Reunion with Flannery

Since the herb fields were established, Yuga frequently visited to check on the herbs' progress, ensuring they were sprouting properly. He did this until it was time to depart for Fallarbor Town.

Returning from Mossdeep City to Verdanturf Town, Yuga had dedicated most of his time to studying "Comprehensive Guide to Herb Cultivation," establishing the herb fields. When he finally came to his senses, six days had passed. It was time to head to Fallarbor Town. In haste, he set off with his Pokémon.

Fortunately, Fallarbor Town was not far from Verdanturf Town. Yuga took a Dragonair and started his journey in the morning, arriving there by evening.

To avoid drawing too much attention, Yuga chose to land Dragonair on the outskirts of Fallarbor Town, proceeding to walk into the town.

Following Mr. Juan's instructions, Yuga made his way to the Pokémon Center in Fallarbor Town and handed over the letter addressed to him to Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy accepted Yuga's letter with a smile and said, "You're here to participate in this operation! That's great. It's just you guys from the Sootopolis Gym left. I was starting to think you wouldn't make it."

Yuga, feeling a bit embarrassed, replied, "I'm sorry for the delay. I got caught up in other matters."

Yuga knew he was probably one of the later arrivals. After all, he couldn't resist his newfound passion for herb cultivation.

Nurse Joy chuckled and said, "No problem at all. You're here on time. Please stay the night, and tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock, assemble in the lobby, then depart with the others."

Saying that, Nurse Joy handed Yuga a room key.

Yuga accepted the key and said, "Thank you very much."

The next morning, to avoid being late again, Yuga rose early, had breakfast, and sat in the Pokémon Center's lobby, waiting for the others to arrive.

As the time neared 7 o'clock, participants in this operation gradually gathered in the Pokémon Center's lobby.

"Hey, Yuga!"

At that moment, Yuga heard someone calling his name from behind. He turned around and saw a familiar face.

"It's really you! I thought I was seeing things!" the newcomer exclaimed with delight.

"Flannery, it's you! You're here too," Yuga replied.

The person addressing Yuga was Flannery, the daughter of the Lavaridge Gym and the granddaughter of the former Fire-type Elite Four Member, Mr. Moore. Of course, now that the Lavaridge Gym had reverted to Mr. Moore after passing the Elite Four title to Sidney. The original Lavaridge Gym was managed by his son.

However, it wasn't surprising that Flannery, a member of the Fire-type Gym, was participating in this operation.

"Why are you here for this mission? I remember your family runs a private Day Care!" Flannery asked in confusion.

She didn't know that Yuga was representing the Sootopolis Gym and that private Day Cares weren't typically eligible for such missions, prompting her to inquire.

Yuga smiled and said, "I'm here representing the Sootopolis Gym."

"I see!" Flannery suddenly realized, although she still couldn't fathom why a Water-type Gym like Sootopolis Gym would send someone for this mission.

"Did you come alone?" Yuga asked, noticing that she was on her own.

All the representatives from the official League Day Care Centers usually traveled in groups, and Yuga and Flannery were the only ones without companions.

Yuga could understand being alone, but for Flannery, it was unusual, especially given the high level of danger associated with this mission. The Pokémon living around the Evolutionary Stone Veins were powerful due to the unique living conditions they enjoyed, so all the participants were skilled trainers.

Flannery replied in a hushed tone, "My grandpa is leading this mission."

Hearing Flannery's words, Yuga suddenly realized the presence of Mr. Moore, a former Elite Four and an expert trainer. With him leading the way, there was nothing to worry about.

Yuga nodded in understanding.

"All right, is everyone here? Then let's prepare to depart," Nurse Joy announced, clapping her hands and addressing the group participating in the mission.

There were at least over a hundred people participating in this mission, most of whom were trainers representing the various major city-based official League Day Care Centers.

The number of individuals, like Yuga and Flannery, representing their gyms was quite low. After all, there weren't many Fire-type Gyms like Flannery's Lavaridge Gym, and trainers from other Gym types were not inclined to join such missions.

"Let me introduce the leader of this mission, Mr. Moore, a Gym Trainer from the Lavaridge Gym."

With Nurse Joy's introduction, Mr. Moore stepped forward. Just like before, he appeared energetic and showed no signs of change. Yuga couldn't comprehend why he had suddenly stepped down from his Elite Four position.

Mr. Moore's appearance stirred discussions among the trainers present, given his status as a former Elite Four. He was still quite popular.

"Hello, everyone. I'll be leading this mission, and I hope we can all cooperate effectively."

"Yes!" The response came unanimously from everyone present.

After offering some brief words of encouragement to the trainers, Mr. Moore said, "Now that we're prepared, let's depart!"

Under Mr. Moore's guidance, the group of over a hundred people exited the Pokémon Center in an orderly fashion.

Mr. Moore even gave a friendly nod to Yuga, who was standing beside Flannery, as they left.

Once outside the Pokémon Center, Mr. Moore summoned his Charizard and mounted it. He said, "Follow me," and took off into the sky.

The remaining trainers also released their flying Pokémon and climbed aboard.

Experienced trainers typically raised a flying-type Pokémon, which was crucial for survival in the wild.

Flannery, too, summoned her mount Pokémon. Surprisingly, it wasn't a Fire-type Pokémon but a Grass-type Tropius.

"What's taking you so long, Yuga? You'll get left behind!" Flannery urged when she noticed that Yuga had yet to make a move.

Yuga only had Dragonair capable of flying (please ignore Chimecho and Vivillon), but he wondered if it would be too conspicuous to release it.

"Alright, here I come!" After a moment's consideration, Yuga released Dragonair. After all, he couldn't remain inconspicuous forever. Besides, he was no longer the weak Yuga from when he first arrived.

As expected, the appearance of Yuga's Dragonair immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Wow, it's a Dragonair!"

Flannery exclaimed in surprise, her eyes wide.

"It's so beautiful!"

Flannery, despite specializing in Fire-types, still appreciated beauty.

Yuga mounted his Dragonair and flew up to Flannery, saying, "Let's catch up; otherwise, we'll fall behind."

Upon hearing Yuga's words, Flannery quickly nodded and directed her Tropius to join the rest of the group, with Yuga closely following.

The trainers present were reasonably knowledgeable and showed only mild surprise at the sight of Yuga's Dragonair. After all, they were all trainers with league backgrounds, lacking knowledge and unable to access the training offered by various major Day Care. Furthermore, some established Day Care were even capable of producing one or two pseudo-legendary Pokémon.