
After some initial pleasantries, Yuga introduced Kiriha to Joyla. Since this collaboration with the Joy family was under Jiuyuan's management, Kiriha was assigned as the primary liaison, and it was essential for her to get acquainted with Joyla.
Thanks to Yuga's friendship with Joyka, the discussions went very smoothly, and both sides quickly reached a preliminary agreement.
The bulk of the negotiation was handled by Kiriha, as she would be overseeing the collaboration. Yuga mostly observed in silence, stepping in only when necessary to offer input or clarify a point.
Kiriha's professional expertise was outstanding, and coupled with the detailed plan Yuga had outlined for her at the hotel earlier, the talks concluded successfully in no time.
Through this negotiation, Yuga learned that Joyka's mother and grandmother held significant influence within the Joy family. This was why the Joy family could respond so quickly and send representatives to Sinnoh. Otherwise, based on the few vague details Yuga had provided in his initial call, it was doubtful that the matter would have been given much attention internally.
This also explained why Joyla had come all the way from Hoenn rather than someone from Sinnoh's Joy branch being sent instead.
Of course, this worked in Joyla's favor.
If the collaboration had attracted the attention of other Joy branches, it would have been unlikely for Joyla's faction to continue leading the project. Most likely, the Sinnoh Joy family, with their regional advantage, would have taken over.
The Joy family was not a monolith; internal factions competed against one another.
Given Yuga's friendship with Joyka, and the numerous times Joyka had helped him in the past—including her grandmother introducing Dr. Maury to him—he naturally preferred to collaborate with Joyka's faction.
Moonlight Pearls were incredibly valuable. If other Joy factions became aware of them, it would be hard to guarantee they wouldn't intervene.
At the end of the discussions, Joyla proposed visiting the source of the Moonlight Pearls. Seeing the location was crucial to finalizing the agreement, and Yuga readily agreed.
The next day, the Joy family dispatched an aircraft, and Yuga led the group deep into the Great Marsh.
The aircraft was as advanced as the one Hunter J had once used, featuring stealth capabilities that made it invisible while in flight. Thus, no one noticed it heading toward the marsh's interior.
Apart from Joyla, other members of her faction accompanied the trip. On Yuga's side, it was just him and Kiriha.
It was clear that, compared to a large family like the Joys, Yuga's smaller, independent background lacked deep resources.
However, Yuga's status and strength ensured that no one in the Joy family dared to look down on him.
The aircraft eventually landed on a highland. The Skorupi and Croagunk that once inhabited the area were gone, leaving an open central space ideal for the aircraft's landing.
Thanks to the aircraft's stealth capabilities, the Shellos and Gastrodon in the surrounding shallows did not attack it.
Once everyone disembarked, some noticed the Shellos and Gastrodon in the shallows and couldn't help but marvel, "So this is the center of the Great Marsh! If those creatures surrounded us, we'd all be doomed."
What a dangerous place!
Instead of immediately leading them to the source of the Moonlight Pearls, Yuga decided to first show them the underground Ecopark.
Standing before the door that had been melted by his Charizard's flames, Yuga faced the group's puzzled gazes and explained, "There was an accident here. I'll have the door fixed later."
Noticing Yuga's reluctance to elaborate, the Joy family members tactfully refrained from pressing him. Knowing when to stop was often crucial in situations like this.
As Yuga led them inside, he remarked, "This was originally an Exopark, but it's no longer in use. I plan to lend it to your family. You can remodel it as you see fit, and we'll count it as part of my investment in our collaboration."
Shamelessly, Yuga claimed the facility as his own. The Joy family, knowing that Yuga operated a Pokémon daycare, found it plausible that he had secretly built an Ecopark. They didn't doubt his words.
What a beautiful misunderstanding.
As for why this Ecopark was abandoned, they assumed it had something to do with the "incident" Yuga mentioned earlier. The specifics of that incident didn't matter to them.
Kiriha shared the same thoughts as the Joy family members. Although Yuga was her boss, she didn't know him well enough to determine if he really owned a secret Ecopark. Thus, she naturally went along with the assumption.
This collective speculation saved Yuga a great deal of explanation.
When they saw the marks left behind from Yuga's battle with the Drapion in the underground Ecopark, the Joy family members became even more convinced that some sort of accident had prompted Yuga to abandon the place.
Yuga chose not to explain further, and they refrained from asking questions—a perfect mutual understanding.
After touring the underground Ecopark, the Joy family members were very pleased with it. Having such a base deep within the Great Marsh would make managing the Moonlight Pearl site significantly more convenient for them.
In earlier discussions, Yuga had already made it clear that ownership of the Moonlight Pearl site belonged to him, but he was entrusting its management to the Joy family.
The research and development of medicines using the Moonlight Pearls would be undertaken by the Joy family. The resulting medicines would be divided into two categories: one for humans and one for Pokémon. Human medicines would be sold by the Joy family, while Pokémon medicines would be sold by Everlasting Workshop.
After the tour of the underground Ecopark, Yuga led the Joy family members out of the highland through a passage.
He didn't immediately reveal the secrets of the doors lining the passage; he planned to disclose them once their cooperation was fully finalized.
Once outside the passage, Yuga said to the Joy family members, "When you take over this place, make sure to station guards at the doors on both sides of the passage."
Joyla nodded and replied, "Understood. We'll arrange for personnel to guard them."
When Hunter J controlled this area, she had to operate covertly, staying hidden from prying eyes. The Joy family, on the other hand, could openly announce their takeover without concern.
The Great Marsh was essentially unclaimed land. Even if the Joy family took it over, it wouldn't cause any issues as long as they had the strength to hold onto it.
In the vast Pokémon world, countless places remained undeveloped by humans. The League did not oppose the private development of unclaimed lands; otherwise, reclusive tribes like the Draconid People and the People of Vale would have long ceased to exist.
"Well then, let's go take a look at the Moonlight Pearl site," Yuga suggested.
"Alright, Yuga, lead the way," Joyla agreed.
Although she hadn't spent much time with Yuga, her familiarity with him due to her daughter, Joyka, had prompted her to address him as "Yuga" instead of the more formal "Gym Leader Shimizu."
The Moonlight Pearl site wasn't far from the highland. The group quickly reached the location by riding on Flying Pokémon.
Like her daughter Joyka, Joyla was a typical medical Joy in the family, which meant she specialized in nurturing Pokémon like Blissey for healing purposes rather than raising other types, such as Flying Pokémon.
After all, most medical Joys rarely left their homes or Pokémon Centers, so they had little need for mobility.
Fortunately, several battle-oriented Joys accompanied them on this trip, and their Flying Pokémon carried Joyka and the others, allowing the group to reach the site smoothly.
It wasn't that Yuga didn't want to land the aircraft directly near the Qwilfish territory. The problem was that most of the deep Great Marsh consisted of wetlands and swamps, leaving no suitable space for such a large aircraft to dock.
When they saw the expansive marshland, the group was initially filled with awe. However, their expressions quickly changed when they witnessed a Masquerain attempting to steal a Moonlight Pearl, only to be instantly killed by the countless Qwilfish swarming it.
"This... How are we supposed to collect the Moonlight Pearls?" stammered one of the battle-oriented Joys. Despite her considerable strength, she was utterly intimidated by the sheer number of Qwilfish.
They had heard about the dangers of the Great Marsh's depths before, but now they were truly experiencing it firsthand.
Saiying was also horrified, her face turning pale. She wasn't a Trainer and rarely interacted with Pokémon in her daily life, so this was the first time she had seen a Pokémon torn to pieces. Normally, the Pokémon she saw in others' homes were adorable and well-behaved, nothing like the bloody scene in front of her.
Seeing the group begin to discuss the situation in alarm, Yuga said, "Please, everyone, don't panic. Watch what I do."
With that, Yuga released a Skarmory and instructed it to collect a Moonlight Pearl. Although the Skarmory was reluctant, under Yuga's threatening gaze, it had no choice but to comply.
The Skarmory flew to the center of the shallow area and picked up a Moonlight Pearl in its beak. Immediately, the Qwilfish swarmed it in an attempt to attack, but the Skarmory ignored them entirely and swiftly returned with the Moonlight Pearl intact.
Holding up the Moonlight Pearl placed in his palm by the Skarmory, Yuga said, "All you need to do is train a group of Skarmory to help you collect Moonlight Pearls. The Qwilfish won't be an issue."
Yuga had no intention of letting the Joy family use the Skarmory left behind by Hunter J. Those Pokémon were too difficult to control, and it would be better to train a new group from scratch. Given the Joy family's resources, training a batch of Skarmory solely for the purpose of collecting Moonlight Pearls wouldn't be difficult.
Hearing Yuga's explanation, the Joy family finally felt relieved.
Yuga added, "You don't need to worry about the Qwilfish here. Just consider them the guardians of the Moonlight Pearls. The Great Marsh is teeming with wild Pokémon, and it would be nearly impossible to rely on manpower alone to safeguard these pearls."
The Joy family members nodded in agreement. Given how vast the area was and how many wild Pokémon lurked around, relying on human efforts alone to manage it was indeed impractical.
Yuga further suggested that after the Joy family took over the area, they should construct a waterway to connect this shallow area with the nearby lake.
The Qwilfish in this shallow area currently had no natural predators. In the past, Hunter J's Skarmory would hunt them, which helped to thin their numbers. However, the Joy family had no intention of training such aggressive Skarmory.
If the Qwilfish population in the shallow area were to grow excessively, they could swim through the waterway into the lake. This would relieve the survival pressure on the remaining Qwilfish in the shallow area.
The lake was home to many other Pokémon, and once the Qwilfish arrived there, they would no longer be able to dominate as they did in the shallow area. Their reproduction rate would naturally slow down, and they might even fall prey to other wild Pokémon.
While the Joy family would not train Skarmory to prey on Pokémon, they had no intention of interfering with the natural laws of survival among wild Pokémon.