If the reaction within Xia Country was dominated by shock and excitement, then outside forces felt far more regret, frustration, and resentment.
The president of Lighthouse Country even slammed his desk and roared inside the Oval Office:
"Wasn't Lu Xinghe enough already?! Now there's another one—this Oliver!
Find a way to make him immigrate to our country, no matter the cost!"
Meanwhile, Bangzi Country went so far as to publish newspaper articles claiming that Oliver had one-quarter Bangzi bloodline.
Reactions varied from nation to nation, but one thing was certain—
The name "Oliver" had officially entered the sights of every major power in the world.
Genesis Society — Hidden Mountain Cavern
Deep within a concealed cave lay the headquarters of the Genesis Society.
Leaning back in a genuine leather executive chair, a one-eyed man spoke in a calm, almost emotionless tone:
"Give me an explanation."
The black-clad man standing before the desk swallowed hard.
He knew this tone well—
Whenever the boss spoke like this, it meant he was at his angriest.
"I… I'm sorry, Boss," he said with difficulty.
"He has an Elite Four protecting him. The people we sent earlier were all eliminated. I was planning to personally deal with him after some time, then report to you…"
The boss said nothing.
The silence in the room was suffocating.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Each light knock of fingers against the desktop felt like a hammer striking the black-clad man's heart.
Cold sweat drenched his forehead.
Summoning his courage, he spoke again:
"Boss, I'll go handle him myself. A Water-type Elite Four isn't my match."
"No," the boss said slowly.
"That was before. After this paper, Xia Country's protection around him will only grow stronger. We've already missed the best chance to recruit him."
The black-clad man secretly let out a breath of relief.
From the boss's words, it sounded like he wouldn't be held responsible.
But then he realized what the boss truly meant and looked up in disbelief.
"You mean… we won't kill him?"
"Correct," the boss replied calmly.
"I have a feeling he will become the next Lu Xinghe. And this time, I will hold him firmly in my own hands."
"For now, do nothing rash. I'll handle this personally."
The black-clad man asked carefully,
"Then… may I take my leave, Boss?"
Seeing no reaction, he cautiously turned and moved toward the door.
Suddenly—
The tapping stopped.
So did his footsteps.
"Considering you've followed me for so many years," the boss said flatly,
"leave behind one arm as punishment."
The black-clad man's face twisted in pain.
As expected… there was no escaping it.
Yet he didn't dare disobey.
He threw out a Poké Ball.
A Charizard emerged—its eyes fierce, its body covered in scars. Faint needle marks were visible across its scales, as if it had been injected with something.
"Do it, Charizard."
Without the slightest hesitation, the Charizard swung its razor-sharp right claw.
A flash—
The black-clad man's left arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder.
He turned deathly pale, clutching the gushing wound.
The boss waved his hand dismissively.
"Go get treatment."
"Yes… thank you, Boss, for sparing my life."
The black-clad man bowed deeply, gritting his teeth, then left with Charizard in tow.
Oliver's Home
Oliver opened the door and stared at the curvy woman standing outside.
Speechless, he said,
"Why are you back again?"
Mu Xue looked him up and down with interest, clicking her tongue.
"Wow. I really didn't expect this.
Should I start calling you Doctor Oliver now?"
"That's not set in stone," Oliver replied.
"Whether the League approves it is still uncertain."
He stepped aside to let her in.
Mu Xue walked in casually.
"It's only a matter of time. Might as well get used to it early."
"Stop teasing me," Oliver said helplessly.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Anything," she replied indifferently.
"Then Tieguanyin."
Mu Xue raised an eyebrow.
"You have tea here? I don't usually drink tea, but I do have it occasionally with League executives. I've got standards—don't try to fool me with low-grade stuff."
Oliver walked to the fridge.
Then pulled out… a bottled drink labeled:
"Tieguanyin"
Mu Xue froze on the spot.
"…You don't like it?" Oliver asked seriously.
"I also have jasmine honey tea and oolong peach tea. Which one?"
Seeing her silent, Oliver frowned.
"Don't like tea at all? Then forget it."
Mu Xue suddenly remembered how casually Oliver had acted in her home before.
Her temper flared instantly.
"Hmph! I'll drink it! Why wouldn't I?"
"Give me that one—oolong peach tea!"
"Got it."
Oliver handed her the bottle.
The moment Mu Xue took it, she noticed the annoyingly smug grin on his face.
Instantly, she realized—
She'd been played.
Her chest heaved with anger, and she nearly summoned a Pokémon on the spot to teach him a lesson.
Sensing danger, Oliver hurriedly changed the subject.
"You didn't come just to mess with me. Let's talk business."
Mu Xue was forcibly interrupted mid–spell-casting.
She rolled her eyes.
"Because of your paper, the League has officially assigned me a new order. From now on, I'll be permanently responsible for your security. Protecting you is now my official duty."
"That also means—you no longer need to provide me with Energy Cubes every day."
Oliver blinked.
"You didn't have to tell me that. I was going to keep giving them to you anyway."
Mu Xue brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"One thing is one thing.
I'm not so low as to freeload off your Energy Cubes."
"If I need them, I'll buy them from you. You wouldn't refuse to sell to me, right?"
Oliver felt the faint threat in her tone and quickly replied,
"Of course not! You want as many as you like—I'll sell them all!"
Mu Xue couldn't help but laugh.
It was honestly hard to connect this unserious young man with a once-in-a-generation genius who possessed both elite training talent and elite research talent.
In her eyes, Oliver's ability as a Trainer was no weaker than his research aptitude.
She knew exactly how strong Milotic and Gardevoir were.
Someone this well-rounded shouldn't even exist.
Honestly—
If Oliver suddenly claimed that all those top-tier Energy Cubes were made by himself, she wouldn't even be surprised anymore.
She was already numb to it.
"There's one more thing," Mu Xue added.
"The League has finalized your reward. But you'll need to go to Beijing, to the Xia Country League headquarters, to receive it."
"When the time comes, I'll go with you."
She smiled meaningfully.
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