บท 1218: Eight Symbol Shadow Mountain
Seeing their Nidoking and Nidoqueen defeated so easily, the brothers' faces turned dark. Confronted by Yuga's mocking gaze, the older bounty hunter forced a smile and said, "Misunderstanding, it's all just a misunderstanding. We were only trying to test if you were a bad guy, no malice intended."
"Oh, a misunderstanding?" Yuga stretched out the words. "How about explaining that to Officer Jenny? Let's see who the real bad guy is."
The older bounty hunter's forced smile froze, while his younger brother angrily muttered to him in a low voice, "Big bro, if it comes to it, we can just fight him."
The older brother pushed his sibling behind him, stopping him from speaking further. Turning back to Yuga, he continued, "Brother, it really is just a misunderstanding. No need to involve Officer Jenny. How about we leave right now?" As he spoke, he took a few steps forward.
Seeing Yuga unmoved, he tried to get closer. But just as he lifted his foot, a sharp "clang" rang out. A glowing blade struck the ground right at his feet, carving a crack into it. Startled, he quickly retracted his foot.
The older bounty hunter's face turned ashen, his expression darkening. Suddenly, his gaze grew sinister. With a swift motion, he raised his hand, holding a pistol-like device. Two beams of red laser shot out one after another, aimed directly at Kartana and Bellossom.
Kartana and Bellossom reacted quickly, darting backward to avoid the beams. But the older bounty hunter didn't relent; the laser continued to fire with a sharp "pew-pew-pew" sound, one shot even narrowly missing Yuga, who dodged just in time.
A passing Taillow wasn't so lucky. Struck by the red laser, its body shimmered with an arc of light before twitching twice and dropping to the ground, motionless. The sight made Yuga frown deeply.
The laser-shooting pistol in the older bounty hunter's hand was a piece of black-market technology they had stumbled upon by chance. Anyone, human or Pokémon, struck by the laser would instantly fall unconscious.
Neither brother was strong enough to reach even pseudo-Elite level, but armed with this advanced tech, they dared to brazenly hunt a Metagross that had already achieved pseudo-Elite status.
However, the older bounty hunter's arrogance didn't last long. Seizing an opening, Kartana suddenly appeared by his side. The younger brother tried to warn him, but it was too late. A cold flash of light sliced through the air, and the older brother's hand—holding the laser pistol—was severed cleanly at the wrist.
"Ahhh, my hand!" he screamed in agony.
Blood gushed out as the elder bounty hunter's screams echoed through the forest, startling a flock of Spearow feeding in the distance and sending them scattering in all directions.
"Big brother!!!"
The younger bounty hunter roared in fury and threw himself toward his injured brother. Meanwhile, the elder bounty hunter lay on the ground, clutching his severed hand, rolling and wailing in pain.
Kartana returned to Yuga's side. Glancing at Kartana's sharp blade-like arms, Yuga remarked, "You know, this didn't have to be so gruesome."
Kartana tilted its head, feigning ignorance: My blades are too sharp—it's not my fault!
"I'll fight you to the death!!!"
The younger bounty hunter let go of his still-crying brother and released an Exploud from his Poké Ball, ready to fight Yuga to the end. However, as soon as his Exploud emerged, it was hit by an Energy Ball from Bellossom, its eyes rolling back as it fainted on the spot.
"Bellossom, quiet them down!"
At Yuga's command, Bellossom nodded and released two puffs of yellow-brown powder from the flowers on its head, which drifted toward the two brothers. In an instant, the two fell silent, completely knocked out.
To prevent the elder bounty hunter from bleeding out and dying, Yuga instructed Bellossom to use Grassy Terrain to perform basic first aid on his wound. As long as he wouldn't die, that was enough—Yuga wasn't inclined to waste any more compassion on a villain.
Once everything was settled, Yuga released one of the captured Metagross. Pointing at the unconscious brothers, he asked, "Are these the bounty hunters who captured you?"
As soon as the Metagross saw the brothers, its eyes turned blood-red. It would recognize these two even if they turned to ash. Without hesitation, it raised its fist, ready to pound them into the ground, but Yuga stopped it.
"I'll hand them over to Officer Jenny. They'll get the punishment they deserve. No need to dirty your own hands."
Hearing Yuga's words, the Metagross paused. After a moment of contemplation, it decided to listen to him.
Now that he had confirmed the identities of the two brothers, Yuga released the remaining Metagross and the sixteen Beldum. Since the bounty hunter brothers were enemies to them all, Yuga wanted every one of them to witness the downfall of these two.
As expected, when the Metagross and Beldum saw the unconscious bounty hunter brothers, a wave of relief and satisfaction swept over them. The tension and resentment that had weighed on their hearts were dispelled.
"All right, your enemies have been dealt with. From now on, just stay with me and live peacefully," Yuga said.
The Beldum all responded enthusiastically, and even the two Metagross looked at Yuga with a newfound sense of trust. Though their bond would take time to fully grow, they were willing to see how things would unfold.
After the enemies were defeated, Crobat finally emerged cautiously with its group of Golbat and Zubat peeking out from their hiding spots. Yuga shot it a mildly annoyed look and said, "Stop hiding. We're leaving now, so you all should head back home."
Only then did Crobat and its group chatter noisily as they flew out to bid farewell to Yuga, their benefactor who had helped them reclaim their home.
After recalling the Metagross and Beldum, Yuga didn't linger on the mountain any longer. He took the two bounty hunters and left.
The city closest to Crobat's home was Slateport City, so Yuga decided to escort the two bounty hunters to the police station there.
On the way, the two woke up briefly, during which Yuga interrogated them more thoroughly. From them, he learned about one of their acquaintances.
This acquaintance was a legitimate breeder working within the Breeder Association. Not many people knew about their connection, and it was this person who had given the brothers their bad ideas.
Anyone capable of such sinister advice couldn't possibly be a decent person. Yuga decided it was necessary to investigate this breeder.
Of course, investigating someone within the League wasn't something Yuga could handle personally. Who better for this task than Steven, the League Champion and Director of the Supervision Bureau?
Thus, on his way to Slateport City, Yuga called Steven to file a formal report against the breeder.
Originally, Yuga planned to hand the bounty hunters over to the police station, but since Steven wanted them as witnesses for the case against the breeder, he sent someone to take custody of the brothers.
When Yuga arrived in Slateport City, Steven's personnel took the bounty hunters away, saving Yuga a lot of hassle. If he'd gone through the police station, he'd have had to deal with the usual formalities like giving statements.
After spending some time in Slateport City, Yuga noticed the day was getting late, so he decided to stay overnight at the Pokémon Center.
Slateport City, being a coastal and port city, was bustling with activity and had a high population density. Yuga witnessed this firsthand the next morning when he went for breakfast.
Even though Yuga got up relatively early, the Pokémon Center's cafeteria was already packed with Trainers having breakfast. Chansey, who brought him his food, told him that such a morning rush was the norm at Slateport's Pokémon Center.
With so many people around, incidents were bound to happen. That morning, someone tried to cause trouble in the cafeteria, only to be kicked out by a Lopunny clearing tables.
Yuga was momentarily stunned by the scene. A Trainer sitting across from him remarked, "See that? Never cause trouble here. That Lopunny belongs to Nurse Joy. It's very fierce. One kick from it, and you're done for." The Trainer's expression was so serious it looked as if he'd been kicked himself.
Later, Yuga learned that this Nurse Joy was originally a Battle Joy, known for her exceptional combat skills. She had only transitioned to being a Medical Joy after switching careers.
After finishing breakfast, Yuga was about to leave when he noticed a commotion up ahead. Upon inquiring, he found out that the Gym Leader of Slateport City had arrived at the Pokémon Center.
Slateport City's Gym Leader was Arashi Jenny. That's right—she was one of the Officer Jennys. However, unlike most Jennys who worked in law enforcement, she had been recommended by the League to become Slateport City's Gym Leader.
As a fellow Gym Leader, Yuga had heard of her name but had never met her before.
"Let me tell you…"
Just then, Yuga felt someone tugging on his sleeve. Turning around, he saw the same Trainer who had sat across from him at breakfast chattering away.
*Not you again!!!*
The person tugging at Yuga was the Trainer who had been sitting opposite him earlier that morning.
However, through this person, Yuga learned what was going on. It turned out Arashi Jenny had come to the Pokémon Center to challenge Nurse Joy to a fight.
To explain the grudge between Arashi Jenny and this Nurse Joy, one had to delve into their history of love and rivalry.
Rumor had it that the two had known each other since childhood. Back when Nurse Joy was a Battle Joy, the two had attended the same Trainer school and even sat next to each other in class. At the time, they were supposedly good friends.
However, their parents suddenly announced their divorce, and not long after that, Nurse Joy's father and Arashi Jenny's mother quickly remarried and formed a new family. As a result, the two girls turned against each other.
Yuga was stunned after hearing the story and remarked, "That's such a melodramatic twist!"
The chatty Trainer replied, "Dramatic, isn't it? We don't know all the specifics, but ever since then, the two of them can't meet without clashing. And now that they work in the same city, it's even worse."
(°__°)
Yuga looked at the chatty Trainer: Why do you seem so excited about this?
Just then, someone in the crowd shouted, "They're heading to the back to fight!"
The crowd started surging toward the backyard of the Pokémon Center.
"Let's go and watch!"
The chatty Trainer pulled Yuga along.
Yuga thought, Are we even that close? Why are you dragging me so naturally?
As they pushed through the crowd, the Trainer explained, "This kind of thing happens a lot. Everyone's used to it. Just think of it as entertainment."
"Hey, hey, hey… make way, make way!"
The chatty Trainer nudged his way through the crowd, trying to get a good spot. Some people initially seemed annoyed by his pushing but, upon seeing who it was, promptly closed their mouths and stepped aside, leaving Yuga dumbfounded.
Is this guy a seasoned pro? But he doesn't even look that old!
Yuga guessed the chatty Trainer was probably around 25 or 26 years old.
Before Yuga could think further, Arashi Jenny and Nurse Joy were already battling in the training yard. From the chatty Trainer, Yuga learned that the Nurse Joy here was named Mikoto Joy.
Mikoto Joy was using her Lopunny, the same one from the restaurant, while Arashi Jenny's Pokémon wasn't Arcanine but Marowak.
Marowak swung its bone club, using Brick Break to attack Lopunny, but Lopunny raised one long leg and countered with a High Jump Kick, sending the bone club flying.
Without its club, Marowak quickly retreated, flipping several times before catching its weapon again. It then used Bonemerang, hurling the club at Lopunny.
Lopunny seemed very familiar with Marowak's attack patterns. It used its long ears and the move Double Slap to catch the bone club, then hurled it back with Strength.
Thud!
The club struck Marowak squarely on the head, leaving it dazed.
Before Marowak could recover, Lopunny used Agility to appear beside it, launching it into the air with a kick. As Marowak fell, Lopunny kicked it again, repeating the combo five or six times before finally retracting its long legs. By then, Marowak was already unconscious.
Mikoto Joy recalled her Lopunny and, with an emotionless expression, said to Arashi Jenny, "I have things to do. Stop coming to bother me. Unlike your Gym, we're not so idle at the Pokémon Center."
With that, she called Lopunny to carry the fainted Marowak for treatment. Judging by her practiced movements, this clearly wasn't the first time.
"You…" Arashi Jenny was visibly furious.
"The difference in strength is pretty big. And yet she still comes to the Pokémon Center to challenge her?" Yuga asked the chatty Trainer, rubbing his chin.
"Exactly! So why would you say that out loud? If she hears you, watch out—she might hunt you down!" the Trainer replied slyly. "Don't be fooled by Mikoto's words. No matter how much she tells her off, she never refuses her challenges and always goes through with them."
"Oh? That's intriguing."
Yuga glanced suspiciously at the chatty Trainer. "Why do you know so much about their business? Do you have a crush on one of them?"
The Trainer immediately looked horrified. "No way… I couldn't handle either of them."
"Then why are you…" Yuga pressed on.
"Professional habits! Just a professional habit!" the Trainer quickly interrupted. "Oh, by the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name's Kageyama Jun."
"I'm Yuga Shimizu," Yuga introduced himself in return.
"I know, I know. You're the Verdanturf Gym Leader, a Hall of Fame Trainer in the Hoenn League," Kageyama Jun replied with a grin.
Yuga was surprised. "You know me?"
"Is it strange? You're pretty famous," Kageyama Jun said.
Thinking about it, Yuga realized it wasn't odd for someone to know him, especially in Hoenn. But why did Kageyama Jun's name sound so familiar?
As Yuga pondered, Kageyama Jun said, "Now that we know each other, let's grab a drink. If you want to hear any juicy gossip, I can tell you. I know a lot!"
Before Yuga could decline, Kageyama Jun was already dragging him off. Yuga thought, *This guy is way too friendly. Is he a journalist or something?*
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