Muya

On this day, Yuga was sitting in his shop, leisurely watching Dian playing with her Strawberry and Shroomish. Suddenly, Officer Jenny rushed into the shop in a hurry.

Yuga stood up and approached Officer Jenny, asking curiously, "Officer Jenny, what brings you here today? It's not often you visit."

Officer Jenny sighed and replied, "Some people found several human and Pokémon corpses in the forest outside town. The conditions were gruesome, so I'm going door-to-door to inform everyone and advise caution."

"Corpses?" Yuga asked in surprise.

"Yes," Officer Jenny continued, "I went to see for myself, and they were in terrible shape. I suspect an Evil Ghost-type Pokémon are draining their life energy."

Ghost-type Pokémon usually don't recklessly drain life energy from creatures. Even when they do, they tend to control it to avoid harming the creatures. However, a small number of Ghost-type Pokémon are known for ruthlessly absorbing life energy without regard for others, making them quite terrifying. These Ghost-types that grow this way tend to become much more powerful than ordinary ones.

"Anyway, that's the situation. Mr. Shimizu, please be cautious. I need to inform others as well."

With that, Officer Jenny hurriedly left.

Just as she left, Yuga saw a beautiful girl in a light purple dress entering the shop.

"Welcome."

Yuga greeted the girl.

"Are you Shimizu Yuga?"

The girl, upon seeing Yuga, excitedly bounded over to him, wide-eyed and eager.

"Yes... I am. What's... what's going on?" Yuga was taken aback by the girl's sudden actions.

Who is this person? Do we know each other?

"Fantastic! I finally get to meet you!"

Hearing Yuga acknowledge his identity, the girl was ecstatic.

"Um, well, do we... know each other?" Yuga asked, puzzled.

"We haven't met before, but I've heard all about you. I'm a huge fan!"

The girl had the demeanor of a fan meeting their idol, but Yuga couldn't shake a sense of unease about this person.

Yuga studied the girl carefully.

She appeared to be about his age, and she was undeniably beautiful. Tall and slender with her light purple hair and a matching long skirt, she exuded elegance. However, her overly pale complexion and the unmistakable aura of a Ghost-type Pokémon emanating from her body couldn't be concealed.

Due to his connection to the Light of Life, Yuga had become highly sensitive to Bug, Ghost, and Psychic types—Pokémon that could influence Bug types. Consequently, he quickly sensed the potent Ghost-type energy emanating from the girl.

"May I ask your name?" Yuga inquired.

"I'm Muya. Idol, Remember my name!"

Muya was overjoyed upon hearing Yuga's question, as if she had won the lottery.

Yuga sighed and said, "Oh, Muya, right? It's a nice name. But could you keep it down a bit? I have customers in the shop."

Upon hearing this, Muya immediately covered her mouth and whispered, "Hehe... Sorry, I couldn't help it. I'm just so thrilled to meet you!"

In truth, Yuga found it hard to believe Muya's words. If she were a rookie trainer like Glenn, who had just received her first Pokémon, he might have believed her. After all, newcomers often had limited exposure. But looking at Muya, she hardly resembled a rookie trainer.

However, Yuga hadn't quite figured out what this girl named Muya was up to, so he decided to play along with her for now.

If she wants to act, then let's see who's the better actor. Sooner or later, I'll expose her true intentions.

"Muya, you're too kind with your praise. I don't deserve such flattery!" Yuga pretended to be modest.

"Who says you don't deserve it? A while back, you helped Officer Jenny maintain peace in Verdanturf Town. Everyone in town knows you're a hero!" Muya's eyes sparkled, showing the enthusiasm of a devoted fan.

Such a drama queen!

If I hadn't sensed something was off about you, I might have believed I'd done something extraordinary! Yuga thought.

"By the way, Muya, are you a Ghost-type specialist trainer?" Yuga asked casually.

Upon hearing Yuga's question, Muya's eyes briefly narrowed, a hint of danger flashed in her gaze, but it quickly returned to normal.

However, this change in expression was swift and subtle, and Yuga didn't notice it.

"Oh, you found out!" Muya playfully stuck out her tongue and said with a cheeky smile.

Yuga regretfully replied, "Too bad our shop doesn't have Ghost-type Pokémon or Pokéblocks for them to consume. Otherwise, your visit wouldn't have been in vain."

Muya nonchalantly responded, "It's okay, it's okay. My Pokémon don't need..."

"Don't need what?" Yuga wondered, as Muya's voice suddenly trailed off.

"I mean, don't need to worry about my Pokémon. Just meeting you makes the trip worthwhile," Muya smoothly shifted the conversation, and Yuga decided not to press further.

Definitely something fishy here! Yuga thought.

Yuga continued to chat with Muya for a while, attempting to extract any other information from her.

However, Muya proved to be quite shrewd, and Yuga couldn't get any useful information out of her. In fact, he almost started believing she was indeed his fan.

"By the way, Idol, are you hiring here? How do I look to you?" Suddenly, Muya asked.

Yuga was caught off guard by this unexpected question.

Wow, she's already thinking about infiltrating our ranks? No chance.

Yuga feigned regret and said, "I'm really sorry! We don't have many openings at our daycare, and our capacity is limited."

Upon hearing Yuga's words, Muya looked genuinely disappointed and said, "I see... That's a shame. I thought I could work alongside my idol."

I don't buy it! Yuga was too exhausted to comment further. This girl is quite the actress!

"No need to apologize," Yuga said with a tone of faux remorse.

"It's okay, it's okay. I guess I was asking for too much. Idol, you don't need to apologize."

Muya quickly waved her hand, clearly showing a lot of concern for Yuga.

"Can I hang out here for a while if I'm not working?" Muya continued.

Yuga replied, "Of course, make yourself at home."

I'd like to see what kind of game you're playing!

Muya then went to sit at a table in the center of the shop, happily observing the people coming and going.

When Suzuki Koen brought her a cup of tea, she teasingly remarked to Yuga, "Not bad, boss! You already have fans, and she's a pretty young girl!"

Yuga shook his head in resignation, thinking, "I don't need fans; I just hope she's not a ticking bomb."

At that moment, Muya glanced at Yuga from the corner of her eye, thinking, "Shimizu Yuga, we still have a long way to go!"