<h4>Chapter 1203: Stylish Nales</h4>


    That evening, Yuga told Gary about Nales'' decision to follow him. Gary was thrilled upon hearing this, as he could freely study Nales while traveling with Yuga.


    An eight-hundred-year-old Nales was extraordinarily rare, and it likely had many secrets yet to be discovered. As a researcher, Gary was not about to pass up such a unique opportunity.


    The next morning, Yuga and Gary set out on their journey back to Pallet Town.


    On the way, they stopped by Nales'' oldir. Nales summoned the rulers of the forest to inform them that it would soon be leaving to explore the outside world and urged them to continue maintaining order in the forest.


    The forest rulers were very obedient to Nales. After all, it was thanks to the top-grade evolution stones Nales had provided that they had reached their current state. Though reluctant to part with Nales, they dutifully promised to uphold its wishes.


    As for the treasures, Yuga and Gary couldn''t transport them all in one trip, so they decided to return to Pallet Town first and arrange to have them movedter.


    A few dayster, Yuga and Gary returned safely to Pallet Town. Nales, who hadn''t been recalled to its Master Ball, simply followed them back outside.


    To Nales, the Master Ball was too confining, even lessfortable than a regr Poké Ball, so it usually preferred not to enter it.


    Yuga wasn''t nning to rece its ball with a regr Poké Ball yet, as he still didn''t fully trust Nales. Without the Master Ball''s restraint, there was no guarantee Nales would remain as obedient.


    Upon their smooth arrival in Pallet Town, the happiest one by far was Professor Oak. Mew''s fur, the long-lived Nales, and the Time Flower sample—each of these fascinated him.


    During Yuga''s absence, Windy got along splendidly with Professor Oak''s assistants at theb, even to the point of not wanting to leave. This meant Yuga had nothing to worry about.


    Despite being a homebody, Windy had some mild social anxiety, yet during his time at theb, he and Porygon2 learned many new things, significantly increasing their work efficiency.


    In the field ofworking, Windy truly was a bona fide genius.


    Once Gary and Yuga informed Professor Oak about the treasure, he arranged for some helpers and a flying transport. Yuga then led the way back to Nales''ir to retrieve all the treasure.


    Gary didn''t participate in the treasure recovery because he waspletely absorbed in studying Mew''s fur and didn''t want to leave theb at all.


    Once the treasure was back, Yuga and the team separated the valuables—gold, silver, jewelry, antique jade, and the resources for raising Pokémon.


    Professor Oak nned to have the valuables appraised and handled, with the proceeds split equally between Yuga and Gary.


    As for the resources, they divided them on the spot.


    After the resource division, Yuga decided to visit the nearest city to Pallet Town—Viridian City—and hire Pidgey Express to send the items back to Verdanturf Town.


    It was easy to find Pidgey Express in Viridian City. Yuga simply asked someone on the street, and they directed him right to the ce.


    Since he had too many items to transport by himself, he requested on-site service from Pidgey Express. After exining the situation to the staff, he left Professor Oak''sb address and contact information.


    Afterpleting all this, Yuga called for Nales and walked out of the Pidgey Express office.


    It had been a long time since Nales had visited the human world. With how much the outside world had changed, it felt entirely out of sync with society.


    As Nales observed all the new and intriguing things on the street, it kept a calm appearance but was actually ncing around curiously, eyeing various objects with interest. However, it didn''t dare ask Yuga about them, fearing he''d tease it for being out of touch.


    With its elegant appearance, Nales was even more beautiful than most of its kind, so it drew many stares along the way. Some people even approached Yuga, challenging him to a battle.


    Nales, however, was uninterested. Given its age, it could easily be considered a "grandmother" among Nales, and it had no intention of stooping to engage with these young ones.


    Many people walked their Pokémon around town, but none made as much of an impression as Yuga and Nales. Feeling quite pleased with itself, Nales said to Yuga, "See? You''ve got so much prestige just walking around with me!"


    Yuga looked at it with a half-smile. "So?"


    Nales perked up at this. "So, aren''t you going to thank me? I mean, it''s not like I care, but if you <i>insist</i> on showing gratitude, I wouldn''t mind. That flower over there, for instance, might be a suitable gesture."


    Yuga followed Nales'' gaze to a clothing shop. In the disy window, a mannequin dressed in a kimono wore a striking floral headpiece.


    "You like that?" Yuga asked in surprise. "You''re a Pokémon!"


    Nales mumbled, "It''s not that I particrly <i>like</i> it, I just think it suits me." Then, feigning indifference, it turned its head away.


    Yuga nced at it and casually replied, "Oh, well, if you don''t like it, let''s move along."


    "Wait..." Nales hesitated, torn between following Yuga and keeping its eyes on the shop window.


    Knowing not to tease it too much, Yuga turned and said, "Fine, I''ll buy it for you. It''s not like it costs that much."


    A glimmer of joy shed in Nales'' eyes before it quickly returned to its usualposed expression.


    The shop Nales had chosen specialized in kimonos and rted essories, so when Yuga entered with Nales, they were immediately weed warmly by the sales staff.


    When Yuga mentioned buying something for Nales, the sales staff weren''t surprised at all. It turned out this shop catered to Pokémon as well, and it wasmon for Pokémon toe in for clothing and essories.


    As soon as Nales stepped into the store, it was dazzled by the variety of garments and essories. Back when its previous owner was alive, they would often dress it up, but the essories back then couldn''t achieve the same level of elegance and mour as today.


    Although Yuga knew that Nales'' former owner was a notorious pirate, he didn''t realize that this pirate had been a woman.


    She hadn''t started out as a pirate, though. Originally, she was the daughter of a tailor, but her beauty attracted the attention of a wealthy local man. Refusing to be with him, she watched helplessly as he murdered her parents.


    Afterward, she fled to the sea and joined a pirate crew, eventually marrying the captain. When he passed away, she naturally took over his influence, rising to fame on the high seas, and soon avenged her parents by eliminating her enemies.


    In the Pokémon world, ancient gender bias wasn''t as severe as in Yuga''s past life, thanks to the presence of Pokémon. Regardless of gender, anyone with ability could rise to prominence.


    When the pirate retired, she became a humble tailor in her father''s old trade, and Nales served as her model.


    Thus, influenced by its former owner, Nales, though quite old, still had a youthful heart! Enchanted by the beautiful essories, it wanted everything it saw. Although it didn''t explicitly say so, its gaze made its desires clear.


    Yuga thought, <i>Well, since I just made some money off of it, I might as well spend a bit.</i>


    So he bought everything Nales liked, leaving it beaming with joy.


    The store''s staff were experts in styling, with some assisting customers in choosing clothing and essories, while others did the same for Pokémon.


    One of the staff helped ce the floral ornament Nales initially admired on its head.


    Originally designed for humans, the flower wasn''t easy for Nales to wear, but since Yuga was spending generously, the designer and tailor came out to make adjustments.


    In addition to the flower, Nales was adorned with essories on its paws, neck, and back.


    The staff were truly professional—the ensemble looked fantastic, reminding Yuga of the dazzlingly dressed performance Pokémon he''d seen in the Pokémon Showcasepetitions in Kalos.


    Unfortunately, these items were only decorative, bing cumbersome in battle.


    But since Nales enjoyed it, Yuga didn''t dampen its enthusiasm. He hoped to win its favor enough to keep it by his side permanently.


    Once dressed up, Nales strutted proudly in front of the mirror. It truly did attract attention, especially with its nine silky, ribbon-like tails.


    Watching the pleased Nales in the mirror, Yuga shook his head helplessly. Raising Pokémon required more than just training; sometimes it meant indulging their lifestyle needs as well.


    Just then, avishly dressed noblewoman approached with her own Nales. Upon seeing Yuga''s Nales, she eximed, "Oh my, how did you raise such a beautiful Nales? If mine looked half as good, I''d be thrilled."


    Yuga looked over to see the noblewoman''s Nales wing at her skirt with a disgruntled expression. Unfazed, the noblewoman smiled apologetically and said, "Just kidding, just kidding! To me, you''re always the prettiest. Let''s go get you groomed, and you''ll be just as stunning in no time."


    Only then did her Nales relent, taking the opportunity to shoot a re at Yuga''s Nales. Yuga''s Nales, however, didn''t deign to respond, dismissing it altogether.


    It was true that the noblewoman''s Nales couldn''tpare to Yuga''s. Not only was its elegancecking, but in every aspect—from posture and fur luster to behavior—it was inferior to Yuga''s Nales.


    The noblewoman, naturally sociable, asked Yuga, "You must have taken your Nales to a beauty salon for such beautiful grooming, right? I knew this was the right ce."


    "Beauty Salon?" Yuga asked, a bit puzzled, while Nales couldn''t resist perking up its ears.


    "Yes, the beauty salon here is very famous. I heard about it from a friend..." The noblewoman, clearly intrigued by Yuga''s good looks, began chatting away.


    Before leaving, she even tossed Yuga a flirty wink, clearly pleased with herself.


    "That beauty salon sounds amazing. Let''s go check it out," Nales suggested after the noblewoman left.


    Nales was quite intrigued by this beauty salon. Could it truly make that dull creature as beautiful as her? Nales was skeptical.


    Yuga looked at it and said, "Aren''t you generous! You just cost me a fortune, but it''s not your money, so you don''t feel it, do you?"


    Nales huffed, "I''ve already ''sold myself'' to you, so why shouldn''t you spend a little on me? Don''t you think I''m worth it? Fine, I''ll follow yourmands from now on."


    Yuga''s eyes lit up at that. Was it possible to buy a Pokémon''s favor with money? Worth every penny! Any problem money could solve was no real problem.


    "You said it! No going back on your word!" Yuga feigned reluctance.


    "Yeah, yeah! Stop nagging," Nales grumbled impatiently.


    And so, Yuga left the store with his elegantly dressed Nales. Although its appearance was a bit extravagant, it wasn''t umon for Pokémon to be dressed like this in public, so it didn''t attract excessive attention.


    Actually, Yuga had suggested in the store that Nales remove the essories while they were out and wear them at home, but Nales refused. Wearing these in private wouldn''t be any fun—it was the joy of being seen.


    Thankfully, the designs allowed for regr movement, or Yuga wouldn''t have agreed to let it go out like this.


    Just as the noblewoman had said, the beauty salon in Viridian City was indeed very well-known, and Yuga quickly located it after asking around.


    But because of its poprity, the slots were already filled when Yuga and Nales arrived. Outside, the garden was packed with customers and their Pokémon waiting to be seen.


    Upon reaching the beauty salon, Nales'' extravagant look no longer stood out; there were even more mboyantly adorned Pokémon everywhere.


    "You see? It''s not that I''m unwilling to spend, but this ce is packed!" Yuga exined, shrugging.


    Nales knew it wasn''t Yuga''s fault, but its excitement faded, and its ears drooped in disappointment, making Yuga feel sympathetic.


    "Yuga? What are you doing here?"


    Just then, a familiar voice sounded behind Yuga. He turned around and, to his surprise, he saw Misty.


    "Misty? What brings you here?" Yuga asked, delighted.


    Since they hadn''t seen each other in a while, the two of them found a spot to catch up. Yuga exined why he was in Viridian City, and Misty shared her reason for being there.


    It turned out that Viridian City was currently hosting a conference for Kanto''s Gym Leaders, and Misty was one of the invited Leaders.


    Today, after some intense sparring with several other Gym Leaders at Viridian Gym, Misty decided to bring her Pokémon here for some rxation, not expecting to run into Yuga.


    This beauty salon was well-known for its excellent rxation and rejuvenation services for Pokémon. Not only was Misty a regr, but she was also a VIP member.


    When she learned that Yuga and Nales couldn''t get in due to ack of reservation, Misty patted her chest confidently and said, "Leave this small matter to me!"