บท 149: Chance Encounter with the Norman Family
The next day, Yuga sent the treasures he obtained from the sunken ship, including evolution stones, back to Verdanturf Town via express delivery. He also called his uncle, to ask for his help in receiving the items.
Since these treasures were too conspicuous, and Yuga didn't want to stash them in his system backpack without Robert knowing, he had no choice but to send them back to Verdanturf Town through express delivery.
Due to the disappearance incident involving Yuga and Robert the previous day, they decided not to visit the beach this time. Instead, they stayed on the sandy shore right in front of the Seaside Hotel.
Although there were many people around, the atmosphere was quite lively.
Suzuki Koen was still keeping Dian company, while Windy lay on a reclining chair beneath a parasol, sleeping soundly.
The other Pokémon were happily playing in the water.
Meanwhile, Yuga and his friends were playing beach volleyball.
Yuga and Budew, Luna and Swablu are on one team, and Robert and Misdreavus, Rand and Blitzle are formed another team.
"We all agreed that the Pokémon aren't allowed to use any moves. Otherwise, we won't be able to keep up," Yuga said to the Pokémon on the field.
Several Pokémon nodded in agreement.
"Alright, if you're ready, I'll start serving!" With Yuga's command, he jumped high into the air and smacked the ball to the opposite side.
Yuga's serve was quite low, but the small-sized Blitzle immediately galloped over on all fours and bumped the ball with its head, passing it to Rand.
Rand was small and lacked strength, so when he received the ball, his return was quite soft. Fortunately, Yuga and the others had set the net lower to accommodate the two smaller players. Rand's return made it over the net smoothly.
Budew, bouncing around, easily caught Rand's ball and used the petals on its head to send it back.
Yuga chuckled and said, "Rand, this won't do. You're a boy, and your strength is quite weak! You need to train harder."
Luna, next to him, took the ball Misdreavus hit over and chimed in, "Yeah, that's right! Watch me!" With that, she slapped the volleyball back with force, displaying unwavering determination. In the future, she would definitely be a tough girl.
Rand's face turned red from Yuga and Luna's teasing. He lunged to catch the ball, declaring, "I'm not weak, and I don't need training!"
However, unfortunately for him, he failed to catch Luna's powerful return. Instead, he ended up with a mouthful of sand as the ball sailed past him. Robert, who was behind him, caught the ball.
"Rand, they're just trying to rile you up, make you lose focus. Don't listen to their nonsense," Robert reminded.
Rand got up from the ground, his face flushed. He glared at Yuga and Luna, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Yuga laughed so hard that he lost control and accidentally hit the ball out of bounds, causing it to strike a person's head nearby with a resounding "thud," leading to a cry of pain.
Seeing the ball he hit strike someone, Yuga quickly ran over and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Are you alright?"
The person, wearing sunglasses, lifted his head, removed the sunglasses, and rubbed his head where Yuga's ball had struck. He said, "I'm fine, you didn't do it on purpose!"
"You're Mr. Norman!"
The moment the sunglasses came off, Yuga recognized him. It was Norman, the Gym Leader of Petalburg Gym, and the father of May and Max.
"You know me?"
Norman was only slightly surprised, but he wasn't puzzled that Yuga recognized him.
After all, he was a somewhat famous Gym Leader in Hoenn and he can also regarded as a star trainer. It wasn't strange for someone to recognize him.
"Of course, you're the Gym Leader of Petalburg Gym. I've seen you on TV!" Yuga also knew about him from TV. By now, Norman was a Gym Leader at Petalburg Gym.
At this point, Norman was around thirty to forty years old. May and Max should have been born quite some time ago.
"Mr. Norman, are you here for a vacation?"
"Yes, the Gym is usually busy, so I finally had some free time. I brought my wife, daughter, and son here to have some fun." Norman pointed to three figures playing in the sand not far away.
Following Norman's gesture, Yuga indeed spotted May and Max.
May seemed to be around the same age as Luna, probably six years old, while Max was approximately the same age as Koen's Dian.
While Yuga was conversing with Norman, Robert arrived with Luna and Rand.
"Mr. Norman?" Seeing Norman, Robert exclaimed in surprise.
"Isn't that Robert? You're here too?" Norman also appeared surprised to see Robert.
Evidently, these two knew each other.
"You two know each other!" Yuga didn't expect that they were acquainted.
"Yes." Robert nodded, "I've challenged Petalburg Gym before!"
"Hey! Weren't you a Coordinating Trainer? Why did you challenge a Gym?" Yuga asked in amazement.
"Just to give it a try. I've challenged several Gyms before and earned quite a few badges. I just haven't participated in the League Championships." Robert said with a smile.
"Indeed, Robert is quite an accomplished Trainer. He's excellent as both a Coordinating Trainer and a regular Trainer. He's quite active in the Grand Festivals," Norman praised Robert's abilities.
"You're keeping up with the Grand Festivals!" Yuga was surprised that Norman was aware of Robert's impressive performance in the Grand Festivals.
Norman chuckled and said:
"Of course, whether they're traditional Trainers or Coordinating Trainers, they're all part of the Trainer profession. When exceptional talents arise, it's only natural for me to pay attention. After all, I'm a Gym Leader!"
Yuga playfully nudged Robert with his elbow and said, "Wow, you're quite something. Even the Gym Leaders are keeping an eye on you!"
Robert modestly replied, "Oh no, not at all. It's just the recognition from Mr. Norman and others."
Norman, not agreeing with Robert's modesty, said, "Recognition or not, excellence is excellence. We should speak the truth."
Yuga added, "Exactly, being overly modest can come across as arrogant!"
At this moment, May and Max, who were playing with their mother not far away, noticed their father talking to others. They ran over, holding onto Norman's legs, and asked, "Daddy, who are they?"
Norman lifted Max and said to the two, "They're Daddy's friends!"
Yuga pinched Max's cheek and introduced, "I'm Shimizu Yuga, you can call me Big Brother Yuga, and this is Big Brother Robert."
"Hello, Big Brother Yuga, hello, Big Brother Robert." The two children greeted Yuga and Robert politely after Yuga's introduction.
At that moment, Norman's wife, Mitsuko, walked over and smiled, "Oh my, it's quite lively here. What's everyone up to?"
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