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Kael was not stupid.
No matter how strong he was right now, and no matter how capable he was of fighting above his level, if he fought dozens of Pokémon carefully trained by the Trainers on the field at the same time, there was only one possible outcome.
Death.
He had already achieved his goal of preventing Basculin from being captured while its mind was clouded.
He had also taught the culprit a lesson.
At this point, Kael's objective had been completely fulfilled.
Continuing to stay there meant nothing to him. It would only increase the danger.
So, after cleanly sending Mason, the player, away, Kael made an immediate decision.
Before the Trainers on the shore could react and order their Pokémon after him, he took the unconscious Basculin and dove into the deep water.
Splash!
Under Kael's delicate control, the cold lake water moved like gentle, invisible snakes, smoothly parting to both sides and reducing the resistance around him as much as possible.
The farther he moved from the surface, the dimmer the light became. He could faintly see the soft muddy bottom of the lake, its surface covered with drifting aquatic plants.
Kael casually found a place at the bottom of the lake and quietly waited there.
The shore was still noisy. He guessed it would take some time before the marine park staff came looking for him.
Until then, all he needed to do was wait where he was.
At that moment, Basculin, who had been unconscious only a short while ago, gradually regained its senses thanks to its stubborn vitality. It buried itself in the mud and sand to recover from its injuries.
Kael had not fled the scene completely.
Nor did he have the slightest intention of running away.
Because he knew that inside this artificial marine park, which was filled with surveillance, no matter where he fled, he could not escape human observation.
Unless he became powerful enough to crush the military technology of human society through individual strength alone.
Obviously, if he truly reached that level, then he could already be called a true Legendary Pokémon in every sense.
But based on Kael's estimate, unless something unexpected happened, there was no way he would reach that level of power in this life.
He could only hope that during a future reincarnation, his luck would explode for once and let him enjoy that kind of strength.
Compared to the quiet stillness at the bottom of the lake, a massive storm caused by Kael was quietly rising in the human world beyond the water's surface.
...
Inside the office building of Azure Bay Television.
Ring!
Tap! tap! tap!
Along with the sharp ringing of phones, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridors one after another.
The employees inside the station were behaving completely differently from their usual lazy, half-dead work attitude.
Under the immense pressure of a serious incident that could affect their futures and positions, the staff of the television station displayed a level of dedication even they themselves had never experienced before.
Everyone performed their duties and worked desperately, hoping to reduce the negative impact of the incident as much as possible.
On the top floor of the office building.
Inside a lavishly decorated office.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The crisp sound of fingers tapping against a desk echoed through the room in a steady rhythm.
It had been nearly thirty years since Victor Bennett was promoted to deputy director of Azure Bay Television.
He had gone from a strong, energetic middle-aged man to a weathered old figure with graying hair and a face covered in wrinkles.
During all those years in office, he had handled countless incidents inside the television station, both large and small. Naturally, he had long since developed a resilient heart that remained calm and composed in the face of trouble.
But today, even he could not help feeling that the malicious Pokémon attack at the Bibarel Cup Fishing Tournament was difficult to handle.
After all, although the Bibarel Cup Fishing Tournament sounded from its name like nothing more than an ordinary community fishing contest, in reality, it was one of Azure Bay City's important tools for promoting its culture and increasing its appeal.
Over the past two years, thanks to the growth of the internet and various marketing strategies, the event has become increasingly popular, attracting large numbers of viewers from regions all over the world.
It had become one of the few hit programs produced by Azure Bay Television that could compete with the League's official network for ratings.
The live broadcast just now was cut off in time under the director's instructions.
But the viewers were not idiots.
With the fishing tournament suddenly interrupted, and with all kinds of increasingly ridiculous rumors spreading across the internet, most people could naturally piece together what had happened at the competition site.
Now, less than an hour after the broadcast had been cut, titles such as "Serious Incident at Azure Crystal Marine Park" and "Rare Sobble Appears at Bibarel Cup Fishing Tournament" had already forced their way into the top ten trending topics on social media.
Even with the television station's public relations department controlling comments and negotiating behind the scenes, the heat was still climbing steadily, with no sign of stopping.
Victor could even imagine what kind of terrifying level this attention would reach once videos recorded by unrelated people at the scene were uploaded online.
It might even become the biggest news story of the year on the spot.
Negative news with this level of popularity was more than enough to leave a deep subjective impression in the minds of people who knew very little about Azure Bay City.
Thinking of this, Victor became even more irritated.
He closed his eyes. His hands, which had been pressed against the desk, lifted to rub both sides of his temples as he carefully considered countermeasures.
Ring.
The landline on his desk suddenly cried out, releasing a crisp but piercing sound.
Victor frowned and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"..."
The call did not last long.
It continued for less than five minutes.
But those short five minutes alone were enough to soak the white shirt on Victor's back with cold sweat.
The person who had called just now was a powerful figure within the League.
His authority was so great that even Victor, as deputy director of Azure Bay Television, could only look up to him from far below.
In those five minutes, the other party had issued a strict order.
They had to eliminate the negative impact this incident was having on the public as quickly as possible.
If things continued to develop according to the current trend, then whether it was Victor or the other executives at the station, all of them could prepare for early retirement.
"Leave the positions to capable young people with drive."
Those were the exact words of that powerful League official.
Bang!
Victor slammed his palm onto the desk.
He suddenly stood up and shouted at the secretary standing to the side of the office.
"Gather every executive immediately."
"We're having a meeting."
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!