Returning Home

The second morning back in Fallarbor Town, trainers began leaving one by one, and Beidou's former teammates left him behind.

"You might have a tough time when you return," Yuga remarked.

Being ostracized by his colleagues wasn't a pleasant situation.

"Well, there's not much I can do about it, right? I'm not going to beg for reconciliation," Beidou shrugged nonchalantly.

Yuga nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's part ways here. Stay in touch."

With that, Beidou mounted his Pidgeot and departed.

"Let's head back too," Yuga sighed and said to Flannery.

Yuga would pass through Lavaridge Town on his way back to Verdanturf Town from Fallarbor Town, so he and Flannery were traveling together until they reached Lavaridge Town.

Flannery nodded, releasing her Tropius and following Yuga's Dragonair.

To be honest, after a week away from home, Yuga missed his friends and Pokémon back at his shop. So, he sped up their journey a bit, unintentionally causing Flannery's Tropius to struggle to keep up.

After dropping Flannery off in Lavaridge Town, Yuga hurriedly made his way back to Verdanturf Town.

By the time Yuga arrived home, it was already evening. The shop had no customers at the moment, and the rays of the setting sun cast a warm, reddish glow into the dimly lit room.

Hearing footsteps, Suzuki Koen, who had been sitting behind the counter and working on her computer, paused and looked up, thinking it was a customer. To her surprise, it was Yuga walking in.

"Boss, you're back!" Suzuki Koen exclaimed.

"Yep," Yuga nodded. "Where's Windy?"

"He's upstairs!" she replied.

"By the way, how did they manage to eat while I was away?" Yuga suddenly realized that he was usually the one who cooked for them at home. But with him gone, who had prepared their meals?

Suzuki Koen smiled and said, "Your aunt comes over every day to cook for them."

Yuga suddenly realized the solution.

"Little Yuga, you're back!" Right on cue, Yuga's Aunt Hisako's voice came from behind him.

"Hey, Aunt Hisako, you're here!" Yuga turned around to see his aunt standing at the door with bags of groceries in her hands. She had obviously come to cook for Windy and the others.

The feeling of having family around was truly heartwarming, Yuga thought.

Yuga went over to help his aunt with the bags and then led her into the house.

"Aunt Hisako, you've been so helpful these past few days!" Yuga thanked her.

His Aunt Hisako patted his hand and smiled. "Why mention it? We're family; there's no such thing as too much help."

Now that Luna was studying abroad, Aunt Hisako had no specific thing to do after work, so she was happy to come over and assist Yuga. She treated Yuga as if he were her own son, especially considering that Yuga was a trainer and she worried about him when he was away from home.

"So, how was your time away? Did you get hurt?" Yuga was seated on a chair, and Aunt Hisako began checking him over, fussing over his well-being.

"Come on, Aunt Hisako, I'm perfectly fine!" Yuga exclaimed, rotating for a quick inspection to show he was completely unharmed.

A mother's love knows no boundaries, and to Aunt Hisako, Yuga was no different from her own son. Thus, whenever Yuga ventured far from home, she couldn't help but worry, especially considering he was a trainer.

Once she was satisfied that Yuga had returned unscathed, Aunt Hisako happily declared, "Tonight, I'll make you a feast to replenish your energy. You look like you've lost weight!"

Yuga thought to himself that losing weight was not an issue, but he happily said, "Sure, I'll assist you!"

With that, he linked arms with his aunt and carried the groceries into the kitchen.

Yuga and Aunt Hisako prepared a lavish spread of dishes. They summoned his Uncle, along with Windy, and Misaki, creating a delightful feast for the five of them.

Suzuki Koen declined Yuga's invitation since she needed to take care of Dian.

As for Arata Sena, he had a routine of returning home daily to have dinner with Auntie Aoba and therefore didn't stay.

It had to be said that Aunt Hisako's culinary skills were far superior to Yuga's. While she couldn't quite match Audino's natural talent for devouring food, the years of honing her culinary abilities allowed her to create dishes that made people feel content and happy.

After finishing their dinner, Misaki and Windy returned to their rooms, and his Uncle left early due to some matters.

Aunt Hisako remained behind to help Yuga clean up the dishes, occasionally getting lost in thought while gazing at him.

"Are you missing Luna?" Yuga asked gently when he noticed his aunt's distracted expression.

Caught off guard, Aunt Hisako blushed a little and admitted, "Yes, I do. I wonder how she's doing."

It had been some time since Luna left home, and for Aunt Hisako, her daughter who had never been away from her for such an extended period, thoughts of Luna inevitably crept into her mind.

Yuga patted his aunt's back and reassured her, "Don't worry, Aunt Hisako. Luna's personality ensures she'll do just fine no matter where she is."

Aunt Hisako smiled, saying, "You're right!"

Yet, Yuga could still perceive the traces of his aunt's longing and concern in her eyes.

"Whenever you have time, I'll take you to visit her," Yuga suddenly proposed.

"But isn't it forbidden for parents to visit?" Aunt Hisako inquired, puzzled.

Yuga grinned and said, "That's for ordinary people. I have a way around it."

Considering that Mr. Juan controlled Sootopolis City, gaining access for Aunt Hisako should be relatively straightforward.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Aunt Hisako's joy was short-lived, as she quickly voiced her concerns, "But won't this cause you trouble?"

Although she longed to see her daughter, Aunt Hisako didn't want her nephew to face difficulties. In her heart, Yuga and Luna held equal importance.

Yuga put his arm around his aunt's shoulder, comforting her, "Don't worry, Aunt Hisako! It won't be any trouble at all!"

"Alright, as long as it won't be an issue!" she sighed in relief.

Hearing Yuga's assurance and knowing she would soon be able to see Luna again, Aunt Hisako's mood improved considerably. She hastened her pace in washing the dishes.

Aunt Hisako stayed a while longer, chatting with Yuga. However, as it was getting late, she decided to head home.

Yuga initially wanted to accompany her, but she firmly refused, citing his recent return and the need to rest, so Yuga eventually relented.

Watching Aunt Hisako's silhouette disappear into the night, Yuga turned and prepared to visit the Ecopark.

After all, the newly captured Pokémon were still inside their Poké Balls.

Time inside the Ecopark passed in sync with the outside world, and by the time Yuga entered, it was already dark.