BXBX NOVEL Chapter 1145: Larvesta
Chapter 1145: Larvesta
"Master, why are you calling me all of a sudden?" Yuga asked, both surprised and delighted.
Normally, if Yuga didn\'t call to check in, Mr. Kuni\'o almost never took the initiative to contact him. Even if there was something important, it was usually Ryuichi who acted as the intermediary. So, receiving a direct call from Mr. Kuni\'o today naturally surprised Yuga.
"What have you been up to lately? The League\'s already had someone file a complaint against you with me."
Mr. Kuni\'o always spoke seriously, but despite that, Yuga could tell there was no hint of reprimand in his tone.
"I haven\'t done anything! I always follow the rules, you know that. Who had nothing better to do than run to you and file false accusations against me?" Yuga immediately thought of that annoying old man, Kanda.
"I don\'t know what you\'ve been up to, but I do know that the League told me..."
It turned out that the Chairman of the Hoenn League\'s branch had specifically called Mr. Kuni\'o. He hadn\'t gone into too much detail, but the gist of it was that Yuga was still young, and although he had already achieved remarkable success, he was still prone to youthful arrogance. The Chairman expressed the hope that Mr. Kuni\'o could offer more guidance to Yuga to prevent him from straying from the right path. Most importantly, young people needed to learn to respect their elders.
After hearing that last line, Yuga didn\'t even need to think to know that Kanda was behind this trouble.
"Master, don\'t listen to their nonsense! You know who I am!"
Yuga then recounted to Mr. Kuni\'o how Kanda had tried to use his age to pressure him. He even vented his frustrations about that old man to his mentor.
Usually, Yuga maintained his composure in front of others due to his current status, but there was no need for that in front of his mentor.
Mr. Kuni\'o didn\'t interrupt and just listened quietly to Yuga\'s complaints. After a while, he finally said, "Alright, alright, just tone it down a bit. No need to insult people so harshly."
Though Mr. Kuni\'o was verbally advising Yuga to be more tactful, he didn\'t actually feel that Yuga had done anything wrong.
Even after the phone call ended, Mr. Kuni\'o hadn\'t uttered a word of reproach toward Yuga. In fact, he had even encouraged him.
Shortly after finishing his call with Mr. Kuni\'o, Yuga received another call, this time from Steven.
"Who did you offend recently? A bunch of people were complaining about you in front of the Chairman today," Steven said, clearly amused by the situation.
Yuga instantly knew it had to be Kanda stirring up trouble.
"So, what did the Chairman say?" Yuga asked curiously.
Steven replied, "He didn\'t really say much. He did, however, ask me privately about you. After I explained a bit, he didn\'t seem to take the complaints too seriously."
At Yuga\'s level, if someone wanted to file a complaint against him, they would have to go straight to the Chairman of the Hoenn League\'s branch or someone with an even higher position at headquarters.
"And he even went to my mentor to complain about me?"
"Oh, that! Yeah, I heard about that too," Steven said, clearly aware of the situation. "He\'s just putting on a show, though maybe he\'s genuinely worried you might act impulsively because of your youth."
According to Steven, the Chairman of the Hoenn League\'s branch didn\'t have many chances to interact with Yuga, so he wasn\'t too familiar with Yuga\'s personality. But based on the contributions Yuga had made to the League over the years and the many Innovation Potion he had developed, the Chairman didn\'t believe Yuga could be the kind of person others were making him out to be.
Still, Yuga was young and could use some guidance from elders, which was why the Chairman had called Mr. Kuni\'o, hoping he could guide Yuga and prevent such a talented individual from going to waste.
The Chairman even hoped that one day Yuga could become, like Mr. Kuni\'o, a "pillar of the Hoenn League." These were sentiments the Chairman had shared with Steven during their conversation.
"Don\'t worry about it. Our Chairman\'s a pretty good person. Once you have more chances to interact with him, you\'ll see for yourself," Steven said with a laugh.
"Alright, whatever you say," Yuga sighed.
"If you\'d be willing to take over my position, I guarantee those people would shut up real quick..."
Steven seized the opportunity to try to deceive Yuga, but unfortunately for him, he hadn\'t even finished his sentence before Yuga hung up the phone. Yuga could easily imagine Steven stomping his feet on the other end.
After hanging up on Steven, Yuga turned around and made a trip to the new Ecopark, sending the two Raticate to accompany Druddigon. On his way back, he immediately spotted Kanda, sitting there with a serious expression, alongside his disciple in Yuga\'s shop.
"Gym Leader Shimizu, you\'re back! We\'ve been waiting for you for half the day," Kanda said with a forced smile. "I\'m really sorry about yesterday. I was too impulsive, and I\'d like to apologize."
Hearing this, Yuga let out a cold snort. This old man really was two-faced—just moments ago, he was running to file complaints against Yuga, and now he was trying to smooth things over.
Yuga\'s snort was loud enough to catch Kanda\'s attention, causing his face to turn pale, but he still forced a smile and said, "Gym Leader Shimizu, it\'s actually beneficial for you to let us study the Raticate. If we can achieve some results, wouldn\'t that be a path to fame and fortune?"
Yuga coldly stared at him and replied, "Am I not already famous?"
Kanda\'s expression darkened. "That\'s not the same! If this research yields results, it would go down in history as a major event for the League!"
"And how does that compare to my Innovation Potion?"
At this, Kanda\'s face turned as dark as ink; there was simply no comparison! Over the years, there were only a handful of research projects in the League that could rival Yuga\'s Innovation Potion.
Though he didn\'t want to admit it, none of Kanda\'s research could stand up to Yuga\'s innovations.
"See? My Innovation Potion have already made it into the League\'s major events, and they\'ll certainly be remembered through the ages. So your little research really isn\'t important to me!"
Little research? Not important? Kanda trembled with rage, and his disciple, who was supporting him, was nearly crushed by his grip.
He was furious! How could those two Raticate have ended up in the hands of such a person? If they had been given to anyone else, he wouldn\'t be in such a passive position.
But the thing that drove him to the brink of despair was still to come.
"Oh, by the way! I forgot to tell you that my two Raticate have already been surgically sterilized," Yuga said nonchalantly.
"You... you..." Upon hearing this, Kanda nearly lost his balance and started to sway.
"Master..." His disciple quickly steadied him.
Stay calm! Stay calm! Kanda repeated in his heart as he took deep breaths; there\'s still a chance! There must still be a chance! Maybe the sterilized Raticate could still yield some research results.
"Gym Leader Shimizu, it\'s fine that they\'ve been sterilized," Kanda said, inhaling deeply and forcing himself to remain calm.
If he hadn\'t failed to achieve anything from the offspring of the two mutated Raticate, he wouldn\'t have humiliated himself like this.
Yuga turned around and stared at him for a few seconds before pointing towards the shop door. "Take care, and don\'t let the door hit you on your way out."
Kanda: (▼皿▼#)
"How about this, Gym Leader Shimizu? Let\'s make a deal. I happen to have a Beldum in my possession. If you could lend me those two Raticate for a while to study, I\'ll give you this Beldum."
Thinking about giving away Beldum made Kanda\'s heart ache. That was a pseudo-legendary Pokemon!
Yuga paused at Kanda\'s proposal, secretly delighted: There\'s hope!
"Your offer is quite tempting."
Hearing this, Kanda\'s face lit up with a smile, but it only lasted for a brief moment.
"Unfortunately, I can\'t accept!"
Kanda felt like he had never been this angry in his seventy-plus years of life.
In the end, both parties left in a huff.
Watching Kanda\'s departing figure, Yuga summoned a Mismagius from the shadow space and instructed it, "Take a few companions and keep an eye on them. Be careful not to be discovered."
Since this old man was relentlessly trying to create trouble for him, Yuga certainly had to return the favor.
Although he didn\'t have any incriminating evidence against that old fool at the moment, if he kept a close watch, he would surely find something.
Unaware that they were being followed, the master and disciple returned to their residence in Verdanturf Town, where Kanda\'s disciple immediately started cursing Yuga.
"That Shimizu Yuga is too arrogant! Just because he has some ability, he looks down on everyone! It\'s very infuriating! Master, we can\'t let this go!"
Kanda shot a glance at his disciple. "If you had his abilities, you could be arrogant too. Maybe I could benefit from it."
Though Kanda hated Yuga to the core, he had to admit that Yuga was indeed exceptional. Compared to him, Kanda\'s disciple was practically worthless.
"Master..." Kanda\'s disciple said awkwardly, "Do we still want that Raticate?"
"Of course we do!"
Kanda snorted coldly. Although he was already a top-tier breeder at his age, it was still far from enough to leave a mark in history; he had to produce something significant.
Kanda cared most about his reputation. He had spent his entire life pursuing fame and would not give up any opportunity, no matter how small, even in old age.
"Then what should we do..." Kanda\'s disciple\'s eyes darted around, "He definitely won\'t give it to us. Why don\'t we find someone to steal the Raticate?"
Kanda raised his cane and gave his disciple a light rap on the head. "Is your brain full of trash? What kind of person do you think Shimizu Yuga is? Stealing from him? How could you even think of that!"
"Then what do we do?" Kanda\'s disciple sulked. "That guy has a terrible temper; he won\'t willingly give us the Raticate."
Kanda waved his hand dismissively. "Enough! You don\'t need to worry about this; I\'ll find a way."
While Kanda and his disciple were temporarily set aside, Yuga received a notification from Blissey in the evening: the child of Vivillon and Volcarona was finally about to hatch.
Yuga, Vivillon, and Volcarona stood by the Pokémon egg, waiting until after ten at night, when the egg finally began to hatch.
As a burst of white light dissipated, a moth-like Pokémon with a head wrapped in white fluff appeared before Yuga, Vivillon and Volcarona—it was a Larvesta!
Yuga was delighted that the hatched Pokémon was a Larvesta. Compared to the relatively weaker Vivillon, Volcarona was clearly stronger and rarer.
The newly hatched Larvesta was very small, only slightly larger than Yuga\'s palm. With bright blue eyes, it alternately looked at Yuga and then at its parents, its gaze filled with curiosity about the new world, showing no signs of shyness.
The newly hatched Pokémon require delicate care. Yuga moved over the prepared sand bath and gently placed Larvesta inside.
The sand bath was filled with fine, white sand, which felt very delicate to the touch. This sand was specially produced for cleaning the bodies of newly hatched Pokémon that did not like water.
"Chirp... chirp... chirp..."
Once Larvesta entered the sand bath, it excitedly burrowed around, occasionally letting out high-pitched cries and splattering sand everywhere. In no time, it had cleaned itself up to a shiny glow.
The sand was sterile, so no matter how Larvesta played, there would be no problems.
When Larvesta eventually tired out, Yuga picked it up from the sand bath and placed a small bowl filled with sweet Moo Moo Milk in front of it.
As soon as it caught a whiff of the sweet Moo Moo Milk, the tired Larvesta eagerly began to feast.
Being able to drink Moo Moo Milk right after hatching was a benefit that all newly born Pokémon in Yuga\'s Ecopark enjoyed.
After filling its belly, Larvesta fell asleep. It had just been born and didn\'t have much energy. Eating and then sleeping was a privilege for all babies.
Once it was asleep, Yuga carried Larvesta along with Vivillon and Volcarona to the Volcano Sub-Ecopark, a place more suited for the life of a newly hatched Larvesta.
However, it probably wouldn\'t live there for too long, as Yuga had already decided to find a trainer for it once it had adapted to life after hatching; he had already identified the candidate.
After much consideration, Yuga ultimately decided to entrust the task of raising Larvesta to Robert.
On one hand, Robert was the first friend he made after coming to the Pokémon world and was also his best friend. On the other hand, compared to newer trainers like May and Ash, a more experienced Robert would be better suited to care for and nurture Larvesta.
In fact, Steven, Wallace, and Cynthia would also be great candidates, but Yuga\'s relationship with Robert was closer. As the saying goes, "Why let the good water flow to outsiders?" Robert naturally became the first choice.
Moreover, Wallace was a Water-type trainer, and Steven was a Steel-type trainer; it just felt a bit inappropriate to give Larvesta to them (even though Steven had raised several non-Steel-type Pokémon).
Of course, Yuga didn\'t plan to give Larvesta to Robert for free; he would still charge him. After all, brothers need to keep accounts clear!
However, determining how much to charge for an indigo potential Pokémon, especially a rare Larvesta, was a significant issue.
Regardless, an indigo potential Pokémon wouldn\'t come cheap, and Yuga suspected that if he priced it too high, Robert would end up bankrupt.
Although the decision had been made, handing Larvesta over to Robert for training would have to wait for a while—at least until Larvesta passed through its weak newborn phase.
Before that, he might as well consider it a surprise for Robert.