After setting out on their journey, Yui and Karen regretted not catching a Skiploom with Grassy Terrain while they were still at Rex Farm.
Having lived at the farm for so long, they never realized how valuable a healing Pokémon could be during their travels.
Without one, the only way to heal their Pokémon was by visiting a Pokémon Center—or using potions in the wild. But potions were expensive and often slow to take effect.
If not for their stubborn pride, they would've already contacted Kaede to borrow a Skiploom. That alone could've saved them a lot of money on potions.
By the time Yui finished treating Pichu's injury, Karen had also completed her daily training routine with her Swellow and Scyther.
Being a few years older and far more experienced, Karen had always placed great importance on the strength of her Pokémon once she got the chance to become a Trainer.
She understood better than Yui just how crucial it was to have real power—if she wanted to live life on her own terms, then she had to become someone strong enough to shape that life herself.
That was one of the main reasons Karen had chosen to leave Rex Farm behind and set off on a journey. She wasn't willing to settle for a quiet, uneventful life at the farm.
"Yui, is that Pichu a new catch?"
Karen returned to camp and saw Yui interacting with the little Pichu. Curious, she asked.
"Not yet. It was injured, so I just helped patch it up," Yui replied as she gently patted Pichu's head.
At this point, Pichu no longer resisted Yui's touch. It was as if she had some kind of quality that made Pokémon let their guard down almost immediately.
Even back at Rex Farm, Yui could easily befriend even Shaymin—who usually had trouble warming up to people. As for other Pokémon, they practically flocked to her.
When Pichu saw Karen approaching, it instinctively tensed up, but seeing that she knew the human who had treated it, it gradually relaxed again.
Perhaps it was thanks to the potion taking effect, but by the afternoon, Pichu no longer felt any pain. It had grown lively and quickly became good friends with Yui and Karen's Pokémon.
"Found you at last! Let's see where you run this time!"
Just as the girls were enjoying a peaceful afternoon, a cold voice rang out from above.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
The two looked up and saw a brooding young man glaring down at them while riding a Fearow.
"Heh… this has nothing to do with you. Don't make things difficult."
He ignored the wary expressions on their faces and instead focused on Pichu.
"Drop the act already. I know what you really are—Zorua."
The young man wore a pair of visibly modified goggles, which allowed him to easily see through disguises.
"You're talking nonsense! It's clearly a Pichu—and I won't let you hurt it!"
Sensing the fear in Pichu's eyes, Yui immediately stepped in front of it and said firmly.
"Tch. I don't talk to idiots. Move, or I'll make you."
With no interest in arguing, the man sent out a Swampert and issued a threat.
"Hmph! You're unbelievable. Let's go, Swellow!"
Though clearly frightened, Yui summoned her Swellow to face off against the Swampert.
Karen, more level-headed, was just as angry—but after sizing up the situation, she realized that even if both of them battled together, they likely weren't a match for him.
Now that conflict had broken out, Karen quickly shared their location with Yuri Terada, hoping to trigger the emergency protocol they had previously agreed upon with Kaede.
Whenever they encountered danger they couldn't handle, they were to send their coordinates to Yuri so she could alert Kaede for help.
Karen's quick reaction was also due to the fact that the enemy had a flying Pokémon mount. Even with their Swellow, they couldn't outrun him.
The battle began. The young man commanded his Swampert to fight Yui's Swellow.
Despite the battles Yui had fought recently, she was still far behind the young man in both experience and raw power.
It didn't take long. Swellow was struck by a powerful Hydro Pump and knocked out.
During the scuffle, Pichu was caught in the blast and could no longer maintain its disguise—revealing its true form: a Zorua, known as the Illusion Fox Pokémon.
Zorua had a fox-like appearance, with gray-black fur, light blue eyes, a black ruff around its neck, and dark red fur around its limbs, eyes, and flame-shaped crest on its head.
It could shapeshift into humans or other Pokémon to protect itself, often taking on the appearance of its enemies to create confusion and escape.
Its transformation ability likely stemmed from its timid personality. When alone, Zorua often disguised itself to feel safer.
Sometimes it even turned into a human child and wandered into towns in search of food—usually pretending to be a quiet, expressionless kid.
If a normally chatty child suddenly became unusually silent, it might've been replaced by a Zorua.
Originally, Zorua had intended to flee the moment it saw the young man. But when it witnessed Yui battling to protect it, it hesitated.
That hesitation proved costly.
The young man seized the moment and, after defeating Swellow, ordered Swampert to strike Zorua with Water Pulse, severely injuring it.
He knew just how slippery Zorua could be—he wasn't going to let it slip away again.
He'd already spent months hunting it through the forests and was at the end of his patience.
While Zorua wasn't particularly strong, its Illusion ability made it extremely troublesome. Even with his special goggles, it was still a challenge to track.
Soon, even Karen was overpowered and captured. The young man took out rope from his pack and tied them both up, having already confiscated their Poké Balls and communication devices.
Meanwhile, Kaede received their distress signal from Yuri. Upon confirming their location, he and Yuri mounted their Swellow and flew straight toward them.
(End of Chapter)