Chapter 1282: Mr. Kuni'o's Flustered Outburst
After Yuga dealt with the sturdy man, what he saw upon catching up was the cold, lifeless body of the old man. When he heard the details of what had happened from the search squad members, he too couldn't help but admire the old man's ruthlessness and determination.
Yuga examined the half-burned box left by the old man and found a pile of documents inside. To his surprise, the contents were highly valuable intelligence.
Although the documents did not contain much information about the Team Radiance itself, there was a list of wealthy merchants and officials who had colluded with them.
In addition to the list, some of the files detailed the secrets or scandals of prominent figures. For instance, there were records of which tycoon exploited the poor, which official was involved in embezzlement and bribery, and which philanthropist was hypocritical in their supposed charity work.
Holding these documents and lists, Yuga strongly suspected that the officials and merchants who cooperated with the Team Radiance were likely under its coercion.
If most of the documents hadn't already been destroyed, Yuga believed that even more alarming secrets about the Team Radiance might have been uncovered.
He thought that the League should pay more attention to this newly emergent Team Radiance. For them to collect so much sensitive information right under the League's nose demonstrated a highly advanced intelligence-gathering capability.
After thoroughly inspecting the entire base to ensure nothing was overlooked, Yuga and the Investigation Squad reported the results of their mission to the Investigation Bureau. The bureau quickly dispatched personnel to take custody of the captured criminals.
Soon after, Yuga met with a deputy director of the Investigation Bureau, someone he recognized from Slateport City—Deputy Director Hirakawa.
The director of the bureau and its four deputies were typically extremely busy, often traveling to various locations to carry out missions. Meeting one of them was rare, so it was a coincidence that Yuga encountered Hirakawa this time. Hirakawa had just returned from a mission and hadn't even had time to rest.
When Hirakawa received the documents Yuga handed over, he treated the matter with utmost seriousness and decided to launch a more in-depth investigation into the Team Radiance. Additionally, the merchants and officials who had collaborated with them would be held accountable.
"These people are parasites sucking the lifeblood out of the League," Hirakawa said. "We can't let them continue unchecked, though we'll need cooperation from the Supervision Bureau to handle this."
However, Yuga suggested that Deputy Director Hirakawa avoid making large-scale arrests and instead apprehend the individuals discreetly.
"Capture them in secret," Yuga proposed. "Once they're in custody, interrogate them quietly. This way, we can avoid alerting others and might even extract more information about the Team Radiance."
Hirakawa agreed with Yuga's reasoning and decided to implement his plan.
The news of several Team Radiance bases being destroyed by the League soon made its way back to their headquarters.
At the Team Radiance's headquarters, a middle-aged man stood respectfully before a young man, reporting the destruction of the bases.
The young man furrowed his brows for a long while before speaking. "How was the information leaked?"
The middle-aged man bent slightly as he replied, "An elite squad from Base No. 10 went missing shortly before the base was destroyed. They were likely captured by the League."
The Team Radiance's intelligence-gathering capabilities were indeed impressive, as they quickly uncovered the reason behind the information leak.
"Did Fier's hypnosis fail?" the young man asked in confusion.
The "Fier" he referred to was the person responsible for hypnotizing members of the Team Radiance. Anyone attempting to leak information about the organization would experience uncontrollable brain death—a terrifying safeguard.
The captain named Sith had died this way.
The middle-aged man shook his head and replied, "I'm not sure."
They were unaware of the existence of Kerry, an undercover agent. After Captain Sith discovered Kerry's true identity, his twisted desires took precedence. He planned to satisfy his perverse urges before reporting her to the higher-ups, but this led to their entire team being wiped out, and Kerry's secret remained hidden.
"It seems Fier's hypnosis still needs improvement," the young man remarked with slight dissatisfaction.
The middle-aged man kept silent, merely bowing slightly. Fier held a higher position in the organization than he did, so criticizing her was out of the question.
After a moment of silence, the young man asked, "Has Grandpa Mike had an accident?"
Hearing this, a slight emotional ripple finally appeared on the middle-aged man's otherwise stoic face. Nevertheless, he replied in a cold and detached tone, "Yes."
"The organization will not forget Grandpa Mike's contributions," the young man nodded and said.
"It was my father's honor to dedicate himself to the organization," the middle-aged man replied, bowing even lower.
The "Grandpa Mike" the young man referred to was the old man who had taken his own life—also the father of the middle-aged man.
Mike had originally been the steward of the young man's family and was deeply trusted by them. This trust led to his appointment as the manager of one of the Team Radiance's key bases.
If it had been anyone else's base that was destroyed and the manager had then committed suicide, the young man wouldn't have been so lenient. In fact, avoiding punishment would have been considered lucky.
Pleased with the middle-aged man's response, the young man nodded and continued, "We don't know if the data Grandpa Mike had has fallen into the hands of the League. Go prepare for the worst-case scenario so that we aren't caught off guard."
"Yes!" The middle-aged man bowed respectfully and left.
Although the Team Radiance began making early preparations, the League was no pushover. With both the Investigation Bureau and the Supervision Bureau mobilized, the Team Radiance soon suffered further losses. More members were arrested, and several bases were destroyed.
Yuga, acting as external support, ended up being drafted as a key operative for quite some time. Of the bases destroyed, Yuga personally led the operations for two of them.
Yuga was accompanied by the same Investigation Team. With Yuga present, their missions were remarkably smooth, with no casualties and no criminals escaping.
This earned Yuga immense admiration from the Investigation Team members.
As a Hall of Fame-level Trainer in the League, Yuga's accomplishments were already well-known, with some even being used as examples by instructors during training. Many of the team members had heard of Yuga's exploits, but seeing him in action was a completely different experience.
Witnessing Yuga's prowess firsthand, the Investigation Team members truly understood the impact a powerful Trainer could have on the battlefield.
When the dust finally settled, Yuga was released from duty by Deputy Director Hikawa.
At their farewell, the Investigation squad members who had worked alongside Yuga were reluctant to see him go. During their time together, they had learned a great deal from Yuga's experience and knowledge.
They aspired to one day become Trainers as strong as Yuga, contributing to the League's peace and stability.
Before returning to Verdanturf Town, Yuga made a stop in Mauville City. Being so close, he decided to visit his mentor—it would have been unacceptable not to.
After exiting the Mauville City train station and heading toward his mentor's estate, a luxury car suddenly pulled up in front of him.
After the car window rolled down, Genos poked his head out.
"Gym Leader Shimizu, you're in Mauville City?"
Yuga was surprised. "Mr. Genos, what a coincidence."
Genos had helped Yuga quite a bit in the past, so Yuga had a decent impression of him. Although he had initially been somewhat displeased with Genos because of Butler, he had since found that Genos was a straightforward and reliable person.
Genos smiled and said, "I was just dropping my sister off at school and happened to pass by. I didn't expect to run into you." His sister had caused some trouble at school, prompting the faculty to call in a parent, so Genos had to personally make the trip.
It was only then that Yuga noticed a young girl sitting beside Genos, waving at him enthusiastically.
"Big brother! Big brother! Do you remember me?"
Yuga vaguely recalled Genos' sister. A few years back, he had rescued her in the Violet Glow Forest. What was her name again... something with rielle... He couldn't remember it immediately.
Seeing Yuga frown, the girl assumed he had completely forgotten her. She shouted, "Big brother, I'm Adrielle! Adrielle!"
Hearing this, Yuga finally remembered. The girl's name was indeed Adrielle. Compared to a few years ago, she had grown up quite a bit and no longer had such a childish appearance.
Genos noticed his sister shouting and scolded her, "Adrielle, don't be so rude."
However, it was clear that Genos had no authority over his sister, who made a playful face at him in response.
Exasperated, Genos shot his sister a glare and turned back to Yuga. "Gym Leader Shimizu, where are you heading? Would you like a ride?"
Yuga shook his head and declined. "No need. You've got your own matters to handle. If Adrielle ends up late for school, that wouldn't be good."
Genos thought for a moment and agreed. He then said, "Alright, we'll take our leave for now. When you have some free time, please come visit us."
"Of course, I'll definitely visit when I get the chance," Yuga replied politely. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he watched Genos leave.
This brief encounter with Genos was just a small interlude. Yuga didn't dwell on it and continued to his master's estate.
The gates of the estate were wide open. As soon as Yuga entered, he saw numerous Grass-type Pokémon playing on the nearby lawn. They all recognized him and happily greeted him as he walked by.
When he reached the central garden, he saw Ryuichi watering flowers with a watering can. Yuga called out, "Ryuichi!"
Since Yuga hadn't informed them of his visit beforehand, neither Ryuichi nor his master knew he was coming.
Ryuichi looked up, and the moment he saw Yuga, he put down the watering can and walked over joyfully. "Young master? What brings you here? You didn't let us know in advance."
Yuga smiled and said, "I was on a mission nearby, so I thought I'd stop by for a visit."
Ryuichi, aware that Yuga had been busy helping the Investigation Bureau eliminate Team Radiance, looked at him with concern and said, "You must have been working hard these past few days, young master."
In truth, Yuga didn't think it had been particularly exhausting. He actually enjoyed being out and about. However, he didn't contradict Ryuichi, knowing that elders often insist on acknowledging one's hardships. Denying it might make them think you're just trying to reassure them.
After chatting with Ryuichi for a bit, Yuga asked, "Is Master here? I'd like to see him."
Ryuichi immediately replied, "Yes, yes, he's here. I'll take you to him right away."
Most of the time, Mr. Kuni'o stayed in the manor. Unless the League needed him for something urgent, he rarely left.
Following Ryuichi, Yuga arrived at his master's residence.
Along the way, Yuga released his Bellossom, letting it move freely.
The manor was where Bellossom was born and raised. It had countless friends here. Now that it was finally back, of course, it wanted to reconnect and catch up with its old friends.
The spring sunlight was just right, warming the body comfortably. Master was lounging on a deck chair under the corridor, leisurely enjoying the time. A Bellossom was skillfully brewing tea for him.
Then Mr. Kuni'o heard Ryuichi's voice.
"Master, look who's here!"
Mr. Kuni'o turned his head to see Yuga walking toward him with a smile on his face.
He wasn't surprised to see Yuga and simply asked, "Aren't you quite busy lately? How did you find time to come here?"
As Yuga's master, Mr. Kuni'o naturally cared about what his disciple had been busy with recently.
Yuga stepped onto the corridor, took the teapot from Bellossom's hands, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to his master, saying, "No matter how busy I am, I must come to see you."
Mr. Kuni'o accepted the tea, glanced at Yuga, and said, "What's so interesting about an old fossil like me?"
Ryuichi chimed in from the side, "Young Master, don't listen to Master downplay himself. He's happier than anyone else that you've come. Just watch, he'll definitely eat an extra bowl of rice at lunch today."
Hearing Ryuichi's words, Mr. Kuni'o glared at him angrily. Yuga and Bellossom, standing nearby, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
After the laughter subsided, Yuga said to his master, "To make sure Master eats an extra bowl, why don't I cook lunch today?"
Yuga's cooking skills, while not at the level of an expert chef like Audino, were still quite commendable. Besides, what he was preparing wasn't just a meal—it was a display of filial devotion to his master!
Mr. Kuni'o, still a bit annoyed by the earlier teasing, didn't respond, simply rocking back and forth in his chair.
Ryuichi spoke up again, "I bet Master's heart is just bursting with joy right now!"
"Ryuichi!!!" Mr. Kuni'o finally lost his temper, shouting in a booming voice. He grabbed the fan lying on the table beside him and swung it at Ryuichi. "Stop spouting nonsense! You're getting more and more unruly!"
Yuga and Bellossom broke into laughter once again.
At lunchtime, Yuga indeed prepared a table full of delicious dishes, all beautifully presented with tantalizing aromas.
Seeing the spread, Mr. Kuni'o glanced at Yuga and remarked, "There are only three of us. Why make so much?"
Yuga just smiled without saying a word.
As expected, Master ended up eating an extra bowl of rice during lunch. Yuga and Ryuichi exchanged a secret glance and quietly smiled, though they both pretended as if nothing had happened to protect their master's dignity.
But Mr. Kuni'o, sharp and perceptive as ever, couldn't have missed their little exchange. However, being someone who cared deeply about saving face, he chose to act as though he hadn't noticed.
Yuga stayed at his master's place for three days before returning to Verdanturf Town. During those three days, he didn't do much—just focused on entertaining his master and accompanying him on walks to relax.
Although Mr. Kuni'o was outwardly stubborn, Yuga could tell he was very happy.