A Guest

Watching Yuga depart, Clemont's mother held Bonnie in one hand and Clemont in the other as she walked toward their house, saying, "Come on, let's go inside and you can tell me everything that happened!"

She also needed to let the children's father know they were back! Clemont's mother thought to herself.

"Mom, you won't believe what happened..."

Perhaps it was being safely back home and seeing her mother, but Bonnie's lively personality returned, and she chattered away, explaining the events.

Yuga, after leaving Clemont's house, hurried back to the aircraft. He had no idea how well Shin and Kazuma, had handled the task he assigned to them – a simple inspection of the exhibition site, but he felt like he had let Momiji down by cancelling their visit to the Forest Park.

Though it was just an inspection, and nothing major, it was still like breaking a promise, and he wondered if Momiji would be upset.

Indeed, as soon as Yuga returned to his aircraft, Momiji stormed in to find him.

"I mean, seriously! You ditched me early in the morning. What's going on?" Momiji's angry expression was quite intimidating.

"I had some unexpected business to attend to. I'm really sorry," Yuga replied, his face full of apologies.

They had planned to visit the Forest Park together, and even though Yuga had a legitimate reason, cancelling was still cancelling.

"Well, I heard you were saving someone?" Momiji's tone softened a bit as she noted Yuga's sincerity. She wasn't the type to make a fuss for no reason, and she had heard the basic details from Shin and Kazuma.

"Yes, a friend of mine was in trouble," Yuga nodded in confirmation.

"Let me tell you, it's been quite a buzz in Lumiose City today. The successor Gym Leader of Lumiose City has gone missing, and the whole Lumiose City Police Department is in an uproar," Momiji said, her tone now filled with gossip.

The successor Gym Leader? That must be Clemont, right?

Yuga was surprised to hear that Clemont's disappearance had caused such a commotion. But then again, considering Clemont's special status, it made sense. Losing such an important figure would naturally lead to a big stir.

"Where did you hear this news?" Yuga inquired, a bit intrigued by Momiji's sources.

"Don't worry about it. I have my ways of getting information. And that friend you mentioned, is it the missing successor Gym Leader?" Momiji asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Why do you want to know so much? It's not really your concern," Yuga replied, slightly surprised by Momiji's inquisitiveness.

However, he knew that news of Clemont's disappearance shouldn't have been leaked so easily. Even if the police were involved in the search, the identity of the missing person, especially someone like Clemont, would likely be kept confidential.

"Forget it. I was just curious. After all, you Gym Leaders tend to know each other, right?" Momiji shrugged.

"Alright, let's drop this topic. Is there still food in the cafeteria? I haven't eaten all day, and I'm starving," Yuga changed the subject.

Yuga's encounter with Clemont's mother had made him realize that he was quite an outsider in the situation, and he decided it was best to keep his distance from the ongoing family matters for now. So, he shifted the conversation to something more mundane – food.

Yuga didn't want to discuss the matter further, and it was true he was quite hungry after a whole day without food. He needed nourishment.

Seeing that Yuga wasn't interested in pursuing the topic, Momiji decided not to press further and led Yuga to the cafeteria.

After filling their stomachs, Yuga took the three Malamar he had rescued to Petal's place. These three Pokémon had been injured quite seriously, and Yuga was concerned that if they weren't treated, they might not make it. If they died wouldn't it be a waste of effort for him to bring them back?

The next morning, Yuga contacted Audino, intending to send back three Gogoat, two Skiddo, two Meowstic, a Pangoro, two Pancham, and the Magnemite family, along with Magneton, to Audino's care.

It is inconvenient for him to carry these Pokémon with him. He believed Audino could find suitable places for them in the Ecopark.

As for the three Malamar, Yuga intended to keep them with him for training; sending them back would only bring chaos to the Ecopark.

The aircraft from the Aroma Day Care didn't have a Trade Machine, so Yuga had to visit the local Pokémon Center to send the Pokémon back.

Although the Aroma Day Care had the means to afford a Trade Machine on their aircraft, it wasn't installed because mobile aircraft couldn't support such a device. All Trade Machines needed a fixed location for installation.

Fortunately, a place like Lumiose City had several Pokémon Centers, including one in this suburban area, so Yuga didn't have to make a special trip to the city center.

Once Yuga returned from the Pokémon Center, Hatsuki came over and informed him that someone named Meyer wanted to visit him.

Meyer? The name sounded unfamiliar to Yuga; he couldn't recall ever meeting someone by that name.

Nevertheless, Yuga decided to meet with this Mr. Meyer.

"Hello, are you Mr. Shimizu?" Meyer inquired upon seeing Yuga.

"Hello, and who are you?" Yuga asked, feeling like he should recognize this person but couldn't quite place him.

"I'm the father of Clemont and Bonnie. I heard about what happened yesterday from them. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for rescuing them."

Clemont and Bonnie's father!

Yuga suddenly remembered why this man seemed familiar. He had a vague memory of his face, but names and other details eluded him. He knew this person had a hidden identity as the Blaziken Mask.

An indescribable name...

He owns a Blaziken that can Mega Evolve, Yuga remembers this very clearly.

"Ah, I see now. I'm Yuga. Meeting Clemont and Bonnie was a pleasure, and helping them was the right thing to do. You don't need to thank me," Yuga replied, somewhat taken aback by the man's politeness.

Meyer was significantly older than Yuga, and his courteous demeanor caught Yuga off guard.

Meyer was tall and muscular, with brown hair and a full beard, giving him a completely different appearance from Clemont and Bonnie.

However, it seemed that the siblings had inherited their mother's appearance, both having golden hair.

"Regardless, the fact remains that you saved them. I came here today to thank you," Meyer shook Yuga's hand, genuinely grateful.

"No need to thank me," Yuga replied. "And you don't have to address me so formally. Just call me Yuga. Clemont and Bonnie call me 'big brother,' so I can call you 'uncle' without any hesitation."

Being addressed with such formality by someone nearly his father's age felt a bit awkward for Yuga.

While Yuga used formal language out of respect for elders, he knew that to Meyer, he was just a younger person.

"Very well, I'll call you Yuga then. I came here today mainly to invite you to visit my home so that Clemont's mother and i, can properly thank you."

Yuga's polite manner had improved Meyer's impression of him significantly.

The shift in how Meyer addressed him made Yuga feel more at ease.

"Visit your home? That's really not necessary. I didn't do anything extraordinary," Yuga said, surprised that Meyer had come here to invite him to his home.

"Why not necessary? Saving lives is a significant act, isn't it? Both Bonnie and Clemont hope you can come. Besides, you've come all the way to Kalos, so let me extend my hospitality properly," Meyer insisted.

Meyer had already learned from Clemont and Bonnie that Yuga wasn't from Kalos, and he had even done some online research on Yuga's background. Otherwise, he wouldn't have casually invited someone he didn't know into his home.

Yuga was a Gym Leader and a rising star in the Hoenn League, so at least there were no major character issues.

Clemont would soon be taking on the role of Gym Leader, and spending time with someone like Yuga could be beneficial.

Seeing Meyer's enthusiasm, Yuga reluctantly agreed to his invitation.

"Alright, let's do that then. I'll come over to your place. I appreciate your hospitality," Yuga replied.

"Great! We'll be waiting for you at home. I have some matters to attend to today, so I'll take my leave now," Meyer said as he left in a hurry.

Yesterday, in order to find Clemont and Bonnie, Meyer had used a lot of connections, and even the mayor was alarmed, so Meyer still had a lot to deal with when he returned to the city today.

Watching Meyer's departing figure, Yuga shook his head helplessly. He was going to have to go back and continue training the three Malamar. If not for them, he wouldn't have gotten involved in so much trouble.