Ambushed

"Ah, it's them," Joyka sighed after listening to Yuga.

"Miss Joyka, you know them?" Yuga asked curiously.

Joyka explained, "Of course, how could I not know them? It's not the first time they've been causing trouble like this."

So, they were repeat offenders, no wonder they had a record even at Miss Joyka's place.

Upon hearing Joyka's explanation, Yuga understood that these four people were typical troublemakers who despised Pokémon.

In the Pokémon world, not everyone loved Pokémon. Just as some adored them, there were those who detested them. This similarity with the people from Yuga's previous life who disliked small animals struck him.

Some people often said, "How could anyone dislike cute little animals?" Yet in reality, such people existed, and news reports about animal cruelty were not uncommon.

Although these individuals were in the minority, their existence couldn't be denied.

In the Pokémon world, this issue was even more severe on a societal level. The Pokémon League had been advocating for harmonious coexistence between humans and Pokémon, promoting living together.

As a result, even if many people weren't trainers, there were Pokémon in their families. It could be said that in today's society, humans and Pokémon were inseparable.

However, there was this group of people who advocated for humans to stay away from Pokémon. They believed that humans shouldn't let Pokémon excessively interfere in human society, as it would make humans overly dependent on Pokémon, leading to their downfall.

Though these individuals were a minority, since the establishment of the League, their voices had never disappeared.

Upon hearing Joyka's description, Yuga furrowed his brow and asked, "Does Officer Jenny not do anything about these people?"

Joyka helplessly replied, "Do something? Of course, we do something! But the results are not always clear. There are so many stray Pokémon in the town, and Officer Jenny can't watch over them all the time. Even when we catch them, the best we can do is detain them for a few days. After release, the situation doesn't necessarily improve."

Yuga thought for a moment, realizing that it was indeed the case.

As human-Pokémon connections grew tighter, more Pokémon were living in cities, including abandoned ones. Even Officer Jenny couldn't easily manage them all.

"What are you planning to do with this child?" Joyka gestured to the Shroomish.

Looking at the pitiful expression of the Shroomish, Yuga sighed and said, "I'll take it with me."

This Shroomish had mediocre potential, not even reaching the yellow potential; it had only orange potential. Under normal circumstances, Yuga wouldn't have taken it with him. However, seeing the Shroomish's pitiable condition, he couldn't bring himself to leave it behind.

Hearing Yuga's decision, Joyka smiled and said, "Then, leave it to Mr. Shimizu."

Yuga gently picked up the Shroomish and said to Joyka, "Don't worry; I'll be on my way now."

With the Shroomish in his arms, Yuga headed in the direction of his aunt's house.

Arriving at the entrance of his aunt's house, Yuga saw that the courtyard gate was open. He stood by the wall and peeked in, observing his aunt carrying a bundle of blankets out of the house. She immediately spotted Yuga's head.

"Why are you standing at the doorway like a sneak?!" scolded his aunt.

"Hehe, I'm not being sneaky. I was just checking if my dear aunt was home!" Yuga cheekily replied.

His aunt playfully slapped away Yuga's arm that was draped over her shoulder, saying, "Don't bother me while I'm airing the blankets. Do you want me to give you a good thrashing next time?"

"Hehe, I won't dare anymore. I know my aunt loves me the most," Yuga grinned.

In reality, despite his aunt's stern appearance, Yuga knew she was reluctant to scold him. His impression of Aunt Hisako was that she had never laid a hand on him, not even raising her voice like she did today.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around. Come on in."

As Aunt Hisako entered the house, Yuga quickly followed suit.

Yuga chatted with his aunt at her home for a while, and as it approached noon, he decided to leave. Aunt Hisako, aware that he had a large family in his house, so she didn't insist on him staying for a meal and let him go.

Just as Yuga walked towards the alley where he had confronted the troublemakers earlier, he suddenly found himself unable to move.

Disable! Following that, Yuga's peripheral vision caught sight of an Ariados slowly crawling out from the corner of the wall.

"Shroomish."

The Shroomish in Yuga's arms also sensed something amiss and let out an uneasy cry.

Just as the Ariados was about to pounce on Yuga, a Poké Ball appeared in his hand. Using his barely movable fingers, he opened the Poké Ball, summoning Vivillon, who instantly appeared in front of him, using its Protect move to shield Yuga from Ariados' sudden attack.

"Vivillon, Psychic!"

Having failed its assault, Ariados landed but was promptly hit by Vivillon's Psychic attack and slammed into the wall behind.

The moment Ariados was struck, the Disable on Yuga lifted.

With his keen senses, Yuga immediately noticed a figure hidden in the alley.

Damn, do I not fit in with this place? Why do I keep encountering trouble here?

The person was dressed entirely in blue, and their face was obscured, making it impossible for Yuga to see their appearance clearly.

While Vivillon was dealing with Ariados, Yuga released his Absol and directed it towards the person in blue.

Seeing Yuga approaching, the person in blue summoned a Drifblim in front of them.

"Absol, use Swords Dance!"

Yuga commanded as he ran towards the person.

By the time Yuga and his Pokémon reached the person in blue, Absol had completed its Swords Dance. It lunged at Drifblim, but Drifblim narrowly evaded using Gust.

However, as Absol landed, it released several Psycho Cuts with precision, hitting Drifblim accurately.

Drifblim, a Pokémon with naturally high HP, wasn't incapacitated by Absol's Psycho Cuts.

In retaliation, Drifblim attempted to counter with Ominous Wind. Absol, relying on its extraordinary intuition, evaded it with a Quick Attack.

When Drifblim tried to strike again, it found itself surrounded by Absol's Psycho Cut attacks.

Finally, Drifblim fell to the ground.

Seeing Drifblim's failure, the person in blue quickly recalled it, and then a Alakazam appeared beside them. It vanished in an instant, and Yuga couldn't stop it in time.

Sigh, I regret not having any Pokémon with Mean Look moves!

But who is this person, and why did they attack me?

If it weren't for my habit of keeping Poké Balls in the system backpack, which allows me to retrieve them with just my thoughts, I would have been in serious trouble due to Ariados' Disable.