Invitation to Battle

After leaving the Ecopark, Yuga followed Hatsuki and headed back to his own room.

However, as they were passing through a corridor, Yuga noticed a tall and slender young lady in a red dress standing ahead, gazing through the glass at the playful Pokémon in the Ecopark.

The young lady in the red dress turned her head to look at Hatsuki, and when she spotted Yuga, her dark eyes lit up, and she took three or four steps toward Yuga.

"Is this young man the rumored Gym Leader Shimizu?"

Upon closer inspection, Yuga realized that this young lady in the red dress was very beautiful, around the same age as Suzuki Koen, in her thirties, with long flowing waves of hair, fiery red lips, and a very curvaceous figure.

Apart from the wanted criminal, Miyuki, Yuga had never seen such a beautiful woman before.

However, the beauty of the young lady in the red dress was different from Miyuki's; Miyuki was as delicate as a white lotus flower, while this young lady in the red dress seemed to exude a fiery aura.

Strictly speaking, the young lady in the red dress's temperament was somewhat similar to Miyuki's other identity - Ariana. However, Ariana fell short in terms of looks compared to the young lady in the red dress.

Yuga didn't know this young lady in the red dress, but he felt that she looked somewhat familiar.

Before Yuga could ask, Hatsuki revealed the identity of the young lady in the red dress.

"Boss, what are you doing here?"

That's right; the young lady in the red dress was the owner of the Aroma Day Care, and Yuga had seen her photos before. After all, she was a partner of YoYo Day Care. However, her current attire was quite different from the photos.

"Can't I be here?"

The young lady in the red dress glared at Hatsuki displeased.

"Hello, Ms. Momiji."

Knowing the identity of the young lady in the red dress, Yuga greeted her proactively. After all, he had received a lot of help from her, and being able to participate in the Pokémon Exchange Conference this time was also thanks to her.

"Not bad, not bad, you're quite the young man. Big sis has wanted to meet you for a long time."

Ms. Momiji patted Yuga's shoulder with joy.

How should I put it, Ms. Momiji was somewhat different from what Yuga had imagined.

In the photos he had seen earlier, Ms. Momiji had straight black hair, wearing a white suit, with a neat ponytail. Her composed and calm demeanor was completely different from the fiery red lips and long brown waves she had now.

Upon closer inspection, it was the same face, but the difference in temperament was quite significant.

Seeing Yuga staring at her intently, Ms. Momiji teased, "What's the matter, young man, have you fallen in love with big sis?"

Upon hearing Ms. Momiji's playful words, Hatsuki pulled her away, saying, "Boss, please be serious!"

"Tsk! You can't even make a joke."

Ms. Momiji pouted, looking quite displeased.

Hatsuki knew what kind of person their boss was. Normally, she would put on a front when outside, but now she wasn't even willing to pretend, which was quite exasperating.

"Ms. Momiji, what are you doing here?" Yuga asked, puzzled by her earlier focus on the Ecopark.

Ms. Momiji sighed and replied, "Oh, it's nothing. I was just feeling a bit bored, so I came to see my little darlings in the Ecopark."

"I see!" Yuga nodded, "In that case, I'll take my leave now."

Yuga intended to leave with Kazuma and Shin. However, as they hadn't walked far, they suddenly heard Ms. Momiji's voice from behind.

"Wait, don't go! How about we have a battle for fun?"

Yuga turned around and pointed at himself, asking, "You mean a battle with me?"

Ms. Momiji smiled and nodded, "Yes, exactly, you."

"Ms. Momiji, are you a Pokémon Trainer too?" Yuga was curious, as he hadn't heard about this before.

Ms. Momiji replied, "Not exactly. I'm a Pokémon Breeder, but I do have a few trained Pokémon."

Aroma Day Care had been operating for many generations, and the owners were usually Pokémon Breeders, including Ms. Momiji.

Yuga suddenly realized, "I see."

"Since Ms. Momiji suggested it..."

Yuga didn't refuse; after all, Aroma Day Care had helped YoYo Day Care a lot, and he didn't want to decline a friendly challenge.

High-level Pokémon Breeders were quite formidable. They could raise Pokémon of high levels, and top-tier Breeders could even raise Elite level Pokémon, showcasing significant battle prowess.

However, Yuga wondered about Ms. Momiji's skill level.

"Agreed? That's great! I've never had the chance to battle a strong Trainer like you seriously. Please don't make fun of me," Ms. Momiji said with excitement.

Yuga reassured her, saying, "I won't."

Guided by Ms. Momiji, Yuga was taken to a designated battle area.

This place was where Trainers trained their Pokémon under the care of Aroma Day Care. When Yuga and Ms. Momiji arrived, several Trainers were already in the middle of their training sessions.

Seeing Yuga and Ms. Momiji approach, the Trainers put down their activities.

Most of the Trainers here knew Yuga's celebrity status, but they didn't underestimate him due to his age. Yuga had gained significant fame, and the League supported him, indicating his exceptional skills.

"Is the boss going to battle Mr. Shizumi?"

"It seems like it..."

"This should be interesting."

"Yeah, it's not often we get to see a battle between Elite level Trainers."

"I think our boss might be in trouble; she's not a Elite level Trainer."

"Don't be so serious; it's just a friendly match."

"True, you're right."

...

After Yuga and Ms. Momiji took their positions on the battle field, the others started whispering and discussing among themselves. They stopped their training and gathered around to watch the battle.

"I'm a Grass-type Trainer, so I'll be using Grass-type Pokémon," Ms. Momiji said as she raised a couple of Poké Balls.

"That's a coincidence, I'm a Grass-type Trainer too," Yuga replied, following her lead.

Ms. Momiji's eyes sparkled with excitement as she suggested, "How about a double battle? It would be more interesting. We'll each use six Pokémon, and the first one to have all their Pokémon defeated is the loser."

"Sure," Yuga agreed, and they settled on this rule.

Once the rules were set, both Yuga and Ms. Momiji released their Pokémon.

On Ms. Momiji's side, she had the Grass-type fully evolved starter Pokémon, Meganium, known for its supportive capabilities, and their signature Pokémon, Cacturne.

Meganium was well-suited for support, while Cacturne was an offensive powerhouse, a typical combination.

On Yuga's side, he had Breloom, known for its offensive capabilities, and Torterra known for its defensive prowess.

As soon as Yuga's Breloom appeared, it hopped onto Torterra's back and stood under the massive tree on its back, using Swords Dance.

Torterra, on the other hand, rapidly deployed Stealth Rocks on the ground with great speed.

Initially, Ms. Momiji's Cacturne seemed eager to charge forward and engage in close combat with Breloom. However, after witnessing the coordinated actions of Breloom and Torterra, it hesitated and didn't dare to advance.

In this situation, Cacturne and Meganium had no choice but to resort to long-range attacks like Dark Pulse and Magical Leaf.

Both Meganium and Cacturne were pseudo-Elite level Pokémon, not far behind in terms of level when compared to Breloom and Torterra.

However, Yuga's Torterra was specialized in defense. It stomped its two front feet, using Rock Tomb, not as an offensive move, but as a defensive measure.

Gigantic stone slabs appeared out of thin air, blocking the Dark Pulse and Magical Leaf attacks, and then slowly vanished, providing support for Breloom's Swords Dance.