Deep Affection

Three days later, at the request of forest ranger Zaden, Yuga arrived at the edge of the Petalburg Forest, where Zaden was already waiting for him.

This time, Yuga didn't bring many other Pokémon with him; he had brought Absol, Vivillon, Dragonite, Charizard, Gengar, and a Mismagius.

There is also Chatot who wants to follow him for nothing.

Yuga had brought Absol to serve as a land mount.

As for bringing other Pokémon, the reason was straightforward. Since they needed to prevent Swellow and Taillow from attacking Beautifly and Dustox, Yuga felt it would be more convenient to have some flying Pokémon along.

Sometimes, Yuga had the illusion that he was a Flying-type Trainer considering how many Flying-type Pokémon he had.

He left Lapras behind because it was too slow and couldn't catch up with Flying-type Pokémon. Gardevoir didn't accompany him either because it had been dominantting the body in the past few days, so it decided to give control of the body back to Gardevoir (male) again.

Gardevoir (male) probably didn't want to go with Yuga either; it preferred staying in the Ecopark with Shellgon.

Yuga dismounted from Charizard and addressed Zaden, who had been waiting for him. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

Zaden quickly shook his head and said, "It's okay, I just got here as well."

He showed great respect towards Yuga.

While there were still people outside who questioned Yuga's true strength as an Elite level Trainer, within the Pokémon League, his abilities had been confirmed beyond a doubt.

This was because both Steven and Phoebe knew the extent of Yuga's true power, and they held influential positions within the League. They couldn't possibly fail to report Yuga's actual capabilities.

It was precisely for this reason that the League had chosen Yuga to groom him into a star Trainer.

The presence of star Trainers was crucial for the League as they could help establish a positive image and influence social trends.

The Elite Four of the League were essentially star Trainers at the pinnacle, although there were significant differences between them and regular star Trainers like Yuga.

The Elite Four held official League positions, which were not easily attained.

"Where are we headed now?" Yuga asked as he released Absol and mounted it. Chatot naturally perched on his shoulder.

Seeing Chatot following Yuga, Zaden didn't find it strange at all, so he replied, "Every year, Beautifly and Dustox gather in a specific location for their courtship. We'll go directly there. Swellow and Taillow usually launch their final attacks at that spot."

"Alright, you know the area better than I do. If you need anything from me, just let me know. Let's get going," Yuga said.

With that, they set off.

Chatot flew up from the Yuga shoulder and landed on Absol's head, looking very proud.

While Zaden rode on his sturdy Luxray, a common choice for forest rangers.

The profession of a forest ranger was unique, and they didn't raise large numbers of Pokémon like other Trainers. However, there were two types of Pokémon that forest rangers often trained: land mounts and flying mounts. These two types of companions played a crucial role in their missions.

Therefore, forest rangers were quite selective when choosing these partners. Those who worked near rivers, lakes, and seas would also train Water-type mounts.

As it was already deep autumn, most of the leaves in the Petalburg Forest had turned yellow, giving it a somewhat desolate appearance.

Yuga glanced up and occasionally spotted scattered Beautifly and Dustox flying in the same direction.

"We haven't reached the time when Beautifly and Dustox gather in large numbers yet. Just wait for a couple more days; their courtship event will be truly spectacular," Zaden explained.

Yuga glanced up at a Beautifly flying across the sky, Zaden remarked.

Yuga nodded in response.

"However, I've heard about it from other forest rangers. This is my first year in the Petalburg Forest, so I haven't actually witnessed that spectacle," Zaden added, scratching the back of his head with a somewhat silly grin.

Yuga smiled and said, "I haven't seen it either, but it should be quite beautiful."

"Ha, what's so appealing about a bunch of bugs? Am I not good-looking enough?" Chatot suddenly chimed in, puffing up its chest and proudly displaying its colorful feathers when it heard Yuga praise the Beautifly.

While Chatot did have colorful feathers, it wasn't necessarily good-looking.

Startled by Chatot suddenly speaking, Zaden looked at it in surprise.

"Pay no mind to it; that's just how it is," Yuga said, giving Chatot a stern look, then turned to Zaden with a smile.

Afterwards, Yuga released his Vivillon, which flew over to Chatot and chatted with it in chirpy sounds. Chatot quickly surrendered.

"Miss, I didn't mean you! You're beautiful, much prettier than me!" Chatot said, and once Vivillon left, it returned to perching on Absol, muttering under its breath, "Hmph, having connections sure makes a difference!"

As Yuga and Zaden chatted idly, time passed unnoticed, and they had covered quite a distance.

Suddenly, they witnessed a Swellow chasing a Beautifly in their direction.

The Beautifly panicked, evading Swellow's attacks, but it was repeatedly pecked by Swellow's sharp beak and sustained considerable injuries, swaying unsteadily in the air.

Vivillon, another butterfly Pokémon like Beautifly, immediately took action, firing a powerful Psychic that hit the arrogant Swellow.

Swellow was knocked back but quickly regained its composure and, upon seeing Vivillon, launched an angry counterattack.

Several transparent Razor Winds were sent toward Vivillon, but it easily deflected them using a Light Screen.

How could a wild Swellow that had appeared out of nowhere compete with Yuga's well-trained Vivillon?

Soon, Vivillon defeated Swellow, which flew away dejectedly.

From Swellow's perspective, it hadn't done anything wrong. Under normal circumstances, Yuga and the others wouldn't have interfered to help Beautifly. In the natural world, there were no absolute concepts of right or wrong in battles; it was just that Beautifly was in a disadvantaged position, making it more sympathetic to people.

However, the situation in the Petalburg Forest was unique. Yuga and his group were here specifically to assist Beautifly and Dustox.

When the saved Beautifly finally relaxed, it took a sigh of relief and plummeted from the sky. However, Vivillon caught it with a Psychic.

With the care provided by Yuga and his group, the Beautifly quickly regained consciousness.

But surprisingly, this Beautifly had fallen in love with Yuga's Vivillon and began joyfully performing a courtship dance in front of it.

Yuga's Vivillon was female, and this Beautifly was unquestionably male.