บท 291: Departure to Mossdeep City
Three days after Glenn left Verdanturf Town, Yuga suddenly received a call from Robert.
"In two more days, the Grand Festival is about to begin. When are you planning to arrive?" Robert's tone was displeased.
These days, his mentor kept pestering him, urging him to hurry and get Yuga to come. It was driving him nuts.
Was that really necessary? Yuga and the Pokéblock were right there; he wasn't going to vanish without a reason.
Yuga awkwardly replied, "Isn't there still two days left? I can take a plane directly from Verdanturf Town to Sootopolis City in just one day. Why the rush?"
Yuga wasn't about to tell him that he had been so busy that he nearly forgot about this matter.
"Can't you depart a bit sooner? I'm getting lectured by my mentor all the time," Robert complained.
"But if I go now, I'll still arrive in Sootopolis City first, and then I have to go to the Sootopolis Gym. What's the rush?" Yuga asked, puzzled.
On the phone, Robert paused, then said, "Oh, didn't I tell you that my mentor is one of the judges for this contest? He will also be going to Mossdeep City."
Yuga was speechless. "You should have told me this sooner!"
Robert awkwardly replied, "Hehe, my bad, it slipped my mind."
After considering, Yuga said, "Alright, I'll depart tomorrow, and we'll meet in Mossdeep City."
"See you in Mossdeep City."
Afterward, both of them hung up their phones.
Unlike the Pokémon League Conference, the Pokémon Contest was relatively short, lasting only two days. Currently, the Pokémon Contest was still in its promotional stage, with fewer participants, less recognition, and less attention from the League compared to the Pokémon League Conference.
Furthermore, the most famous Coordinator in the Coordinator Trainer profession was still only Wallace. Even the top Coordinators from previous years, although strong in their own right, were not well-known among Trainers, mainly because of the lower publicity levels at the time.
Only a few individuals, like Mr. Juan from the Sootopolis Gym, became famous primarily as Gym Trainers before his Coordinator Trainer identities gained recognition.
It could be said that Wallace's presence marked a milestone in the history of the Pokémon Contest, signifying its integration into the Trainer community.
The next day, Yuga briefly informed Suzuki Koen and the others and then departed for Mossdeep City. He arrived at Mossdeep City Airport in the afternoon.
Mossdeep City was a coastal city with a pleasant Weather year-round due to its proximity to the sea. Even in late autumn, the city remained lush and green.
Although Yuga had visited Lily of the Valley Island, another coastal city, before, he found Mossdeep City more beautiful due to its natural Weather conditions.
This was probably one of the main reasons why the Pokémon Contest's official location was chosen here.
Another significant reason was that Mossdeep City was a bustling metropolis with a large influx of people. It was the ideal venue for the Pokémon Contest.
The calm and pleasant Weather of Mossdeep City also led to the establishment of the Space Center here.
The Mossdeep Space Center was a renowned landmark in the Pokémon World and attracted numerous tourists throughout the year.
Upon exiting the airport, Yuga spotted the tall building located in the northern part of Mossdeep City. He didn't need to guess; it was the famous Space Center.
Following Robert's provided location, Yuga arrived at a luxurious villa located in the northwest of Mossdeep City.
Observing the standalone villa in front of him, Yuga marveled at the wealth of the Sootopolis Gym. It was astonishing to find a villa like this in Mossdeep City.
Robert and his group had already arrived in Mossdeep City, and this villa served as their residence during their stay.
"You finally made it!" Robert joyfully gave Yuga a hug as he stepped out of the villa.
Yuga pushed him away and said irritably, "What do you mean by 'you finally made it'? Was I late? I had originally planned to come on the day of your contest."
At this moment, another man in his middle years wearing a blue cape emerged from the villa. It was Juan, the Gym Leader of the Sootopolis Gym.
Upon seeing Yuga, his eyes brightened, and he quickly walked over, saying, "This should be Yuga, right? Truly a heroic boy."
Yuga extended his right hand with a smile and said, "Hello, Gym Leader Juan. Nice to meet you."
Juan promptly extended his right hand as well and said, "Nice to meet you, nice to meet you. You don't have to call me Gym Leader Juan; it's too formal. Since you're Robert's good friend, just call me Uncle Juan."
Yuga chuckled and said, "Well, if you don't mind, I'll take you up on that and call you Uncle Juan."
Since they had decided to become partners, Yuga didn't mind getting closer to the Sootopolis Gym. Addressing Juan as "Uncle Juan" was reasonable and suitable.
"Alright, alright," Juan laughed. "Let's go inside! No need to stand at the door."
With that, Juan led Yuga and Robert into the villa.
Once inside, Yuga learned from Robert that this villa wasn't owned by the Sootopolis Gym but was actually Steven's personal villa.
Steven was close friends with Wallace and well-acquainted with the Sootopolis Gym members. So, upon learning that Robert would be participating in the Grand Festival of Pokémon Contest in Mossdeep City, he had generously offered his villa for them to stay in.
Steven had been busy with his adventures and mining for rare stones in various places. Now, he was occupied with overseeing the Prosecutor Bureau's affairs, so he rarely returned home. He entrusted the villa's management to the household staff.
Yuga thought to himself that the lives of the wealthy were beyond his comprehension. They had built such a large villa just for it to gather dust.
Observing a group of Steel-type Pokémon basking in the sun and playing in the yard, Yuga asked Robert, "Are these Pokémon all owned by Steven?"
Yuga took a cursory glance and saw Pokémon like Forretress, Mawile, and Aron. There were at least dozens of them roaming in the yard. He even spotted the rare Riolu and several Sinnoh Water-type Pokémon starter like Piplup.
Robert replied, "Yes, they all belong to Steven. He has arranged experienced Breeders here to take care of these Pokémon."
Yuga shook his head and said, "Truly wealthy."
Robert chuckled and said, "Don't you have a large group of Pokémon at your home too?"
Yuga countered, "How can that be the same? My family runs a Day Care; can it even compare?"
Furthermore, it was common knowledge that Steel-type Pokémon not only needed to eat but also required high-quality ores as part of their diet.
Yuga suspected that these Steel-types had eaten all the precious ores Steven had dug up.
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