The Death of Togekiss
Yuga rode Archeops down to the lake at the center of Lake Island No. 3, where he found it crowded with Togepi, Togetic, and Togekiss, all looking deeply sorrowful. When they noticed Yuga's arrival, they respectfully made way for him, allowing him a clear view of the Togekiss clan leader they were gathered around.
At that moment, the Togekiss leader was on the brink of death, its age evident in every feature, and no signs of vitality remained. Upon seeing Yuga, it lifted its head slightly but soon collapsed back down, exhausted.
Yuga approached to check on its condition. "Why did this happen so suddenly? Wasn't everything fine before?" he murmured as he channeled his special healing abilities into the Togekiss leader's body.
All the Togepi, Togetic, and Togekiss lowered their heads in silence. Only the Togekiss leader gave a faint call, comforting Yuga as it felt a renewed sense of ease from the healing energy.
Yuga knew that the Togekiss leader was simply too old, with its organs failing and death approaching at any moment.
Once a Pokémon reaches Elite level and undergoes a life transformation, their lifespan generally surpasses that of humans. However, the Togekiss leader was already quite old and had not managed to reach the Champion level, so it was not surprising that it found itself in this condition.
"I'll take you to see Nurse Joy," Yuga said with a heavy heart.
The Togekiss leader initially wanted to refuse, feeling that its time had naturally come, but seeing the sorrow in its clan's eyes and Yuga's own sadness, it nodded and chose not to object.
After retrieving the Togekiss leader's Poké Ball, Yuga hurriedly left the Ecopark.
Watching Yuga's figure rush off into the distance, Archeops thought to itself that, had it not met Yuga, it might no longer be around.
This thought left Archeops feeling a touch melancholic.
Upon reaching the Pokémon Center, Yuga handed the Poké Ball to Joyka, asking her to perform a full examination of the Togekiss leader.
The wait felt agonizingly long as each second ticked by, and Yuga grew increasingly anxious.
After about an hour, Joyka come out and said to Yuga, "The examination results are ready."
"How is it? Togekiss will be alright, won't it?" Yuga asked, his face tense with worry.
Looking into Yuga's eyes, Joyka paused briefly before softly replying, "This Togekiss's organs have completely deteriorated due to old age. Its lifespan has reached its final moments, and it could pass away at any time."
Yuga immediately asked, "Isn't there any treatment?"
Joyka sighed. "Don't get too upset. This is just the natural process of aging; it's not a disease or injury. There really isn't a treatment for this."
"Isn't there any solution at all?" Yuga asked, unwilling to give up.
"No, there isn't. You'll have to accept it," Nurse Joy Kana replied, shaking her head. "In fact, given Togekiss's current state, staying alive is likely more painful for it."
Hearing this, Yuga nodded in resignation. It was his first time witnessing the natural cycle of life and death with a Pokémon that was so close to him, and it left him with an indescribable sorrow.
However, he knew that, as a Pokémon Day Care owner, this wouldn't be the last time he would face such a situation, especially as his own lifespan, like Mr. Koni'o's, was longer than that of most humans.
Seeing Yuga's downcast expression, Joyka asked, "Would you like to visit Togekiss? You can leave it here at the Pokémon Center. With my care, it will be less painful in its final days."
Yuga nodded, then followed Joyka to the Togekiss leader's hospital room.
At that moment, the Togekiss leader lay quietly on the bed, its breathing steady, its eyes peacefully closed, and the pained expression on its face had disappeared. However, various tubes and machines surrounded it, all serving to prolong its life.
"I'll leave you to keep it company. I have other things to attend to," Joyka said, leaving Yuga and the Togekiss leader alone.
Yuga stayed at the Pokémon Center overnight, watching over the Togekiss clan leader. Seeing that its vital signs had temporarily stabilized, he returned to the Ecopark the next day to inform the Togepi clan of the leader's condition.
Yuga didn't hide anything from them, as they would eventually find out, and it was better for them to be mentally prepared in advance.
In the days that followed, Yuga traveled back and forth to the Pokémon Center, spending most of his time by the Togekiss leader's side, keeping it company with conversations when he could.
On the third night after the Togekiss leader had been admitted, Yuga, who had dozed off, was suddenly awakened by the sound of a beeping monitor—the Togekiss leader had passed away.
Joyka and Blissey, also alerted by the passing of the Togekiss leader, they woke up and helped Yuga bring the Togekiss leader back to YoYo Day Care.
The members of the Togepi clan, upon seeing their deceased leader, broke down in tears. Starting from today, they would need to choose a new clan leader.
Originally, Yuga planned to bury the Togekiss leader directly in the Ecopark, but Gengar and Mismagius stopped him.
When a Pokémon dies, its soul is meant to journey to the ghost world, but the Ecopark exists as a self-contained space, isolated from the ghost world, which would not be good for the Togekiss leader.
Both Gengar and Mismagius were Pokémon of the ghost world and were much more knowledgeable about such matters than the average person. So, Yuga decided to follow their advice and bury the Togekiss leader in the Pokémon Tower in White Cloud Town.
Coincidentally, Granbull was also buried there.
With his mind made up, Yuga set out that same day, leaving the task of transferring Pokémon with Shindou Sasaki to Suzuki Koen and Windy.
It wasn't Yuga's first visit to the Pokémon Tower, and when he arrived, he saw an elderly monk with a white beard waiting for him at the foot of the tower, accompanied by several monks.
"Long time no see, Old Abbot," Yuga greeted the old monk.
"Long time no see, Gym Leader Shimizu," the monk replied, bowing to Yuga, and the monks behind him hurriedly followed suit.
Back when the Trevenant from the ghost world caused trouble here, not one monk would have survived if not for Yuga and Phoebe.
Now, the parts of the Pokémon Tower that the Trevenant had damaged had all been restored. The Golden bells that was hanging from the octagonal eaves chimed, filling the tower with an aura of peace.
Once inside, Yuga chatted briefly with the Old Abbot before bringing the Togekiss leader to the area where Granbull was buried. He planned to lay the Togekiss leader to rest beside Granbull.
Although Granbull continued to live in another form now(Mimikyu), the being it once was was no longer.
With the monks' help, Yuga quickly completed the Togekiss leader's burial. Once the monks had left, he placed offerings he had prepared in front of the Togekiss leader's tombstone.
Yuga didn't know if the Togekiss leader would be able to enjoy these offerings in the ghost world, but it was an expression of his care nonetheless.
When Yuga finished paying his respects, he noticed another person on the same floor—a tall young woman with green hair, accompanied by a Delcatty.
Originally, Yuga intended to leave quietly, but out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a Haunter behind her, planning to play a prank. The woman and her Delcatty, both focused on the tombstone in front of them, had not noticed Haunter's approach.
Out of kindness, Yuga suddenly unleashed his ghost-type special ability, which startled the Haunter, causing it to cry out in fear and flee.
Though his grass-type special ability had no formal name, the ghost-type ability did, given by the system: <
The Haunter's startled cry quickly caught the attention of the young woman. She looked at the fleeing Haunter, then at Yuga, and soon pieced everything together.
It wasn't her first time at the Pokémon Tower; each time she visited here, she would encounter one or two ghost-type Pokémon playing pranks. But these ghosts were elusive, making it difficult for her to deal with them.
"Thank you for that just now," the young woman said sincerely as she approached Yuga with her Delcatty.
"No need to thank me; it was nothing."
By habit, Yuga used his Insight Ability to take a quick look at her Delcatty an he was surprised to find it was at the pseudo-Elite level Pokémon.
After a round of introductions, Yuga learned that her name was Abby, a Top Coordinator Trainer who had earned her title even before Wallace.
Though Wallace was the one who brought the Pokémon Contest to global fame, many top Coordinators existed before him, such as his mentor, Mr. Juan.
These Coordinators simply weren't as well-known as Wallace, especially those like Abby, who had left the field years ago.
Abby was now a Pokémon doctor with her own private clinic.
After earning the Top Coordinator title, she continued to travel, and during one of her journeys, her Delcatty was severely injured by a Flygon. They were saved by her current mentor, which led her to change careers and become a Pokémon doctor.
Even more surprising to Yuga was that Abby knew May.
Previously, during May and Ash's travels in Hoenn, they visited her clinic. May's Skitty (now a Delcatty) even learned Blizzard from Abby's Delcatty.
The two still kept in touch, and as a senior in the world of Coordinators, Abby had been a great help to May.
Because of May, Yuga and Abby quickly felt closer to each other.
Seeing that it was about time, Yuga asked, "Are you heading out, Ms. Abby? Shall we go together?"
Abby nodded at his words; she was heading to Foothill Town, which happened to be along the way to Verdanturf Town where Yuga was headed.
The Foothill Town where Abby lived was not the same as the one where Dawn's family resided in Sinnoh. Though they shared the same name, one was in Hoenn and the other in Sinnoh.
(Note: Both Foothill Town And Twinleaf Town (Dawn's Hometown) is called Futaba Town in Japanese)
There were quite a few places with the same names across the Pokémon world.
The two of them walked out of the Pokémon Tower together, and after bidding farewell to the Old Abbot, they prepared to leave.
But just as they stepped out, a group of people surrounded them.
Yuga was surprised to see the masked individuals encircling him and Abby, while the Shadow Triad on the opposite side were also equally surprised to find Yuga beside their target.
This wasn't supposed to happen! Their intel hadn't mentioned anything about Shimizu Yuga knowing the target!
Ghetsis's goal was to learn specific details about Rayquaza from Maxie. But Maxie wouldn't reveal the information for free, hence the Shadow Triad's current actions.
In the original story, Maxie and Archie found the Indigo and Crimson Orbs, with Archie even locating both Kyogre and Groudon.
However, with Yuga's "butterfly effect" intervention, Team Aqua had not only been swallowed up by Team Rocket, but Archie had also been captured by the League. Isolated and without support, Maxie naturally had no way to obtain the orbs or locate Groudon.
Yet, in this world, there's often more than one solution to a problem. After extensive investigation, Maxie finally found a lead on Groudon, and that lead was connected to Abby.
Maxie originally intended to capture Abby himself, but since Team Plasma came knocking his door, he decided to take advantage of the opportunity. Let them do the work, while he stayed out of danger.
Neither Maxie nor Ghetsis, however, could have anticipated Yuga suddenly showing up along the way.
Yuga himself hadn't expected it either—he'd merely stepped out for a casual outing, and now, here he was, facing Team Plasma! What exactly was Team Plasma up to in Hoenn?
Seeing Yuga by Abby's side, the Shadow Triad showed no sign of retreat. They were Ghetsis' loyal fighters, dedicated to carrying out his orders without question.
Rumor had it that Yuga was quite formidable, but the Shadow Triad had never faced him in battle, so they were eager to see just how powerful he really was.
The Shadow Triad was Ghetsis' most elite squad.
In an instant, Yuga and the Shadow Triad made their moves simultaneously. Gengar and Mismagius hovered on either side of Yuga, while three Accelgor had somehow appeared by the Shadow Triad's side.
Gengar's Dark Pulse and Mismagius' Mystical Fire shot toward two of the Accelgor with lightning speed, while Abby's Delcatty attacked the third with a Thunderbolt.
But the Accelgor were incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, they vanished from their spots, leaving only afterimages. Using Agility, they swiftly repositioned, firing Water Shuriken one after another like true ninjas.
Abby as a Top Coordinator Trainer, demonstrated impressive control over energy. Her Delcatty split its Thunderbolt into multiple streams, each of them precisely intercepting a Water Shuriken.
Though Abby's strength was not on par with Yuga's or the Shadow Triad's, her ability to coordinate and support her teammates was outstanding, showcasing a performance far above her level.
Perhaps this was what people called a true "God-tier teammate."
With Delcatty shielding them from attacks, the blue flames with the size of fists—Will-O-Wisps—suddenly floated around Gengar and Mismagius. Under their control, the Will-O-Wisps shot toward the three Accelgor.
The Accelgor tried to dodge, but with a gleam in their eyes, Gengar and Mismagius sent a pulse of psychic energy, and the Will-O-Wisps locked onto their targets as if guided, relentlessly chasing the three Accelgor until they finally hit.
The moment the flames touched them, the Accelgor screamed and fell to the ground, the burning pain from the ghostly fire slowing them significantly.