Palacio
The sudden explosion in the river startled the remaining Water-type Pokémon, those who could crawled to the shore scramble ashore in panic, while those who cannot could only jumping around the water surface.
In addition, the Participants, spectators, and tourists who hadn't left also frughtened and looked towards the river not far away. Fortunately, they kept in order by many police personnel, so there was no trouble.
Soon, everyone discovered the source of the explosion. A massive Gyarados burst out of the water, roaring in a mix of panic and anger. Another Gyarados also emerged, and threatening the first Gyarados with roars and swinging its thick tail towards it.
"There are Gyarados in this river, and they're fighting!"
"What's happening? Why are two Gyarados fighting?"
...
As the crowd discussed the appearance of the two Gyarados, Yuga quietly arrived at the riverside. He recognized the second Gyarados is from his Ecopark, but where did the first one come from?
The river is designated for a fishing competition, it had been thoroughly cleaned, and its sides were sealed off. There shouldn't be any other Pokémons inside.
The unknown Gyarados that was intimidated by Yuga's Gyarados, angrily shot a Hydro Pump. Suddenly, Milotic's long tail wrapped around its neck and pulled it over, diverting the Hydro Pump attack direction.
Boom!
A massive water column hit the surface of the water, causing another deafening explosion.
Seeing this, Mr. Kobayashi realized he couldn't let the participants and spectators stay. He quickly instructed the police to organize an evacuation.
Though the audience wanted to stay and watch, the event organizers insisted them to leave. Reluctantly, they obeyed and quickly vacated the scene.
Seeing its husband Milotic subdued the intruder, Yuga's Gyarados swam over, and entwining its robust body around the unknown Gyarados, tightening it constantly.
Boom!
The unknown Gyarados was immobilized by Yuga's Gyarados, unable to stand upright. Both Gyarados fell, splashing water everywhere, and wetting Yuga's pants and shoes.
Soon, the personnel who had checked the blocked sides of the river returned in a hurry. It turned out the specially designed net that blocking the upstream had a large hole, and it should be through this hole that this unidentified Gyarados had entered.
Yuga was curious about the reason, and found it strange. The Green Jade River near Verdanturf Town was surrounded the Verdanturf town, so there were no high-level Pokémon in it. it housing only low-level Pokémons like Goldeen, Magikarp, and Poliwag—none of these Pokémon posing a threat to humans. The Politoed that capable slapping the trainers's face, was already the limit.
Yet, this Gyarados had the power to breach the specially designed net.
The unknown Gyarados proved ferocious. Even with the combined efforts of Milotic and his wife together, it keep struggling. In a crucial moment, Greninja intervened.
As an Elite Pokémon, it landed a decisive blow, directly hitting the opponent's forehead with Dark Pulse. The struggling unknown Gyarados collapsed by the riverside.
Suddenly, two flying Pokémons approached from the sky. As they neared, Yuga recognized the riders.
"Gym Leader Shimizu!!!"
Flying Pokémons hadn't landed yet, and one of them shouted loudly.
After the two landed, Yuga exclaimed, "Captain Zinnian, Zaden! Are you here for this Gyarados?"
The visitor none other than Zinnian, the captain of the Forest Rangers in Petalburg Woods, and Zaden.
Currently, Petalburg Woods had four resident Forest Rangers: Captain Zinnian, members Zoltan, Liam, and Zaden. Zaden was the youngest and most lively among them.
"Yeah, this guy is incredibly fast. We followed it along the river from deep within Petalburg Woods. If it weren't for you, it might have escaped!" Zaden expressed regret.
"By the way, why are there so many people here?" Zaden looked around at the facilities and staff, puzzled.
"We are hosting a fishing competition, and unexpectedly, this Gyarados appeared." Yuga shrugged.
Apologetic, Zinnian said, "Sorry, it's our fault. Otherwise, this Gyarados wouldn't have entered here."
"It's not a big deal. It entered when our competition had just ended. By the way, this Gyarados..." Yuga began.
According to Captain Zinnian, this Gyarados came from deep within Petalburg Woods, which seemed unusual.
Zinnian sighed, "Here's what happened..."
Deep within Petalburg Woods, there was a large ancient relic believed to be left by a branch of ancient group, People of the Water.
However, the Pokémon world had many such relics, with most of them having little value except for archaeological significance. The one in Petalburg Woods was no different, despite its considerable size.
The relic had a large-scale structure with an underground river connected below. Apparently, the ancient People of the Water modified the underground river, incorporating it into the relic's water circulation system.
This underground river was linked to the largest river inside Petalburg Woods, also the main branch of the Green Jade River. It flowed east from deep within Petalburg Woods into the sea, being the largest and longest river in the region.
The Gyarados in front of Yuga is a Pokémon that has been living beneath the relic.
in order to prevent Pokémon disasters, resident Forest Rangers had the responsibility to monitor high-level Pokémon in their jurisdiction. This Gyarados had always been on Zinnian's monitoring list.
Recently, a group of unidentified individuals entered deep within Petalburg Woods, seemingly interested in the relic. They entered the relic multiple times, and disturbing the Gyarados living inside.
These people operated very secretly, and initially, Zinnian and his team didn't notice them. However, yesterday, they suddenly clashed with the Gyarados, and grabbing the attention of the Forest Rangers.
From the traces left in the relic, it seemed these people had been active in Petalburg Woods for more than a day.
She doesn't know what those people did, but the Gyarados was extremely angry at the time and launched a furious attack on them. However, the Gyarados couldn't match them, and they managed to escape.
After the incident, Zinnian and his team planned to investigate these people. Unexpectedly, the Gyarados left the relic on its own to track those individuals.
In desperation, the four Forest Rangers split into two groups—Zinnian and Zaden searched for the Gyarados, while Zoltan and Liam pursued the unidentified individuals.
The Gyarados had aggresive nature and its ability to track down people were unknown. It followed the main river downstream and somehow ended up in this branch of the Green Jade River, and breaking through the blockade.
"I don't know if the Gyarados discovered something, but if there are any suspicious individuals in Verdanturf Town recently, please contact us, Gym Leader Shimizu," Zinnian requested.
"Sure, I'll keep an eye out."
According to Zinnian, since the Gyarados followed the Green Jade River to Verdanturf Town, those people might have come here too.
After chatting with Yuga for a while, Zinnian and Zaden left with the unconscious Gyarados.
At that moment, Mr. Kobayashi informed Yuga that some Pokémon used in the fishing competition had escaped and have not been found. Some were provided by the official organizers, and some were sponsored by the YoYo Day Care.
The Pokémon sponsored by YoYo Day Care needed to be retrieved after the competition.
After hearing Mr. Kobayashi's report on the number of missing Pokémon, Yuga nodded and said, "Understood. Continue sending people to search for the lost Pokémon, and we'll assist in the search as well."
Mr. Kobayashi left with a troubled expression.
Meanwhile, in Verdanturf Town, a young man hastily returned to his lodging. After closing the door, he took out a Poké Ball, and with a flash of red light, a Clauncher emerged.
Looking at Clauncher, the young man rubbed his hands and grinned. A Clauncher, a Pokémon rarely seen in Hoenn. Even if its potential wasn't outstanding, it was much more valuable than other Pokémon.
This young man's name was Palacio, the same person who had angrily left the fishing competition after breaking his fishing rod. Not long after leaving, he suddenly remembered he hadn't claimed his rewards and rushed back.
However, upon returning, he witnessed the intense battle between the Gyarados.
Initially scared out of his wits, he was about to flee when he saw a small Clauncher scurrying towards him in panic.
In a moment of confusion, he threw a Poké Ball, and surprisingly, Clauncher didn't resist. He picked up the Poké Ball and ran, realizing now that he had quite the nerve-wracking encounter.
Knowing that Clauncher belonged to the competition organizers, Palacio was aware that as a participant who didn't win any awards, he wasn't qualified to keep the caught Pokémon. Even if he returned to the competition area, Clauncher wouldn't belong to him.
As for the rewards, they were just some Pokéblock—nothing special. Palacio wasn't interested in them; he wanted Clauncher more.
His heart was pounding at the excitement of the moment. If anyone found out, his life would be over. Fortunately, no one noticed him sneakily taking Clauncher. Now, this Clauncher officially belonged to him!
Clauncher looking at this stanger, with an angry glare, waved one of its claws, warning Palacio not to approach.
Palacio chuckled at the intimidating Clauncher, impressed by its show of strength. He then recalled it into the Poké Ball.
On the other side, after a considerable effort in searching, Mr. Kobayashi handed over the Pokémon sponsored by YoYo Day Care to Yuga.
Looking at the neatly arranged Poké Balls in the box, Yuga asked, "Are they all here?"
Mr. Kobayashi replied, "We're missing a Clauncher, but we searched everywhere for a long time and couldn't find it for a long time. I suspect someone might have taken it during the chaos."
Yuga considered the possibility. The situation was chaotic at that time, and it wouldn't be surprising if someone took advantage of the confusion.
"Alright, I understand. I'll personally look for that Clauncher," Yuga said.
Water-type Pokémon had a distinct scent, and Clauncher had its unique aroma. Yuga planned to use a canine Pokémon to aid in the search.
Howver, In Verdanturf Town, more than one person had Clauncher and Clawitzer, so it might take some effort to find the missing Pokémon. Additionally, the person who took Clauncher might have left Verdanturf Town by now.
Anyway, Yuga didn't hold much hope for finding the missing Clauncher.
The next day arrived, and Palacio, staying in the hotel, prepared to go out for a meal. After breakfast, he had important things to do!
However, as soon as he opened the door, he encountered the occupant from the adjacent room who was also about to leaving.
The occupant was an elderly man, and at first glance, Palacio recognized him as the white-bearded man who gained attention in the competition for catching the Gyarados.
Seeing Palacio, the white-bearded man nodded warmly at him. Palacio, not wanting to talk to him, was about to leave when he glimpsed through the crack in the door and saw a peculiar, round, short, and chubby man with long facial hair sitting inside.
The white-bearded man noticed Palacio's gaze, squinted slightly, and abruptly closed the door. Palacio was startled by the sudden closing and muttered to himself while leaving: What's wrong with him!
Watching Palacio leave grumbling, the old man with a white beard had an unprecedented stern look in his eyes.
This morning, Yuga woke up a bit late, and as soon as he finished breakfast, Beidou informed him that someone had come to the gym wanting to become his disciple.
This surprised Yuga because there were many challengers at Verdanturf Town Gym, but someone coming to seek apprenticeship was a first. So, Yuga went to the gym with interest.
Upon arriving, he saw a familiar face from the man who seeking apprenticeship.
"Oh, it's you!" Yuga smiled slightly.
The person on the other side was slightly stunned, "Gym Leader Shimizu recognizes me?"
Yuga nodded, "I also attended the fishing competition yesterday."
Not exactly, he had disguised himself as a staff member and even spoke to you, but you didn't recognize him.
Hearing Yuga's words, the person seemed a bit embarrassed. Was his behavior of storming out after his fishing rod broke also had been seen? Clearly, he was aware that his actions yesterday were not admirable.
The person seeking apprenticeship was Palacio. His main purpose for coming to Verdanturf Town was to seek apprenticeship, with the fishing competition being just a side quest.
Palacio, with an ordinary background, heard that the apprentices at Verdanturf Town Gym were orphans taken in by the Gym Leader. So, he decided to try his luck. After all, even orphans had opportunities, and there was no reason he would be turned away.
However, to his surprise, Yuga flatly rejected him.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not currently considering taking on apprentices."
"Why... why not! I'll work hard," Palacio stammered.
Yuga shook his head with a smile. Based on the events of yesterday, he had no intention of accepting this person as his apprentice.
"Well, if... if you don't mind, you could take me as an apprentice. The apprenticeship slots at Verdanturf Town Gym aren't full, right?" Palacio anxiously suggested. Being a Gym apprentice was a decent opportunity, especially when knowing that Verdanturf Gym is not ordinary gym now.
Still, Yuga shook his head. Since gaining fame, numerous people wanted to send their children as apprentices to Verdanturf Gym. He refused before and would continue to do so.
Feeling frustrated, Palacio left the gym. He thought Yuga lacked vision. After all, he was better than the orphans, right?
After seeing off Palacio, Yuga thought the matter would end there. However, a few days later, he heard news that Palacio had died.
The news of the death in town came from Suzuki Koen. Initially, Yuga paid little attention; after all, people died every day in this world. A death wasn't something he needed to be concerned about, and it wasn't under his jurisdiction.
But then, Liliana visited, and stating that the last place the deceased visited was the Verdanturf Gym. Only it was then that Yuga learned that the person who died was Palacio.