Yuga sighed and took some food from his backpack, handing it to Adrielle. He said, "Eat up!"
"Thank you, big brother," Adrielle muttered softly. She didn't know if Yuga had heard her, but she focused on eating her meal.
Due to Adrielle's presence, Yuga couldn't proceed further for now. He had to wait for Blaziken to wake up at the very least.
During this break, Yuga didn't engage in much conversation with Adrielle. She seemed a bit frightened of him and hesitated to initiate conversation.
Time passed in silence between them.
After a considerable while, Blaziken slowly opened its eyes and saw Adrielle unharmed by its side. It let out a relieved cry, "Blaziken!"
Blaziken called out to Yuga, expressing its gratitude.
Yuga approached the awakened Blaziken and checked its condition. Thanks to Florges's Grassy Terrain and the medicine, Blaziken's injuries were no longer severe. Yuga then addressed both Adrielle and Blaziken, "Since Blaziken's injuries are no longer a concern, you should hurry and leave the Violet Glow Forest."
"Big brother, aren't you coming with us?" Adrielle quickly asked.
Yuga replied, "I have other matters to attend to. I can't leave right now. Let Blaziken escort you out."
Adrielle reluctantly nodded.
Before parting ways, Adrielle asked for Yuga's name, but he didn't share it. In such chance encounters, revealing his name held little significance.
As Yuga continued walking a short distance, he suddenly signaled to Absol with his eyes. Absol nodded quietly and swiftly turned, releasing a Dark Pulse towards the treetops in the distance.
Following a pitiful cry, a wild Natu fell from the trees, incapacitated.
A wild Natu? Why was it following me? Yuga wondered.
He attempted to capture it with a Poké Ball but failed. It had a trainer already.
It seemed like he had attracted someone's attention. Yuga thought, unsure whether it was a local resident of the forest or someone else entirely.
Yuga and Adrielle had noticed they were being watched during their rest, but Yuga didn't make a fuss about it or act hastily. He decided to deal with this Natu only after he had seen Adrielle safely out of the forest.
So, how should he handle this Natu? Keeping it could cause trouble, and he couldn't catch it. Did he have to resort to eliminating it?
With no other option, Yuga reluctantly picked up the Natu and continued on his way.
After Yuga and Absol had left with the Natu, another wild Natu emerged from the treetops where it had been hiding. It stared at the direction Yuga had gone for a moment, its expression somewhat melancholic, and then flapped its wings and flew away.
As Yuga carried the Natu for some distance, he noticed something black sticking out from its feathers around the neck area. He examined it more closely and found a miniature camera. Unfortunately, it had been damaged by Absol's Dark Pulse.
Seeing the damaged camera in his hand, Yuga contemplated the situation. He became even more cautious in his actions.
Before long, Yuga successfully ventured deeper into the forest. Due to the presence of the wild Natu, he became extra vigilant about his surroundings.
The depths of the Violet Glow Forest were vastly different from its outskirts. It was eerily quiet, and this silence sent shivers down one's spine.
Yuga could spot snakes like Serviper lurking in the grass, Ariados hanging motionless from tree branches, and Victreebel continuously drooling.
At this moment, Yuga truly admired the person called Motohara for enduring life in such a stifling environment for an extended period.
After walking for a while, Yuga suddenly noticed a Wigglytuff following him.
Why was a Wigglytuff following him? Could it be another one like the Natu, spying on him?
However, just as Yuga was about to turn around, he saw the Wigglytuff hiding behind a tree at some distance, its eyes filled with tears.
Following that, the Wigglytuff, running towards him, burst into tears.
Yuga was too puzzled to react until the Wigglytuff reached him.
"Wigglytuff, Wigglytuff!"
When Yuga noticed the tattered scarf tied around its arm, he suddenly realized why Wigglytuff was in such a state.
He pulled Wigglytuff away from the embrace, disbelief in his voice, "Are you Mom's Wigglytuff?"
The Wigglytuff, still crying, nodded vigorously.
"How did you end up here? And what about Grandbull?" Yuga urgently asked.
Hearing Yuga mention Grandbull, the Wigglytuff sobbed even harder.
Seeing the Wigglytuff's condition, Yuga's heart sank.
"Grandbull... Grandbull, is it dead?" Yuga asked with a trembling voice.
The Wigglytuff nodded, tears streaming down its face.
Wigglytuff and Grandbull were Yuga's parents' Pokémon, and they were also a couple. They had been given to Yuga's parents by their own grandfather on the day they inherited the Pokémon Day Care. At that time, they were just Jigglypuff and Snubbull.
Although Yuga wasn't the original Yuga, he possessed all the memories of his predecessor. He knew that Jigglypuff and Snubbull had grown up with him, and he understood the deep bond between them.
Before Yuga's parents met their tragic fate, Wigglytuff and Grandbull had accompanied them on their journeys.
When Yuga received the news of his parents' death, there was also word of the disappearance of the two Pokémon.
Initially, Yuga thought they had simply gone missing, but he never expected to encounter Wigglytuff in the Violet Glow Forest, along with the news of Grandbull's death.
The authorities had also searched for traces of Wigglytuff and Grandbull, but there had been no results, and eventually, the matter had been left unresolved.
Yuga, hands trembling, pulled out a photo of Motohara and handed it to Wigglytuff. He then asked, "Is Dad and Mom's death related to this person?"
Seeing Motohara's photo, Wigglytuff's once bright blue eyes turned bloodshot, filled with deep-seated hatred.
It violently tore the photo of Motohara into shreds and threw it on the ground, stomping on it repeatedly.
Witnessing Wigglytuff's actions, Yuga understood the unspoken answer.
"Is Grandbull's death also related to him?" Yuga asked without blaming Wigglytuff for its actions.
After venting its emotions, Wigglytuff finally regained some composure and nodded once more. If it weren't for Grandbull, it couldn't have escaped.