Koga and His Son

It was very late that night, and Yuga was about to go to sleep when he suddenly heard someone knocking on his window. Curiously, he opened it, and a Gastly floated in unsteadily.

...

[ Gastly ]

Type: Ghost, Poison

Ability: Levitate

Gender: Male

Potential: Blue

Level: 44

Moves: Hypnosis, Lick, Spite, Curse, Mean Look, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Disable.

...

Yuga was quite surprised that a blue-potential Gastly would come looking for him in the middle of the night. Could it be that his charm was so great that Pokémon were now seeking him out on their own?

Moreover, this Gastly was fairly high level, though it hadn't evolved into a Haunter yet for some reason.

After communicating with it, Yuga quickly discovered that Gastly hadn't come to join him but was seeking help.

Thinking of an unfamiliar Ghost-type Pokémon, Yuga's thoughts immediately turned to the culprit who had killed Hosokawa Hiroshi.

The Gastly anxiously urged Yuga to follow it, but it refused to explain what had happened.

When Yuga asked why it thought to seek him out, Gastly said it had asked the town's stray Pokémon, who told it that Yuga was a good person.

Yuga didn't expect this Gastly to be so clever, so he grabbed his Poké Balls and decided to follow it.

Whatever the reason Gastly had come to him, he felt he should at least see what was going on.

Under the cover of night, Yuga followed Gastly to the eastern side of town. They entered an abandoned underground sewer system, and deep within, Yuga saw two people.

One was a haggard middle-aged man who is unconscious, with clearly broken legs. He was running a high fever and muttering incoherently.

The other was a frail little boy, who looked to be about four or five years old. His clothes were filthy.

The boy wasn't unconscious, but he was lying on a pile of straw, unable to move.

It was almost midnight, and the entire sewer was pitch black. By the light of his flashlight, Yuga immediately recognized the unconscious man—it was the wanted fugitive.

Yuga's arrival startled the little boy, who hesitated and asked in a weak voice, "Gastly, is that you?"

"Gastly~"

Gastly immediately flew over to the boy's side, checking on him with great concern.

Noticing Yuga, the boy weakly tilted his head and asked, "Did Gastly bring you to save my dad?" Because he couldn't sit up, the boy had to twist his neck to look at Yuga.

Seeing the pitiful state of this father and son, Yuga felt a pang in his heart. He replied, "Yes, I'm here. Don't worry, your dad will be fine."

"That's great…" The boy was overjoyed, but his excitement made him cough violently. "Cough, cough, cough…"

From one look, Yuga could tell the boy wasn't in good health.

Yuga then examined the man's injuries and found his body covered in scars and wounds, with the most severe injuries being to his legs.

This was all Hosokawa Hiroshi's doing.

Yuga ultimately decided to take the father and son back to the gym first. Regardless of whether the man was responsible for killing Hiroshi, Yuga had to ensure he survived.

He instructed Chimecho to carefully lift the father and son with its Psychic and carry them back to the gym.

The gym's apprentices were all away on their travels, and Anya wasn't home, so only Hokuto who was currently staying at the gym.

After finding a guest room to settle the father and son, Yuga asked Hokuto to fetch Joyka. He also had Audino prepare some food for the pair, as it was clear they hadn't eaten properly in a while.

Joyka arrived quickly. After a thorough examination of the middle-aged man, she and her Blissey got to work treating him.

It wasn't until dawn that the man's condition finally stabilized.

Having worked through the night, Joyka wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "If the treatment had been any later, this man wouldn't have made it."

Yuga nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

Joyka gave him a side-eye. "You being so polite all of a sudden feels a bit strange."

Yuga chuckled and then said softly, "Don't tell anyone about what happened tonight."

Joyka nodded. "Don't worry, I won't."

She then discussed the condition of the middle-aged man and the little boy with Yuga.

While the boy was uninjured, he suffered from a congenital illness that would require a large sum of money to cure. Upon hearing this, Yuga guessed why the man might have gone to the Bright Pearl Auction House in the first place.

Not long after Joyka left, the middle-aged man slowly regained consciousness. When he realized he was in an unfamiliar room, he anxiously tried to sit up, but the movement aggravated his wounds, forcing him to inhale sharply and lie back down.

"Dad, you're awake!"

The little boy was overjoyed, he exclaimed at seeing his father awaken. Seeing his son safe, the man finally let out a sigh of relief.

Thanks to the Moomoo milk prepared by Audino, the boy looked much better. However, since he had been starving for some time, Yuga only allowed him to eat a little to avoid upsetting his stomach.

"Shoryu, where are we?" the man asked his son, confused.

The boy cheerfully replied, "The big brother said this is his Gym. Dad, what's a Gym?"

At his son's words, the man's face changed dramatically. They were currently fugitives—how could they stay in a Gym?

Just then, Yuga entered the room. The man immediately recognized him. He had heard about Yuga's identity from Ariyo outside the auction house that day.

"Big brother!"

The boy, Shoryu, greeted Yuga happily. To him, this big brother wasn't only someone who had saved his father but also the one who gave him delicious food.

Yuga smiled at Shoryu. Noticing the man trying to sit up, he quickly said, "Your injuries are severe; you should stay lying down."

The man reluctantly lay back down.

Seeing the man's hesitation to speak, Yuga said, "Focus on recovering for now. We can talk about everything else after you've healed."

Hearing this, the man visibly relaxed.

"But I want to know what happened between you and Hosokawa Hiroshi. Was it you who killed him?" Yuga suddenly asked.

The man glanced at Yuga, then at Shoryu. After a moment of contemplation, he decided he might as well take a gamble.

After a moment of silence, the man began to tell his story.

The man's name was Koga, an ordinary person through and through. He was an orphan who had lived alone his whole life, worrying only about himself. That was, until the day he found Shoryu.

Shoryu was born with a congenital illness, leaving him extremely frail and prone to sickness. Koga guessed that Shoryu's biological parents had abandoned him because of his condition.

Though his illness was treatable, the cost of treatment was exorbitant—far beyond the means of an average household.

As a fellow orphan, Koga couldn't bear to leave Shoryu to fend for himself. So, he decided to adopt him.

At first, Koga's care for Shoryu stemmed from pity, but over time, he began to see the boy as his own son.

Despite their poverty, Koga never considered giving up on treating Shoryu's illness. Every penny he earned was spent on medicine and care for the boy.

Shoryu's condition worsened as he grew older. Watching his son's health decline, Koga grew increasingly desperate.

Shoryu was an exceptionally well-behaved and endearing child. The more time Koga spent with him, the more he cherished him. He couldn't bear the thought of Shoryu losing his life to this illness at such a young age.

Later, Koga stumbled upon a precious treasure: a fiery red crystal about the length of a palm. It was stunningly beautiful, warm to the touch, and seemed to contain the image of a firebird dancing within it.

Anyone could tell at a glance that this was something extraordinary.

Koga immediately thought, If I sell this treasure, could it be enough to pay for Shoryu's treatment?

After extensive inquiries, Koga approached the renowned Bright Pearl Auction House. Unfortunately, the person who received him was Hosokawa Hiroshi, a greedy and unscrupulous individual.

Hiroshi, being more knowledgeable than Koga, quickly recognized the value of the crystal. While Koga knew it was precious, Hiroshi fully understood its worth. He told Koga that the item needed to be authenticated and asked him to return home and wait for further notice.

Koga, knowing nothing about such matters, naively went home and waited.

But no matter how long he waited, there was no word from the auction house.

Around the same time, Shoryu's condition worsened drastically. The doctor told Koga that Shoryu's illness was deteriorating rapidly and that if treatment wasn't begun immediately, his life could be in danger at any moment.

He then rushed to find Hiroshi, but Hiroshi flatly denied ever receiving the item or even meeting Koga. Knowing he was being deceived, Koga was left speechless.

No matter how many times Koga tried to meet with Hiroshi afterward, he was refused. When he went to the police for help, they said he lacked evidence. Even if his claims were true, they couldn't take action.

After learning that Koga had reported him to the police, Hiroshi secretly sent people to beat him up.

Returning home battered and bruised, Koga discovered that Shoryu's illness had flared up again. He rushed Shoryu to the hospital, where the boy's condition was more severe than ever, nearly claiming his life.

Koga spent a large sum of money stabilizing Shoryu's condition, leaving himself completely destitute.

When Koga later learned that Hiroshi had been transferred to Verdanturf Town, he clung to a sliver of hope and went there. But this time, Hiroshi went even further, ordering his men to break both of Koga's legs.

In such a state, how could Koga continue to care for Shoryu? Despair drove Koga to harbor murderous intent toward Hiroshi. Since their lives seemed to be at an end, Koga decided to take Hiroshi down with them. He secretly ordered his Gastly to curse Hiroshi, and soon after, Hiroshi died in agony.

Gastly also retrieved the treasure from Hiroshi's house and brought it back to Koga.

This Gastly had crossed paths with them on their way to Verdanturf Town. It had suddenly appeared, trying to scare Shoryu.

But Shoryu wasn't afraid at all and even shared his food with Gastly. Though Gastly didn't eat the food, it became attached to Shoryu and followed them all the way to Verdanturf Town.

After being declared fugitives, the father and son might not have survived if not for Gastly's care.

It was only when they were completely out of options that Gastly sought help from other Pokémon in town and eventually came to Yuga.

After finishing his story, Koga remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. "I'd like to ask for Gym Leader Shimizu's help with something."

Out of sympathy, Yuga didn't refuse. "Tell me, and I'll do my best."

Koga said, "I plan to turn myself in, but I'm worried about Shoryu. So I'd like to ask you to help me deal with this item. Once it's sold and we get the money, please use it to treat Shoryu's illness first, and then find him a safe and secure place to settle down."

As he spoke, Koga took out the treasure.

The reason Koga trusted Yuga was because when he woke up, he found the treasure still in his possession. If Yuga were anything like Hosokawa Hiroshi, the item would have already been taken.

The treasure was stored in a spatial backpack Koga carried, something not difficult to discover. The backpack itself had been retrieved by Gastly from Hosokawa Hiroshi's home.

Yuga's gaze naturally fell on the treasure, and it became clear why Hiroshi had resorted to foul play to keep it for himself.

The treasure was crystalline, translucent, and a vivid red. It seemed faintly encircled by flames, and upon closer inspection, within the crystal, there appeared to be a bird entirely wreathed in fire, flying gracefully.

Yuga immediately consulted his system about the origin of the item, and the system replied that it was a crystal formed through the evolution of the heart of the Legendary Pokémon Moltres over tens of thousands of years.

Hearing this, Yuga involuntarily opened his mouth wide in astonishment. This was truly a treasure among treasures.

After some thought, Yuga replied, "I can offer to buy your item. In exchange, I'll not only ensure Shoryu's illness is treated but also allow him to stay here at the gym as an apprentice."

There was no helping it—Yuga was too captivated by the Moltres heart crystal.

Upon hearing Yuga's words, Koga's eyes lit up. "Are you serious?" If Yuga took care of Shoryu, the boy wouldn't have to worry about his future or fear being bullied.

"I'm serious. I keep my promises," Yuga replied firmly.

"That's great!" Koga glanced at the sleeping Shoryu and agreed to Yuga's proposal. If his body allowed, he would have knelt to express his gratitude.

"However, I have one condition," Yuga added. "Once you turn yourself in, you'll become a convicted criminal, and Shoryu, as your son, will carry that stigma. This could have a significant impact on his future. So, I'd like to re-register Shoryu's identity as an orphan and then formally bring him to the Verdanturf Gym."

Though re-registering an identity was a bit of a hassle, Yuga's current position made it relatively easy to pull some strings.

"Alright! I'll do as you say!"

Koga gritted his teeth and agreed. He wanted to give Shoryu a bright future and not become a burden to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have even considered turning himself in. Shoryu was still so young—he couldn't let the boy live a life of despair and darkness alongside him.

"Good. Then take care of yourself and focus on healing. We'll discuss turning yourself in after you've recovered. While you're here, no one will disturb you," Yuga said.

As a gym leader, Yuga couldn't condone or shield Koga for committing murder. Even if his victim was a scumbag, the law was not forgiving.

However, he could at least give the father and son more time to be together.

"Thank you so much," Koga said tearfully to Yuga. Without Yuga, he wasn't even sure if he would still be alive, and Shoryu's future would have been bleak.

Now, everything was resolved.

"No need to thank me. We're both getting what we need," Yuga said with a wave of his hand. "Rest well. I'll leave for now. If you need anything, just call for someone; don't hold back."

With that, Yuga then left the room.