Watching Acerola gradually disappear into the distance, Yuga let out a soft sigh. He hoped that Cecilia would indeed stay in the Ghost World, or who knows what trouble might arise.
In the evening, Yuga finished his work on crafting Pokéblocks and went to the Ecopark.
First, he checked the growth of the tree berry seedlings in the flower pots, as this was crucial for completing the task.
Seeing that the seedlings were thriving, Yuga secretly hoped that his experiment would be successful.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Yuga suddenly felt that the Jaboca, Salac, and Kebia tree seedlings seemed to be growing more robustly than the other five varieties.
As he passed by the Weather Tree, he noticed that Houndoom was lying there lazily, hardly moving, only occasionally raising its head to look at Ninetales nearby, and it seemed different from its usual self.
Yuga thought carefully and realized that Houndoom had been in this state since they resolved the situation with Cecilia.
You see, ever since several Vulpix, Houndour, and Ponyta were born, Houndoom's greatest joy was playing and training with them alongside Ninetales. But today, only Ninetales was accompanying them.
Finding it strange, Yuga walked over, crouched down, and rubbed Houndoom's head, asking, "Houndoom, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Houndoom opened its eyes, saw Yuga, shook its head, and then laid its head back on the ground.
Was it not feeling unwell? Then why did it seem so lethargic? Yuga wondered.
Yuga couldn't see any issues with Houndoom, so he said, "Let's go to the Pokémon Center and have you checked out."
Houndoom shook its head, unwilling to go to the Pokémon Center, but instead pointed at its belly with one of its front paws.
Its belly? Was its belly hurting? Yuga reached out to touch Houndoom's belly but didn't feel anything unusual.
Suddenly, Chatot, who had been chattering away, flew over, perched on Yuga's shoulder, and said.
"Pregnant?" Yuga asked, surprised.
Chatot scoffed, "Yes! Despite all your studying, you couldn't figure that out? All those books were a waste of time."
Yuga ignored Chatot's sarcasm and happily asked Houndoom, "Houndoom, are you really pregnant?"
Houndoom gently nodded, confirming what Chatot had said.
"That's wonderful, congratulations, Houndoom!" Yuga exclaimed with joy.
This was the first time a quadruped Pokémon in Yuga's Ecopark had become pregnant, making it stand out even more.
At this moment, Ninetales, accompanied by its little companions, walked over. It lowered its head and nuzzled Houndoom, its eyes filled with tenderness.
Yuga patted the soft fur on Ninetales' back and said, "Congratulations to you too, Ninetales, you're going to be a father."
"Ninetales..." Ninetales let out a soft and contented sound, unable to hide its joy.
Yuga then looked at Chatot on his shoulder and asked, "Why did you come here today? Aren't you afraid of Noctowl?"
"What are you talking about! I just came out for a stroll!" Chatot replied, feigning indifference.
It wouldn't admit that it came here to sneak a peek at the babies, only to find that Noctowl and Hoothoot were both absent. It was only then that Chatot boldly flew out.
Yuga actually knew what Chatot was up to, and seeing it look so dejected was rather satisfying. He wouldn't tell Chatot that Noctowl had taken Hoothoot to play in the Flower Sea.
Having learned about Houndoom's pregnancy, Yuga went to inform the leader of the Miltank, hoping that they would take extra care of her and the unborn offspring.
However, the Miltank herd was already aware of the situation and had prepared everything they needed. They were also experienced in taking care of pregnant Gligar and Flygon, so they were quite skilled in handling such matters.
This made Yuga feel somewhat inadequate.
However, the pregnancy of quadruped Pokémon like Houndoom was different from that of Gligar and Flygon, which had unique physiologies. Yuga still gave Houndoom some precautions.
Before leaving, Yuga specifically told Houndoom to halt all training tasks during her pregnancy as her health was the top priority.
The news of Houndoom's pregnancy left Yuga in high spirit, and he left the Ecopark humming a tune.
When he arrived at the shop, Suzuki Koen looked at Yuga, who had a cheerful expression, and asked with a smile, "What's making you so happy? Did you find some money?"
Yuga chuckled and replied, "No way, if I found money, that would be great. It's that Houndoom is pregnant."
Suzuki Koen, after hearing this, smiled and said, "Well, congratulations then."
Yuga bowed and said, "Thank you, thank you."
At that moment, Yuga suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, I almost forgot about the mates for the Miltank."
Yuga had previously mentioned that he would find mates for the Miltanks, but he had forgotten about it amidst his other tasks.
So, in Suzuki Koen's puzzled gaze, Yuga hurriedly went upstairs.
After returning to his room upstairs, Yuga dialed Director Mond's phone number. This was the kind of matter that required professional handling.
Director Mond answered the phone quite quickly, speaking in his rough voice, "What's up, kid? Why are you calling me?"
Yuga smiled and said, "Come on, don't be like that. Can't I just call to say hello?"
Although he knew that Yuga was just being polite, Director Mond still laughed heartily and said, "You brat, cut the crap. If you're calling, you must have something to discuss. If I can help you with it, I'll definitely help."
Yuga cleared his throat and said, "Well, here's the thing. I want to introduce a batch of Tauros or male Bouffalant, and if possible, some Skiddo and Gogoat as well."
Tauros and Bouffalant were common Pokémon and relatively easy to obtain. However, Skiddo and Gogoat were much rarer and not as easy to find.
Director Mond thought for a moment and said, "Tauros and Bouffalant are easy to get. As for Skiddo or Gogoat, I'll do my best!"
Upon hearing Director Mond's reply, Yuga happily said, "Thank you so much!"
On the other end of the phone, Director Mond shrugged it off and said, "There's no need to thank me. Just remember me when you're successful. By the way, do you have any specific requirements for the qualifications of these Pokémon?"
Yuga replied, "There are no specific requirements for the qualifications of these three Pokémon. The limit for Tauros and Bouffalant is 60 each. If you can't find them, please do your best. As for Skiddo and Gogoat, get as many as you can."
Director Mond said, "Alright, I'll let you know when it's done."
After hanging up the phone, Yuga let out a sigh of relief and resolved another matter.