Hostage

Due to the lengthy inspection process, by the time Yuga and his group exited the Lilycove City Pokémon Contest venue, the sky was already dotted with sparse stars.

They had originally planned to take a taxi back to their seaside inn, but there were many others leaving at the same time, and they couldn't find a cab immediately.

"How about we walk ahead a bit? It might be easier to find a taxi that way," Misaki suggested.

"That's a good idea. Let's walk ahead," Yuga agreed.

As the former largest city of the Hoenn Region, Lilycove City was bustling even at night, with brightly lit streets and a lively atmosphere, in stark contrast to the quiet nighttime scenery of Verdanturf Town.

After walking for a while, when they reached a dimly lit corner without streetlights, two shadows suddenly descended from the sky, grabbing Lain who was next to Yuga, and swiftly ascended into the darkness of the night.

The air was filled with Lain's screams, but amidst the bustling night of Lilycove City, her cries didn't carry far and were drowned out by other noisy sounds.

"Ah..."

Misaki was startled by this sudden turn of events and couldn't help but scream.

Yuga hadn't anticipated something like this happening, and his expression turned equally grim.

At the moment Lain was seized, Gardevoir contemplated attacking the figures holding Lain, but she feared accidentally harming Lain and decided to refrain.

"Hello!"

Then, Yuga heard a casual male voice.

Yuga finally noticed that not far from them, a masked man was standing on a shadowy wall.

Subsequently, the two figures that had captured Lain reappeared, slowly descending near the man. Yuga could now clearly see their identities—two Golbat.

Only creatures like Golbats could silently approach Yuga and Gardevoir.

"Yuga!" Lain, held by the shoulders by the two Golbats, couldn't help but shout.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Yuga asked the man coldly.

"Let me introduce myself first. I am Brodie, Brodie the Phantom Thief.

As for my purpose, it's merely to get to know Gym Leader Shimizu."

The man said with a cheerful smile.

Brodie?

Yuga had heard of this person. Like that Boss Bear, he was someone who consistently appeared on the Pokémon League's wanted list.

Before Yuga could respond, Lain's body suddenly emitted a red light, and her Whimsicott appeared on the wall, launching a surprise attack on the two Golbats.

Two Shadow Balls were quickly condensed and shot towards the Golbats.

However, Lain's Whimsicott lacked combat ability and was of a lower level than the two Golbats. It was directly hit by the Golbats' multiple Air Slashes and lost its combat capability.

"Whimsicott!"

Watching the Whimsicott fall from the wall, Lain panicked and shouted, her eyes filled with worry.

"Young lady, you're not behaving."

Brodie walked up to Lain, holding her chin.

With her shoulders held by the Golbats, Lain couldn't move, and she could only glare at Brodie fiercely.

Brodie didn't mind Lain's hostile gaze and smiled, saying, "Don't look at me like that. I don't want to hurt you; I just want to meet Gym Leader Shimizu. So, you better behave."

Yuga inquired, "Since you're looking for me, why don't you let the girl go?"

"No, no, no! If I release her, and Gym Leader Shimizu changes his mind and leaves, I won't be able to stop him."

"In that case, what do you want?"

"Hehe, if you want to save her, follow me."

With that, Yuga saw a Ditto appear next to Brodie.

This Ditto blinked and transformed into a massive Pelipper, carrying Brodie into the sky, followed closely by the two Golbats still holding Lain.

"Ah... Yuga... Save me!" Lain, held captive by the Golbats, let out another scream.

Watching Brodie gradually fly away, Yuga said to Misaki, "You take Whimsicott and go back first. I'll catch up."

"Gym Leader, please be careful and make sure to bring Lain back," Misaki said with concern.

"Don't worry."

After saying this, Yuga summoned Gengar and had Gengar use Psychic to carry him towards Brodie.

Before leaving, Yuga left Mismagius behind to protect Misaki and Whimsicott. It was quite late, and Yuga was concerned about Misaki traveling alone with a Whimsicott that had lost its fighting ability.

Gardevoir followed closely behind Yuga and Gengar.

Gardevoir, originally a Celebi, had retained her psychic flying ability even after transforming into Gardevoir.

"Let's hope everything goes smoothly," Misaki whispered a prayer as she watched Yuga and Gardevoir disappear into the night. She then helped Whimsicott, who had fallen to the ground.

Gengar's speed was impressive, and it didn't take long for them to catch up with Brodie, who was riding on a Pelipper (Ditto in disguise).

However, Yuga was cautious about attacking, as he could accidentally cause Lain to fall from a great height.

Seeing Yuga catching up so quickly, Brodie remained calm, smiling casually, and urged the Pelipper to increase its speed.

The two continued this chase, soon leaving the bustling city center of Lilycove City and arriving near an abandoned and dilapidated building.

Upon reaching this location, Brodie directed the Pelipper to land, and the two Golbats threw Lain onto the ground.

"You scoundrel! You villain!" Lain, who had been thrown to the ground, sat rubbing her sore buttocks and couldn't help but mutter curses at Brodie.

Brodie heard Lain's muttered curses but simply chuckled, not taking them to heart.

"What do you intend to do? Since I've followed you, Lain should be able to go now, right?" Yuga and Gardevoir landed on the opposite side of Brodie.

"Of course, I'm a man of my word. Young lady, you're free to go," Brodie replied, surprising Yuga. He hadn't expected Brodie to agree to release Lain so easily.

"Can I really leave?" Lain asked in disbelief.

"Please, go ahead," Brodie gestured politely.

"Gengar!"

Yuga softly instructed the Gengar by his side.

Gengar nodded in understanding and used Psychic to lift Lain off the ground, controlling her flight back to Yuga's side.

Brodie watched without intervening, seemingly genuinely keeping his promise.

As Lain was safely rescued and controlled by Gengar, Yuga breathed a sigh of relief.

After being held by two Golbats and flown through the sky, it had been quite an exhilarating experience for her.

Yuga asked, "I'm curious, what does the infamous Brodie the Phantom Thief want with me?"