Capítulo 966: Brave Action
When Yuga hurriedly arrived at the police station, he saw Audino and Wigglytuff sitting in the lobby. Besides them, he also noticed a familiar face, Ms. Kawahara.
At this moment, Ms. Kawahara was undergoing routine questioning by the police.
Audino seemed pleased when he saw Yuga, but then when she remembered what happened with Wigglytuff she gave Yuga an annoyed look. On the other hand, Wigglytuff, who had been quite upset, brightened up and hurriedly approached Yuga.
"How are you two? Liliana didn't explain much on the phone. Are you both okay?" Yuga asked with a concerned expression, walking around Wigglytuff to check on it.
"Wigglytuff!"
Wigglytuff shook its head, indicating that it was fine.
"Audino!"
Hmph!
Audino gave Yuga a stern look, leaving Yuga puzzled.
Yuga: What's going on? Did I do something wrong to upset it?
Before Yuga could figure out the situation, Liliana and Ms. Kawahara approached.
"Mr. Shimizu, thanks to your Audino and Wigglytuff, I don't know what I would happend to me today without them," Ms. Kawahara expressed her gratitude.
Ms. Kawahara only learned at the police station that the Pokémon that had helped her were from the YoYo Day Care.
Yuga shook his head, "I'm just glad you're all right. But, Ms. Kawahara, did something happen today that put you in trouble?"
Yuga had rushed here and hadn't had a chance to learn the details of the incident.
At Yuga's question, Ms. Kawahara hesitated, looking like she had a difficult decision to make.
Seeing her unease, Yuga turned his gaze towards Liliana, who shook her head to indicate that she also didn't know the full story. Those three men were not ordinary robbers, and Ms. Kawahara seemed reluctant to share more.
"Ms. Kawahara, if you're facing any difficulties, please let me know. I'll do my best to help as long its within my capabilities," Yuga offered.
The situation was not yet clear, and Yuga wanted to understand what had happend.
Ms. Kawahara, who had dedicated half of her life to the Forest House Orphanage, was indeed an admirable person. When she found herself facing difficulties, Yuga naturally wanted to help her.
After contemplating for a while, Ms. Kawahara, with a determined expression, decided to seek Yuga's assistance. She had no other choice, and she trusted Yuga since he had previously made a donation to their orphanage.
As it turned out, the people who had attempted to rob Ms. Kawahara were not ordinary thugs but henchmen hired by a company.
As Verdanturf Town developed rapidly with support from Steven and Devon Corporation, and its unique agriculture and tourism industry transitioned successfully, more and more companies found it profitable to establish a presence in the town.
The influx of businesses into Verdanturf Town was a positive development that contributed to the town's growth, making it a welcome change for Mayor Ishida and Yuga. However, unexpected incidents could still occur.
One such incident involved a chain of supermarkets. They set their sights on the land where the Forest House Orphanage was located.
Initially, the orphanage's location in Verdanturf Town wasn't particularly desirable. However, as the town expanded and its boundaries extended, the Forest House found itself in the town's center.
Verdanturf Town's area was still relatively small, and its central locations were limited. This led several businesses, including the supermarket chain, to target the seemingly unimportant Forest House Orphanage.
The Forest House was an orphanage established with funding from the Pokémon League. However, there were many such orphanages, and the League couldn't oversee all of them. At times, these orphanages had to find ways to sustain themselves, which created opportunities for unscrupulous individuals.
The manager of the supermarket chain had recently contacted Ms. Kawahara, the orphanage's director, with an offer. They wanted to build a supermarket on the orphanage's land and asked Ms. Kawahara to relocate the children immediately.
The Forest House Orphanage wasn't particularly well-off, and life for the children was far from luxurious. If the supermarket chain was willing to offer a substantial compensation, relocating the orphanage might have been feasible.
However, what infuriated Ms. Kawahara was not only the lack of compensation but also the company's intention to use threats to force the orphanage to vacate immediately.
Ms. Kawahara couldn't accept this. Where could the children go if they left the Forest House? Would they end up on the streets?
She refused to comply with the company's unreasonable demands, and that's what led to the confrontation in the street. The thugs sent by the supermarket chain were there to intimidate her into submission.
After Ms. Kawahara refused their demands, these people continuously sent individuals to cause disturbances at the Forest House Orphanage. They even threatened Ms. Kawahara not to report the incidents, as they had the support of a substitute Elite Four in the ranking list from the Pokémon League.
Being an ordinary woman, Ms. Kawahara couldn't afford to oppose a substitute Elite Four of the Pokémon League, so she endured the situation.
However, her patience only led to more aggressive actions from the other party. Today, they sent people to threaten Ms. Kawahara's personal safety.
When Ms. Kawahara was taken to a secluded location, she initially believed it was just a regular robbery. However, she soon realized their true intentions from their conversation.
As an ordinary person from the lower class, Ms. Kawahara didn't fully understand the significance of a substitute Elite Four's position within the League. When faced with questions from Officer Jenny, she pretended to be unaware.
She wasn't afraid of those individuals, but she was deeply concerned for the children in the orphanage.
After hearing Ms. Kawahara's story, Yuga contemplated the situation. "So that's how it is."
While substitute Elite Fours held the title of Elite Four, before they're become a geniue Elite Four member their status within the Pokémon League was not as high as most people would imagine. They could be considered the League middle level members because there were several substitute Elite Fours in each region.
However, the fact that someone was using the title of a substitute Elite Four to commit unlawful acts was quiet concerning.
Yuga had generally held a favorable impression of the Pokémon League, as he had mainly interacted with high level League officials. Yet, he understood that even in the most righteous organizations, there could be a few bad apples.
He assured Ms. Kawahara, "Don't worry. I'll handle this matter."
Concerned, Ms. Kawahara asked, "Won't this cause trouble for you? They have the support of a substitute Elite Four. If it becomes very troublesome..."
Yuga interrupted her, saying, "No trouble at all. You just wait for updates. I'll take care of everything."
Ms. Kawahara expressed her gratitude, to which Yuga responded, "I am a Gym Leader in Verdanturf Town. And It's was one of my duty." He had no intention to let a substitute Elite Four to act without consequences within his own jurisdiction.
He added, "Now, I'll take Audino and Wigglytuff back. By the way, Ms. Liliana, could you help me investigate that supermarket and the substitute Elite Four that supporting them?" As Yuga and the Pokémon made their way home, he turned to Liliana.
Liliana said, "Don't worry, if there are any updates, I'll inform you."
"Thank you."
Yuga thanked her then turned his head and called out to Audino and Wigglytuff, "What are you two waiting for? Let's go home."
Audino and Wigglytuff followed Yuga, with Wigglytuff dragging Audino along.
On the way back home, Yuga couldn't help but notice the strange behavior of Audino. He asked, "What's wrong with Audino? Why have you been acting so strange toward me lately? You used to be perfectly fine at home, right?"
Wigglytuff replied: ... I know, but I can't say.
Seeing Wigglytuff's reluctance to explain, Yuga turned to Audino and asked, "What's bothering you? If I've done something to upset you, just tell me. If you don't say anything, how can I know?"
Audino turned its head away and said nothing.
Yuga thought, "Fine, if you won't tell me, I won't press the issue."
After returning home, Yuga called Wigglytuff to the guest room and said, "Wigglytuff, when I return from Verdanturf Town, I'll take you to the Pokémon Tower."
Wigglytuff's expression froze momentarily, and it looked at Yuga with a puzzled expression.
Yuga patted Wigglytuff's head and explained, "It's almost the anniversary of Granbull's passing. You haven't seen it in a long time. I'll take you to pay respects for him."
The Pokémon Tower served as a place to lay to rest the bodies of deceased Pokémon, similar to a human cemetery. The nearest one to Verdanturf Town was located between Verdanturf Town and Mauville City, not too far away.
Every year, as the anniversary of Granbull's passing drew near, Wigglytuff's mood would become somewhat low, though Yuga hadn't noticed it today.
However, in previous years, Wigglytuff had never expressed the desire to visit Granbull's resting place, so Yuga had never brought it up, afraid that Wigglytuff might not be ready to face those emotions.
In Yuga's memory, Wigglytuff and Granbull had a very close bond. Despite Granbull's intimidating appearance, he was incredibly gentle and caring towards Wigglytuff. Although it had been four years since Granbull's passing, Yuga believed it was time to pay their respects and not continue avoiding the situation.
After a long pause, Wigglytuff nodded, its eyes welling up with tears. Yuga understood that Wigglytuff missed Granbull more than anyone could imagine.
When Wigglytuff and Yuga emerged from the guest room, Wigglytuff had regained its usual composure, except for its slightly red eyes.
Audino had been waiting outside for quite some time. Seeing Wigglytuff coming out with a smile, Audino felt relieved. Although it was unaware of what Yuga had discussed with Wigglytuff inside, the fact that the issue was resolved made Audino happy.
Wigglytuff whispered something to Audino while being pulled aside, and Audino shot a disapproving look at Yuga as they walked away.
Yuga thought: What did I do wrong this time?
With Wigglytuff's mood back to normal, it was seen laughing with Audino as they walked away.
Liliana's efficiency was impressive, as she managed to gather information about the supermarket that had threatened Forest House Orphanage and the Substitute Elite Four behind it.
The supermarket chain was called "Sowise Supermarket", its quiet well-known as you can found it in many big cities in Hoenn region. Its owner's brother was the Substitute Elite Four mentioned by Ms. Kawahara
The Substitute Elite Four's name was Ruck, and he was in his forties. With his third consecutive appearance on the Substitute Elite Four list last year, he had been rising in the ranks each year, gaining a notable reputation.
Yuga remembered him well from last year's Elite Four Challenge match in Hoenn region, which he had closely followed.
If Yuga's memory served him correctly, this individual was ranked 36th in the Substitute Elite Four list last year. Such a ranking on the Substitute Elite Four list was considered relatively high.
Achieving this rank for three consecutive years meant that this person had been in the Elite level category for over a decade. While it didn't necessarily indicate extraordinary talent, it did signify considerable experience.
Yuga had a video of last year's Elite Four Challenge match featuring Ruck, and it showed that Ruck had impressive skills. He appeared to be a decent and skilled Trainer.
However, a person's character and appearance might not always reveal their true face. Bridges's charming appearance masked his evil deeds. Thus, Yuga decided to investigate him further.
After thinking for a while, Yuga called Liliana, saying, "Share the information about Forest House with Ruck. Observe his reaction, but make sure he doesn't know that we're the source of this information."
Yuga wasn't ready to jump to conclusions about Ruck's involvement; it could be his brother using his name for nefarious purposes. So, testing the waters was essential.
Liliana replied, "Yes, we'll gauge his reaction after he learns about this matter. If it's unrelated to him, he should contact us shortly."
With that, Yuga ended the call and decided to reach out to Mayor Ishida.
"Is there something on your mind, Yuga? Do you need something?" came Mayor Ishida's voice from the other end of the phone. They had dealt with each other frequently, and the mayor knew that Yuga wouldn't contact him without a good reason.
Yuga inquired, "Well, yes, there's something. Have you been in discussions with a company called Sowise Supermarket recently about their establishment in Verdanturf Town?"
Mayor Ishida thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, we have. How did you know about it?" He was a bit curious as Yuga typically didn't pay much attention to such matters. He wondered what had prompted Yuga to ask about this.
Yuga proceeded to explain the situation regarding Forest House to Mayor Ishida.
"I can't believe there's such a situation, and I had no information about it," Mayor Ishida said, sounding a bit frustrated.
"It's normal. If they have ulterior motives, they won't make it public," Yuga replied, pondering the situation. "Don't let them in, but also don't reject them immediately. Stall them for now."
"Stall them?" Mayor Ishida was puzzled. If the other party had issues, why not just reject them outright?
With Verdanturf Town having Devon's support in the background and Steven being the current Hoenn League Champion, Mayor Ishida felt confident about any actions he took.
"I understand. How long should we stall them?" While he didn't quite comprehend Yuga's approach, he was accustomed to following Yuga's lead and didn't press for more details.
"I'll be heading to Littleroot Town for a while, but I'll be back soon. We can discuss it further when I return," Yuga explained.
If there were any developments from Ruck's side, they would deal with that when the time came.
"Alright, I'll trust your judgment. Take care," Mayor Ishida said, ending the call.
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