Chapter 203: Passing the Buck
After apprehending the two individuals, Yuga retrieved the Poké Balls containing Skorupi and Seviper from them and returned the Pokémon to their respective balls.
Furthermore, he found a Poké Ball containing a Houndoom on each of them.
"What do you want?" the Skorupi's trainer asked Yuga.
"What do I want? Why don't you tell me what you want first! Speak up, why did you capture Absol!" Yuga kicked the Skorupi's trainer, who had dared to lead an ambush against him. The audacity was infuriating.
Upon hearing Yuga's words, the Skorupi's trainer immediately clammed up, refusing to say a word.
"He won't talk, how about you!" Yuga turned to the Seviper's trainer after seeing the Skorupi's trainer act like a stubborn mule.
"Capturing a Pokémon, what could that be for? To tame it, of course."
The Seviper's trainer was far more astute than the Skorupi's trainer, even coming up with an excuse. However, Yuga clearly wasn't buying into it and slapped him across the face.
"Behave yourself, don't play tricks with me!"
"You!"
The Seviper's trainer hadn't expected Yuga to act on his threat immediately. His face turned red, and he was left speechless in anger.
"If you won't talk about Absol, then tell me, what are these beads for?" Yuga opened the box he had confiscated from the two of them, revealing four bright and shining beads.
Interestingly, these four beads were quite attractive, boasting Vivillon colors. They shimmered in the sunlight, not falling short of the allure of precious gemstones. The material, however, remained a mystery.
Seeing the four beads, the expressions of the two individuals changed, but neither of them spoke.
"It seems you're determined not to talk today!" Yuga closed the box and put it away.
Yuga stared at the two of them, feeling somewhat helpless. He wasn't well-versed in any methods of coercive interrogation, so how could he make them spill the beans? He couldn't just beat them up, could he?
After some thought, Yuga had Florges hang them upside down from a tree with her Vine Whip. He intended for them to experience what it felt like to have blood rush to their heads.
However, despite being in that awkward position, the two of them remained silent about Absol and the beads.
"Don't waste your efforts; we won't tell you," the Skorupi's trainer stated.
"That's right, our grand ideals are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like you," the Seviper's trainer added.
Seriously, such grand ideals! Aren't they just summoning Groudon to destroy the world? And they're talking about it as if it's something noble! Clearly, they've been brainwashed by Maxie! Who knows what these people are thinking; as if enlarging the landmass will make the world better? It's utterly nonsensical.
One couldn't deny that the ideologies of these fervent land extremists and the ocean extremists were incredibly difficult to grasp. Yuga couldn't fathom how Maxie and Archie had brainwashed these people, making them so unquestioningly obedient.
Yuga then attempted various methods to force them to talk – like using grass to tickle their feet or having Florges whip them with her Vine Whip – but they stubbornly resisted each ordeal.
Yuga didn't know what would be effective, and in the end, he gave up. Perhaps, in these people's hearts, their faith superseded everything else.
However, how should he deal with these two? Yuga was at a loss.
Should he kill them? Yuga had never killed anyone before and found it difficult to take that step.
Should he hand them over to the police? There didn't seem to be any legitimate reason or evidence to prove them as wrongdoers.
Should he release them? That wouldn't work either; they might cause trouble again in the future.
What should he do? Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Suddenly, Yuga had an idea. He couldn't give them to Officer Jenny, but he could hand them over to Mr. Norman.
Team Magma was similar in nature to the Team Aqua, and now that the Team Aqua had been exposed to the League, it was a good opportunity to have Mr. Norman investigate Team Magma thoroughly. This would prevent them from stirring up more trouble.
As long as Yuga explained the situation to Mr. Norman, he was confident that Mr. Norman would conduct a thorough investigation.
So, Yuga had Absol knock both of them unconscious, then dialed Mr. Norman's number.
The call connected, and Mr. Norman's voice came through from the other end of the line.
"Hello, Yuga, is there something you need at this time?"
"Mr. Norman, it's like this..."
So, Yuga proceeded to explain the entire sequence of events: how he had encountered the Team Magma for the first time in the Rusturf Tunnel while chasing Absol, how the Team Magma had later attacked him, and even embellished the story by adding the part about Team Magma's desire to capture Groudon. He emphasized that he had overheard these details unintentionally.
Of course, Yuga hadn't actually heard any of this from Team Magma; he was simply trying to draw Mr. Norman's attention. While Yuga hadn't heard these specific details from Team Magma, the overall situation was accurate, and the process of how he came to know about it wasn't significant, right?
After hearing Yuga's explanation, Mr. Norman fell into thought for a moment before saying, "Actually, I've also noticed this organization recently."
"Mr. Norman, you've noticed too?" Yuga asked, surprised.
"I don't know the specifics, but after the incident with the Team Aqua, I started paying attention to this organization. Their formation and their handling of matters are quite similar to the Team Aqua's. Both of these organizations were low-profile before the Team Aqua's incident. However, after the Team Aqua's incident, I became suspicious of this organization due to their similar modus operandi. Initially, I thought they might be two branches of the same organization, but it seems it's not that simple."
Yuga thought to himself that not only were they not the same organization, they were archenemies!
However, Yuga didn't say anything unnecessary. After all, less is more; he didn't want to become a suspect himself.
"Leave this matter to me. I'll inform Officer Jenny from the local police. They'll take these two individuals into custody and then transfer them to Petalburg City. I'll personally investigate this matter," Mr. Norman stated over the phone.
Hanging up the call, Yuga felt a sense of relief. These two troublesome characters finally had a destination, and he no longer needed to figure out how to deal with them.
So, Yuga recalled Absol and Florges and had them carry the unconscious individuals back to Verdanturf Town using psychic powers.
The Verdanturf Town police arrived promptly. Yuga returned to YoYo Day Care with the two individuals, and soon enough, Officer Jenny arrived with her team. After explaining the situation, they took the two away.
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