Morty

Under the farewell of everyone at the Bell Tower, Yuga left the tower in a huff.

"Is it really a good idea to have agreed to them like this?" Chatot asked, looking concerned. After all, Yuga had accepted this troublesome task mainly for its sake, and Chatot couldn't help feeling guilty.

Yuga replied, "What's wrong with it? We were planning to find Ho-oh ourselves, and who knows how long that would take. Now, we have a ready-made solution. We're just helping each other out."

"But..."

Chatot was about to continue when Yuga interrupted, "But what? Lately, you've been acting like a nagging old lady. Did you take the wrong medicine?"

"I'm just worried about you!" Chatot retorted before being cut off again.

"Hey, Yuga!"

Just then, Yuga heard a familiar voice calling his name from behind. When he turned around, he saw Eusine, the person he had met on the high-speed train.

However, Eusine wasn't alone; he was accompanied by a man with yellow hair.

"Eusine, what a coincidence! Who is this?" Yuga greeted them and inquired.

"This is my good friend, Morty, and he's a Gym Trainer at the Ecruteak Gym," Eusine introduced with a smile.

"Nice to meet you. Do you happen to know Mr. Miltan?" Morty asked upon hearing Yuga's name.

"It seems that Mr. Miltan told you that I am coming."

Yuga realized that Mr. Miltan must have informed the Ecruteak Gym about his impending arrival. He couldn't help but think that Mr. Miltan had gone to great lengths.

However, if Mr. Miltan had already informed them, why did he still give me a letter of introduction? Yuga couldn't help but find it a bit redundant.

"It's indeed you!" Morty exclaimed with recognition. "I thought you had decided not to come to Ecruteak City."

"Well, what's the situation? Do you two know each other?" Eusine asked, feeling left out of their conversation.

Yuga explained the relationship between himself and Mr. Miltan, as well as Mr. Miltan's connection with Morty's grandfather, the former Gym Trainer of Ecruteak Gym. Eusine soon understood the situation.

"Haha, it's a small world!" Eusine laughed.

Indeed, the more you want to avoid certain people, the more likely you are to run into them, Yuga thought.

"I heard you and Chatot arguing earlier. What's going on? Any conflicts?" Eusine inquired, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Nothing like that!" Yuga and Chatot replied simultaneously.

"Haha, you two have great chemistry! Your relationship seems excellent!" Eusine teased.

"Of course!"

"No way!"

Once again, both the human and the Pokémon chimed in simultaneously, but their expressions conveyed entirely different meanings. The former statement came from Chatot, while the latter was spoken by Yuga.

"Haha, you guys are quite the pair," Eusine chuckled.

Yuga glanced at Chatot and remarked, "Who has a good relationship with this annoying bird?"

Hearing this, Chatot flapped its wings and flew from Yuga's shoulder to Eusine's shoulder, wearing a sly expression. "Our dear one here is just a bit shy, you know!"

Chatot raised an eyebrow in Eusine's direction as it spoke.

Eusine chuckled and said, "Haha, I understand. It's called being tsundere, right?"

Chatot exchanged a knowing look with Eusine, and both bird and trainer shared a smile.

Yuga couldn't be bothered with these two antics and shifted his gaze to Morty, relieved to see that Chatot had returned to its usual self.

"I initially planned to seek help from Ecruteak Gym only if things could not be resolve. I didn't expect Mr. Miltan to have already informed you in advance. I'm truly sorry about that," Yuga said, feeling apologetic for making them wait.

Morty shook his head and replied, "No need to apologize. But I've heard that you intend to meet the Bell Tower's head, and let me tell you, he's not pushover!"

Yuga's visit to the Bell Tower was something Morty had heard from Mr. Miltan.

Yuga smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry about that. I've already met Abbot Joe, and things are progressing well."

Upon hearing that Yuga had already met Joe, Morty was surprised. In his memory, Joe was not an easy person to deal with. He had known Joe since he was a child, despite Joe being over ten years older. They belonged to the same generation, although Joe appeared much younger.

In Morty's eyes, Joe, despite his handsome appearance, had always been someone who concealed his true intentions. When interacting with him, Morty always felt a chill down his spine, which was in stark contrast to Joe's friendly demeanor.

It wasn't just Morty; his father felt the same way. However, since Joe had become the Abbot of the Bell Tower, they rarely crossed paths.

One thing was certain: Joe was an exceptionally powerful trainer. However, Morty had never witnessed Joe's true abilities himself; he had only heard about them from his grandfather.

The Bell Tower and Ecruteak Gym had originally belonged to the same lineage, and despite their strained relationship, there were still some connections between the two, much like how the Burned Tower had evolved into the Bell Tower.

Joe had always been a hidden figure, quietly cultivated within the Bell Tower. He never revealed his true strength to outsiders. How he had become the Abbot of the Bell Tower was a mystery.

"I didn't expect him to agree to see you so easily," Morty remarked with a hint of awe.

Yuga chuckled and said, "Hehe, it was actually a fortunate coincidence."

It appeared that Morty was unaware of the details regarding the Rainbow Feather. Yuga thought to himself that Ecruteak Gym might not be privy to all the secrets of the Bell Tower.

Upon hearing Yuga's words, Morty simply nodded in agreement without further inquiry. The details of what had transpired didn't concern him; all that mattered was that Yuga was safe and sound. Otherwise, he would have difficulty explaining to his own grandfather.

"By the way, why are the two of you here at the Bell Tower?" Yuga suddenly asked, curious as to why they had come to find him.

They couldn't have predicted my presence here and come all this way just to meet me.

Morty replied, "Eusine is quite interested in the legends of Ho-oh and Suicine, so I brought him here to take a look."

Yuga nodded in understanding. "I see."