Chapter 699: Harsh Winter
Yuga's Vivillon fluttered gracefully in the air, while a rather ordinary-looking Beautifly danced around it in an attempt to court the Vivillon. However, Yuga's Vivillon showed no interest in the persistent Beautifly and decisively rejected its advances.
Initially, the Beautifly refused to give up, thinking that perhaps its courtship dance wasn't beautiful enough. So, it danced even more vigorously, performing increasingly intricate and captivating moves.
But Yuga's Vivillon remained unswayed.
Having been with Yuga for a long time, it had encountered numerous Elite, Champion, and Legendary Pokémon. Its discerning eyes were different from those of ordinary Pokémon, and it couldn't be easily won over by wild Pokémon from outside.
In the end, the Beautifly had no choice but to fly sadly towards the gathering place for Beautifly and Dustox looking for mates.
On their way, Yuga and his Pokémon encountered several more Beautifly and Dustox with similar intentions, all of whom were coldly dismissed by Vivillon.
Today, Yuga and his team were simply exploring the territory under the jurisdiction of the Zaden.
Because it would still take three to five days until Beautifly and Dustox gathered in large numbers in a specific area.
By that time, they would rendezvous with other forest rangers.
As evening approached and darkness fell, Zaden led Yuga to a wooden cabin. This cabin was specifically built for the forest rangers working in the area.
Since Zaden was no longer the first owner of this place, the cabin still bore the atmosphere of its previous residents, and all the necessary daily items were readily available.
Besides Zaden, there was also an Electivire living in the cabin.
This Electivire wasn't one of Zaden's Pokémon; it had originally been a wild Pokémon in the Petalburg Forest.
However, starting from an unknown generation of forest rangers, this Electivire had begun assisting the rangers in their work, rendering invaluable help to successive generations of forest rangers.
Over the years, the Electivire had grown older, and it had now been designated to spend its retirement here.
All the forest rangers who came to work in this area were instructed to take good care of it.
At night, while Yuga was peacefully sleeping, Gengar quietly woke him up. Gengar pointed outside, and Yuga could hear the voices of Electivire and Zaden's Luxray.
Was something happening?
Yuga immediately woke up Zaden, who had been sleeping next to him.
Upon hearing the alert calls of the two Pokémon, Zaden quickly regained consciousness and, with Yuga, went outside in the cover of darkness.
Zaden shone a flashlight around but didn't notice anything unusual. Instead, they saw Electivire and Luxray surrounding three or four severely injured Wurmple.
Zaden sighed and, after a moment of hesitation, decided to bring the injured Wurmple inside the cabin.
Inside the cabin, Yuga assisted in treating the injured Wurmple while asking Zaden, "Why did these Wurmple come here so late at night?"
Zaden replied, "They must have been attacked by something and sought refuge here."
The Wurmple clan in the Petalburg Forest knew that when this time of year arrived, the forest rangers would become their protectors. In times of danger, they instinctively sought help from the rangers.
"But even if we save them, their fate may still be difficult to change," Zaden added with a slight pause.
Yuga was puzzled and didn't understand the meaning behind Zaden's words.
"Why do you say that?" Yuga inquired, seeking clarification.
"Well, think about it," Zaden began. "In just a few days, the Beautifly and Dustox in the Petalburg Forest will engage in a massive mating ritual, followed by migration. Yet, these Wurmple are still just Wurmple."
Yuga's confusion deepened. He didn't grasp the significance of Zaden's statement.
"You see," Zaden continued, "even if we save them, they may struggle to adapt to the changes brought about by the upcoming events. Their fate might remain challenging."
Yuga still couldn't fully comprehend Zaden's words, but he nodded, acknowledging the uncertainty of the situation.
The night continued, and Yuga remained by the injured Wurmple's side, tending to their wounds and silently pondering the mysteries of the Pokémon world.
"Even though Bug-type Pokémon evolve quickly, it's challenging for them to complete the transformation from Wurmple to Beautifly in just a few days," Zaden explained, sighing again.
Yuga frowned as he understood the implications. Wurmple unable to keep up with the majority would be left behind in the Petalburg Forest, and their numbers wouldn't be sufficient to organize another migration.
After the onset of winter, even if these Wurmple eventually evolved into either Beautifly or Dustox, they would still face the harsh cold and might not survive. Even if they managed to endure the low temperatures of winter, they could become reserves for starving Taillow or Swellow during the winter season.
Of course, these Wurmple would also struggle with food shortages themselves.
Despite the warmer climate in the Hoenn region compared to other areas, the Petalburg Forest was inland. Warm sea breezes couldn't reach this place, resulting in more distinct seasonal changes in the forest. Therefore, the winter temperatures in the Petalburg Forest weren't much higher than in other regions.
Thinking about this, Yuga looked at the injured Wurmple with sympathy. He realized that Zaden must have been conflicted about whether or not to save these Wurmple earlier. Regardless of whether they were saved or not, their ultimate fate seemed grim.
For these Wurmple, the Pokémon League couldn't execute a rescue operation. The reason was straightforward. If they were saved and left in the Petalburg Forest, the population of Wurmple there would explode, and the forest wouldn't be able to sustain such a large Wurmple population.
Furthermore, the challenge was to help them survive the winter.
And there were also the Taillow and Swellow, which relied on Wurmple as a food source during the winter, to consider.
In the eyes of the Pokémon League, maintaining a balance between the Taillow and Swellow families and the Wurmple family was crucial. Preventing Taillow and Swellow from attacking Beautifly and Dustox already went against the natural order. Intervening Taillow and Swellow overwinter would agitate them even further.
If it weren't for the fact that the Petalburg Forest was quite far from the coastal areas, Beautifly and Dustox would suffer significant losses during migration.
The forest rangers were not supposed to interfere with the behavior of Taillow and Swellow attacking Beautifly and Dustox. And settling these Wurmple in other areas wouldn't make sense either.
Not to mention whether Taillow and Swellow would agree, the capacity of a regional ecosystem was limited, and an excess population could cause overloading.
Wurmple, unlike other species, it had a strong reproductive ability and could easily cause ecological damage.
That's why, even though the Beautifly and Dustox from the Petalburg Forest migrated to warmer coastal areas, they still had to return to the Petalburg Forest the following year. The local environment couldn't sustain them for extended periods.
The next day, Zaden and Yuga went out together to check the gathering situation of Beautifly and Dustox. Yuga selectively captured some Wurmple, Silcoon, and Cascoon.
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