"Let's go. It's time for us to set out. I wonder who will come to 'welcome' us this time," Gu Yuan said with a look of slight anticipation after seeing off Professor Oak and the others.
"Ax?"
"Dreep?"
Hearing his words, Axew in his arms and Dreepy on his shoulder looked over curiously.
"You two don't need to worry about that. Growing strong is the most important thing for you right now," Gu Yuan said with a smile, patting their little heads.
At this moment, the "disgraced" Sylveon was silently weeping inside its Poké Ball.
Gu Yuan casually fed Axew and Dreepy a Pokéblock. These helped them grow quickly, though every single piece was quite expensive. Only with the support of Elite Agatha and the rewards from the championship could he afford to use them so freely. The effects were obvious; at the very least, the speed at which Axew accepted points to increase its strength had significantly improved.
Arriving at the airport, Gu Yuan's destination was the Viridian Forest, the largest forest in the Kanto region. Since he wasn't hiding his movements, his trajectory was quickly discovered by those watching—such as Shimura, and especially the Fukuda family, who hated him to the bone!
After Gu Yuan won the Indigo League championship with such dominance, the news that he was Elite Agatha's disciple began to spread. This news undoubtedly inspired many to become trainers, and Agatha's faction took the opportunity to recruit many talented young people.
It was easy to foresee that once Gu Yuan grew up, he would become a new symbol, attracting more trainers to follow in his footsteps. If Agatha and the others found the right timing to make Gu Yuan an Elite, the balance between the factions would be shattered. Even if the families and corporations were confident they could re-stabilize the balance, no one knew what price they would have to pay.
It wasn't that these families and corporations were overly cowardly; it was because Gu Yuan's performance was simply too startling. Given his background as someone who had never touched a Pokémon before, achieving such results within a single year of becoming a trainer warranted this level of attention. Even the direct heirs of the top families or corporations couldn't compare to him.
Although they didn't know where Agatha had found this monster, a dead genius is no longer a genius. The task of dealing with Gu Yuan naturally fell to the Fukuda family. However, other forces would provide assistance—for instance, by keeping a close eye on Agatha's subordinates to ensure no one could interfere.
The rest depended on how the Fukuda family handled it.
"Father, I must personally take action this time! I'll make that bastard realize the price of offending the Fukuda family!"
"Exactly!"
Inside the study, Isei and Kenta spoke one after another.
"Have you two not embarrassed yourselves enough!?"
"Have you forgotten how you lost last time? Do you really think your current strength can match his!?"
"And you! Because of your idiotic actions, our informants in the Rangers and other departments were completely severed! Do you still have the nerve to speak!?"
Looking at his two sons, Tatao Fukuda felt a surge of rage. While others were avoiding this mess, these two were rushing to volunteer. At this moment, Tatao Fukuda seriously considered "starting a new account."
"Use your brains for once. Think about how precious Gu Yuan is to Agatha's group right now. Even if you two could solve him, do you think you'd walk away unscathed?"
"Don't forget, while our families and corporations stand together, this alliance is not stable."
"If they get the chance, those people definitely won't hesitate to carve up our Fukuda family."
Thinking of his own health, Tatao Fukuda gave up on the idea of having another child and explained patiently.
"You mean we can do it, but we can't let it be known that it was us. More importantly, we can't give the Elite Four or anyone else the chance to frame us, right?"
After calming down, Isei, who had always been raised as the heir, quickly understood the key point.
"Precisely! Don't worry about this matter anymore; I have my own arrangements."
"Isei, continue honing your new Pokémon. I'll find someone to take you out for experience."
"Kenta, you better work harder too. Don't disgrace me."
"I've already found someone to train you. If you can't reach my goal this time, you can weigh the consequences yourself."
"If there's nothing else, go prepare."
"Yes, sir!" x2
Compared to the well-prepared Isei, the habitually lazy Kenta looked like he was being sent to the execution grounds.
Leaning back in his chair, Tatao Fukuda had already devised a way to deal with Gu Yuan. However, to ensure nothing went wrong, the specific plan still needed to be carefully finalized.
"It seems it's time for me to change masters... or perhaps try out how it feels to be the master," Tatao Fukuda whispered softly after settling on a perfected plan.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuan arrived in Viridian City once again.
Knowing that his every move might be watched, he did not contact Shadow. Instead, he went straight to the Pokémon Center to claim his second reward as the champion.
Since the Indigo League had ended only recently, Gu Yuan used a disguise to avoid being recognized and mobbed. This gave Ditto a chance to show its worth.
Originally, Gu Yuan only wanted Ditto to help him disguise his identity. He hadn't expected that while that original purpose went unfulfilled for a long time, Ditto had grown into one of his main forces, achieving brilliant results at the Indigo League. Now, Ditto finally had a chance to return to its original profession.
After successfully claiming his reward, Gu Yuan immediately rented a training room in the Pokémon Center, intending to meet his two new partners.
"Come out, Hatenna, Rolycoly!"
In flashes of white light, the Psychic-type Hatenna and the Rock-type Rolycoly appeared before Gu Yuan.
Hatenna had a small, cute spherical body with pale pink skin, a tiny mouth, and small feet. Her light blue hair had bangs that curled inward, hiding her eyes. Long sideburns extended from her body to the ground, which Hatenna could move like human hands.
Hatenna's most notable feature was the "antenna" on her head, topped with a light blue ball matching her hair color. This structure looked like a hat from the front, with patterns resembling a party hat or a child's nightcap.
Rolycoly looked like a clump of aggregated coal. However, there was a significant difference between Rolycoly and ordinary coal. Rolycoly had a large eye on the front of its body—one side was larger than the other, giving it a slanted gaze. Its body also featured protruding rocks.
And these were the future healer and tank of Gu Yuan's team.