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Since Weavile had already decided to leave with Giovanni, Liam had a few words he wanted to say to it.
He led Weavile aside and said quietly, "Weavile, I'm sorry to send you away for a while. You might run into some danger during this time, so be sure to take good care of yourself."
"Weavile!"
Weavile raised its claws and nodded, signaling that it would be careful.
"And… the Pokémon you're about to face is very powerful. But you have a clear type advantage, so you'll have the upper hand in battle. That said, it's not a vicious Pokémon, so be sure to go easy on it. There's no need to injure it if it's not necessary. Got it?"
Liam gently patted the red crest on Weavile's head, instructing it in a low voice.
"Wea? Weavile!"
Although it didn't fully understand Liam's words, Weavile still nodded cheerfully, placing a claw over its chest like it was saying, Leave it to me.
Then Liam handed Weavile's PokeBall to Giovanni. Giovanni took the ball, pointed it at Weavile, and with a flash of red light, recalled it into the PokeBall.
With Weavile in hand, Giovanni didn't linger. He swiftly led his team away—he clearly couldn't wait to get started on something.
As for whether Team Rocket could capture Mew, Liam admittedly had mixed feelings.
He did hope Team Rocket could pull it off.
The genetic engineering project he'd assigned to Blaine was likely going to result in the creation of Mewtwo.
However, the genetic material they had extracted was from Mew's eyelash fossil—clearly degraded or incomplete in some way.
If they could capture a real Mew, Liam believed the birth of Mewtwo could be greatly accelerated.
Watching Team Rocket leave with Weavile, Liam felt a faint sense of loss.
It was the first time one of his main Pokémon had left his side. He couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.
Still, Liam trusted Giovanni would take good care of Weavile.
A temporary separation now… was so they could reunite even stronger in the future.
With that thought in mind, Liam shook his head, smiled, and returned to entertaining the other guests.
The party went on until dusk.
Just as Liam and Delia were preparing to retire to their new room, another unexpected guest arrived at Professor Oak's lab.
"Uh… Agatha? What are you doing here?"
Professor Oak looked at the mysterious person in a black coat, sunglasses, and a mask.
Something about her presence made him look around nervously—there was no sign of Fumiko. With a sheepish smile, he asked, "Haha… Is there something I can help you with?"
"Heh heh…"
The mysterious person removed her sunglasses and mask—it was indeed Elite Four Agatha.
She gave Oak a sidelong glance and chuckled lightly.
"I'm not here to see you. Is Liam around? I have something to discuss with him."
Hearing that Agatha wasn't here for him, Oak let out a huge sigh of relief. Smiling brightly, he quickly led her to Liam.
"Uh… Agatha, to what do I owe the honor?"
Liam looked equally surprised to see her.
"Tch. Even your reaction is exactly the same. You two really are something else…"
Agatha clicked her tongue and gave them both a disapproving look.
"Heh heh… heh heh…"
At this point, all Oak and Liam could do was smile awkwardly.
"I'm here to announce something," Agatha said as she shook her head, pulling a small box from her coat.
"First off, congratulations, Liam. You're officially the new Champion of the Kanto Region. Inside this box is your Champion Badge. It also serves as an identity token. Anywhere the Pokémon League operates, this badge entitles you to a lot of support… all free of charge."
Liam took the box calmly and opened it.
Inside was a walnut-sized, pale gold badge shaped like a shield. At the center was a large "P," symbolizing the Pokémon League.
Liam picked it up to examine it more closely—
But just then, a system prompt sounded in his mind:
[Ding!]
[Hidden Achievement Mission: Proof of a Champion — Activated]
[Mission Conditions: Travel to other regions. Defeat the Champions of those regions. Obtain their proof of championship.]
[Note: No time limit. No restrictions on battle format. As long as the defeated Champion acknowledges your victory, the achievement is considered complete.]
[Achievement Rewards: For each Champion Badge obtained - 10,000 Exchange Points, 1 Pokémon Draw, 1 Super Mystery Gift Box]
[Achievement Completed: Obtained Champion Badge of Kanto Region. Rewards Granted - 10,000 Exchange Points, 1 Pokémon Draw Ticket, 1 Super Mystery Gift Box]
[Super Mystery Gift Box Opened: Received - 2,000 Exchange Points, 1 Key Stone, 1 Sacred Ash, 1 Razor Fang, TM Stone Edge]
....
Happiness struck like a thunderbolt!
Liam's previously calm expression changed instantly, barely able to contain the overflowing joy on his face.
His eyes sparkled as he stared at the golden shield-shaped badge in his hand—it was like it was glowing.
Sure, this mission did feel like the system was egging him on to pick fights in other regions, but Liam didn't care in the slightest.
Wasn't he planning to travel the world anyway?
This was just a bonus—yeah, totally just a bonus.
Agatha looked at Liam's emotional whiplash with confusion. She didn't know why he suddenly looked so ecstatic, but she didn't dwell on it.
"I also came here for another reason…"
"If it's possible, could you let me take Arbok with me for a while? Its potential is outstanding, and I can help but want to train it further—bring out its full capabilities."
Her eyes gleamed as she glanced toward Arbok, which was curled up in the back garden, snoozing after a good meal.
"Uh… huh? You mean my Arbok?"
Liam blinked in surprise at her unexpected request and asked again to be sure.
"What? You have more than one Arbok? Or are you saying I'm not qualified to train it?"
Agatha raised a brow, a trace of irritation creeping into her tone.
"Ah! No, no! You're one of the top experts there is—how could I ever doubt that? I'm just surprised, that's all. Please wait a moment. I still need to ask Arbok. Whether it wants to go with you is entirely its decision."
Liam sighed internally. 'What is it with today? Everyone's trying to take my Pokémon…'
"Arbok!"
He called out loudly.
The lazy serpent uncurled from under the tree, lazily lifted its head, glanced at Liam, and slowly slithered over.
"Chaarbok…"
It always acted like this after a full meal—completely unmotivated.
"Arbok, this is Elite Four Agatha—you've seen her before. She's a highly competent Master Trainer. She wants to train with you for a while to help bring out your full potential. What do you think?"
Liam patted Arbok's head and gestured toward Agatha.
"Cha? Chaaaa~"
Arbok raised its head, eyed Agatha curiously, then swayed its head slightly with a half-smile—clearly unimpressed.
"Oh? What an attitude. I like it. I like this kind of pride in an Arbok. Seems like it doesn't believe in my strength, huh? In that case… I just so happen to have my own Arbok with me. How about a match between the two of them? No commands from trainers—just a pure contest of strength between them. I'll make sure your Arbok realizes it's not yet the strongest of its kind! Come on out, Arbok!"
"Chaarbok!!"
With a flash of light, a deep purple Arbok appeared beside Agatha, twisting its massive body as it slithered onto the field.
"Chaa? Chaarbok!!"
"Chaarbok! Chaaa!"
As Agatha's Arbok entered the field, Liam's Arbok's gaze sharpened.
It locked eyes with its counterpart, and its thick, coiled body slowly rose—ready for battle.