Chapter 453: Seeking Peace

Chapter 453: Seeking Peace Yuga didn't intend to stay in Ecruteak City for long. After delivering Gon to Bell Tower, he planned to return to Hoenn region.

After all, it had been a long time since he left the YoYo Day Care, and this was his first extended trip.

Before leaving, Morty, a Gym Trainer from the Ecruteak Gym, had visited him at the Pokémon Center. Yuga didn't need to guess why Morty had come.

It was undoubtedly about Eusine.

Inside Yuga's room at the Pokémon Center:

"Eusine told you everything?" Yuga asked Morty.

Although he wasn't too keen on getting involved with Morty, Yuga had a favorable impression of him. Besides, Morty was well-regarded as a Gym Trainer in Ecruteak City.

"Yes, I've heard all about it," Morty nodded.

Morty had only learned about Yuga's previous visit to Bell Tower and his encounter with Ho-oh through Eusine's account. Since the split between the Ecruteak Gym and Bell Tower, the Gym continued to believe in Ho-oh, but their actual pursuit of Ho-oh wasn't as fervent as that of the monks at Bell Tower.

The initial dispute between the two sides had centered around this issue.

The concept of faith and belief had no absolute right or wrong. Therefore, neither side could claim moral superiority over the other. Thus, for many years, Bell Tower and the Ecruteak Gym maintained a state of non-interference.

The Ecruteak Gym was indeed surprised by the news that Bell Tower had found Ho-oh and welcomed back the Chosen One. However, their surprise was limited to just that – surprise.

As a subsidiary Gym under the Pokémon League, they continued to hold faith in Ho-oh but were no longer actively seeking his return.

This shift in attitude toward myth and divine worship was a significant characteristic of the modern Pokémon world. Mythical and Legendary cultures that thrived in the past, such as the Sea God Clan's worship of Lugia, Bell Tower's devotion to Ho-oh, the Draconid People's veneration of Rayquaza, the Temple of Sinnoh Clan's belief in Arceus, and the People of the Vale's reverence for Zekrom and Reshiram, had all gradually waned.

The Sea God Clan retreated to the Whirl Islands in Johto, while the Bell Tower made great efforts to reestablish contact with the Ho-oh. The Draconid People have disappeared without a trace, and the People of the Vale are now struggling in the small town of Eindoak in the Unova.

The only surviving cult was the Temple of Sinnoh Clan, and this was solely due to the pressence one of the four Masters among Trainers – the Elder of the Temple of Sinnoh Clan.

While it was true that Bell Tower had retrieved the Chosen One and now had an opportunity to reestablish contact with Ho-oh, the future remained uncertain. Nobody knew what the outcome would be, and at best, one could only predict that it wouldn't be worse than the current state of affairs.

"So what's your plan now that you've heard about it?" Yuga asked Morty expressionlessly.

Morty replied, "Indeed, Eusine didn't do the right thing. He mentioned that he didn't actually want to steal the Rainbow Feather but that there was always a voice in his head urging him to do so."

Yuga knew that apart from Marshadow, no one else could make someone carry out such an act. It was a test set by Marshadow for the Rainbow Hero, magnifying the desires already present in a person's heart. If someone didn't truly have those desires, Marshadow's influence wouldn't succeed. Otherwise, why hadn't Yuga or Sabrina been affected by Marshadow's manipulation? Only Eusine had fallen under its influence.

This can only indicate that deep down in Eusine's heart, he truly harbored the desire to seize the Rainbow Feather. The words he spoke atop Mount Tensei were indeed his innermost thoughts.

"Whether it was his own intention or he was influenced by something, his actions cannot be changed. We no longer have the responsibility to pursue him further. Isn't it okay if we can just cut ties with him?" Uttered Yuga, his tone chilly.

Sensing the displeasure in Yuga's tone, Morty hastily explained, "Mr. Shimizu, I didn't mean anything else. I genuinely wanted to apologize on Eusine's behalf. He truly wants reconciliation with you. He said he doesn't want to lose you as a friend. If it weren't for your reluctance to meet him, he would have come by himself."

"Friend?" Yuga sneered, "I genuinely considered him a friend. I even allowed him to accompany me on the secretive mission to find Ho-oh. But how did he repay me?"

Yuga's words left Morty speechless. Indeed, no matter how you looked at it, Yuga had trusted Eusine as a friend back then, offering him substantial trust by involving him in the search for Ho-oh. However, the outcome was disappointing.

At the critical moment, Eusine betrayed him, regardless of the reasons. His actions were challenging to forgive.

"I won't and don't wish to harm Eusine in any way. I simply hope he won't appear before me in the future," Yuga continued. Sёarch* The nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Realizing that any hope of reconciliation was futile, Morty reluctantly left the Pokémon Center.

To be honest, Morty had been very reluctant to make this visit. If he were in Yuga's shoes, he wouldn't be able to forgive his friend's actions either.

He had offered his genuine friendship, yet he had been repaid with betrayal. No one wanted to endure such a situation.

But what could he do? His longstanding friendship with Eusine, nurtured since childhood, made it impossible for him to refuse Eusine's earnest pleas.

Yuga had been told to treat Yuga well because his grandfather and Mr. Milton from Goldenrod City had requested it. After this incident, he didn't know how to explain things to them.

After Morty left, Yuga packed his belongings and, with his noisy bird, left the Pokémon Center. He boarded a plane bound for Hoenn.

He didn't say goodbye to the Bell Tower or Gon. He knew that Gon would be extremely reluctant to part with him. Rather than seeing Gon crying when they said their farewells, it was better not to meet at all.

However, before leaving, he entrusted someone to deliver a letter to the Bell Tower for Gon. In the letter, he told Gon that if he had the chance, he could visit him in the Verdanturf Town of Hoenn. If he had time to return to Johto, he would also come back to the Bell Tower.

The speed of planes in the Pokémon world had always been very fast, and even cross-regional flights took only a few days.

Three days later, standing at the airport in Verdanturf Town, looking at the familiar scenery, Yuga breathed a long sigh of relief.

Finally, he was back home!

Indeed, this trip to Kanjoh (Kanto and Johto) had taken a very long time, but it was still within the timeframe Yuga had estimated. Without the guidance of the Rainbow Feather, finding legendary Pokémon like Ho-oh was no easy task. It might have taken even more time than it did now.

Walking on the path back home, neighbors along the way saw Yuga's return and greeted him warmly. They hadn't seen Yuga for a long time.