<h4>Chapter 981: Ruck</h4>


    After weing Ruck into the store, Yuga smiled and said, "Visiting unannounced, I must ask for your forgiveness, Gym Leader Shimizu."


    Yuga politely shook his head and said, "No need to apologize; we had an appointment, and it doesn''t matter whether you''re early orte."


    In reality, it was impossible for Ruck to be entirely indifferent to the situation. He hade because of his brother''s matter, so ording to the proper procedure, he should have informed Mayor Ishida before visiting Verdanturf Town and, if necessary, met the mayor before paying a visit to Yuga.


    But clearly, he hadn''t done so. Not only did he skip the notification, he came to Verdanturf Town directly, and after arriving, he paid a visit to Yuga, the Gym Leader, without going through Mayor Ishida, who was responsible for town affairs.


    Although Yuga was one of the two de facto leaders of Verdanturf Town, he was primarily in charge of the town''s armed forces. Matters rted to governance and diplomacy were supposed to be dealt with by Mayor Ishida.


    After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yuga invited Ruck into a meeting room and asked, "Mr. Ruck, Are youe here to discuss about regtory viton of the Sowise Supermarket?"


    Ruck sighed and replied, "Yes, I never expected my younger brother to engage in such activities in my name. It''s truly a disgrace to the Pokémon League."


    After a few moments of silence, Yuga said, "Since you''vee to discuss the Sowise Supermarket matter, I think it would be best to inform Mayor Ishida about it. Please bear with me for a moment, Mr. Ruck."


    Ruck was taken aback by this statement, and then his expression turned murky as he said, "I guess it would be appropriate to inform Mayor Ishida..."


    At this moment, Ruck was somewhat puzzled. Was Yuga implying that he had acted improperly bying here directly, bypassing Mayor Ishida? Before visiting Verdanturf Town, Ruck had conducted some investigations, and he knew that the town''s development wasrgely thanks to Yuga''s efforts.


    Since the Gym Leader Shimizu had put in so much effort to develop Verdanturf Town, it indicated that he had ambitions. However, Ruck couldn''t fathom why someone as ambitious as Yuga would be content with a mere town mayor''s authority.


    If the rumors about Yuga being a disciple of Mr. Kuni''o were true, it made even less sense. How could a disciple of a master level Trainer willingly serve under someone else?


    This was precisely why Ruck decided to pay a visit to Yuga directly and overlook Mayor Ishida''s role.


    Sometimes, people can outsmart themselves, and Ruck had clearly overthought this matter.


    Yuga''s efforts to develop Verdanturf Town were aimed at providing a better space for YoYo Day Care to expand. While Yuga did have ambitions, they were different from Ruck''s power-hungry ambitions. Yuga only wanted to make YoYo Day Care bigger and better.


    At the beginning, Yuga had taken over YoYo Day Care because of the opportunity presented by the system. However, over time, he found joy in running the Pokemon Day Care, collecting various Pokémon, and breeding high potential Pokémon.


    The System had acted as a catalyst, but Yuga developed a genuine passion for managing the Pokémon Day Care and achieving his goals. His ambitions weren''t about seizing power for personal gain, but rather about expanding and strengthening YoYo Day Care.


    In both worlds, Yuga never had particrly big dreams, but now he had found an interesting career, and with a helpful "golden finger" (system''s support), is it too much to put a little effort into it?


    After notifying Mayor Ishida toe over, Yuga engaged in a casual conversation with Mr. Ruck. However, Mr. Ruck seemed very interested in him, always subtly probing for information.


    But Yuga was no fool; he knew what to say and what not to say.


    After chatting for a while, as usual, Audino brought out a specially brewed honey tea.


    "This is our Audino''s specially brewed honey tea. It''s very delicious, and you won''t find it elsewhere. Mr. Ruck, please have a taste," Yuga politely offered.


    As Ruck watched Audino ce the steaming honey tea on the table in front of him, he squinted his eyes slightly.


    Audino with excellent potentials.


    Sipping from the teacup, Ruck''s eyes lit up, and he said, "Great tea, very enjoyable." With this kind of skill, Audino''s value had just increased.


    Casting a discreet nce at Audino, Ruck silently thought: Mr. Gill loves collecting high potential Pokémon. If...


    With this thought in mind, Ruck suddenly asked, "I wonder if the Gym Leader Shimizu has any intentions to sell this Audino?"


    Yuga was taken aback for a moment and then coldly responded, "Mr. Ruck, please choose your words carefully."


    Sell? Can you even afford it? My Audino is priceless!


    Audino, who was about to leave, got very angry upon hearing this: Who the heck are you!


    Insulted, Audino''s reaction was direct and intense. She vigorously mmed the tray she had just used to serve tea onto the table, giving Ruck a fierce re.


    Fortunately, the tray was of high quality, or it would have been reduced to shards with Audino''s forceful action. Even Yuga was startled by Audino''s sudden outburst.


    However, Audino''s reaction didn''t faze Ruck, and he paid no attention to her attitude. He continued to smile at Yuga, believing that Yuga''s response was key.


    "Gym Leader Shimizu, please don''t rush to refuse. As long as you agree, money is not a problem."


    Seeing that Ruck wasn''t afraid of provoking Audino''s temper, Yuga was also angered. Although he didn''t care much about Audino''s attitude, her worth was immeasurable to him.


    "Mr. Ruck, as the League''s substitute Elite Four, you should know what to say and what not to say."


    Yuga''s firm stance made Ruck see the oue clearly. He quickly changed his expression and said with a chuckle, "Haha, Gym Leader Shimizu, don''t be so serious. I was just joking with you, and you took it seriously."


    This was a tant case of lying with a straight face, and it was hard to deny that Ruck had a thick skin.


    Ruck''s actions significantly lowered Yuga''s already limited goodwill towards him. Afterward, Yuga''s attitude towards him noticeably cooled, though he sensed it, he acted as if nothing had happened.


    Not long after, Mayor Ishida arrived at the YoYo Day Care, and the three of them discussed the issue of Sowise Supermarket''s improper upation of Verdanturf Town.


    First and foremost, it was clear that the supermarket''s presence in Verdanturf Town was not going to happen.


    Next was the issue ofpensation for the Forest House. Regardless of the other details, mental distresspensation was a must. After all, Ms. Kawahara had been through a lot.


    Ideally, it should have been the responsibility of the owner of Sowise Supermarket to settle thepensation for the Forest House. However, Ruck strongly opposed his younger brother meeting with Mayor Ishida, insisting that he could make any decisions on behalf of Sowise.


    Mayor Ishida was not insistent on meeting the supermarket owner; as long as thepensation was adequate, other matters could be resolved.


    To be honest, the Forest House Orphanage had always been a major challenge for Verdanturf Town. Now, the town was at a crucial point in its development. If they could resolve the orphanage''s financial issues through this opportunity, it would be a significant win.


    Finally, a dispute arose over thepensation amount. Mayor Ishida was dissatisfied with the figure Ruck had proposed, and the two of them engaged in lengthy negotiations without reaching a conclusion.


    At this point, Ruck''s eyes lit up as he suddenly turned to Yuga and asked, "I heard that the Gym Leader Shimizu is a Elite level Trainer?"


    Yuga was slightly taken aback and replied, "Well, you could say that." He might even be considered as a Champion level Trainer now.


    Ruck''s lips curled into a smile: You could say that? What kind of answer is that?


    He rolled his eyes and then said, "How about this, Gym Leader Shimizu and I have a Pokémon battle. If you win, thepensation amount doubles. If I win, it''s halved from our initial offer. We''re both Trainers, and when ites to making decisions, it''s often challenging. This is the best way to settle this."


    Mayor Ishida''s eyes brightened upon hearing this proposal. If thepensation amount doubled on the opponent''s side, the Forest House would no longer be a burden on Verdanturf Town.


    Thinking of this, Mayor Ishida looked at Yuga with hope in his eyes. He had immense trust in Yuga and couldn''t fathom a situation where Yuga would lose.


    Seeing Mayor Ishida''s pitiful expression, Yuga''s lips twitched, and he reluctantly said, "Alright... I agree..."


    Upon hearing Yuga''s consent, Ruck''s smile grew even broader.


    The battle took ce at Yuga''s Gym, and the agreed-upon rules were three rounds. This allowed both sides to showcase their strengths and save time.


    After both sides were ready, they released their Pokémon simultaneously. Yuga sent out his Charizard, Torterra, and Kartana, while Ruck''s team consisted of ziken, Talonme, and Vileplume.


    Since both sides released their Pokémon at the same time, they didn''t expect their teams to have a significant ovep in terms of types.


    Yuga had no intention of revealing his full strength, so the Pokémon use at this time was at the Intermediate Elite level, Junior Elite level, and a pseudo-Elite level. Ruck''s team, on the other hand, included Pokémon at the Intermediaate Elite level and two Junior Elite level Pokémon.


    Yuga had watched Ruck''s battle videos and had some understanding of his skills and Pokémon. In contrast, Ruck knew nothing about Yuga and was even unfamiliar with Kartana. That was one reason why Yuga dared to bring out Kartana, which was still at the pseudo-Elite level in terms of strength.


    Seeing the unfamiliar Kartana, Ruck thought to himself: An unusual Pokémon; Mr. Gill might find it interesting.


    The battle began, and Ruck''s Vileplume took the initiative, releasing a sweet scent that filled the nostrils of Charizard and Torterra, making them feel dizzy and disoriented.


    Yuga''s Torterra immediately activated the Grassy Terrain move, causing fresh grass to sprout from the ground. The refreshing scent of grass helped Charizard regain some rity after being affected by the sweet scent.


    By the time they snapped out of it, ziken was already closing in on Kartana with a powerful ze Kick, while Talonme, soaring in the sky, used Brave Bird to attack Charizard.


    Kartana''s reaction time was top-notch, and its movements were incredibly agile. It raised its hands and use Scared Sword move to block ziken''s ze Kick, resulting in a deadlock between the two.


    However, Charizard wasn''t as fortunate.


    The attack by Talonme had already taken the upper hand, andbined with its ability Gale Wings (which increases the priority of Flying-type moves when at full HP), Charizard couldn''t evade the attack.


    Talonme''s Brave Bird was a powerful Flying-type move, and it sent Charizard crashing to the ground.


    However, Charizard took advantage of the moment when Talonme crashed into it and grabbed its two wings with both hands, bringing it down as well.


    Brave Bird was indeed powerful, but it had a drawback of dealing a third of its damage back to the user. So, taken by surprise, Talonme couldn''t escape Charizard''s grasp.


    As the two Pokémon collided with the ground, they created visible cracks in the solid earth.


    Talonme pped its wings wildly in an attempt to free itself from Charizard''s grip. Still, Charizard''s ws emitted a green glow, indicating the use of the Dragon w move to enhance the strength of its restraint.


    Of course, during Talonme''s struggles, Charizard suffered as well. Its sharp ws left numerous wounds on its belly.


    At this moment, Torterra''s Stone Edge move hit the restrained Talonme squarely, causing it to crash down.


    Seeing Talonme''s quick defeat, Ruck''s face couldn''t have looked worse.


    On the other side, Kartana held its Sacred Sword, shing noisily with the me Punch of ziken. The two Pokémon were locked in intensebat.


    Kartana was at a lower tier, and its type was severely disadvantaged against ziken. Yet, its advantagesy in its remarkable speed and high attack.


    High speed allowed Kartana to avoid ziken''s attacks, and high attack granted it the power to counter ziken.


    For Pokémon like Kartana that pursued extreme speed and attack paths, things like HP and defense were secondary.


    In short, for a short period of time, ziken couldn''t find a way to ovee Kartana.


    As for why Vileplume didn''t intervene when Torterra attacked Talonme, it was because it had been trapped by Torterra''s previously set Invisible Rock. Even the slightest movement would subject it to countless rock-based counterattacks.


    Once it cleared away all the Stealth Rocks with its Petal Blizzard, Talonme was already lying on the ground, unable to get up.


    Seeing that ziken was held in check by Kartana, Charizard and Torterra jointly attacked the recently freed Vileplume.


    Vileplume was only a junior elite level and was at a disadvantage against Charizard, not to mention that its typing was weak against it. How could it withstand thebined assault of a intermediate elite level and a junior elite level Pokémon? It didn''t have the agility of Kartana.


    Although ziken intended to help Vileplume, its opponent, Kartana, was an freak. With its pseudo-Elite level strength, it managed to keep the intermediate elite level ziken busy, preventing it from offering any assistance.


    While Kartana couldn''t deal effective damage to ziken, it made sure that ziken couldn''t escape its grip.


    Shortly after, with the joint effort of Charizard and Torterra, Vileplume also fell.


    This Vileplume was a tenacious one, and just before its "death," it managed to counterattack, poisoning Charizard in the process.


    Without Vileplume''s support, ziken was cornered by the three Pokémon and soon found itself in an unfavorable position, eventually leading to its defeat. However, Charizard also sumbed to its poison status and fell.


    After the battle concluded, Ruck congratted and admired Yuga, but in fact he was quite disapproving of it.


    He believed that Yuga''s victory wasrgely due to Charizard identally trapping Talonme. Without this incident, Ruck thought he wouldn''t have lost so easily.


    If Yuga were to know Ruck''s inner thoughts, he would probably hold him in disdain.


    Once Ruck promised to send thepensation as soon as possible, he hurriedly left the Verdanturf Gym.


    However, as soon as Ruck departed, a shadow quietly began to follow him.