Clues

One of the Poké Balls happened to be a specially crafted Poké Ball for the fishing competition.

Yuga opened it, and revealing a Pokémon inside – it was the Gyarados that The white-bearded man had caught during the fishing competition.

However, The white-bearded man had given this Gyarados to Phantom.

"It seems like this Gyarados can no longer be given away. In the end, it has come back to me again after going in a long circles," Yuga remarked.

The reason Yuga had sponsored the Gyarados for the fishing competition was because the Sootopolis Gym had recently acquired a batch of Magikarp with good potential.

Yuga had bought a few of them to enrich the species in the Ecopark, and this Gyarados was one of the Magikarp that was evolved from that batch.

The Pokémon in the other Poké Ball surprised Yuga.

It turned out to be a Clauncher he had been lost.

It was impossible for him to not recognize a Pokémon from his own shop.

"I didn't expect you to be not just a pirate captain but also commit a petty thief!" Yuga glanced at Phantom and said.

He also questioning why a notorious pirate leader would resort to stealing a mere yellow potential Pokémon.

When Phantom heard this, he looked at the Pokémon Ball in Yuga's hand, snorted, and remained silent.

After all, he was now a prisoner, and he had no intention of wasting his words with Yuga at the moment.

Yuga didn't press further, knowing there would be a time for questions later when they returned.

Just as Yuga was about to take these pirates back to be interrogated by Officer Jenny, a police officer suddenly ran up to him while holding a small box about the size of a palm.

"Where did this come from?" Yuga asked, looking at the box.

"It was found on the white-bearded man," the police officer replied as he handed the box to Yuga.

Initially, Phantom had been standing not far from Yuga obediently, but when he saw the box in Yuga's hands, he suddenly became extremely agitated.

"That's my stuff! Give it back to me! Give it back!" Phantom shouted.

Upon seeing this, the two police officers quickly restrained Phantom, and preventing him from reaching Yuga side.

Phantom struggled violently, but his hands were handcuffed, and he couldn't break free from the restraint of the two officers no matter how much he struggled.

"It seems like we've found something very important," Yuga remarked as he attempted to open the box.

He was curious about its contents that could stirred such strong emotions in Phantom.

The box had a delicate small lock on it, but it wasn't locked.

There seemed to be traces of attempted prying, so Yuga fiddled with it for a few times and easily opened the box.

The moment the box opened, a cool breeze rushed out, and a transparent bead, the size of a fingernail, came into Yuga's view.

"This is..." Looking at the bead, Yuga instantly thought of the relic of the People of the Water in the Petalburg Forest.

"Is this what you found in the relic in the Petalburg Forest?" Yuga asked Phantom.

Phantom didn't answer, but his expression had said everything.

He had been searching for the People of the Water for many years, and only something related to them could make him so excited.

However, Yuga wasn't sure about the bead's significance, so he decided to contact Zinnian and the others when he returned.

This group of pirates had caused trouble in the Petalburg Forest, and Zinnian and the forest rangers needed to cooperate in the investigation.

"Let's go, take them all back!" Yuga shouted to the police officers to go back together.

Back at the police station, these people were handed over to Officer Liliana for questioning.

Yuga contacted Zinnian and the others, who replied that they would arrive in Verdanturf Town soon.

Taking the opportunity, Yuga inquired about the bead over the phone, but Zinnian and the others were equally clueless about it.

The relic in the Petalburg Forest had been there for a long time.

Apart from the initial excavation by the League when it was first discovered, it had become a complete ruin due to its location.

Zinnian and the others were unaware about how Phantom and his crew managed to find something inside.

Unable to gather useful information, Yuga had to put the matter aside until Officer Liliana extracted some information or until Zinnian and the others arrived in Verdanturf Town.

After ending the call with Zinnian, Yuga heard that Audino wanted him to visit the Ecopark.

Upon arriving in the Ecopark, he saw Audino standing under the Climate Tree.

He remembered that it was the place where he had placed two Deoxys Energy Cores.

Yuga walked over and was about to ask Audino what had happened, when he followed Audino's gaze and saw one of the Deoxys Energy Cores flickering with a purple light.

Could it be that Deoxys was finally recovering?

"How long has this been happening?" he asked Audino.

Audino shook its head, indicating that it also had just noticed it not long ago.

So, Yuga and Audino stood under the tree for a long time.

Eventually, the light on the Deoxys Energy Core became brighter.

Wrapped in a purple glow, the shadow of the energy core stretched longer and longer, and finally forming a complete Deoxys.

This was Deoxys, and no other Pokémon could recover so quickly after losing its body.

Having regained its body, Deoxys moved its limbs a few times and, once fully adjusted, it floated slowly toward Yuga side.

"Congratulations, Deoxys," Yuga sincerely congratulated.

Deoxys' recovery speed was much faster than he had anticipated.

Of course, this was also related to Deoxys' core not being damaged, unlike the other Deoxys!

"It's all thanks to you. Not only did you rescue us from Rayquaza, but you also provided me a safe place for my recovery," Deoxys expressed gratitude.

Yuga modestly waved his hand and said, "You've helped Chimecho so much; what I did is only natural."

Deoxys shook its head, saying, "Helping Chimecho was for my own reasons. It's a fact that you rescued us, and I will definitely repay you in the future."

Seeing Deoxys insist on this, Yuga didn't argue further.

It was a good thing to have a Legendary Pokémon owe him a favor.

"So, what are your plans for the future?" Yuga inquired.

After pondering for a moment, Deoxys replied, "I'll continue to explore the world as before. Since you've already received a promise from Rayquaza, I believe it won't bother us again in the future."

Yuga nodded in agreement.

Legendary Pokémon placed great importance on promises.

Although Rayquaza had been angry before, it was unlikely to go back on its word.

Yuga then continued, "And what about your fellow Deoxys with the damaged energy core?"

The other Deoxys Energy Core was too heavily injured, so it may be impossible to recover in a short time.

Deoxys turned its head to look at the other Deoxys Energy Core that was placed on the Climate Tree and said, "I will take it with me. Maybe I can find a way for it to recover quickly outside."

Yuga thought it was a good plan and said, "Then I wish you have a smooth journey."

Deoxys, with strong determination, planned to leave Verdanturf Town with its fellow Deoxys on the same day.

Chimecho was very happy after learning about Deoxys' recovery but became sad upon hearing that it would leave soon.

She ran over sadly to bid farewell to it.

Chimecho had become a Champion level Pokémon, and all of this was thanks to Deoxys.

Having absorbed the energy core fragment, Deoxys treated Chimecho as a true kin, investing all its resources in nurturing Chimecho.

This was why Chimecho had grown up so quickly.

"Alright, don't be sad. We'll meet again in the future!" Deoxys comforted the teary-eyed Chimecho.

After sniffing, Chimecho nodded and reluctantly floated down from Deoxys, and landing weakly on Yuga's head.

"As long as I'm still in the Hoenn region, Chimecho can contact me anytime. If you ever need my help, just let me know. However, my strength has declined quite a bit now, so I can't guarantee how much help I can provide." After comforting Chimecho, Deoxys lowered its head and promised Yuga.

Yuga responded, "Your intention is enough. If I ever need help, I'll reach out to you."

Deoxys nodded slightly and said, "Until we meet again!" After that, it ascended into the sky and quickly disappeared from sight.

Watching Deoxys leave, Yuga raised his hand and comforted Chimecho on his head, saying, "Come on, don't be sad. You still have me."

After Deoxys left, the affectionate Chimecho stuck with Yuga the entire day, and following him wherever he went.

The next day, Officer Liliana came to YoYo Day Care and briefed Yuga on the results of her interrogation.

Firstly, it was confirmed that Phantom and his crew were indeed involved in the incidents in the Petalburg Forest, and there was evidence that they couldn't deny.

Secondly, the reason why Yuga's lost Clauncher ended up with Phantom was because he had killed Palacio, and the Pokémon was found on Palacio's body.

Phantom, in order to maintain a low profile and not reveal his identity, had been discreet since arriving in Verdanturf Town.

However, on that morning, he didn't expect that he would be noticed by Palacio, who was about to gone out that morning.

Phantom's distinctive appearance made it hard for people to forget once they saw him.

Palacio initially didn't pay attention to Phantom, but after he was failed to become an apprentice at the Verdanturf Gym that day and returned home, he accidentally saw Phantom's wanted poster online.

Acting impulsively, he went to threaten Phantom and the white-bearded man, trying to obtain the Gyarados from the white-bearded man.

It must be said that Palacio wasn't very clever.

Having no real skills himself, he dared to threaten a pirate leader.

It was a risky move.

Lastly, the reason for Phantom appearing in Verdanturf Town was explained.

After causing trouble in the Petalburg Forest, Phantom and his crew should have returned to the sea as soon as possible.

There was no reason for them to risk coming to Verdanturf Town.

Moreover, with Yuga in town, it wasn't a friendly place for a criminals like them.

According to the confessions of the pirate henchmen, their captain had legitimate reasons for coming to Verdanturf Town, and it was related to the bead that Yuga had obtained.

However, their captain had kept this information confidential, and the henchmen were unaware of the specifics.

Phantom, however, remained tight-lipped.

No matter how Officer Liliana questioned him, he refused to reveal the purpose of their visit to Verdanturf Town, even after using hypnosis, which yielded little useful information.

Officer Liliana said, "After using hypnosis, Phantom mentioned the words 'People of the Water' and 'Theater Group' when he was in a confused state. Unfortunately, no other relevant information was obtained."

"Theater Group?" Yuga asked in surprise.

When it comes to the People of the Water, Yuga could understand, considering Phantom's many years of searching for them in pursuit of the secrets of the Temple of the sea.

However, what did it have to do with a 'Theater Group'?

"Did you get any other information related to the Theater Group?" Yuga asked again.

"No, from Phantom's mouth, we only got that much," Officer Liliana replied, shaking her head.

After discussing some details about the Ghost Pirate Crew, Yuga escorted Officer Liliana out of the Day Care.

When he come back from the door and passing by the cashier's counter, Suzuki Koen suddenly stopped Yuga.

"Hey, boss, I want to tell you something. I heard that the Marlena Group is coming to perform in our Verdanturf Town. Can I take a day off to go see it?"

Originally, Yuga had already walked away, but the words "Marina Group" successfully caught his attention, especially the word "Theater Group."

Now, he was highly sensitive to these words.

Stepping back to the cashier's side, Yuga curiously asked Suzuki Koen, "Marina Group? What is that?"

Suzuki Koen, looking at Yuga as if he were clueless, replied, "No way, boss. You don't even know about the Marina Group? Are you from another planet or something?"

At that moment, Windy happened to be passing by, while carrying a box.

So, Suzuki Koen directly called him and asked, "Windy, do you know about the Marina Group?"

Windy halted and said, "Marina Group? Yeah, it's that famous Theater Group that performs with water Pokémon, right?"

Suzuki Koen, raising an eyebrow, looked at Yuga and said, "See, even this gaming addict knows about it. It's just you who doesn't know."

Yuga, feeling a little bit embarrassed, and rubbed his nose.

Was I really that clueless?

"Alright, today I'll give you a free lesson, boss."

After saying this, Suzuki Koen quickly typed a few times on the keyboard in front of him, and a dazzling electronic poster appeared on the computer screen.

Looking at the dreamy poster, Yuga suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with the images and people.

After thinking about it for a while, he remembered that he had seen a performance by the Marina Group a few years ago.

When he visited Mr. Norman in Petalburg City a few years ago, the Marina Group was also performing in the city.

He even got scolded by a teenager on the street for not knowing about the Theater Group.

Because this incident had happened so long ago and he didn't pay much attention to the Theater Group, Yuga had forgotten about it.

"Okay, don't worry. Today, I'll give you a crash course, boss." After saying this, Suzuki Koen introduced Yuga to the Marina Group.

It turned out that the Theater Group was quite famous in Hoenn region, especially in the past.

Many people from the older generation had watched their performances, and making it a truly well-established brand.

However, in recent years, it was said that the Theater Group had fewer members, and its popularity was not as great as before.

The Marina Group's aquatic Pokémon performances primarily targeted women and children.

Although its fame had diminished, it still had a loyal fan base, including Suzuki Koen.

Aquatic Pokémon performances!

Suzuki Koen enthusiastically recommended the Marina Group, and Yuga muttered these words softly.

The People of the Water, a Theater Group!

Once you connecting all these clues, it wasn't surprising that Phantom would take the risk of appearing in Verdanturf Town.