Charizard Level Up

In the days that followed, the manhunt for Koga continued outside, but he stayed quietly at the Verdanturf Gym to recover from his injuries. Yuga did an excellent job of keeping his presence hidden.

During this time, under the care of the Audino, Shoryu's health improved significantly. His once pale and sickly face began to show a healthy flush.

As Koga's injuries gradually healed, he proposed turning himself in, and Yuga did not object.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, I cannot thank you enough for everything you've done for me over these days. I will never forget your kindness," Koga said gratefully, handing the agreed-upon Moltres Heart Crystal to Yuga. "This is what I promised you, and I'm entrusting Shoryu to your care."

As he spoke, he bowed deeply to Yuga.

Yuga accepted the crystal from Koga and said, "Don't worry. I will take good care of Shoryu. When the opportunity arises, I'll take him to visit you. By the time you see him again, he will be a healthy child."

Since Koga had chosen to turn himself in, his sentence would likely be reduced. At most, he would face a lengthy prison term.

"Good, good…" Koga laughed through his tears.

Next came Koga's farewell to Shoryu.

Over the days of his recovery, Koga had prepared Shoryu mentally for this moment. So, when the time came for Koga to leave, Shoryu, though reluctant, did not cry or make a fuss.

Koga left the Verdanturf Gym quietly. If he had departed openly, it would have been clear that Yuga had been harboring a fugitive.

He also did not allow Shoryu to see him off. From then on, Shoryu would live under a new identity, free from any association with him.

After Koga left, Shoryu stood quietly by the gym's entrance, staring at the door for a long, long time without moving.

Seeing this, Yuga, concerned about Shoryu's fragile health, approached him and gently said, "Come back inside, Shoryu. You shouldn't stay out here too long."

Shoryu raised his head and asked, "Big brother, does this mean I'll never see my dad again?"

Looking at Shoryu's pale, sickly face, Yuga felt a sudden pang of sorrow. He patted Shoryu on the head and said, "Of course not. I wouldn't lie to you. When the chance comes, I'll take you to visit your dad."

Though Shoryu's official identity would no longer tie him to Koga, Yuga was determined to find a way to reunite the two someday. There were always solutions to problems.

"Really?" Shoryu's face immediately lit up with a big smile.

"Really," Yuga nodded. "As long as you eat well, take your medicine, and focus on getting better, you'll see your dad again soon."

"Okay," Shoryu said with a firm nod. "I'll be good!"

Because Koga turned himself in voluntarily, the case involving Hosokawa Hiroshi's murder was solved quickly, and Koga was sentenced to ten years in prison.

According to League law, severe cases of intentional homicide usually result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

However, since Hosokawa Hiroshi was a notorious villain who had committed countless misdeeds, Koga's crime was deemed less severe, resulting in a lighter sentence.

Initially, the police had no evidence of Hosokawa Hiroshi's crimes, but his assistant, Asajō, who had been involved in his operations, provided a detailed confession when questioned. Asajō even handed over evidence of Hosokawa Hiroshi's criminal activities.

As an accomplice, Asajō was also arrested and sentenced.

Hosokawa Hiroshi's family attempted to coerce Asajō into changing his testimony, aiming to secure a death sentence for Koga. However, Yuga worked behind the scenes to thwart their efforts.

For some time after, Hosokawa Hiroshi's family continued to pull strings, trying to get Koga's actions labeled as the most severe form of homicide. But each attempt was blocked by Yuga.

While Hosokawa Hiroshi's family had some influence, no one dared to go against Yuga, given his standing within the League.

During this period, Yuga leveraged his connections to arrange a new identity for Shoryu, registering him as an orphan under the Forest Home Orphanage. Then, as a gym apprentice, Shoryu was officially brought into the Verdanturf Gym.

The Gastly that had always stayed by Shoryu's side continued to follow him. Shoryu was very fond of it, so Yuga captured it in a Poké Ball and gave it to Shoryu. This way, Shoryu wouldn't feel too lonely and would have a companion of his own.

After Koga was imprisoned, Yuga visited him once on his own and felt relieved upon seeing that his spirit was good.

Later, Hosokawa Hiroshi's family somehow learned that it was Yuga who had been obstructing their attempts. They went directly to YoYo Day Care.

The person who came was Koga's grandfather, who brought a large sum of money, hoping that Yuga would stop interfering with Koga's situation. Yuga was so angry that he laughed. This family was truly rotten to the core.

Yuga had not sheltered Koga. All of Koga's crimes were judged according to the laws of the League, but Hosokawa Hiroshi's family still refused to let him off.

It was clearly Hosokawa Hiroshi's fault from the beginning. His family had never reflected on their actions, and instead, they kept trying to suppress Koga. Could they not live peacefully and let things be?

In the end, the old man was driven out of YoYo Day Care by Yuga, who also warned him to be more careful in the future.

The old man didn't heed Yuga's warning and instead accused him of disrespecting his elders by relying on his status.

Yuga sneered at this. Did such a person even deserve to be considered an elder? If not for his age, Yuga would have reported him for bribing League officials.

After this matter was settled, Yuga's life returned to its usual peace.

Next, he began to inquire about the treatment for Shoryu's illness. Since he had promised Koga, he was determined to make Shoryua healthy child.

There were many places where Shoryu's illness could be treated, but it required a lot of money. However, for Yuga, it was a small matter. Since money was needed, the best treatment must be found, so Yuga kept asking around to find the best place for Shoryu's condition.

The Joy family that was known for their expertise in medicine, was naturally the best option, so Yuga specifically asked Joyka for help. Joyka promised to look into it and told him to wait for news.

One day, Yuga brought Charizard and the Heart of Moltres to the Volcano Sub-Ecopark.

Charizard's attributes matched perfectly with the Heart of Moltres, so it was the best choice to give it to Charizard.

When they reached the nearby lava pool, Charizard grew excited when it saw Yuga take out the Heart of Moltres. It took it eagerly and shouted to the sky.

Then, Yuga saw a red light spot appear on Charizard's abdomen. This was the location of the red orb inside Charizard's body.

Soon after, Yuga saw something even more incredible: the Heart of Moltres transformed into a red light and dove into that spot.

Without a doubt, the Heart of Moltres had been absorbed by the red orb.

Yuga quickly asked Charizard if it felt uncomfortable. Surprisingly, Charizard did not feel any discomfort but instead shouted excitedly.

Gradually, Yuga noticed that the temperature around Charizard was rising, so he quickly moved away from it.

Charizard's body started to glow, and the reddish glow enveloped its surface, as if it were wearing dazzling armor. The surrounding temperature kept increasing, and Yuga had no choice but to retreat further.

The flames in the lava pool were drawn toward Charizard, gradually rising out of the pool and being absorbed into Charizard's body through the red glow.

Soon, Charizard became a massive fire cocoon, and the temperature around it continued to rise. At this point, even the fire-type Pokémon that had been near the lava pool couldn't stand the heat.

Time passed, and soon there were no other Pokémon near the lava pool. Yuga stood at a distance, watching as Charizard was completely enveloped by a giant fireball.

This process lasted for five days. During these five days, Yuga spent most of his time at the Volcano Sub-Ecopark, only leaving briefly to take care of things at the shop.

On the fifth evening, the massive fireball surrounding Charizard began to shrink, and Yuga immediately stood up.

"Roar~"

Accompanied by a loud roar, Charizard's body emerged from the flames. The first thing to break through the fireball was its long tail, followed by its spread wings, and then the two dragon horns on its head…

When the last trace of flame was sucked in by Charizard's mouth, its towering figure once again came into Yuga's view.

"Charizard!" Yuga shouted happily, letting out a sigh of relief. Although he knew Charizard should be fine, he still couldn't help but worry.

"Roar~"

Charizard responded with a roar, flapping its wings to lift off before landing beside Yuga. The temperature on its body hadn't completely subsided, and as it drew closer, Yuga felt a wave of intense heat rush at him.

However, it was still within a tolerable range, so Yuga didn't mind. He instead activated his Insight skill to check Charizard's condition.

...

[ Charizard ]

Type: Fire, Flying

Gender: Female

Ability: Blaze

Potential: Indigo

Level: 81

Moves: Scratch, Spark, Hidden Power (Electric), Dragon Dance, Outrage, Smokescreen, Iron Tail, Flamethrower, Fire Fang, Scary Face, Sunny Day, Fire Punch, Overheat, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Claw, Steel Wing, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Iron Tail, Heat Wave, Inferno, Air Slash, Tailwind.

...

After five days of transformation, Charizard finally advanced from Elite level to a Champion level Pokémon. Yuga's efforts to obtain the Moltres Heart had not been in vain.

"Congratulations, Charizard!" Yuga patted Charizard, noticing that its body temperature had finally regulated itself.

"Charizard~"

Charizard affectionately hugged Yuga, expressing its gratitude.

In the following days, Charizard focused on adapting to its newly gained strength after its promotion.

One day, Yuga was called to the Pokémon Center by Joyka, who handed him a note.

"This is Dr. Maury's address. He is the most authoritative expert in that field. Go and see him; my grandmother has a good relationship with him and has already given him a heads-up."

Yuga took the note, which contained an address and contact information for a location in the Sinnoh region, Pastoria City.

After reading it, Yuga folded the note and thanked Joyka. "Thank you so much. I'll never refuse if you ever need help in the future."

Shoryu's condition had been dragging on for far too long, and it was only getting worse, with life-threatening risks at any moment. That's why Yuga couldn't help but feel anxious.

Joyka joked, "I've been waiting for you to say that."

Yuga asked Joyka a few more questions about Dr. Maury before he left.

The next day, Yuga entrusted the store to his aunt and, the day after that, set off for Sinnoh with Shoryu.

Joining them was Audino. On one hand, Shoryu's health was fragile, and Audino needed to take care of it during the journey; on the other hand, Audino had been working hard at home taking care of the whole family and hadn't gone out in a long time. This trip would be a perfect opportunity for a bit of travel.

As for the Ecopark, it would temporarily be in the hands of Gothitelle, Wigglytuff, and Blissey. Without Audino around, it would be a good opportunity to train them in handling things independently.

At first, when Yuga suggested Audino accompany him on the trip, Audino wasn't happy, saying there was too much to do at home and that it couldn't leave.

Audino was practically dragged along by Yuga.

But once they were on the road, Audino became more excited, chatting non-stop with Shoryu. Shoryu couldn't understand a word Audino was saying but kept nodding along, which made Yuga wonder whether Audino's words were actually understood.

Yuga didn't store Audino in its Poké Ball and even bought an extra ticket for it on the plane.

Throughout the journey, Shoryu remained cheerful. Due to his condition, he rarely left home, and the furthest he'd traveled was to Verdanturf Town with his father. This trip made him very happy and helped lift his spirits, which had been weighed down by his father's absence.

Sinnoh was quite far from Hoenn, and it took Yuga and his team several days of flights to finally reach Pastoria City.

Along the way, Audino took extra care of Shoryu, always worried that he might fall ill, but thankfully they all arrived safely at their destination.

Compared to the heat of Hoenn, Pastoria City in Sinnoh was much cooler. It was named Pastoria City because it was located near a vast swamp called the "Great Marsh."

The Great Marsh had once been part of the ocean, but the water had been drained, turning it into land. Because of this, many rare Pokémon could be found there, earning it the title of "paradise for Water-type Pokémon."

By the time Yuga and his group arrived at Pastoria City, it was already late, so they didn't rush to visit Dr. Maury. Instead, they found a hotel to stay in.

Given Shoryu's delicate health, Yuga decided against staying at the Pokémon Center. While the Pokémon Center was convenient and inexpensive, its conditions couldn't compare to those of a hotel.

Yuga wasn't lacking in money, so there was no need to settle for the cheaper option at the Pokémon Center.

After settling into the hotel, Yuga remembered that Pastoria City was next to Veilstone City. Once Shoryu's illness was taken care of, he could visit Reggie, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

However, he hadn't notified Reggie in advance about his trip to Sinnoh, so he wasn't sure whether Reggie would be surprised or shocked when they met.