In this way, Yuga returned to the YoYo Day Care with Shadowsong and Hubert.
The modern Pokémon world is very different from the ancient Pokémon world.
Shadowsong and Hubert were amazed by the bustling streets and vehicles they saw, but Yuga had warned them in advance not to ask too many questions.
The employees at the Day Care found it strange that Yuga had brought back two people dressed so differently, but Yuga explained that they were friends staying temporarily, and they didn't inquire further.
So, Shadowsong and Hubert settled into the YoYo Day Care.
After settling Shadowsong and Hubert in rooms next to his own, Yuga headed to the Ecopark.
Upon arriving at the park, Yuga first went to the Grassland Sub-Ecopark and left the large Pidgeot there to be trained by the Honchkrow leader.
Then, he went to the Flower Sea Sub-Ecopark and arranged the captured Wurmple, Silcoon, and Cascoon.
Finally, it was time to open the new Sub-Ecopark and place the Onix.
Yuga was well aware of the steps to open a new Sub-Ecopark.
Soon, a new light gate appeared in the main park, leading to the new Sub-Ecopark—the Mine Sub-Ecopark.
Upon entering the Mine Sub-Ecopark, Yuga saw barren, rocky hills and giant stones everywhere. The entire Sub-Ecopark was monotonous and gray, devoid of any pRands or greenery.
Unlike the previously opened Sub-Ecoparks, there were no trees or flowers here. Even the Volcano Sub-Ecopark looked vibrant in comparison, while the Mine Sub-Ecopark seemed lifeless.
As the name implied, the Mine Sub-Ecopark was essentially a vast range of rocky mountains. However, the terrain here was relatively flat and had a low slope, likely due to the sheer size of the Mines.
According to the system, the rocks and soil in the entire mountain range were rich in mineral elements, making it suitable for Rock-type and Steel-type Pokémon to feed on.
Deep within the Mines lay numerous rare metals, which could be used by Steel-type Pokémon to purify and polish their bodies.
the Mine Sub-Ecopark contained a significant amount of rare precious metals, and Yuga even thought that, if not for the system's limitations, he could make a fortune by mining them alone. Unfortunately, the system restricted these metals for use in cultivating Pokémon and nothing else.
the Mine Sub-Ecopark was called a mountain range for a reason; it wasn't just one mountain but a series of connected peaks. The highest peak among them had a special magnetic field that allowed specific Pokémon to evolve, similar to Mount Coronet in the Sinnoh region.
However, the entire mountain range was so vast that Yuga couldn't explore it all, especially since the entrance to the Sub-Ecopark was only halfway up the Mineside.
After a brief tour, Yuga released the Giant Onix and let it make itself at home in the Mine Sub-Ecopark.
While the Sub-Ecopark seemed dull and lifeless to Yuga, it held a different allure for Onix. As a Rock-type and future Steel-type Pokémon, it could feel the Sub-Ecopark's call and the earth's longing for its presence.
Onix believed that as long as it stayed here, it wouldn't be long before it completed its final evolution and became a perfect Steelix.
Under Yuga's watchful eye, Onix used its Dig ability to burrow into the ground and continued its slumber, accumulating strength for its ultimate evolution.
In the moment when Onix disappeared, Yuga heard a notification for a new task from the system.
[ Congratulations, Host, on triggering the 'Enrich Species' task. ]
[ Description: The vast Mountain Sub-Ecopark has only one Pokémon, the Onix. What happened to the Elite potential of Onix? Go capture more Rock-type and Steel-type Pokémon and make Onix a true Elite that dominate the area. ]
[ Requirements: Total number of Rock-type and Steel-type Pokémon exceeds twenty. ]
[ Reward: Universal Pokéblock formula for Rock-type Pokémon and Universal Pokéblock formula for Steel-type Pokémon. ]
Upon hearing the system's voice, Yuga was momentarily surprised. After all, his system rarely issued consecutive tasks, and this one came with a "requirement," which was something new.
However, Yuga felt that he needed to postpone this task of capturing Rock-type and Steel-type Pokémon. Suddenly demanding that he capture them was difficult, as he didn't know where to find them.
He did recall that on Illuma Island, where he captured Charizard, there was a group of Aggron. However, the area had been sealed off by the League due to the presence of Fire Stone veins, making it challenging to enter, let alone capture Pokémon there.
However, capturing Rock-type and Steel-type Pokémon for now wasn't feasible. But there was something else that could be done.
After leaving the Ecopark, Yuga found Windy and asked him to post a message on the official website of the YoYo Day Care:
[ At the YoYo Day Care, customers can pay to request assistance in helping Pokémon like Nosepass, Magneton, and Charjabug evolve ]
The evolution of these three type of Pokémon required a special magnetic field.
However, places with special magnetic fields are scarce. Some well-known ones include the in the Mount Coronet in the Sinnoh region, the Chargestone Cave in the Unova region, and the Vast Poni Canyon in Alola region.
These locations are all in the wild, and trainers who want to help their Pokémon evolve have to make a special trip, which can be quite inconvenient. Some areas might not even have the necessary magnetic fields, requiring trainers to travel across regions.
Now, the YoYo Day Care offers this service. Trainers can simply pay, send their Pokémon to the YoYo Day Care, help them evolve, and then have the evolved Pokémon returned to them. This is much more convenient than making the journey themselves.
This operation won't raise any suspicions because all it requires is having a dedicated staff member stationed in places like the Mount Coronet or Vast Poni Canyon. Whether or not the YoYo Day Care has staff members in these locations, who knows?"
After leaving Windy, Yuga thought about Luna and Rand, both of whom had a Magneton. It was a perfect opportunity to test the service.
So, Yuga called both of them.
Although students at the Trainer School couldn't go home frequently, making phone calls was still no problem.
Soon, Yuga received the Poké Balls sent by Luna and Rand.
Holding the Poké Balls, he headed to the Mine Sub-Ecopark. Yuga rode on his Charizard and flew to the Mountain peak.
the Mine Sub-Ecopark was vast, and walking all the way to the Mountain peak on foot would have been exhausting. So, Yuga had to rely on his Charizard for transportation.
In the future, he planned to delegate this task to Wigglytuff and provide it with a Flygon as a mount.
Speaking of which, Yuga wondered if pairing a Fairy-type Pokémon with a Dragon-type Pokémon as partners might lead to conflicts.
But given that Wigglytuff was usually busy, Yuga couldn't hand everything over to it.
the Mountain peak where the special magnetic field was located had a massive crater, perfectly circular and embedded in the Mountaintop, creating a spectacular sight.
The bowl-shaped crater was the strongest point of the special magnetic field, making it the ideal place for Pokémon to evolve.
However, even though the magnetic field was strongest here, it wasn't like the Mount Coronet, where magnetic storms occasionally occurred.
It also didn't pose any harm to the Pokémon. Some places with excessively strong magnetic fields could cause magnetic storms. If Pokémon evolved in such conditions, their evolution might be incomplete, and they could even get injured.
The magnetic field required for Pokémon evolution wasn't a case of "stronger is better." It needed to be just right.
Both Magneton seemed to enjoy this place. From their names, it was evident that Magneton loved magnetic field environments.
However, even if there was a suitable magnetic field, Pokémon didn't evolve instantly.
They needed time to adapt to the magnetic field, interact with it, and gradually change their body's form before completing their evolution.
Leaving both Magneton in the bowl-shaped crater to slowly adapt to the magnetic field, Yuga left the Ecopark.