Chapter 884: Double
As he watched Yuga converse calmly with their Boss, Silentfairy couldn't help but feel nervous.
His orders were to follow Archie's plan to the best of his ability and, if necessary, introduce Shimizu Yuga to their Boss.
However, he couldn't fathom why their Boss wanted to meet with their enemy.
"What does Gym Leader Shimizu think of my Team Rocket?" On the other end of the holographic screen, Giovanni remained facing away from Yuga and asked a question that surprised him.
"They are formidable, capable of expanding an underground organization to the point where even the League can't touch it. To be honest, I admire your achievements," Yuga honestly expressed his thoughts.
Giovanni wasn't the founder of Team Rocket; it was his mother. While Giovanni's mother laid the foundation for Team Rocket's growth, it was Giovanni himself who made Team Rocket the dominant force in the Kanto and Johto regions and left the League helpless!
Yuga's words surprised both Giovanni and Silentfairy. They hadn't expected such a high evaluation of their Team Rocket from a Gym Leader of the League.
But as Yuga had stated, Team Rocket, while not capable of directly opposing the League, had managed to evade capture for years. The League's actions against them had been relatively minor and hadn't posed a significant threat.
"Hehe..."
Yuga's words seemed to brighten Giovanni's mood.
"Would you consider joining Team Rocket, Mr. Shimizu?"
Surprisingly, Giovanni, the Boss of Team Rocket, straightforwardly extended an invitation to Yuga, leaving Silentfairy wide-eyed in amazement.
Giovanni was fearless, even willing to recruit a League Elite level Trainer. Silentfairy couldn't help but admire his boss even more in this moment.
"I am genuinely extending an invitation to you, without any ulterior motives," Giovanni added, his tone sincere and respectful.
"Why would you want to recruit me? You should know that I've disrupted many of your Team Rocket operations, and I have significant conflicts with Ariana. Aren't you afraid she'll be displeased when she finds out?" Yuga asked Giovanni, intrigued by the unexpected interest from villainous organizations in recruiting him.
At this moment, he suddenly felt: Could he really be a talent? Otherwise, why would these villain organizations be vying to recruit him one by one?
While Yuga pondered these thoughts, he managed to keep his facial expressions neutral.
"You are a very talented individual, and having you join Team Rocket would be like adding wings to us. Recruiting you is not something extraordinary.
Once you join Team Rocket, we are on the same side, and any past grievances can be put behind us.
As for your conflict with Ariana, I believe with her magnanimity, you both can reach a reconciliation."
Giovanni spoke to Yuga in a calm tone, genuinely seeming eager to have Yuga join Team Rocket.
Although he still hadn't turned around, his demeanor and tone conveyed his sincerity, making it clear that he genuinely wanted Yuga as part of the organization.
"I can sense your sincerity, but I'm afraid I must decline your offer," Yuga firmly rejected Giovanni's invitation.
His previous decision to collaborate with Team Flare had been somewhat impulsive, and he didn't want to complicate his life further with another spy role.
"Why?"
Giovanni seemed surprised by Yuga's straightforward refusal, and his voice shifted slightly higher.
"Didn't you think Team Rocket was impressive?" Giovanni questioned.
"I believe you misunderstand me. While Team Rocket is undoubtedly powerful, I don't believe that its existence is justified. I am a Gym Leader of the League with a promising future. There's no reason for me to abandon a peaceful and honorable path to become a rat in the shadows," Yuga explained.
"You!"
The words "rat in the shadows" triggered Silentfairy's anger, before Giovanni could speak, he glared at Yuga.
If he hadn't known that he was no match for Yuga. He might have pounced on Yuga and tore Yuga into pieces!
What a bullshit Gym Leader, your words are so ugly!
Had he not remembered that Giovanni also held the position of a Gym Leader in the public eye, Silentfairy might have impulsively lunged at Yuga in his anger.
However, he momentarily overlooked Giovanni's dual role as both the Boss of Team Rocket and a Gym Leader in the Viridian City
"I see..."
Giovanni sighed lightly, showing more disappointment than anger.
To Giovanni, failing to recruit a talent like Yuga was undoubtedly a disappointment
"Since that's the case, we will be enemies from now on."
Giovanni's tone remained the same, as if he hadn't heard Yuga's earlier offending words. His attitude was calm and composed.
"Very well," Yuga replied, recognizing the finality in Giovanni's words. Their paths were now set as enermies.
As if knowing that recruiting Yuga was a lost cause, Giovanni didn't attempt to persuade him further.
Giovanni might have felt disappointed, but he hadn't let the encounter tarnish his professional demeanor.
He used such a calm tone to utter the word "enemy" that Yuga felt like he must have misheard, as if he had said "friend" instead of "enemy."
"Aren't the League and your Team Rocket already enemies?"
The way Yuga referred to "us" and "you" clearly placed him and Giovanni on opposing sides.
"That's true, but can I make one more request? I wonder if Gym Leader Shimizu can release my subordinates this time. In exchange, for a short time, Team Rocket, or rather, Team Aqua, will not appear in your Verdanturf Town."
Seeing that their Boss still considered his subordinates, Silentfairy was deeply moved, but Yuga's response shattered his hopes.
"I'm sorry, I can't agree to that request."
Since he had already severed ties with Giovanni, Yuga had no intention of being ambiguous. Having Team Rocket's attention on him wasn't a good sign, and he didn't underestimate their capabilities.
However, it didn't mean he would show weakness. Giovanni might have Team Rocket, but Yuga had the League, especially with his mentor being the guardian of Hoeen region..
Team Rocket's headquarters were in Kanto, so they couldn't devote much effort to Hoenn region. Even though they had a new pawn in Team Aqua, Yuga wasn't overly concerned about them.
"Now, how about this? Consider it my plea."
Giovanni had only intended to test Yuga and hadn't genuinely believed Yuga would agree to release Silentfairy. Still, Yuga's unwavering stance surprised him.
"I look forward to the day when we can meet again."
After saying these words, Giovanni abruptly cut off the communication.
"That's it? What do I do now?"
Silentfairy felt a bit lost when he saw how efficiently Giovanni had ended the conversation.
Yuga, however, didn't dwell on it. He instructed Gengar to tie up Silentfairy and the useless team member temporarily, then locked them in a warehouse, where Gengar would watch over them for the night before delivering them to Officer Jenny the following day.
When he returned home late that night, it was already quite late. However, Audino and Wigglytuff hadn't rested yet and were waiting downstairs for Yuga's return.
"I'm back! I'm starving! Did you leave me any food?" Yuga exclaimed as soon as he entered, addressing Audino and Wigglytuff.
"Audino! Audino!"
Wait a moment; I'll warm up your meal for you!
Audino replied and quickly disappeared into the kitchen.
Frowning at Yuga's late return without prior notice, Wigglytuff scolded him sternly. Yuga had no choice but to listen, as Wigglytuff was his senior.
While Wigglytuff chastised him, he led Yuga into the dining room, and Audino soon returned with a freshly heated dinner, which he served to Yuga.
"Thank you, Audino. You're truly amazing, the most virtuous and capable Pokémon," Yuga praised Audino while enjoying his delicious meal.
However, Audino completely ignored Yuga's sweet words and just gave him a stern look.
"Audino!"
Next time this happend, you'll be dining on the northwest wind!
Yuga: ...
Yuga realized that Audino had transformed into Wigglytuff in terms of strictness.
The next morning, Yuga took Silentfairy and the useless team member to the police station and handed them over to Liliana..
Before leaving, Yuga specifically asked Liliana to be cautious, as he suspected that Team Rocket might attempt to rescue Silentfairy. Giovanni had, after all, requested that Yuga release him, and they wouldn't just let Silentfairy fall into the League's hands.
Team Rocket was quite resourceful, and Yuga had already captured Ariana twice. The first time was likely a result of Team Rocket's rescue operation; otherwise, he wouldn't have been involved in the attempt to steal the Joy family's Pokémon Egg.
However, there was one more issue that was bothering Yuga: Barcas's implanted psychological suggestion. If this problem wasn't addressed, it could create false memories in his mind and lead to resentment against Yuga.
In the end, because of his involvement, Yuga felt he couldn't just leave it be. However, the Hypno had already escaped, making it more challenging to resolve Barcas's psychological suggestion.
After conducting research with Chimecho and Nana, they provided Yuga with a suggestion based on Barcas's false memories: find Barcas's ex-wife. In Barcas's fabricated memories, he hadn't divorced his wife; she had been killed by Yuga.
So, if Barcas were to meet his living wife, the psychological suggestion would automatically be lifted.
Chimecho and Nana could forcibly remove Barcas's implanted psychological suggestion, but it might damage his genuine memories, which is why Yuga was hesitant.
With the advice from Chimecho and Nana, Yuga discreetly contacted Barcas's parents, obtained Barcas's ex-wife's contact information, and explained the situation to her. He hoped she could visit Verdanturf Town.
Barcas's ex-wife was an open-minded person. Upon hearing about Barcas's troubles, she agreed to Yuga's request without hesitation. It worked out well since she also wanted to see her daughter and thought it was a good opportunity.
After finishing the call with Barcas's ex-wife, Yuga was dragged to the Gym by Arata Sena and Akihito. They were eager to begin their Gym battles.
Since Yuga knew he wouldn't be staying at the Gym for more than two days, he agreed to their request for an immediate Gym battle. However, he was surprised to find Astrid at the Gym as well.
She had decided to adjust her strategy and challenge the Verdanturf Gym again after achieving better balance with her Pokémon. She came to observe the Gym battles to learn and gain insights.
The Verdanturf Gym allowed visitors during Gym challenges.
She had thought deeply about Yuga's words and had to admit that he was right. She had become overly reliant on Absol and Mega Evolution, neglecting her other Pokémon.
After returning, she had many conversations with her Pokémon and felt she had a better bond with them now.
"Which one of you wants to go first?" Yuga asked Arata Sena and Akihito.
Arata Sena said, "I'm the senior, so I'll go first."
Akihito protested, "I'm younger, so you should let me go first, Senior."
"Do you really have to make a fuss about being younger? Can't you listen to your senior?" Arata Sena retorted.
"You know I'm younger; isn't it common sense for seniors to be considerate of their juniors?"
...
Watching the two argue, Yuga sighed. "How about this? Let's have a double battle or a triple battle. Since you two are training and traveling together, this will let me see how well you work together."
Akihito reluctantly agreed, saying, "Fine..."
Arata Sena nodded, "I understand."
Both of them reluctantly compromised. In reality, they both preferred individual battles against the Gym Leader, but since Yuga made the decision, they had no choice.
Once the three of them were ready, with Beidou acting as the referee, the battle officially began.
Following the rules of the Gym Battle, Yuga released his Pokémon first. He chose Lilligant and Tsareena. These two Pokémon had complementary strengths: Lilligant excelled in ranged attacks, while Tsareena was skilled in close combat, making them suitable choices as lead Pokémon.
However, as starting Pokémon, Lilligant and Tsareena were both at relatively low levels, just above level 40. This choice was primarily to gauge their opponents.
Seeing Yuga release his Pokémon, Akihito and Arata Sena exchanged glances and silently sent out their Pokémon: Espeon and Umbreon.
Espeon belonged to Arata Sena, while Umbreon was with Akihito. Both of these Pokémon were Eeveelutions, granted as a privilege to Gym apprentices. In this case, all of the Verdanturf Gym apperentices have the unified Eeveelutions. And these two Eeveelutions had evolved further.
Espeon was adept at offense, while Umbreon excelled in defense, making them an excellent complementary pair.
These Pokémon weren't the first to accompany Akihito and Arata Sena, so their levels were not significantly higher than Lilligant and Tsareena.
"Now, the Gym Battle between Arata Sena, Akihito, and Verdanturf Gym Leader, Shimizu Yuga, officially begins!" With Beidou as the referee, the match commenced.
Following Beidou's command, Akihito and Arata Sena acted immediately. Espeon moved gracefully, slightly lowering its front body. Its purple eyes emitted a gleam, and the red gem on its forehead began to shine. Psychic energy flowed rapidly, targeting Lilligant and Tsareena on the opposite side.
Meanwhile, Umbreon leaped forward and positioned itself in front of Espeon, taking on the role of protecting Espeon.
In an instant, Lilligant and Tsareena felt their bodies restrained, their movements becoming sluggish.
Tsareena's eyes narrowed, and it use Stomp move and stomped its foot on the ground with force, creating a deep crater. The psychic pressure on Tsareena increased significantly.
Using the foothold provided by Tsareena's Stomp move, Tsareena grabbed Lilligant behind it and with a strong heave, tossed Lilligant into the air. Despite being under the influence of Espeon's psychic energy, Lilligant soared into the sky.
Although Lilligant couldn't be attacked directly while suspended in mid-air, Espeon was now completely exposed to Lilligant's attacks.
Several green energy balls shot toward Espeon in quick succession. It couldn't evade due to maintaining the psychic restraint.
Seeing this, Umbreon leaped over and knocked Espeon aside, intercepting Lilligant's energy balls with its own body.
Bang, bang, bang!
Thanks to its impressive defense, Umbreon managed to endure the energy ball attacks with minimal damage. If Espeon had been in Umbreon's position, it would have been severely wounded.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone