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Chapter 1396 - The Sableye Scared Senseless
The ghost ship entered Verdanturf Town's river and silently returned to the Ecological Park from underwater. Meanwhile, Yuga disembarked halfway through the journey.
As he walked home, the townspeople greeted him warmly, and he responded to each one with equal friendliness.
The moment he stepped into the store, Suzuki Koen immediately brightened up and said happily, "Boss, you're back!"
"Yeah," Yuga nodded. "Go call everyone over—I brought gifts for you all."
"Alright, I'll go right away."
Suzuki Koen was already used to this. Every time Yuga went out, he would always bring back a bunch of gifts, whether expensive or inexpensive, all as souvenirs from his travels.
In no time, everyone had gathered, and Yuga took out all the souvenirs he had bought in the Kalos region from his backpack, distributing them one by one.
Everyone was naturally delighted to receive the gifts. Just as they were about to leave, Yuga called out, "Aunt Hisakk, Sister Suzuki, Misaki, and Lain—you four, stay behind for a moment."
Once the others had left, Yuga's aunt asked curiously, "Yuga, what is it? Is there something else?"
Yuga sighed emotionally and said, "I've been leaving the store's business to you all for so long—it must have been tough on you."
Suzuki Koen waved it off casually. "We're getting paid to do our jobs; it's only natural." As YoYo Daycare's business flourished, their salaries had increased again and again. Suzuki Koen didn't feel burdened at all.
But even though she said that, it still felt nice to be acknowledged by the boss.
"Even so, I've seen all the hard work you've put in," Yuga said as he took out a few small boxes with a mysterious smile. "So I prepared some special gifts for you."
"Gifts?" His aunt was surprised. "What kind of gifts? You didn't waste money again, did you?"
Since it was her own nephew, Yuga's aunt—wasn't particularly concerned about receiving gifts. She was just worried that Yuga was spending recklessly, even though he was indeed quite wealthy now.
"I didn't waste money," Yuga assured her, then opened the boxes one by one.
As soon as they saw what was inside, the three women gasped in unison.
"Oh my gosh, these are beautiful!"
Even Yuga's aunt was momentarily speechless. Inside each box lay a gemstone, each of a different color, clearly precious and valuable at first glance.
Yuga had picked these gems from the collection that Diantha and Diancie had gifted him. This was, in a sense, a case of "gifting flowers using another's bouquet." There were so many gems anyway, and giving away a few didn't make him feel too bad.
More importantly, these gems hadn't cost him anything.
He had also specifically chosen four with slightly less perfect quality. Otherwise, even if he dared to give them, his aunt and the others might not dare to accept them.
"You call this not wasting money? These gems must be worth a fortune!"
His aunt might not be an expert on gemstones, but she had a good eye.
"Exactly! This... this is too expensive! We can't accept this!" Misaki also hurriedly declined.
She owed everything she had today to Yuga's support. She never considered the work tiring—if anything, she felt that her contribution to YoYo Daycare wasn't enough to repay Yuga's generosity.
"Y-Yeah, we can't accept them."
Lain stared at the glistening gemstones, swallowing hard. Yet, her rational mind forced her mouth to utter words of refusal.
Ah, her mouth was being so uncooperative! Her heart ached so much just saying those words!
"Just take them," Yuga urged. "Actually, these gemstones were gifts to me. If you really think they're too valuable, then just work even harder in the future."
Hearing this, Suzuki Koen's eyes widened in disbelief. "G-Gifts? Someone gave you these?" Who could be that generous?
Among the four women, Suzuki Koen was the one most knowledgeable about gemstones.
She and her late husband had once been well-off, so she had some exposure to precious gems. At a glance, she could tell that each of these four stones was worth an incredible amount—probably equivalent to two or three years' worth of her salary, and her current salary was by no means low.
"Yeah, I helped someone out a little, and I still have plenty left!" Yuga said casually.
"Still have plenty?" Misaki's eyes widened in disbelief. Who was so foolishly generous with their money?
"But I can't accept something given by others," Yuga's aunt said, still looking troubled.
"Auntie!" Yuga frowned and said, "Can't I show some filial piety to you?" He could tell that his aunt actually liked it. "If you really can't accept it, just take it on behalf of Luna. There's nothing wrong with an older brother giving his younger sister a gift!"
"Well... okay then." His aunt couldn't refuse, so she reluctantly accepted it.
"That's the way it should be," Yuga said with a smile before turning to Misaki and the others. "Since Auntie has accepted it, you should too."
Suzuki Koen and the other two looked embarrassed—
We're not your younger sisters!
Oh well, the boss is just too enthusiastic... guess we'll accept it then!
Seeing that they no longer refused, Yuga was satisfied and said, "You all need to work even harder from now on! YoYo Day Care will be counting on you." The boss only had to collect money, after all.
Suzuki Koen: ...
Lain: ...
Misaki: ...
Yuga decided to send another one to Kiriha later. Managing Everlasting Workshop was quite exhausting for her—if he didn't give her a little gift, what if she got overworked and left?
Talents like Kiriha weren't easy to replace.
Strictly speaking, Beidou, who helped manage the gym, also worked hard. But unlike the others, he was a Trainer. In addition to receiving a basic salary, he had unlimited access to YoYo Day Care's resources.
Just based on that, his benefits were far superior to anyone else's, so an extra reward wasn't really necessary.
A few days later, Kiriha indeed received a ruby from Yuga in the mail. Unlike Misaki and the others, she accepted it without asking any questions.
Since the boss was handing out benefits, why not take them?
After finishing with the gifts, Yuga chatted with his aunt for a while before heading to the Ecopark. He needed to check on the Pokémon he had sent back from the Kalos region.
After finding Dou Dou, the two of them went to the Ecopark together.
Following Yuga's instructions, Dou Dou had placed the Helioptile and Heliolisk in the Dragon Den Sub-Ecopark after administering the Innovation Potion.
Since Helioptile and Heliolisk carried Dragon-type bloodlines, the Dragon Den Sub-Ecopark would not only aid their growth but also increase the chances of them producing offspring with Dragon-type Pokémon.
Upon arriving at the Dragon Den Sub-Ecopark, Yuga saw the Helioptile and Heliolisk wandering along the shores of the Dragon Lake. They seemed to have adapted well to their new environment.
Many of the previously weak individuals had already grown stronger after these past few days of care.
According to Dou Dou's report, the results of the Innovation Potion were remarkable, with a success rate holding steady at 50%.
Since there were already a large number of Helioptile and Heliolisk, half of them successfully improved their potential. Yuga estimated that it wouldn't take long for him to complete his system task.
Currently, the one in charge of the Helioptile and Heliolisk clan was Druddigon. Since it had prior experience raising a young Helioptile, Dou Dou entrusted it with the task.
After all, why trouble a second master when one is already handling it?
After some time in the new area, Druddigon had finally shed most of the fat it had gained there. Now, it looked much more respectable.
As soon as it saw Yuga approaching, it ran over like an eager lackey. The Helioptile it had been raising was perched on its head, bouncing rhythmically as it ran, making for quite a funny sight.
Seeing that it was managing the Helioptile and Heliolisk well, Yuga didn't give it a hard time. He casually asked a few questions, gave it a bit of a scolding, and then left the Dragon Den Sub-Ecopark.
Druddigon was chronically lazy—if he didn't discipline it regularly, it would quickly fall back into its old slothful habits.
After checking on the Helioptile and Heliolisk, Yuga went to check on the Octillery.
Naturally, Dou Dou had placed Octillery in the Shallow Beach Sub-Ecopark. When Yuga arrived, it was in the middle of a fight with two Tentacruel.
Of course, it wasn't a real fight—just playing around.
Because of its massive size, Octillery had never had many friends. But after encountering the two Tentacruel in the Shallow Beach Sub-Ecopark, it was overjoyed and naturally became friends with the couple.
The two Tentacruel were limited in strength and were naturally no match for Octillery, so Octillery was merely playing with them.
Seeing that Octillery was behaving itself and doing well, Yuga didn't disturb it and quietly left the Shallow Beach Sub-Ecopark with Dou Dou.
Next, they headed to the Haunted House Sub-Ecopark—Yuga still needed to settle the Sableye there.
However, what Yuga didn't expect was that Giratina had also come to the Haunted House Sub-Ecopark. When Yuga arrived, Jellicent was diligently giving it a bath.
The ghost sea in this Sub-Ecopark was practically turning into Giratina's personal bathhouse, even though the sea here wasn't actually made of real water!
In the time since Yuga had last seen Jellicent, its level had risen significantly, now approaching Champion level. Its rate of improvement was astonishing—ordinary Pokémon wouldn't be able to catch up even if they tried their hardest.
It was clear that Giratina had contributed a lot.
Hugging Giratina's thigh had certainly paid off for Jellicent!
Dusknoir, who had returned early with the Ghost Ship, was currently speaking with Giratina, seemingly asking it for guidance on something. Giratina showed no signs of impatience and listened attentively.
However, its senses remained sharp. The moment Yuga entered, Giratina noticed and gave him a distant nod.
Not wanting to interrupt Dusknoir and Giratina's conversation, Yuga quietly stepped aside, preparing to release the Sableye.
Since Dusknoir had just recently ascended in rank, it was bound to have many questions for Giratina.
The first Pokémon Yuga released was the Sableye that had consumed the Sacred Diamond. As the leader of its entire clan, once it was subdued, the rest of the Sableye would naturally follow.
As soon as Sableye emerged, Yuga was surprised to find that its aura had grown significantly stronger.
...
[ Sableye ]
Type: Dark, Ghost
Ability: Keen Eye
Gender: Female
Potential: Indigo
Level: 80
Moves: Mean Look, Leer, Scratch, Night Shade, Foresight, Astonish, Fake Out, Detect, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Shadow Claw, Power Gem, Foul Play, Shadow Ball, Dig, Psychic, Flash, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse, Will-O-Wisp, Imprison, Magic Bounce.
...
Previously, while this Sableye had been powerful, it had not yet reached Champion-level, nor had it possessed indigo potential. Clearly, during its time inside the Poké Ball, it had successfully absorbed the power of the Sacred Diamond and regained its full awareness.
Indeed, this was exactly what had happened. Having broken through in strength, Sableye now felt it had the power to resist and had been waiting for Yuga to release it.
The moment it emerged, its eyes flashed with menace, preparing to launch an attack on Yuga. But then, it suddenly felt a chill run down its spine. Instinctively, it turned around—only to find Giratina gazing at it with its deep crimson eyes.
Sableye's entire body stiffened. It felt as though a wave of icy dread was pouring from the top of its head down to its feet. A sudden, inexplicable fear seized its heart.
A Legendary Pokémon!
It was looking at a Legendary Pokémon! An unimaginably powerful Legendary Pokémon!
Before Giratina, Sableye didn't even have the courage to resist. All that filled its heart was overwhelming fear and boundless reverence.
Then, under Yuga's astonished gaze, the Sableye fell to its knees and bowed in submission to him.
What just happened? I haven't even done anything yet!
He had just finished secretly instructing the Gengar and Mismagius in the shadow space to stay alert when the Sableye suddenly pulled this move.
"You're saying you want to submit to me?"
After a long silence, Yuga finally hesitated before asking.
"Sableye~ Sableye~"
The Sableye quickly nodded and then sneakily glanced at Giratina from the corner of its eye. By now, Giratina was no longer looking at it, and the Sableye couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
That one glance from Giratina just now had put too much pressure on it!
Seeing this, Yuga suddenly understood—so it had been scared into submission by Giratina!
He couldn't help but find the situation amusing. He never expected to have a moment where he could rely on borrowed power like this. But that didn't matter; as long as the problem was solved, it was fine.
"Not bad. Looks like you know how to adapt to the situation. Otherwise, I would have just given you to Giratina over there as food," Yuga continued to bluff.
"Sableye~ Sableye~"
Hearing this, the Sableye immediately and eagerly pledged its loyalty to Yuga, fearing that he might actually hand it over to be eaten by Giratina.
With the help of this Sableye leader, subduing the rest of the Sableye group became much easier, and Yuga hardly had to put in any effort.
Just as he finished taming the Sableye , Giratina had also finished its bath. It took off into the air and flew over Yuga and the Sableye group, nearly scaring the Sableye out of their wits. They all collapsed to the ground, trembling in fear.
In the blink of an eye, Giratina had disappeared into the Reverse Mirror, while the Sableye lay sprawled on the ground, completely terrified.
Yuga seized the opportunity to say, "As long as you behave from now on, Giratina won't do anything to you!"
The Sableye nodded vigorously like pecking chickens, now filled with deep admiration for Yuga, who remained unfazed in the face of an existence like Giratina.
This is a true role model—following him definitely isn't a mistake!
And just like that, Yuga gained the Sableye's allegiance.
After settling the Sableye, Yuga finally placed shinny Hawlucha in the main ecopark, letting it reside in the Climate Tree there.
The Hawlucha had an amiable personality, and as soon as it arrived in the main ecopark, it quickly bonded with other Fighting-type Pokémon like Meditite, Medicham, and Gallade.
