Chapter 1072: Tracking the Mysterious Figure

Malva made Yuga wait for over a week. During this time, Yuga stayed quietly at the Coumarine Gym, using his free moments to discuss Grass-type Pokémon training with Mr. Ramos.

Mr. Ramos noticed that Yuga had been inactive for days and was worried. Several times, he almost offered help directly but refrained, respecting Yuga's request to stay calm and patient.

Mr. Ramos, however, was quite skilled in Grass-type Pokémon training. Yuga learned a lot from him, especially being impressed by Mr. Ramos's solar energy generator, which utilized Sunflora to collect solar energy. This generator converted sunlight into electrical energy, far exceeding the output of wind or thermal power.

According to Mr. Ramos, the green energy produced by this generator was already powering every household in Coumarine City.

This eco-friendly technology seemed perfect for a green tourist town like Venderturf Town. Yuga immediately suggested introducing this generator to Venderturf Town, but Mr. Ramos was hesitant.

"Introducing the generator isn't the problem. The issue is that manufacturing these generators on a large scale is challenging due to technical limitations. Currently, Coumarine City can't mass-produce them."

If mass production were feasible, Mr. Ramos would have already promoted it, benefiting the League and making a fortune himself. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Upon hearing Mr. Ramos's difficulty, Yuga thought for a moment and then suggested, " Mr. Ramos, how about I introduce someone to help you develop this Sunflora generator? This person might be able to solve the technical issues."

"Oh? Who?" Mr. Ramos was intrigued. "If someone can truly help with these technical challenges, I'd be thrilled! Talented people are always in short supply."

Yuga grinned and said, "The person I'm referring to is Clemont, the Gym Leader of the Lumiose Gym."

Mr. Ramos eyes lit up. "The renowned genius inventor?"

Mr. Ramos was familiar with Clemont, not only because they were both Gym Leaders in Kalos, but also due to the Prism Tower in Lumiose City, which was Clemont's notable creation.

Yuga confirmed, "Yes, that's him."

"If it's him, then there's indeed a chance to solve this problem," Mr. Ramos said excitedly.

The Prism Tower, also a power facility, supplied electricity to Lumiose City and was a landmark building there. Lumiose City, being the central city of Kalos, was much larger and more populous than Coumarine City.

"You're right; I should have thought of him earlier!" Mr. Ramos muttered to himself before asking Yuga, "Do you know Clemont personally?"

Yuga replied, "I met him by chance, and we get along well. He's a huge fan of inventions, so he'll definitely be interested in a device like the Sunflora generator."

"Then I'll leave this to you," Mr. Ramos said with great pleasure.

Yuga then contacted Clemont, who was thrilled to receive the call and surprised to hear Yuga was in Kalos. After learning about the Sunflora generator, Clemont showed great interest and immediately set off for Coumarine City.

Clemont's speed was impressive, and with the convenient transport between Lumiose City and Coumarine City, he arrived the next day. Without wasting time catching up with Yuga, Clemont went straight to the city's power plant.

On the same day, Yuga received a call from Malva. She had remained silent for a while before agreeing to help him.

After more than a week of secret investigation, Malva had found unusual aspects within Team Flare, confirming Yuga's claims.

However, she did not intend to reveal herself directly. Instead, she informed Yuga to go to Lumiose City, where Lysandre's research facility was rumored to be hidden.

Upon arriving in Lumiose City, Yuga would be met by Malva's contact and helped to infiltrate Lysandre's facility.

Yuga's primary goal was to retrieve AZ from Team Flare. While Malva wasn't sure of AZ's location, she suspected that Lysandre's research facility was the most likely place.

On the day Yuga received Malva's call, he hurriedly bid farewell to Mr. Ramos and set off for Lumiose City. Since it was a covert operation, he didn't inform Clemont of his plans.

In the evening, Yuga arrived in Lumiose City but decided to postpone contacting Malva's contact and find accommodation for the night instead.

As he was about to find a place to stay, he heard a Pokémon's scream from a dark alley. As he approached, a battered Passimian fell at his feet.

In the alley, two figures were facing off. One was a long-haired woman, clearly a trainer and likely the Passimian's owner. She looked furious and was pulling out several Poké Balls from her belt, preparing to battle.

The other figure was a masked person in a strange uniform. Based on the figure's curvy shape, it seemed to be another woman.

Before the long-haired woman could unleash her Poké Balls, the masked figure's hand emitted a pulling force, causing the Poké Balls to be snatched away.

"My Poké Balls, give them back!" the long-haired woman shouted in panic.

Seeing this, Yuga immediately reached for his own Poké Balls to intervene.

However, as soon as he took out his Poké Balls, the masked woman noticed him. His Poké Balls faced the same fate as the long-haired woman's. Luckily, Gengar from his Shadow Space appeared just in time and used Shadow Ball to interrupt the masked woman's actions, preventing Yuga's Poké Balls from being stolen.

The Shadow Ball exploded under the masked woman's feet, but she deftly jumped out of the blast radius. Yuga was stunned by her agile movement, wondering if she was a Spider-Man, as her actions were incredibly nimble.

Seeing Gengar, the masked woman turned to flee. Yuga quickly commanded Gengar, "Gengar, catch her!"

What happened next was even more astonishing. As Gengar's psychic power targeted the masked woman, her uniform suddenly generated an air current that deflected the psychic energy.

Free from Gengar's psychic grip, the masked woman leaped onto a rooftop and started running across it with ease.

Is she really Spider-Man? How could anyone jump onto a rooftop so effortlessly and run across sharp roofs? Yuga wondered, though he quickly ordered Gengar, "Gengar, follow her!"

"Gengar!!"

Gengar, without saying a word, grabbed Yuga and flew after the masked woman who was chasing the long-haired woman. However, the masked woman's running speed was even faster than Gengar's flying speed. Despite a lengthy pursuit, Gengar not only failed to catch up but was gradually falling behind.

Yuga began to doubt whether the masked woman was even human under that uniform and helmet. Could she be a human-shaped Pokémon in disguise?

As Yuga and Gengar chased the masked woman, they quickly left the dark area. However, while chasing, the masked woman suddenly disappeared from Yuga's view.

Just as he was about to search the area for her whereabouts, he saw Lysandre and Champion Diantha laughing and chatting as they walked out of a café across the street. Yuga instinctively hid.

He couldn't let Lysandre know he was in Lumiose City!

Although Yuga reacted quickly, Diantha's peripheral vision still caught sight of him.

"What's wrong?" Lysandre asked, noticing Diantha's distraction.

Diantha shook her head and said, "Nothing, just a bit distracted."

Lysandre didn't think much of it and said with a smile, "Tired from work? It seems being both a Champion and a superstar isn't an easy task."

Diantha didn't refute and followed Lysandre's words, "Indeed, it's not easy. But every job in this world is challenging."

Lysandre agreed, "That's true. Make sure to rest well, and remember, I'll need your help at my press conference tomorrow."

Diantha smiled, "Don't worry, I'll be there on time."

Afterward, the two parted ways.

After walking a fair distance, Diantha suddenly spoke to a corner, "Come out, Shimizu Gym Leader."

A few seconds later, Yuga emerged from the shadows.

"Miss Diantha is indeed perceptive."

Diantha looked at Yuga and asked, "Are you here to investigate Lysandre's matters?"

As Kalos' Champion, Diantha was aware of the League's secret investigation into Lysandre. However, as Lysandre's friend, she needed to avoid suspicion, so the League didn't allow her to participate in the investigation and asked her to maintain normal interactions with Lysandre to avoid raising his suspicions.

To be honest, Diantha found it hard to believe that Lysandre would attempt to acquire the ultimate weapon to harm the world. In her impression, Lysandre was a good person, having helped countless individuals, and his scientific achievements had benefited many.

However, the evidence was too substantial for her to deny.

"Yes," Yuga confirmed.

Diantha then asked, "So why are you following me?"

Yuga responded, "Miss Diantha, do you have an appointment with Lysandre tomorrow?"

Diantha nodded, "Yes, he's holding a press conference for his holographic communicator tomorrow, and I've been invited to support him. If you had been in Lumiose City for a while, you should know about this event."

Diantha pointed to a nearby building where an electronic screen was showing an advertisement for the holographic communicator.

Not only the building Diantha pointed to, but several other skyscrapers also displayed advertisements for Lysandre's holographic communicator, with the spokesperson being the so-called "Holographic Communicator Star," Pakira.

Lysandre's holographic communicator was a major breakthrough in communication technology, causing quite a stir. The advertisement for this significant upgrade was naturally quite prominent.

Yuga looked away from the electronic screen and said to Diantha, "I'd like to ask Miss Diantha for a favor."

Diantha raised an eyebrow and said, "Go ahead."

"If Lysandre tries to leave the press conference tomorrow, could you help me detain him?"

Diantha was about to ask Yuga what he was planning but decided against it and simply replied, "I understand. I'll do my best."

Yuga said sincerely, "Thank you very much."

Meanwhile, in the alley where Yuga and the masked woman had encountered each other, a middle-aged man in a gray trench coat hurried over, accompanied by a Meowth.

When the middle-aged man arrived in the alley, the long-haired woman had not left yet. She was crouching on the ground, holding her injured Passimian, waiting for Yuga to return and hoping he would bring back her stolen Pokémon.

"Miss, did anyone else come by here besides you?" the trench-coated man asked the long-haired woman.

The long-haired woman, hearing the trench-coated man's voice, angrily said, "A strange person suddenly appeared out of nowhere, not only injuring my Passimian

but also stealing my Poké Balls. Waaah…" She then covered her face and began to cry.

Hearing the woman's words, the trench-coated man furrowed his brows deeply: Could it be that the mysterious person frequently committing these crimes is indeed Essentia? But why would Essentia do such things?

Recently, a mysterious person who steals others' Pokémon suddenly appeared in Lumiose City. This person is very powerful, and it's not just because of their Pokémon but because of their own skills.

Witnesses reported that the person wore strange clothes, a masked helmet, and never spoke a word.

This person has been elusive, with unpredictable locations and times, leaving the police helpless.

Previously, the trench-coated man was secretly investigating this mysterious figure known as Essentia. However, yesterday, he received an anonymous message stating that his missing assistant, Emma, was indeed Essentia and would appear in this alley today.

Although he didn't believe that Emma would do such things, the trench-coated man came anyway, only to find he arrived too late.

"Meowth."

At that moment, the Meowth beside the trench-coated man lightly tugged on his trouser leg. The trench-coated man looked down at Meowth, puzzled.

"What is it, Meowth?"

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(End of Chapter)