Chapter 1266: Revived Aegislash
Day by day, time passed. On this particular day, Yuga was routinely patrolling the Sub-Ecopark. While passing by Lake Island No. 1, he happened to see the Gyarados leader and Milotic leader couple showing off their affection on the lake's surface. Despite the risk of being overwhelmed by this display of "dog food," Yuga stopped and chatted with the pair for a while.
The couple managed many Feebas and Magikarp, so Yuga felt it necessary to check in on how things were going.
After chatting for a while, Yuga suddenly sensed something unusual. The Gyarados leader seemed to show signs of pregnancy. He asked, "Gyarados, have you been feeling anything strange recently?"
Gyarados thought for a moment and then immediately shared some unusual symptoms, such as feeling sleepier than before and experiencing a slight loss of appetite. The signs of pregnancy were quite apparent.
Yuga performed another examination on Gyarados and was able to confirm that it was indeed pregnant. He shared the news with the couple.
The Gyarados leader and Milotic leader were overjoyed to hear this—they were finally going to have another child!
The Gyarados leader and Milotic leader had been together for a very long time, but after having one Magikarp, they hadn't had any more children since.
Even the Greninja and Blastoise couple, who had paired up much later, had already laid a double-yolked egg, successfully hatching two at once. How could Gyarados and Milotic not feel envious?
The first child of Gyarados and Milotic wasn't particularly gifted, with only a yellow potential. It was only through the use of a innovation potion that it evolved to green potential, though it wasn't particularly remarkable. Now it had evolved into a Gyarados and lived in the Heart Lake of the island.
Their first child had grown up, so Gyarados and Milotic had long hoped to have another one.
But having children is often a matter of fate. Besides, both the Gyarados and Milotic were at relatively high levels, which naturally made pregnancy more difficult for them compared to others. So they hadn't forced it. Unexpectedly, a pleasant surprise came their way today.
The couple once again started showing their affection right in front of Yuga. Yuga, who had just been happily sharing in their joy, instantly found his good mood smothered by another wave of "dog food."
Nevertheless, he patiently reminded the couple of some important matters to keep in mind during the pregnancy. He also instructed the nearby Audino to prepare some nutritious and delicious food to supplement Gyarados' diet.
Since this wasn't Gyarados' first pregnancy, the couple already knew most of what to do, so Yuga didn't say much more.
After finishing his conversation with the Milotic and Gyarados couple, Yuga went to check on the Linoone and Mightyena couple.
Some time ago, Mightyena had laid a Pokémon egg, and recently, the couple had been staying in their nest, waiting for their child to hatch, even putting their patrol duties on hold. The egg was expected to hatch any day now.
Linoone and Mightyena lived in the Grassland Sub-Ecopark. When Yuga arrived at their home, sure enough, the couple was lying in their nest, radiating happiness as they guarded their egg.
The Pokémon egg was glowing faintly, and Yuga knew it would hatch within the next couple of days.
This child of Linoone and Mightyena had not come easily. Other long-time residents of the Ecopark, like the Ninetales and Houndoom couple or the Honchkrow and Swellow couple, had long since had children, and some even had a second litter. For Linoone and Mightyena, however, this was their first child, arriving late.
Seeing Yuga approach, Linoone immediately climbed out of the nest to greet him, showing great respect.
When Linoone first arrived, its potential wasn't great. It, along with Swellow, had joined Yuga to help protect the Audino. Now, each of them had found their own lives.
Audino had become the head caretaker of the entire YoYo Daycare, bustling with daily tasks and living a fulfilling life. Swellow had a wife and children, helping Yuga manage the numerous Flying Pokémon with a lively and contented spirit. As for Linoone, it had become the captain of the patrol team, had a partner, and was about to welcome its child into a happy and fulfilling family life.
All of this was thanks to Yuga, and Linoone felt deep gratitude toward him.
Years had passed in the blink of an eye. When Linoone thought back to its days in the wild, its memories had grown faint. It often wondered: if it hadn't followed Audino and Yuga back then, what would its life be like now?
Perhaps it would be wandering around every day, struggling to make ends meet, or fighting other Pokémon, risking injury or even death. It definitely wouldn't have the secure, joyful life it now enjoyed, with food, a home, a wife, and a soon-to-be-born child.
Unbeknownst to Yuga, who was just returning the greeting, Linoone had been having such profound thoughts. Squatting down, Yuga checked the Pokémon egg, confirming it was in perfect condition. He patted Mightyena, who was still lying in the nest, and said, "The baby is very healthy and will hatch in the next couple of days. Stay vigilant, and let me or Audino know if anything comes up."
"Mightyena~"
Mightyena affectionately nuzzled Yuga's palm, signaling that it understood.
Feeling the soft and smooth fur under his hand, Yuga couldn't resist giving Mightyena another pat. Although he had always thought Mightyena looked rather fierce (actually very fierce), its current maternal demeanor made it seem a little adorable.
After bidding farewell to the Linoone and Mightyena couple, Yuga went to check on the Tentacruel group. Recently, many of the pregnant Tentacruel had begun laying eggs, including the giant Tentacruel.
The eggs varied in patterns—some were blue with brown spots, while others were light green with gray spots, each making up about half. Clearly, the blue eggs would hatch into Tentacool, while the light green ones would hatch into Anorith.
Thanks to their eggs, the Tentacruel group now rarely left their abyssal habitat and avoided conflict with other Pokémon.
As for whether the Tentacruel would become gentler due to their maternal instincts or more sensitive to protect their children after the eggs hatched, that remained to be seen.
After making his rounds in all the Sub-Ecopark, Yuga returned to the main Ecopark.
In the main Ecopark, Cosmoem was playing tag with Musharna, who, despite keeping its eyes closed as if sleeping, showed no difficulty in interacting and playing with Cosmoem.
Cosmoem was very fond of Musharna. Aside from Yuga, it got along best with Musharna, likely because Musharna provided part of its food supply.
As the system had indicated, the dream energy produced by Musharna indeed promoted Cosmoem's growth. After consuming dream energy for some time, Cosmoem's abilities had noticeably improved, with its teleportation skill becoming even more precise.
Beyond that, Cosmoem's appearance had subtly changed. Its purple body, encased in a golden shell, had grown deeper and more profound in hue, resembling a vast cosmos. Gazing into it felt like falling into an infinite universe.
After watching Cosmoem and Musharna play for a while, Yuga prepared to leave. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Mienshao sparring fiercely with Throh and Sawk. The three Pokémon were locked in an intense exchange of blows.
Yuga had long noticed the hardworking Mienfoo. Ever since this Pokémon joined the Ecopark, it had been incredibly diligent. It lived alongside Medicham and Lopunny, frequently seeking their advice on how to refine its punching techniques.
Although neither Medicham nor Lopunny specialized in punching techniques, Mienfoo managed to extract valuable insights from them. It was a gifted and hardworking Pokémon.
In fact, Yuga saw a shadow of Greninja's persistence and resilience in Mienfoo.
However, Mienfoo's aptitude was far inferior to Greninja's. To achieve Greninja's level of strength, it had a long way to go.
The three Pokémon—Mienfoo, Throh, and Sawk—eventually sparred their way near Yuga. They were so engrossed in their training that they didn't even notice his presence until they were exhausted and had to stop to catch their breath.
As soon as Mienfoo saw Yuga, it bowed respectfully, displaying a demeanor that could be described as overly serious.
Throh and Sawk, on the other hand, were much more relaxed. Lying on the ground too tired to get up, they merely waved at Yuga.
It was clear that Mienfoo had improved significantly during its time in the ecological park. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to hold its own against both Throh and Sawk, tiring them out in the process. In terms of level, Mienfoo was still weaker than the other two.
Seeing Mienfoo's dedication to its training, Yuga walked over and said, "You should balance your training with some leisure. Try going out like Mime Jr., Clefairy, or Spoink to explore a bit. You don't have to stay cooped up in the Ecopark all the time."
Yuga never prohibited Pokémon from leaving the Ecopark as long as they didn't cause trouble. For a Pokémon like Mienfoo, Yuga actually encouraged it to venture out more often.
He wasn't comfortable with Pokémon that were too laid-back (like Chatot) nor with those that were overly rigid and serious.
Mienfoo hesitated for a moment after hearing Yuga's advice, then silently nodded.
Yuga bent down, patted Mienfoo's head, and said with satisfaction, "I'll draft a new training plan for you later. Let's see if we can boost your training efficiency."
Upon hearing this, Mienfoo's eyes lit up, and it immediately bowed to Yuga again. Where it had learned such formal gestures, Yuga couldn't say.
After leaving the Ecopark, Yuga began to ponder how to design a suitable training plan for Mienfoo. Since it loved practicing punching techniques, the plan should focus on that aspect.
Mienfoo's current training plan involved following the larger group led by Medicham, but it was clear that the pure Fighting-type Mienfoo didn't quite fit with the Psychic-type Medicham.
Moreover, Mienfoo's training emphasized technical precision, which was different from the strength-focused approaches of Blaziken, Poliwrath, Lucario, Pangoro, and Kommo-o.
Yuga had heard that Mienfoo had sought advice from these Pokémon in other sections of the Ecopark, but it didn't seem to have gained much from those encounters.
To create a more tailored training plan, Yuga left the Ecopark and went back to his room to research. He scoured various resources, taking notes as he went. Many valuable training materials online required payment, and Yuga ended up spending quite a bit of money.
Knowledge was priceless, and most materials related to Trainers were very expensive.
In addition to online research, Yuga observed the battle and training styles of Gallade, Breloom, Blaziken, Medicham, Poliwrath, Heracross, Pangoro, and Kommo-o in the Ecopark. He hoped to develop a plan that would be perfectly suited to Mienfoo's needs.
This kept him busy for nearly a week.
Additionally, Yuga called Brawly, a Trainer who specializes in Fighting-type Pokémon, to seek his advice. From Brawly, Yuga learned several exclusive secrets.
As a gesture of gratitude, Yuga sent Brawly a box of Giant Pokeblock, a special Fighting-type Pokeblock brand produced by YoYo Day Care.
Yuga was very satisfied with the training plan he had created. Taking this opportunity, he also adjusted the training plans for all the Fighting-type Pokémon in the Ecopark.
When Mienfoo received the training plan from Yuga, it was thrilled and almost immediately wanted to try it out. Over the past few days, it had been following Yuga's instructions to balance work and rest, taking time to explore outside the ecological park. However, its somewhat rigid personality made Pokémon like Mime Jr. and Clefairy reluctant to play with it.
After instructing Mienfoo on how to follow the training plan, Yuga was about to leave the main Ecopark when a Chandelure flew in, reporting that something had happened in the Haunted House Sub-Ecopark. Yuga hurried over.
When Yuga arrived, he saw a massive vortex appear above the Ghost Sea. Life energy from the sea was continuously being drawn into the vortex.
At that moment, the other Ghost-type Pokémon were leaving the Ghost Sea, floating in the sky with a hint of fear. Mismagius, Gengar, and Dusknoir were also present.
Recently, Gengar and its companions had just returned from the Distortion World, and their strength had improved significantly.
Even Giratina had visited once, taking a bath in the Ghost Sea and absorbing nearly half of its life energy. Now, with this vortex, the originally green waters of the Ghost Sea had turned nearly transparent.
After about twenty minutes, the vortex subsided, and Aegislash slowly emerged from it.
As it turned out, the one absorbing the massive amount of life energy was none other than Aegislash, which had been in a deep slumber at the bottom of the Ghost Sea. Now, it had awakened.
Not long after Yuga had buried Aegislash's previous owner in the Distortion World, Aegislash had fallen into a deep sleep in the Ghost Sea. Unexpectedly, it had awakened today.
...
[ Aegislash ]
Type: Steel, Ghost
Ability: Stance Change
Gender: Male
Potential: Purple
Level: 100
Moves: King's Shield, Double-Edge, Autotomize, Tackle, Swords Dance, Fury Cutter, Metal Sound, Shadow Sneak, Slash, Iron Defense, Night Slash, Iron Head, Power Trick, Sacred Sword, Protect, Retaliate, Brick Break, Substitute, Shadow Ball, Reflect, Swagger, Substitute, Flash Cannon, Wide Guard, Spite, Charge Beam.
...
After reviewing Aegislash's data, Yuga was overjoyed: "Incredible! Aegislash has regained its former strength!"
YoYo Day Care had gained yet another Level 100 Pokémon.
With Aegislash here, let's see how Ninetales can continue to act so proud.
In terms of age, Aegislash was a Pokémon from three thousand years ago, while Ninetales had only lived for eight hundred years. In terms of strength, Ninetales had just recently reached Level 100, whereas Aegislash, despite its years of slumber, had long been at this level.
As Yuga fantasized about using Aegislash to put Ninetales in its place, Suzuki Koen, who was busy at the shop, received a call from Diantha.
The movie featuring Ninetales had already finished filming, and Diantha was calling to arrange for Ninetales to be sent back.
Noticing Yuga wasn't around, Suzuki Koen decided to head to the gym herself to receive Ninetales' Poké Ball. Since the Pokémon transfer device was only available at the gym, she had no choice but to make the trip.
This wasn't Suzuki Koen's first time picking up Ninetales from the gym. She had done the same thing the last time Ninetales returned, so she handled it smoothly and brought Ninetales back without any issues.
The moment Ninetales was released from its Poké Ball, it began searching for Yuga. After failing to find him in the shop, it immediately guessed he had gone to the Ecopark and rushed there.
Back in the Haunted House Sub-Ecopark, Aegislash was now sparring with Dusknoir.
Although Dusknoir wasn't a Level 100 Pokémon, it was brimming with fighting spirit in the face of Aegislash, which had regained its strength. The two Pokémon began their duel on the spot.