Persuasion

Yuga didn't stay long at Mr. Tsuruta's house. Once Vivillon had absorbed the scales, he left with Vivillon.

As Yuga and Vivillon were leaving, Mr. Tsuruta seemed reluctant to part with them and walked alongside them.

Yuga had agreed with Mr. Tsuruta that the portion of Vivillon he was acquiring would remain here until Yuga left the Kalos region, at which point he would take them with him.

While walking back to his aircraft, Yuga was suddenly stopped by a man in a red suit.

Team Flare?

The red-suited attire was indeed the emblem of the Team Flare.

"Mr. Shimizu, our boss would like to see you."

The man in the red suit was polite and respectful in his speech.

"Mr. Lysandre?"

Yuga asked, maintaining his composure.

The man in the red suit nodded.

Yuga hadn't expected the Team Flare to be so impatient. He had only left Lysandre two days ago, and now Lysandre had sent someone to invite him.

Originally, according to the original plan, Yuga was supposed to meet Lysandre the day before yesterday when he was inspecting the exhibition area. However, he didn't anticipate the incident with Clemont, so he didn't go to the forest park and consequently missed meeting Lysandre.

"Let's go."

Yuga followed the man in the red suit to a black car.

After the man in the red suit opened the car door, he respectfully said to Yuga, "Mr. Shimizu, please."

Yuga nodded and got into the car.

However, as soon as he put his head inside the car, he saw someone sitting inside.

"Hey!"

The person inside waved at Yuga.

Malva!

Yuga squinted his eyes slightly.

As expected! Malva had joined the Team Flare!

"Mr. Shimizu, please take a seat."

The voice of Lysandre came from the front passenger seat of the car.

After Yuga got in, the car started up with a low rumble, and he had no idea where they were heading.

"Hello, Malva. I've heard a lot about you! The Gym Leader Shimizu from Hoenn."

Sitting next to Yuga, Malva take initiative to introduced herself.

"I'm the one who's heard a lot about you. I didn't expect to meet one of Kalos's Elite Four," Yuga replied.

Compared to Yuga, Kalos's Fire-type Elite Four member, Malva, had gained fame much earlier.

In addition to her role as one of Kalos's Elite Four, Malva was also a well-known news broadcaster on the Kalos Holo Caster communication network.

Compared to the prestigious title of Elite Four, her role as a news broadcaster gave Malva a stronger connection with the people of Kalos.

Among the Elite Four and the Champion, aside from the mega-star Diantha, Malva had the most prominent reputation.

"Why is Ms. Malva here with Mr. Lysandre?" Yuga asked knowingly.

Malva smiled and replied, "Mr. Lysandre and I are good friends. What's so strange about us being together?"

Everyone was clever enough to understand the meaning behind Malva's words, which was that she and Mr. Lysandre were on the same side.

However, whether it was Yuga, Mr. Lysandre, or Malva herself, they all chose not to reveal the underlying truth.

Yuga could also guess Mr. Lysandre's intention. By arranging a meeting with Malva, he was essentially conveying the message, "Even Elite Four member Malva has joined us; you should join us too."

"Where are we going?" Yuga casually asked.

"You'll find out when we get there," replied Mr. Lysandre.

Yuga nodded and didn't press further. Instead, he engaged in light conversation with Malva and Mr. Lysandre.

After about half an hour of driving, they stopped in front of a building on the outskirts of Miare.

"What is this place?" Yuga asked, puzzled, after getting out of the car and looking at the building.

"This is my research facility," said Mr. Lysandre. "Bringing you here today is to let you see our research."

Yuga hadn't expected Mr. Lysandre to take him to visit the Team Flare's research facility. Could it be an attempt to reveal some information and persuade him to join?

Upon entering the laboratory, Yuga saw that it was bustling with members of the Team Flare, all of whom were dressed in flashy red suits.

However, Yuga quickly realized that this research facility was different from what he had imagined.

It wasn't a secret laboratory of the Team Flare as Yuga had thought, but rather a research institute focused on holographic imaging.

Mr. Lysandre's organization had advanced holographic imaging technology under its name, which was highly renowned in the Kalos region. Malva served as the spokesperson for this technology.

This was a legitimate profit-making venture under Mr. Lysandre's name, with no connection to secret experiments or the like.

Of course, Mr. Lysandre's holographic imaging technology was not solely for making money. This technology was gradually infiltrating various industries in Kalos, and through Holo Caster, the Team Flare could quickly gather information from all over Kalos.

After visiting Mr. Lysandre's holographic imaging research institute, Yuga understood that Mr. Lysandre was showcasing his financial power and team to him.

Mr. Lysandre had gone to great lengths to attract Yuga to join the Team Flare, but he had not revealed the core research of the team to Yuga.

It was understandable since Yuga hadn't officially joined the Team Flare yet, and even if he did, as a newcomer, he might not be fully trusted.

The question was whether the "senior" Malva knew the full truth.

"I wonder, Mr. Shimizu, have you considered my previous proposal?" Mr. Lysandre went straight to the point.

While Yuga had already decided in his mind to become an undercover agent for the Team Flare, he needed to maintain his composure as a Gym Leader.

Things that are obtained too easily are often not valued.

Seeing that Yuga was still silent, Mr. Lysandre took out the Mega Evolution Bracelet he had given to Yuga earlier, along with Charizard's Mega Evolution Stone. He said to Yuga:

"The power generated when Pokémon Mega Evolve is incredibly strong. As long as we can uncover its secrets, we can undoubtedly benefit the world and all of humanity."

Hearing Mr. Lysandre's words, Yuga mentally rolled his eyes. He thought, "Yeah right, like I believe you."

"How about this, Mr. Shimizu? Why don't you have a battle with me using this Mega Evolution Stone? You can experience the power of Mega Evolution firsthand. What do you say?" Malva chimed in.

"Not a bad idea! I'm not lacking Mega Evolution Stones and Key Stones, you know," Yuga thought to himself.

"Sure! I'll gladly accept," Yuga replied aloud.

Internally, he didn't want to agree, but he had to play along; otherwise, he might blow his cover. Right now, he was just a "country bumpkin" when it came to Mega Evolution.

Accepting the Mega Evolution Bracelet and Charizard's Mega Evolution Stone handed to him by Mr. Lysandre, Yuga pretended to examine them, with an envious look in his eyes.

Of course, he couldn't overdo it. After all, he was a Gym Leader and an Elite level Trainer, so he had to maintain a certain level of dignity. Acting too starstruck would make him appear insincere.