The Terrible Name

After Snorlax was taken away, Yuga looked at the Combee and Vespiquen and asked, "Are you all right?"

Vespiquen shook her head gently and said, "We're fine."

As a pseudo-Elite Pokémon, Vespiquen was certainly not harmed. Her frustration came from the fact that this was the first batch of Sweet Honey they had produced since coming to the Ecopark, intending to give it to Yuga. However, Snorlax had devoured it all.

Moved by their gesture, Yuga said, "Thank you. I appreciate your kindness. Please feel free to give me more Sweet Honey when you produce it in the future."

However, as he thought more about it, Yuga felt increasingly irritated. Initially, he had decided to cut off Snorlax's supply of Sweet Honey for a while, but now he believed Snorlax needed to suffer more consequences for its actions.

Later, Vespiquen led Yuga to visit the Amber Castle they were building, albeit it was still a work in progress. Unlike the previous Amber Castle built in the cave, this new one was outdoors, suitable for the environment of the Flower Sea Sub-Ecopark.

The golden beeswax stacked up to form the beehives stood out brightly amidst the colorful Flower Sea Sub-Ecopark. Groups of Combee were busy working on them, creating a lively scene.

However, the Sweet Honey reservoirs that used to store Sweet Honey were now empty, with only a shallow layer of it covering the bottom.

As Yuga left the park, he noticed Suzuki Koen, who usually sat at the cash register, greeting customers. He entered the cash register area and took a seat.

Just as Yuga sat down, he heard the clear voice of a young boy coming from the entrance.

"Ah! It's Linoone!"

Yuga looked up and saw Linoone, who had been napping at the entrance, gazing up at a young boy.

Upon seeing Yuga, the boy's eyes lit up, and he hopped over to Yuga excitedly, pointing at him and saying, "It's you! It's you!"

Yuga's face was now sporting a big question mark. What did he mean by "it's you"? Did they know each other?

Yuga asked, "Do we know each other, Little friend?"

The boy shook his head and replied, "Well, we may not exactly know each other, I don't even know your name! Hey, the Morning Star, what's your name?"

The Morning Star? What kind of name was that?

"Kid, I think you've got the wrong person," Yuga said awkwardly.

The boy tilted his head and said, "Nope, I didn't get it wrong! I remember it clearly. It's you! Aren't you the Morning Star? We even battled before!"

Yuga scrutinized the boy carefully but couldn't remember where he had seen him before. And what was this "The Morning Star" business? Was there really such a terrible name in this world? It made him feel embarrassed.

Yuga explained, "I think you might have mistaken me for someone else. I'm really not this 'Morning Star.'"

Upon hearing this, the young boy appeared somewhat disappointed and said, "You really don't remember me."

Helplessly, Yuga replied, "I truly don't recognize you."

The young boy continued, "It was about half a year ago at the Food Court in Mauville City. You defeated me using your Linoone."

Hearing the boy's words, Yuga did indeed recollect the incident. He and his Linoone had visited Mauville City's Food Court, and on that day, Audino had turned into an absolute glutton.

"Oh, I see now! I'm really sorry; I genuinely didn't remember."

That day, Linoone, Swellow, and Audino had defeated numerous opponents, so Yuga couldn't recall the appearance of those challengers, including the young boy before him.

Yuga chuckled and said, "But young man, my name is Yuga, not 'Morning Star.'"

The young boy was puzzled and asked, "But that's what everyone calls you."

Hearing this, Yuga felt like he'd been struck by lightning.

"Everyone calls me that? Who's everyone? So, is this terrible name really mine?"

The young boy then chimed in, "So, Morning Star's real name is Yuga."

Yuga hurriedly covered the boy's mouth and whispered, "Please, don't say 'Morning Star' anymore." Yuga glanced around the shop and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that nobody had overheard.

This terrible name was too embarrassing, and he couldn't let others know about it.

The boy, named Glenn, pried Yuga's hand away and said, "Why not? Isn't it a cool name? I wish I had a name like that!"

As he spoke, Glenn had a dreamy look on his face.

Yuga was at a loss for words. Cool? All he felt was a strong sense of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur).

Glenn was actually one of Yuga's admirers. He lived near the Food Court in Mauville City. His family ran a small restaurant and had some assets.

His father was once a Trainer when he was young, but due to his limited talent, he eventually returned home to inherit the family business. However, the Pokémon he had captured remained at home to accompany the family.

Glenn had always looked up to his father and aspired to become a strong Trainer like him (though his father wasn't strong at all). About half a year ago, he had challenged Yuga to a battle at the Food Court in Mauville City, using his father's Pokémon, but had been easily defeated by Linoone.

However, he wasn't disheartened by the loss. Instead, he developed a deep admiration for Yuga, the Trainer who had defeated him.

Later, he had heard about Yuga and Linoone's impressive performances at the Food Court, which only intensified his admiration for Yuga. This was when he learned about the nickname "Morning Star," a title that Yuga himself was unaware of.

Later, in a TV report about YoYo's Day Care, he recognized Yuga and learned that his idol's home was in Verdanturf Town.

More recently, having just turned ten, the age at which Trainers set off on their journey, he had embarked on his own adventure. He was accompanied by a lively and cute Spoink, the starter Pokémon his father had prepared for him.

As the League Championship had just ended, and it was too early to challenge Gyms, he wasn't sure where to go. That's when he decided to fulfill his dream of meeting his idol in Verdanturf Town.

After listening to Glenn's story, Yuga couldn't help but pat his forehead. Was this kid all right in the head? There were plenty of powerful Trainers in the world – the Elite Four, Champions, and even Gym Leaders from various towns. Yet, he chose to admire an unknown Trainer like Yuga.

Glenn moved Yuga's hand away from his forehead and asked, "Morning Star, what's wrong?"

Yuga quickly begged, "Please, young man, I beg you, stop calling me 'Morning Star.' Just call me Yuga. I'll even accept 'boss,' but I have no idea who gave me such a terrible name."

Glenn shrugged and said, "Okay, I'll call you Yuga, but I still think 'Morning Star' is a really cool name."

Yuga felt like covering his ears after hearing that.