While Yuga was handling the issue with the two Pokémon, the Gym became quite lively due to Gengar's unexpected arrival with a loudly protesting middle-aged man. Gengar had hung the man on a wooden post at the edge of the Gym's yard.
The appearance of Gengar and the man immediately drew the attention of a group of young trainers, who were diligently training their Pokémon under Beidou's supervision. They started murmuring among themselves.
Anmu: "Who is that man?"
Anrin shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
Ayagiri: "Why is he hanging there?"
None of them had the answers they sought.
Ayato: "Is that Gengar the Gym Leader's Pokémon? It looks really powerful."
Akihito added, "I'm not sure, I've never seen the Gym Leader with that Pokémon before."
Only Arata Sena, who had a keen eye for detail, found something vaguely familiar about the man.
Beidou recognized Yuga's Gengar, even though he didn't see it often. He wondered why Gengar had brought this person and hung him in the Gym's yard.
However, the man hanging there, who appeared somewhat deranged, was not unfamiliar to Beidou. He was the challenger from the Gym's opening ceremony.
Could Yuga be seeking revenge? Beidou couldn't help but wonder, but he quickly dismissed those strange thoughts. Based on his understanding of Yuga, he knew Yuga wouldn't engage in such unsavory actions.
Unable to comprehend the situation any further, Beidou decided not to dwell on it and instead shouted to the young trainers, "Quiet down and focus on your training! What's all this noise and commotion about!"
His stern words made the children shrink back, and they continued their training in silence.
Meanwhile, at this moment, Aunt Aoba, carrying a basket of fresh vegetables, cheerfully entered the Gym. She had brought some extra food for the children at the Gym, as they were in the midst of their growth spurt and needed proper nutrition.
As she entered the Gym, Aunt Aoba couldn't help but wonder why there was a person hanging from a wooden post in the yard. However, when she took a closer look at the person's face, her expression changed dramatically. She was so shocked that she dropped her basket without even realizing it, stumbling towards the man hanging from the post.
"Arata Yuuto! It's you!"
Aunt Aoba approached the base of the wooden post, gritting her teeth as she shouted.
Despite more than a decade having passed, she recognized this man at a glance. Countless nights and days, her husband had lamented over a photo of this man, and she had etched his face deeply into her memory.
Comparing his current appearance with the past, although he had changed significantly, there was still a hint of his former self in that weathered face.
A few days ago, when she had seen this face at the Gym's opening ceremony, she had hurriedly followed, but somehow lost track of him.
Her husband and son knew nothing about these matters. They simply believed she was worried about her son.
The middle-aged man hanging from the wooden post, who had been shouting vigorously, was now too exhausted to speak. However, when he heard someone call his name, he suddenly raised his head.
The middle-aged man, or rather, Arata Yuuto, widened his eyes and stammered.
"Is it really you? Recognizing me after all these years is no easy feat! I thought you might have forgotten even your own name!"
As she spoke, Aunt Aoba's whole body trembled, her eyes turning redder by the second, but she fought back tears with all her might.
Down below, Arata Sena, who was in the middle of training, couldn't believe his ears when he heard his mother say "Arata Yuuto." He stared in disbelief.
Ever since his mother had revealed his true life experience, he had firmly etched the name Arata Yuuto into his memory—a name associated with the tragedy that had befallen his family.
Seeing his sister-in-law once again, Arata Yuuto's eyes flickered, but he remained silent, not uttering another word.
"Why have you returned after all these years? Do you have any idea how long it took us to remove you from our lives?" Aunt Aoba, her voice trembling, covered her eyes with her hands. Between her fingers, tears glistened, and despite her efforts, she couldn't hold them back any longer.
This man, standing before her, had caused the death of their parents due to his selfishness, and then he had abandoned his wife and child.
"Mom, who is this man?"
At that moment, Arata Sena, who had come out of the training group, approached his mother. His lips trembled as he looked at her, his gaze filled with questions.
Hearing Arata Sena's voice, Aunt Aoba sobbed softly, then raised her head and said, "Sena..."
Meeting Arata Sena's gaze, Aunt Aoba instantly understood what he was asking. When she had first entered the Gym, her shock and anger at seeing Arata Yuuto had made her forget about the others present, including Arata Sena, who was in the training group.
The people in the room were perplexed by Aunt Aoba's words. Did Aunt Aoba know the disheveled man hanging there? They were oblivious to Arata Sena's true life experience, so naturally they don't know about it. Yuga and Aunt Aoba were privy to that information.
However, Aunt Aoba soon grasped the situation. She had already disclosed all of Arata Sena's background to him. Now that his biological father had appeared, there was no need to keep it a secret from him. She nodded toward Arata Sena, confirming his suspicions.
With his mother's affirmation, Arata Sena's eyes filled with anger and resentment as he looked back at Arata Yuuto. No wonder he had found this man familiar; he bore a striking resemblance to both his adopted father (uncle) and even had some of Arata Sena's own features.
"Aoba, this child..."
Arata Yuuto licked his lips and whispered to Aunt Aoba.
"This is my son! He has nothing to do with you!"
Aunt Aoba's tone was icy.
Hearing Aunt Aoba's words, Arata Yuuto's pupils constricted. Although Aunt Aoba refused to acknowledge it, he had already guessed that the child before him was his son.
With this realization, Arata Yuuto then asked, "What happened to Yoko?"
Yoko was Arata Sena's birth mother and Arata Yuuto's wife's name.
Since Arata Yuuto had left home years ago and never returned, he had no emotional attachment to his wife anymore. His inquiry was merely casual. However, he had a vague sense that his wife might no longer be alive. Otherwise, why would his son refer to his sister-in-law as his mother?
"Shut up! You're not allowed to mention that name."
Arata Sena yelled at Arata Yuuto.
In this family, if there was one person Arata Yuuto had wronged the most, it wasn't Arata Sena, his nephew, or his sister-in-law. It was his wife, the woman who had passed away without ever seeing her husband one last time.