Chapter 593: Espionage
Chapter 593: Espionage
However, the local trainers from Verdanturf Town had limited skills. To establish his reputation, Yuga had initially raised the badge-earning standards, making it challenging for trainers to obtain a Gym Badge. Consequently, only a few trainers managed to earn badges.
Later on, trainers from other cities also arrived in Verdanturf Town.
As a new Gym, the Verdanturf Gym was perceived as an easy target by trainers, resulting in a substantial number of challengers in a short period.
However, these challengers quickly realized that the new Gym Leader wasn't the pushover they had anticipated. Yuga displayed remarkable strength, and only a few trainers managed to secure Gym Badges from him.
The reputation of the Verdanturf Gym and Yuga's YoYo Day Care gradually spread throughout the region.
On this particular day, with challengers momentarily reduced in number, Yuga leisurely sat in the shop, assisting Suzuki Koen with the business.
It was at this moment that a wild Natu suddenly appeared next to Yuga.
The Natu murmured a few words softly into Yuga's ear and then disappeared once more.
Upon hearing the report from the Natu, Yuga furrowed his brow.
A suspicious individual?
With that thought in mind, Yuga stood up from his chair, briefly informed Suzuki Koen, and exited the shop.
As soon as Yuga stepped out of the shop, a Gengar materialized from his shadow.
Gengar playfully patted Yuga's shoulder, and Yuga's body gradually became transparent, eventually disappearing.
This invisibility was a recently developed application of Yuga's King of Ghost abilities after enhancing them. However, it required Yuga to collaborate with Gengar or Mismagius to use it effectively.
Before, when Muya was still alive, she could achieve this alone, but Yuga, not being native to the Ghost World, needed the assistance of Gengar or Mismagius to employ this ability.
Invisible, Yuga was led into the air by Gengar, heading towards the area above the Verdanturf Gym.
From this vantage point, looking down, Yuga could see Beidou, busy training with the little guys in the Gym's courtyard, creating quite a lively scene.
However, what concerned Yuga was the middle-aged man hiding outside the Gym's walls.
Yuga had a vivid memory of this voyeur since he had nearly embarrassed himself during the Gym's opening ceremony.
Yuga wasn't a petty person, and even though this individual had almost caused him embarrassed, he had no intention of causing trouble. After all, a Gym battle was all about skill, and the outcome depended solely on one's abilities.
But now, this surreptitious individual had taken the initiative to approach him, which raised concerns.
Yuga had many secrets, and the YoYo Day Care was like his headquarters. Consequently, Yuga took the safety of the Day Care and the Gym very seriously.
The Natus acted as his eyes. These Natus were originally bred by the Hunter Organization for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes. Yuga had now skillfully harnessed their abilities to closely monitor the surroundings of the Pokémon Day Care and the Gym.
Today, the Natus had finally fulfilled their intended purpose.
Yuga took another look at the surroundings of the Gym, and indeed, he saw two Natus concealed, carefully observing the voyeur's every move.
The voyeur was using a Camouflage-empowered Starmie, which blended him into the surroundings, making him appear as an integral part of the Gym's walls. This clever disguise had prevented him from being noticed until the Natus detected the subtle psychic waves emanating from him.
This particular Starmie was likely adept at hiding. If not for the inadvertent psychic fluctuations it emitted, it would have been a challenging task for the Natus to spot him.
The Camouflage ability allowed one to blend into the environment, but it didn't grant true invisibility. Once detected, it became noticeable. Therefore, the Natus could continue monitoring the voyeur.
Yuga instructed Gengar to descend gently towards the direction of the voyeur, finally landing beside him.
The voyeur, still focused on observing the Gym, remained completely unaware that Yuga was now standing right behind him.
However, the Starmie attached to his back seemed to sense something and grew restless.
As a Psychic-type Pokémon, the Starmie had superior sensory abilities compared to ordinary Pokémon, especially since it was a pseudo-Elite level Starmie.
Seeing that the man was completely unaware of his presence, Yuga playfully patted the man's shoulder.
Startled by Yuga's sudden touch, the middle-aged man jumped off the Gym's wall, alarmed, and exclaimed, "Who's there?"
The Starmie on his back also hopped to the ground, shielding him.
"Isn't it supposed to be me asking you that question?"
The middle-aged man, unable to see Yuga, but could hear his voice coming from all directions, which added to the eerie atmosphere.
Seeing the visibly agitated middle-aged man, Yuga couldn't help but think, "This invisibility ability is quite fun for showing off."
However, the middle-aged man soon recognized Yuga's voice. "So, it's Gym Leader Shimizu."
Upon realizing that he was dealing with Yuga, the middle-aged man thought he had miscalculated.
He had tested Yuga's strength during the Verdanturf Gym's opening ceremony and had thoroughly investigated him recently. However, he still underestimated him.
Next to Yuga, Gengar continued to grin and make faces at the middle-aged man, who was perplexed. The information he had gathered had never indicated that Yuga possessed such a peculiar Gengar with extraordinary abilities.
"I was just looking around out of curiosity, no malicious intent. I hope Gym Leader Shimizu won't take offense."
Caught red-handed while peeping, the middle-aged man could only attempt to bluff his way out.
"Do you really think you can fool me?" Yuga raised an eyebrow.
The middle-aged man hadn't expected Yuga to believe his story anyway.
"Well, then we have no choice but to take action! Starmie, use Water Gun!"
At the middle-aged man's command, a massive stream of water surged toward Yuga.
Florges appeared directly in front of Yuga, using her Dazzling Gleam to block all the water effortlessly.
While the Starmie launched an attack, Mismagius emerged from Yuga's shadow alongside Gengar. Their eyes emitted blue light, and shortly afterward, a pink and purple energy field enveloped Yuga and the middle-aged man.
The pink and purple fields slowly merged, isolating Yuga and the middle-aged man from the outside world. They could no longer hear any external sounds or see the surrounding environment.
Witnessing this scene, the middle-aged man was deeply alarmed.
Initially, he had used Starmie's Water Gun as a diversion to cover his escape because he knew that his chances of defeating Yuga in a battle were slim. However, the energy barrier that now enclosed the entire space blocked all his escape routes.