Chapter 355: Enlightenment
After some conversation, Ash's group learned that this noblewoman was named Kimiyo, the president of a large company. The reason she was relentlessly pursuing that Masked Messenger was that her son had been frequently skipping classes lately. When she hired a private investigator, she discovered that wherever her son, Kimmimaro, disappeared, that Masked Messenger would appear there.
Therefore, Kimiyo had reason to suspect that her son was being coerced by this so-called Masked Messenger, and she wanted to confront him to get to the bottom of it.
"You are Pokemon Trainers, right?" Kimiyo suddenly asked, looking at Ash and the others.
Ash and the others exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously in response: "Yes."
"Please, I beg you, help me expose the Masked Messenger's true identity. As long as you expose him, I will definitely give you a reward!" Kimiyo pleaded.
At the same time.
The Team Rocket Trio, hiding in the shadows, witnessed this entire scene.
Through their binoculars, they saw the several gemstone rings on Kimiyo's hands and immediately understood she was a wealthy person.
"All we have to do is take off that kid's mask, right? That's simple!" said James.
"That way, we'll get a huge reward."
Jessie began an unrealistic fantasy.
...
Led by Kimiyo, Ash's group arrived at a luxurious estate.
In one of the rooms within the estate, Kimmimaro was tending to a scratch on the back of his hand from a tree branch.
He was, naturally, the so-called Masked Messenger.
"Kimmimaro... Kimmimaro!"
Suddenly, Kimiyo's voice startled him.
"Kimmimaro!"
Hearing his mother calling so urgently, Kimmimaro had no choice but to walk towards the door.
"Mom, what is it? I was just studying in the study..." Kimmimaro said somewhat timidly.
Clearly, he was very afraid of his mother, Kimiyo.
Seeing Kimmimaro, Ash also confirmed through his Aura that this young man before him was the Masked Messenger who challenged people everywhere to battles.
As for why the other party chose to disguise himself, seeing how fearful he was of Kimiyo, Ash had an answer in his heart.
Kimiyo introduced to Ash's group, "This is my son, Kimmimaro!"
"Hello..."
Ash and the others each introduced themselves.
"Why is it these guys!"
Kimmimaro was dumbfounded.
Just got beaten, and now they've come to his doorstep.
"Oh, hello. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
Kimmimaro said somewhat guiltily.
"Wait a minute. Without this pen, you probably can't study properly, right?" Kimiyo took out the pen she had found.
"Huh? That's my ballpoint pen!"
"Just as I suspected. Why was this pen dropped where the Masked Messenger appeared? Did you give it to him, or did he snatch it from you..."
Kimiyo aggressively questioned Kimmimaro.
Her demeanor scared Kimmimaro into crouching down with his hands over his head, muttering "I don't know" repeatedly.
During the argument, Kimiyo also saw the wound on the back of Kimmimaro's hand, in the same location as the Masked Messenger's, which made her suspect a certain possibility.
It was during this moment of stunned hesitation that Kimmimaro turned and fled.
Afterwards, Kimiyo shared her suspicions with Ash's group. At the same time, Ash's group learned from her that Kimiyo intended to groom Kimmimaro as her successor, so she didn't want him to have contact with Pokemon, fearing it would distract him from his responsibilities.
"I think interacting with Pokemon is also a very important part of learning," Brock couldn't help but say.
But as soon as his words fell, Kimiyo bristled.
"Aunt Kimiyo, Brock is right. Pokemon are also a part of this world. Interacting with Pokemon doesn't necessarily mean neglecting one's duties.
The Devon Corporation, Auntie, you must know about it, right? Their President Stone and his son Steven both really like Pokemon. Especially Steven, who is also the successor of Devon Corporation and a powerful Trainer..." Ash also chimed in to persuade her.
"..."
Kimiyo fell silent. The Devon Corporation was a world-class enterprise, and Steven was the Champion of their Hoenn region. She couldn't refute that.
"Kimiyo, this young man is right. I know you mean well for Kimmimaro, but he has grown up. He has his own dreams."
At that moment, a middle-aged man walked out. He was Kimmimaro's father, Tamura Maro.
"Kimiyo, you used to like Pokemon too. Can you bear to crush your son's dreams with your own hands?"
"I..."
Kimiyo fell into deep thought, but then she suddenly thought of something and questioned, "You've known all along that Kimmimaro is the Masked Messenger, haven't you?"
"Uh..."
This time, it was Tamura Maro's turn to be at a loss for words.
There was no helping it. In their family, Kimiyo held the highest position. He really didn't dare admit that the Masked Messenger outfit Kimmimaro used was provided by him, the father.
"Just as I thought!"
Kimiyo finally understood completely. So, she was the one kept in the dark, the big fool.
Those heartless father and son!
This family drama made Ash's group feel like they were watching a juicy show, unable to help but 'eat a few more slices of melon' (enjoy the spectacle).
Having calmed down, Kimiyo suddenly looked at Ash and asked, "Ash, you battled Kimmimaro in the park. Can you tell me your opinion of him?"
Ash thought for a moment and said slowly, "Hmm... He's a very talented Trainer. You can tell he has studied the Grand Festival quite a bit. Given time, he could indeed become a powerful Pokemon Trainer."
Kimmimaro's talent was indeed strong. The Dusclops he trained secretly had reached the early Gym-level and could easily defeat Drew, which was proof enough.
"In that case, I'll allow him to pursue his dream. But if he can't achieve something notable in the field of Pokemon, he must obediently accept reality and inherit the family company!"
After saying this, Kimiyo left, citing urgent company matters to attend to.
Ash's group then received warm hospitality from Tamura Maro. They learned from him that Kimmimaro's Dusclops was picked up from the roadside three years ago. At the time, it was just a newly hatched Duskull. Since Kimiyo forbade keeping it at home, they could only raise it secretly.
The reason Kimiyo disliked Pokemon was that in her childhood, she too was forced to give up the Poochyena she loved because she was destined to inherit the family business.
Tamura Maro himself had been a Pokemon Trainer before marriage, and a fairly skilled one at that. However, after marriage, due to Kimiyo, he ostensibly gave up his Trainer identity but secretly created a small alternate identity as the Masked Messenger.
His son, Kimmimaro, essentially inherited his father's 'hobby', taking this Masked Messenger persona to new heights. Although the reputation wasn't great—challenging people to random battles everywhere and being a bit heavy-handed.
When Kimmimaro learned his mother had lifted the ban and he no longer needed to hide his identity to participate in Grand Festivals, he was immensely grateful to Ash's group.
However, during dinner, something went wrong. Due to the Team Rocket Trio's interference, Kimiyo, who had just returned home, was quite frightened by Kimmimaro's Dusclops.
Loving Book So Far Check Out 80+ Advanced Chapters At Pa Treon:
Limited Time Join Now and Get 25% off For First Month
patreon.com/FicTonic1