Attack, Severe Injuries, and Death

Nami, along with his two subordinates, questioned Yuga in the gym for a long time, but Yuga managed to play dumb and deceive them, just as his master had advised. He had already resolved the main issues, so the people sent by the League were merely probing him and didn't really trouble him.

Although Kuro kept blabbering and Nami constantly probed Yuga, their actions didn't actually affect Yuga as his master had already resolved most of the issues.

The most useful piece of information they could get from Yuga was the safe departure of Rayquaza, which, of course, was the League's top concern.

The next day, Nami and his two subordinates visited Verdanturf Gym once again. This time, they weren't there to check on Yuga but rather requested to see Yuga's Pokémon, especially the Dusknoir that had battled Rayquaza.

Naturally, Yuga didn't refuse their request. He had nothing to hide; they could see them as much as they wanted.

Kuro had originally wanted to take a chance to criticize Yuga a bit, but Yuga had Dusknoir subtly intimidate him. Dusknoir, being a Master level Pokémon, had an imposing aura that not just anyone could endure, and Kuro almost wet himself out of fear.

Yuga wasn't the type to endure being bullied, especially by someone as brainless as Kuro. He didn't want him to overstep his boundaries.

Nami noticed that Kuro was going too far, so he gestured for him to stop, and Kuro obediently backed down.

In the end, Yuga was a little annoyed by the whole act, but he couldn't help but admire Nami's intelligence. He understood that Kuro was essentially a puppet, set up by Nami to test the limits of Yuga's patience.

Yuga also realized that Kuro wasn't the brightest individual and had probably been chosen as the fall guy for a reason. He was there to probe Yuga's boundaries, and Nami made him do all the dirty work, as he didn't seem to have any ideas of his own.

Yuga's attitude towards Kuro also influenced Nami's judgment of Yuga.

This kind of situation wasn't new to someone like Nami, who had been part of the League for many years.

People like Kuro would have been dealt with in a more severe manner if he was in other places, but the nature of his role in the Prosecutor Bureau allowed for some bending and twisting, and sometimes, having someone brainless was just what was needed.

After sending away Nami and his subordinates, Yuga headed to the Sub-Ecopark. He had placed the two Deoxys Energy Cores under the care of Grass-type Pokémon in the Flower Sea Sub-Ecopark.

When he saw Deoxys, he couldn't help but complain, "I went through so much trouble for you guys. I don't even know how to face the League in the future. After all, I'm a Gym Leader in the League!"

"Thank you so much, and we will find a way to repay you in the future," Deoxys conveyed its thoughts with a sense of guilt. Deoxys had a different perspective from Yuga, and it appreciated Yuga's assistance greatly.

Yuga felt satisfied as he received Deoxys' thoughts. He wasn't the kind of person who did good deeds without expecting something in return.

His main purpose in doing all this was to have a favor to ask in the future, so that if he really encountered something that couldn't be solved in the future, he would have someone to turn to for help.

Hoenn was not a peaceful place, after all.

Anyways, the simple Deoxys wouldn't be able to understand the intricacies of Yuga's thoughts.

"By the way, how long do you think it will take for you to fully recover?" Yuga asked Deoxys.

"Probably around six months," Deoxys replied honestly. Now Yuga had earned high favor in its eyes.

"Oh, what about your fellow Deoxys?" Yuga pointed to the other Deoxys Energy Core.

This Deoxys was heavily injured, and its consciousness had fallen into a deep slumber.

"It's severely injured. It will take at least a year to recover," Deoxys conveyed its concerns through its thoughts.

Yuga consoled, "As long as you both recover, that's what matters. A year or two will pass quickly, don't worry."

After boosting his favorability with Deoxys, Yuga left the Flower Sea Sub-Ecopark. As he walked, a small, dark yellow ball appeared on his shoulder – it was Mimikyu.

Mimikyu had already used the Reverse-Light Flower that Yuga had bought at the Trading Fair, and its previous weakened state had completely disappeared. However, it still preferred to stay in Yuga's Shadow Space.

Now Mimikyu has an extra label of "otaku" on him.

The reason Yuga went to the Grassland Sub-Ecopark was that Wigglytuff was there, helping the Miltank and Chansey classify the Pokéblock that had been delivered to the Ecopark today. Otherwise, Mimikyu wouldn't even want to leave the Shadow Space at all.

Mimikyu's level was still quite low, and although its potential was excellent, it would take time for it to grow.

Yuga's visit to the Grassland Sub-Ecopark was also to see Decidueye, which was currently training there.

Ever since Dartrix evolved into Decidueye, it had become obsessed with archery training. The Grassland Sub-Ecopark was vast and open, making it an ideal place for practicing archery.

As Yuga entered the Grassland Sub-Ecopark, he saw a chaotic scene in the sky. More than a dozen Flying-type Pokémon were flying around erratically, and Decidueye was chasing after them, shooting arrows as it went.

This was a training method that Decidueye had come up with itself. It used the Flying-type Pokémon as moving targets to improve its accuracy and reaction time.

Simply shooting at stationary targets wasn't enough to satisfy Decidueye's desire to improve its archery skills. Decidueye had a natural talent for archery and combined it with its ability, Long Reach, making it quite formidable.

Decidueye's arrows had two variations. The first was a simple arrow that, when hitting a target, would immobilize it. The second was an enhanced version that not only immobilized the target but also caused damage.

During practice, Decidueye used the first type of arrow, as it didn't want to harm the Flying-type Pokémon. These Pokémon willingly cooperated with Decidueye for the training, as they weren't masochists.

Yuga fully supported Decidueye's efforts to improve its archery skills. Having witnessed Teacher Lila's Ambipom that had trained in martial arts, he understood that such training could significantly enhance a Pokémon's strength.

However, Yuga himself didn't have much knowledge about archery, limiting his ability to assist Decidueye effectively. He was eager to find an archery master who could help Decidueye further, but he didn't know anyone in his circle who had expertise in archery.

As soon as Mimikyu entered the Grassland Sub-Ecopark, it hopped down from Yuga's shoulder and quickly made its way to Wigglytuff.

Wigglytuff's eyes lit up with joy as it saw Mimikyu. It scooped up Mimikyu and placed it in the front pocket of its apron. While working, Wigglytuff chatted with Mimikyu.

Mimikyu and Wigglytuff had become legendary soulmates.

Mimikyu's tiny size, nestled inside Wigglytuff's pocket, reminded Yuga of Kangaskhan and its Kangaskhan baby. It gave him the impression of a mother and child, rather than a husband and wife.

Yuga shook off his strange thoughts and called out to Decidueye in the sky, "Decidueye, come down and take a break!"

Hearing Yuga's voice, Decidueye quickly retracted the arrow it was about to release and flapped its wings to land in front of Yuga.

Decidueye was quite tall, almost reaching Yuga's height of around 6 feet. Upon landing, its sharp talons left marks on the flat grassy ground.

Yuga comforted the bird, "You've worked hard in training!"

"Decidueye!"

Decidueye, its neck extended, seemed to enjoy Yuga's touch and made purring sounds from its throat in response.

Yuga asked, "How did your training go today?"

Upon hearing this question, Decidueye shook its head in a somewhat disappointed manner. Despite its diligent efforts in training, the results were not as significant as it had hoped.

Yuga contemplated and said, "I see... How about we go ask Ryuichi? Maybe your father knows archery, and if he does, we can seek guidance from him."

Yuga's Decidueye was the child of Ryuichi's Decidueye. However, Yuga wasn't sure if Ryuichi's Decidueye had developed the Spirit Shackle move.

Upon hearing the suggestion, Decidueye became excited. It thought Yuga's idea was excellent and didn't mind seeking guidance from its father, even if it didn't have many memories of him.

Yuga smiled and said, "Alright, I'll contact Ryuichi later and ask. If it's possible, I'll arrange for you to be transferred to Mauville City."

With a nod from Decidueye, it spread its wings and flew back into the sky to continue "teasing" the flying-type Pokémon.

As Yuga left the Ecopark, he was about to contact Ryuichi when he received an unexpected call.

The call came from the vendor in Rustboro City who had agreed to trade Rotom with Yuga.

Yuga had considered reaching out to this person, but his recent popularity had made it difficult to find the time. He didn't expect the person to proactively call him.

Yuga had prepared himself for the possibility that the person might renege on their deal and trade Rotom with someone else. He was grateful that they had exchanged contact information when they parted ways, which allowed this conversation to take place.

Eric was feeling anxious when he called Yuga. He had seen the news and learned that the young man he had arranged a trade with was none other than the highly publicized Gym Leader of the Verdanturf Gym.

Eric was a Ghost-type Pokémon Trainer who had Ghost-type Pokémon protecting him. Thus, when the Trade Fair building collapsed, he had made a timely retreat and avoided significant losses.

He knew that many other trainers who had stalls inside the building suffered heavy losses. Some even considered seeking compensation from the event organizers, but they were ignored, and the police in Rustboro City arrested those who causing disturbances.

This showed the organizers has strong connections and influence.

As a relatively small figure, Eric had already packed up his belongings and left Rustboro City long before. He didn't dare to linger.

After leaving Rustboro City, Eric arrived in Verdanturf Town. He urgently needed a Ghost Gem and didn't want to give up on his agreement with Yuga.

However, he felt somewhat anxious when he arrived in Verdanturf Town. He wasn't sure if Yuga still remembered their arrangement. To be cautious, he decided to call Yuga before visiting in person.

"You say you're in Verdanturf Town?" Yuga responded.

On the other end of the call, Eric felt relieved to hear Yuga's tone. He detected the enthusiasm in Yuga's voice.

"Yes, I'm at the Verdanturf Town Pokémon Center. Do you still want Rotom?"

Rotom with a blue potential wasn't hard to sell, but Eric was only interested in trading for a Ghost Gem. He, as a small trader, had no other means for obtaining Ghost Gems, so he had to rely on Yuga as his customer.

"Absolutely, I want it. Do you have time right now? If so, come to the Verdanturf Gym. I'll be waiting for you there," Yuga happily replied.

"Great, I'm on my way. You'll see me soon," Eric replied with a much lighter tone.

The two quickly met at the Verdanturf Gym. After confirming that the Rotom Eric brought was a blue potential Rotom by using the Pokémon's Potential Checker, they completed the trade.

The Rotom that had just been acquired was unfamiliar to Yuga, but with Eric's help, they managed to get the Rotom to possess a Pokédex successfully.

Once the trade was completed, Eric hurriedly left the Verdanturf Gym. Yuga took the freshly acquired Rotom Pokédex to the Haunted Mansion Sub-Ecopark, where he handed it over to three Malamar for instruction.

The Rotom Pokédex was meant to be an heir to this laboratory in the future. While the three Malamar were behaving obediently at the moment, Yuga was well aware of their cunning nature and couldn't fully trust them.

On the day following Eric's visit, Yuga received shocking news. The Nami trio had been attacked on their way back, with Kuro dead and Tokiwa was heavily injured.

Yuga was utterly stunned upon hearing this news. The mean-mouthed Kuro just dead like that?

This incident caused a significant commotion in the Pokémon League. A Deputy Director of the Prosecutor Bureau was attacked, and One of his two subordinates was killed and the other was seriously injured. It was an outrageous turn of events.

The news was relayed to Yuga by Steven, and the investigation into the attack on the Nami trio was already handed over to him. Steven suspected that this attack was connected to Yuga and Rayquaza.

Considering that everyone had seen that Rayquaza was taken away by Yuga, and the individuals responsible for contacting Yuga were the members of the Nami trio, it led Steven to believe that the attackers were after Rayquaza.

He thought that they believed the Nami trio obtained something related to Rayquaza from Yuga or even took Rayquaza with them, which is why the attack occurred.

As for why these individuals didn't directly confront Yuga, Steven believed it was due to the intimidating presence of Dusknoir.

Because of these suspicions, Steven took the initiative to inform Yuga to be cautious. According to Steven, the attack on the Nami trio was carried out by two powerful individuals, both masked. and Nami couldn't confirm their identities.

Each of these two individuals was individually capable of matching the Namis strengths. It was she engagement with one of these individuals that resulted in Kuro's death and Tokiwa's serious injuries.

After the call with Steven, Yuga remained silent for quite some time.

Rayquaza's appearance had caused the entire Hoenn undercurrent to surge.