Chapter 970: Pelipper
After the competition for the Pokémon starter breeding projects, the three successful competitors will be sent to other breeding base by the League to choose their breeding Pokémon.
The breeding project for Torchic that Yuga is going to is located on Dewford Island.
Dewford Island is one of the largest islands in the Hoenn Region, and Brawly, who became a Gym Leader at the same time as Yuga, is a Gym Leader in Dewford Town on Dewford Island.
Dewford Island is shaped like a strip, with a Rock Cave at one end and a small dormant volcano at the other.
Inside the Rock Cave, there are many Aron, Lairon, and Aggron living there.
The Aron, Lairon, and Aggron in Yuga's Ecopark also come from this Rock Cave on Dewford Island.
Because there were too many Aron species in the Rock Cave at the time, the ecosystem there was overburdened, which is why some of these Pokémon were transferred out.
On the other side, the dormant volcano, with its abundant Fire-type energy, was designated by the League as a natural Fire-type Pokémon breeding base and is also a famous Torchic breeding project.
On the day after the competition, the League sent someone to lead Yuga to Dewford Island.
The straight-line distance between Dewford Island and Littleroot Town is very close, and they are separated only by the sea. By crossing the sea between them, they quickly arrived.
To save time, Yuga directly rode on a Dragonite with the League's guide and flew to Dewford Town. In just half a day, they reached Dewford Island.
Yuga didn't expect that after arriving on Dewford Island, the League's guide would simply leave. From here on, he would be escorted to the breeding base on Dewford Island by Brawly, who was a Gym Leader in Dewford Town.
When Yuga was led to Dewford Gym, Brawly didn't seem surprised at all, clearly having received advance notice.
As soon as Brawly saw Yuga, he gave him a big hug and laughed heartily, saying, "Long time no see!"
Since the two of them met at Unova Gym Leader Challenge and became Gym Leaders, they had always stayed in touch, and their relationship was quite good. That's why Brawly was so excited to see Yuga.
Yuga hugged Brawly back and smiled, saying, "It really has been a long time. I didn't expect to be brought here to see you directly."
Brawly released Yuga and said, "After all, I'm the owner of Dewford Gym, so it's much more convenient for me to take you to the breeding base on Dewford Island."
At this point, the person who had been guiding Yuga spoke up, "Alright, Gym Leader Brawly, I'm leaving Gym Leader Shimizu to you. I have other matters to attend to."
Brawly slapped his chest heartily and said, "You can rest assured, it's all on me!"
The guide nodded, then turned and left Dewford Gym.
After the guide left, Brawly invited Yuga inside the Gym. While they walked, Yuga asked, "When are we going to the breeding base on Dewford Island?"
Brawly smiled and asked, "Are you in such a hurry? You just arrived here. Can't you sit down and have a cup of tea?"
Yuga, somewhat resigned, said, "Alright, alright, you're right."
Brawly laughed heartily a few times and then shouted loudly inside the Gym, "Serah, come out and serve our guest some tea!"
"Coming, coming!"
Soon, Yuga heard an energetic young girl carrying two cups of tea rushing over.
The girl placed the tea on the table in front of Yuga and Brawly. Brawly asked her, "What were you doing just now? Why were you in such a hurry?"
The girl immediately started stammering, "I... I wasn't doing anything... I was just... just training as usual." Her eyes darted around, clearly feeling guilty.
"You didn't break the repaired battle arena again, did you?" Brawly stared at her with a firm tone, even though he framed it as a question. It was evident that the girl had done this before.
"Heh... hehe..." The girl looked left and right, and it was clear she had been caught.
"Is this your Gym apprentice?" Yuga, seeing the unique way Brawly and the girl interacted, asked with a smile.
"Yes, she is," Brawly began to introduce her but was cut off as the girl introduced herself, "That's right, I'm Serah, the Chief Disciple of Master Brawly and his best companion!"
"Ha..." Yuga chuckled after hearing the girl's words, nearly spitting out the tea in his mouth. He nearly splashed it on Brawly's face. "Brawly, you've gone too far."
The girl looked around eleven or twelve years old, and in the Pokémon world, one becomes an adult at the age of sixteen.
"This young lady isn't an adult yet; give her a three-year starting point," Yuga teased.
Brawly didn't quite understand Yuga's humor and said in a helpless tone, "Don't mind her; she just likes to talk nonsense all day."
Yuga smiled and shook his head; he certainly wouldn't take a young girl's words seriously. He just wanted to playfully tease Brawly a little.
In the Pokémon world, people tend to mature early, and dating at the age of fourteen or fifteen isn't considered early. However, eleven or twelve is indeed quite young.
"Are you the Gym Leader Shimizu that Master Brawly often talks about? I've heard you're very strong. Is that true?" Small Serah asked with curiosity, not getting upset despite Yuga's teasing.
Yuga smiled and replied, "I don't know if I'm strong or not, but if there isn't a second Gym Leader Shimizu, then I'm the one you're talking about."
Excitedly, Small Serah asked, "Can you have a battle with me?"
Brawly immediately scolded Small Serah, saying, "Serah, don't push it too far."
While Brawly himself was quite casual and could joke around with Yuga, it was because they were friends. But Yuga, being an Elite level Trainer, considered Small Serah's request a bit impolite.
"It's okay," Yuga waved his hand toward Brawly and then turned to Small Serah, saying, "It's not that I don't want to battle with you. You're still young, and what's important is to build a strong foundation. Challenging me at this stage won't be of much help to you. When you become stronger in the future, I'll definitely accept your challenge."
Small Serah lowered her head in disappointment and said, "Okay, I understand."
Small Serah is an orphan. Her father was an alcoholic who drowned by the sea while drunk. Her mother had long left her alcoholic husband and abandoned the young Small Serah.
The reason Small Serah managed to grow up safely is thanks to Brawly's support. After the establishment of the Gym, Brawly even brought her to the Gym directly.
So, Small Serah has been hoping to grow up quickly, become stronger, and become an independent person.
At noon, Yuga had lunch at Dewford Gym and then went to the breeding base on Dewford Island under Brawly's guidance.
The breeding base on Dewford Island is a natural Fire-type Pokémon breeding base. There are no large Ecoparks built here. Instead, they have a small Ecopark attached to the dormant volcano, where Fire-type Pokémon usually stay.
Although the volcano is dormant, the temperature at the volcano's mouth is consistently high throughout the year. Even in winter, the temperature doesn't change significantly, so there's no need to spend money on building large Ecoparks.
This is also an important reason why the League set up the breeding project here.
The person in charge of the breeding base on Dewford Island is a tall middle-aged man, standing at a full two meters tall with well-developed muscles, truly a powerhouse among powerhouses.
Before coming, Brawly informed Yuga that the person in charge of the breeding base on Dewford Island is a senior breeder, highly renowned in the League's breeder community, just a step away from being a top breeder.
This made Yuga unconsciously think that this person would be a refined and polite individual because most of the male breeders he had encountered had that kind of image. The higher the ranking of a breeder, the more this refined demeanor was evident. However, upon meeting the real person, it completely overturned his expectations.
As soon as he saw Yuga, the person in charge, named Basolo, laughed heartily and extended his hand to Yuga, saying, "So, you must be the Gym Leader Shimizu. I've heard so much about you. I'm Basolo, the head of the breeding base on Dewford Island. Most people call me Iron Tower, and you can do the same."
Yuga was left a little taken aback by the whole situation. He responded, "Hello, nice to meet you, Mr. Basolo."
Yuga shook Basolo's outstretched right hand. It was the first time he felt that his hand might be a bit small in comparison.
Yuga is a tall guy, standing at over 1.8 meters, so his hands are naturally not small. But compared to someone like Basolo, they seemed quite diminutive.
Basolo had a very warm personality, and after their introductions, he immediately said, "No time to waste. Let's go and see the Torchics we're about to hand over."
Yuga nodded and replied, "Please lead the way."
The breeding base for Torchic is located on the highest point of Dewford Island, which is also the island's only mountain. As they gradually climbed up the volcano's summit, Yuga could see an endless expanse of ocean below. The blue waves glistened beautifully in the direct sunlight.
While Yuga was admiring the oceanic view, the sky suddenly darkened. The sunny weather from moments ago turned overcast.
"What's going on?" Yuga furrowed his brow, observing the thick, low-hanging clouds above. This abrupt weather change didn't seem natural.
"Darn it! Those guys are causing trouble again!" Basolo angrily exclaimed as rain began to pour down.
"What's happening?" Brawly, standing nearby, asked in confusion as he wiped raindrops off his face.
"Some time ago, a group of Pelipper and Wingull migrated here from who-knows-where. Many of these Pelipper have the Drizzle ability, which causes rainfall. As soon as they arrived here, it started raining, and we can't drive them away. It's really frustrating!" Basolo explained.
Mr. Basolo scowled at the cloud cover in the sky and vented his frustration.
Their location was a Fire-type Pokémon breeding base, which required an abundance of Fire-type energy. Frequent rain was not something they needed. Although the coastal area was no stranger to rainfall, natural rainfall didn't have a significant impact on the concentration of Fire-type energy in their breeding base.
However, these Pelipper were different. The abilities they possessed caused significant issues in the breeding base, impacting the Fire-type energy levels.
"Pelipper... Pelipper..."
Sure enough, as Mr. Basolo's complaints echoed, Yuga heard the continuous cries of Pelipper and Wingull in the background.
By now, the sky above the volcano was filled with Pelipper and Wingull, numbering nearly a thousand. No wonder the people at the Dewford Island breeding base were at a loss for what to do with these Pelipper and Wingull.
Observing the vast number of these Pokémon, Brawly was surprised and asked, "Mr. Basolo, why haven't you reported this to the League? This seems to have reached the scale of a Pokémon disaster."
A Pokémon disaster refers to a special event where a large number of Pokémon, typically due to a natural phenomenon, pose a significant threat to humans. It's usually addressed by Rangers or other relevant authorities.
Pelipper and Wingull might be common Pokémon in the Dewford Island, but such a large-scale gathering of them was highly unusual. These Pokémon aren't known for living in large groups.
The Dewford Island breeding base, while on the same island, was located at the very edges of the island, much farther from Dewford Town, similar to the Rock Cave. Consequently, Brawly had no knowledge of this large gathering of Pelipper and Wingull.
"I've already reported it, but there's been no response from the Rangers yet," Mr. Basolo said in frustration.
At first, there weren't many Pelipper and Wingull congregating in the vicinity of the breeding base, so he didn't take it seriously. However, by the time he realized something was amiss, the situation had already spiraled out of control.
Looking at the sea of Pelipper and Wingull overhead, Yuga retrieved a Poké Ball and released his Dragonite.
"Dragonite, I'm counting on you to drive away these Pelipper and Wingull."
Dragonite nodded and flew into the sky. Soon, the sky began to flicker with electrical energy, startling the Pelipper and Wingull, causing them to scatter and flee.
With Dragonite's efforts, the Pelipper and Wingull dispersed, and the clouds began to dissipate. The rain gradually ceased.
Seeing the Pelipper and Wingull leaving, Mr. Basolo let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you for your help."
Yuga shook his head and replied, "This is a temporary solution. The key is to find out why these Pelipper and Wingull are gathering in such large numbers. Otherwise, they might return soon. You should contact the Rangers as soon as possible to address the issue."
Mr. Basolo nodded in agreement.
With their clothes soaked, the three of them continued on their way to the mountaintop.
Meanwhile, on an affiliated island of Dewford Island, two men, one big and one small, noticed the flickering electrical energy in the sky while Dragonite was driving away the Pelipper and Wingull.
"What just happened on Dewford Island? Did you get a good look?" the larger man asked the smaller one.
The smaller man shook his head and replied, "I didn't see it clearly, but it seemed to be caused by Electric-type Pokémon. I felt a rapid expansion of Electric-type energy coming from Dewford Island. As an Electric-type Trainer myself, I'm sensitive to it."
The larger man nodded and then asked, "The Pelipper and Wingull just flew towards Dewford Island, right?"
The smaller man confirmed, "Yes, they should have. Jackie, have you found any leads on your end?"
The man known as Jackie shook his head and said, "No, have you?"
The smaller man also shook his head and replied, "I haven't either."
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