The following day, after training with a few Pokémon in his yard, Yuga went to see Mr. Kuni'o. However, the Chatot, which had been following him, oddly insisted on waiting at home and refused to accompany him to Mr. Kuni'o's. Yuga figured it must have been frightened by Mr. Kuni'o the previous night and didn't pay much attention to it.
Upon arriving at Mr. Kuni'o's, it seemed he had been waiting for Yuga for some time, with Ryuichi present as well.
"You're here," Mr. Kuni'o greeted as Yuga entered.
Yuga nodded and asked, "Is there something you wanted me for today?"
Mr. Kuni'o stood up from his chair and said, "Follow me."
Yuga nodded and followed Mr. Kuni'o, with Ryuichi closely trailing behind.
They passed through several courtyards until they reached a grassy area on the manor. As Yuga arrived, many Grass-type Pokémon emerged from the tall grasses.
There were all sorts of them, from common Oddish and Hoppip to rare Trecko, Grovyle, and even a few rare Bulbasaur and Ivysaur. And Bellossom, who took care of him daily, was among them, looking expectantly at him.
Yuga roughly counted and found that there were at least thirty Grass-type Pokémon that had appeared here. Their potential were all Green or higher, with a majority being Blue potential.
Truly befitting of a Master Trainer, this collection was quite impressive. Even though there were no Indigo potential Pokémon among them, their presence was astonishing. After all, Blue potential Pokémon were exceptionally rare and challenging to come by.
But Yuga believed that someone like Mr. Kuni'o should have some indigo potential Pokémon in his possession.
Seeing the rows of Grass-type Pokémon before him, Yuga looked at Mr. Kuni'o with curiosity and asked, "Mr. Kuni'o... what is this?"
Mr. Kuni'o explained, "As you should know, I specialize in Grass-types, which is related to my abilities. Since I'm going to take you as my apprentice, you should also cultivate a few Grass-type Pokémon. You'll need them for your awakening."
"These Pokémon have all been collected by me over the past two years. Grass-type Pokémon tend to have long lifespans. Both Ryuichi and I have passed the age for nurturing new Pokémon, so you can choose two from among them."
Mr. Kuni'o was aware that Yuga didn't have any Grass-type Pokémon, which led to this arrangement.
However, he didn't know that Yuga actually had Grass-type Pokémon in his Ecopark; they just weren't the primary focus of his training.
After hearing Mr. Kuni'o's words, Yuga lowered his head and contemplated for a moment.
Originally, Yuga had no intention of training another main Pokémon at the moment, especially since finding good Pokémon wasn't easy.
However, it was evident that Mr. Kuni'o wanted him to cultivate a few Grass-type Pokémon, and he had even prepared them.
In all honesty, Grass-types weren't the most popular type among Trainers. Many chose not to specialize in this type unless they had a particular affinity for Grass-type Pokémon.
But could you say Grass-types were weak? Certainly not! Just looking at the four Masters, one of them was a Grass-type Master, proving that Grass-type Pokémon had their strengths.
It was worth noting that out of the four Masters, two specialized in Dragon-types (the elder of the Dragon Clan in Johto and the Elder from Village of Dragon in Unova).
Grass-type moves included various recovery skills like Grassy Terrain, Leech Seed, Absorb series, and more; control abilities such as Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, and Grass Whistle; support moves like Aromatherapy; and powerful offensive skills like Solar Beam, Petal Dance, Frenzy Plant, Leaf Storm, Wood Hammer, and Power Whip.
Considering all these factors, Grass-types were not inferior to other types.
However, Grass-types were vulnerable to common weaknesses and didn't have the best resistances. Nonetheless, these issues could be overcome with dedicated training.
Thinking about it, Yuga decided to accept Mr. Kuni'o's arrangement.
Having become his apprentice and knowing that Mr. Kuni'o possessed the most mature Grass-type Pokémon training methods, Yuga saw no reason not to go along with this.
Furthermore, it was related to his awakening.
"Understood, Master," Yuga replied.
Mr. Kuni'o nodded and said, "You can choose for yourself; pick any Pokémon you like."
With those words, Yuga entered the group of Pokémon, his eyes scanning the various Grass-types. There were Oddish, Tangela, Exeggcute, Chikorita, Bayleef, Whimsicott, Lotad, Budew, and many more.
When he saw Bellossom looking at him with an expression that clearly said, "Choose me!" Yuga smiled and walked over without hesitation.
Yuga had a fondness for Bellossom since it had taken care of him, and he had known about its Blue Potential since their first meeting.
"Bellossom! Bellossom!" Happy that Yuga chose her, Bellossom happily twirled around him.
Moves: Absorb, Mega Drain, Giga Drain, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Sweet Scent, Magical Leaf, Leaf Storm, Razor Leaf, Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Strength Sap, Sludge Bomb, Energy Ball, Dazzling Gleam.
Yuga had been astonished by Bellossom's movepool the first time he saw her. Typically, Pokémon in their thirties found it challenging to learn so many moves at once, but Yuga figured that if it had been taught by a Master, anything was possible.
Satisfied with Yuga's choice of Bellossom, Mr. Kuni'o nodded in approval.
In fact, Bellossom had been carefully chosen by Mr. Kuni'o to take care of Yuga. The intention was to foster a bond between them.
While Bellossom might not be considered extremely rare among this group of Pokémon, she had no significant drawbacks.
If Yuga, who had already formed a strong bond with Bellossom, chose a different, rarer Pokémon, Mr. Kuni'o would need to rethink his approach to apprenticeship.
After all, Bellossom was not particularly rare among these Grass-types. If you considered rarity, it might only be slightly unusual due to the use of a Sun Stone during evolution, while Oddish and Gloom were about as common as Grass-types came.
After choosing Bellossom, Yuga shifted his gaze to other Pokémon. He could choose one more.
Finally, he set his sights on a Ivysaur.
The Bulbasaur line of Pokémon had always been among Yuga's favorites, but they were the Kanto region's starter Pokémon and not easy to come by.
However, Yuga chose it not because it was a Ivysaur but because it had exceptional potential among these Pokémon.
Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Poison Powder, Sunny Day, Sludge Bomb, Energy Ball, Power Whip.
This Ivisaur possessed peak Blue Potentials, just slightly below the half-Indigo Potentials of the Roselia in Yuga's Ecopark.
With its hidden ability, Chlorophyll, which was rarely seen, and the Sunny Day move it had already learned, it was even more practical than the typical Overgrow.
While its level and the number of moves were a bit lower than Bellossom's, it was undoubtedly one of the best among its peers. Furthermore, it inherited a powerful Grass-type move, Power Whip.
In fact, among these Pokémon, there was another Bulbasaur, but it was slightly inferior in various aspects compared to the Ivysaur Yuga chose.