Silentfairy

After Astrid left, Yuga noticed that Sena Arata and Akihito had returned with a young girl.

"You two are back?" Yuga greeted them before turning his attention to the girl by their side. "Is this Megumi? It's our first meeting today. Welcome to the Verdanturf Gym."

Megumi had been traveling with Sena Arata and Akihito for a while now, and Yuga was aware of her presence, but they hadn't formally met.

The last time Sena Arata and Akihito had returned, it happened to be during the New Year, and Megumi had gone home, so she couldn't accompany them to Verdanturf Town.

"It's... our first meeting, Gym Leader Yuga. Thank... thank you for having us," Megumi replied nervously. She was quite taken aback by how kindly Yuga, a renowned Trainer, was speaking to her.

Megumi came from a humble background, and meeting a legendary Elite level Trainer like Yuga made her understandably nervous. Although she had spoken with Yuga a few times over video calls, meeting him in person was an entirely different experience.

"Don't be so tense. We're grateful for how you've looked after Arata and Akihito during their travels. When you're here, consider it your home too," Yuga reassured her.

"By the way, I recall you're a Coordinator Trainer, right? The Pokémon Contest in Verdanturf Town is just a few days away. You could participate if you like. However, I'll be away on a trip in a few days, so I might not be here when the event takes place."

Unlike traditional Trainers like Arata Sena and Akihito, Megumi was a Coordinator Trainer, and Yuga knew she was just one Ribbon badge away from being eligible to participate in this year's Grand Festival.

The timing of the Hoenn Grand Festival of Pokémon Contest and the League Conference was such that they occurred one after the other, with a relatively short gap between them.

Megumi replied, "I came to Verdanturf Town specifically to participate in the Pokémon Contest here. I hope to earn that last Ribbon badge."

Yuga encouraged her, saying, "You can do it. Just don't put too much pressure on yourself; staying calm is essential."

Megumi felt more at ease after Yuga's words of encouragement. She had lost confidence after her previous competition, but now, with an Elite level Trainer's support, she felt motivated.

Having given Megumi his support, Yuga turned to Arata Sena and Akihito and said, "Since you two just got back, there's no rush to challenge the Gym. Take Megumi to her guest room first. And Arata Sena, you should go visit Aunt Aoba at the Pokémon Paradise. She'll be very happy to see you back."

Arata Sena and Akihito acknowledged Yuga's instructions. Akihito then led Megumi to the guest rooms in the Gym, while Arata Sena hurriedly made his way to the Pokémon Paradise to reunite with Aunt Aoba.

Yuga, on the other hand, returned to his Day Care. Before he could even enter, a Natu appeared in front of him.

This Natu was the one he had sent to monitor the shop manager and Strawberry.

"Is there any news?" Yuga inquired.

The Natu nodded and gestured for Yuga to follow it. Yuga silently followed the Natu and soon saw the shop manager coming out of the Pokémon Paradise. It was his off-duty time.

The shop manager, whose real name was Barcas, was in his thirties. He was carrying a space backpack and casually exited the Pokémon Paradise.

Behind him floated a Misdreavus which, upon seeing Yuga, instinctively floated behind him, hiding its presence.

Using the invisibility abilities of Gengar and Mismagius, Yuga followed Barcas. Barcas, however, remained oblivious to Yuga's presence as he made his way home.

Barcas was native of Verdanturf Town, but he was not born and raised here; but he moved here later. He had both parents and a three or four-year-old daughter.

Upon arriving home, Barcas lifted his waiting daughter in his arms, making her burst into laughter.

His house was a standalone courtyard residence, not too large, but similar to the typical houses of ordinary families in Verdanturf Town. Due to the abundance of land and the sparse population, it was never a concern to find a place to build a house in Verdanturf Town.

Barcas and his family had been in Verdanturf Town for a long time, so they didn't differ much from the local residents. His daughter waited in the courtyard every day, eagerly anticipating her father's return.

Barcas's wife had divorced him a long time ago and didn't live in Verdanturf Town. He was raising his daughter with the help of his parents, and their family was relatively well-off, not struggling financially.

After playing with his daughter for a while, Barcas let her play on her own and entered a warehouse behind the house, still carrying the space backpack he had brought back.

Yuga, utilizing his invisibility abilities, followed Barcas into the warehouse. Inside the warehouse, there were various wooden crates and shelves.

The crates contained different types of Berries, while the shelves held boxes of Pokéblocks, most of which were Vitality Pokéblocks, mixed with some other types.

If these goods could be sold successfully, they would certainly fetch a considerable sum of money.

As Barcas began taking Berries and Pokéblocks from his space backpack and placing them into the wooden crates and shelves one by one.

So, everything Strawberry's claims were true?

Observing Barcas's actions, Yuga silently though the situation. However, he noticed Mismagius in the shadows shaking its head at him.

There're still other secret?

With this thought in mind, Yuga decided not to take immediate action and chose to watch and wait.

As the evening sky darkened, after dinner, Yuga saw Barcas quietly leaving the house alone.

Feeling his own empty stomach, Yuga suddenly felt hungry. He wondered if his Audino had left dinner for him.

After Barcas left his house, he met up with someone hidden in the shadows nearby. In the dim light, Yuga couldn't initially make out the appearance of the person in the darkness.

Then, Yuga saw a golden-furred Hypno emerge from behind the person. Its vibrant fur was especially conspicuous even in the low light.

Hypno presented a pendant it was holding to Barcas, and the pendant swayed back and forth. The person in the shadows spoke:

"Shimizu Yuga is the one who caused the death of your wife. He's the reason your daughter no longer has a mother. So, you're here to avenge your wife."

Hearing this, Yuga was stunned!

Even though he didn't know all the details of Barcas's family situation, he had a general idea.

Barcas's wife had divorced him, hadn't she? She was living perfectly fine! How could she be dead? And did Yuga cause it somehow? It made no sense!

There was nothing more for Yuga to misunderstand at this point. The Hypno used a derivative form of hypnotism – psychological suggestion. Psychological suggestion could tamper with a person's memories and leave no traces of psychic abilities, making it difficult to detect.

However, it required continuous application over a long period.

This derivative use of hypnotism was challenging to master, and only Pokémon well-versed in hypnotism could perform it.

Who could be opposing him like this?

Moreover, stealing some Berries and Pokéblocks from Barcas, what impact could that possibly have? Yuga didn't need these things!

Yuga couldn't resist getting a little closer, and under the nearby streetlamp's light, he finally got a rough look at the person's face.

To his surprise, it was a familiar face.

The person facing Barcas was a scruffy-looking individual with semi-long, disheveled hair hanging messily on their head. They had a sparse beard on their chin.

This person's name was Silentfairy. Yuga remembered his name clearly because he was someone who had stayed at the Paradise Hotel for quite some time.

According to his own account, he was an unknown novelist, and he stayed here to get inspiration for his writing.

He claimed that the harmonious interaction between people and Pokémon in the Pokémon Paradise had provided him with plenty of inspiration, which was why he had stayed in the Hotel for several days.

Whether Silentfairy ever finished writing his novel or not, no one knew, and no one really cared. After moving into the Pokémon Paradise Hotel, he rarely left his room and had minimal interaction with others, giving off a reclusive impression.

It was precisely due to his solitary nature that Yuga remembered him. Nobody would have expected that someone who stayed locked in his room all day, rarely venturing outside or engaging with others, would come up with such sinister ideas.

And the Hypno, Yuga had never known there was a Pokémon accompanying him.

The psychological suggestion continued for about fifteen minutes, after which Barcas appeared as if nothing had happened. He returned home and looked entirely normal, showing no signs of being under psychological suggestion.

With such a sophisticated form of psychological suggestion, it was no wonder Yuga hadn't noticed. Aside from the altered memories, Barcas's daily behavior showed no abnormalities.

Ignoring Barcas, Yuga silently followed Silentfairy from a distance.

Suddenly, Silentfairy's Hypno turned its head alertly, releasing psychic energy and scanning the surroundings. It scanned thoroughly but found nothing unusual, so it continued with Silentfairy before leaving.

This Hypno was very vigilant!

Yuga thought to himself and noted the unusual strength of the psychic energy it had just emitted.

If he had not released Chimecho in time to block the psychic energy scan, he's afraid he, along with Misdreavus, Natu, Gengar, and Mismagius, might have been discovered.

In terms of raw power, this Hypno hadn't even reached the pseudo-Elite level, but its psychic abilities were remarkably potent.

It was no wonder it possessed such strong psychological suggestion abilities.

Silentfairy didn't linger and headed straight back to the Pokémon Paradise Hotel.

It was evident that he was cautious in his actions, or else he wouldn't have ventured out with Hypno to perform the psychological suggestion. Clearly, he was afraid of being detected in the Pokémon Paradise.

The stray Pokémon in the Pokémon Paradise were all Yuga's spies.

After returning to the Hotel, Silentfairy didn't go to his own room. Instead, he knocked on the door across the hall. The door opened, revealing another man, who cautiously ushered Silentfairy into the room.

Seeing this scene, Yuga was even more astonished!

He had an accomplice?