Hyper Beam swept across the ocean, destroying one submarine after another under its devastating blast.
The smaller submarines could only hold two people at a time. To save their lives, the vast majority of Team Aqua members were forced to have their Pokémon carry them away. Unfortunately, faced with the pursuit of Salamence and various Water-type Pokémon, the hope of escape was incredibly slim.
Under Bavi's command, the spoils of war continued to expand. Some Team Aqua members, seeing no hope of getting away, tactfully chose to surrender. Before the Hoenn League personnel arrived to take custody of them, Dar and his team were needed to help guard the prisoners.
"Thank you for your help. Without you, I doubt we would have achieved such a great victory."
The perfect execution of the plan brought a bit more sincerity to Bavi's smile.
"It's nothing; this was all our duty. Besides, the losses were mostly the Pokémon you provided as support. It's a pity our strength was insufficient, leading to their total annihilation. I should be the one saying sorry," Dar replied.
As Bavi watched Dar's subordinates take away another support Pokémon he had provided, he knew exactly what Dar was doing—he was pocketing those Pokémon as a "service fee." Bavi thought for a moment and decided not to press the issue; he would treat it as the appearance fee for Dar's team. Though, this fee was so expensive it made Bavi feel a twinge of physical pain.
"It's wonderful that you see it that way. Oh, by the way, I just received word that the Regional Battle Tournament we had earlier seems to be quite popular with the public, leading to frequent replays."
"According to the statistics, excluding the Hoenn region, the coverage rate is over 90%. Many meddlesome people are even giving it titles like 'Two People Sweeping an Entire Team.'"
"Please rest assured, I have already spoken to the Kanto League. We will definitely take down the match videos as soon as possible, stop the replays, and issue a statement explaining the true strength of the Hoenn region. Please wait patiently," Dar said with a face full of smiles.
Bavi, however, felt like tearing that smiling face apart.
What do you mean 'popular with the public'? What do you mean 'excluding Hoenn'? You clearly pushed the promotion yourselves to drive the public narrative! Don't play the innocent 'white lotus' with me! Yet, Bavi had no way to solve this. Results were solid facts; no matter how the Hoenn League defended themselves, it would appear weak and forced.
"Yes, we appreciate the Kanto League's kindness. We will also cooperate to suppress this matter. After all, a temporary victory or defeat means nothing."
"It's best that you think that way. Unfortunately, those people on the internet are such bastards; they even dug up the news of our attack. Some people who twist the truth are actually claiming our attack happened after the Regional Battle Tournament, calling it retaliation by the Hoenn League. Can you believe such nonsense?"
"Don't worry, we have already made a public statement and are trying to track these people down. We will never let them tarnish the image of the Hoenn League!"
At this moment, as Bavi looked at the apologetic-looking Dar, he felt like he was looking at his former self. He began to deeply regret using Dar and the others as bait. Once these rumors spread, Bavi could already imagine the blow to the Hoenn League's image.
The Hoenn League would have to spend a significant amount of time and an staggering price to reverse this negative image. But what could Bavi do? Even if he revealed the entire process, the fact that he used Dar's group as bait remained an indelible stain.
"This is our fault. We didn't consider things thoroughly. We will handle the follow-up and ensure nothing similar happens again."
After a long pause, Bavi finally admitted defeat. Since he was the one who did it, he would have to shoulder the consequences. At worst, he would take all the blame himself and stop making public appearances. It was a price he could pay.
"It's for the best that you see it that way. If there's ever a situation like this again, we can help out. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
"Sure, if there is an opportunity."
Despite his words, Bavi had already decided never to provoke Dar again. He had no idea what other methods the man might use to retaliate.
Once the Hoenn League ships arrived, Bavi took the Team Aqua captives and left immediately, not even bothering with further pleasantries.
"Alright, the matter is settled. Let's set sail!"
Having let out his frustrations, a refreshed Dar stood on the deck and signaled for the ship to move again.
As the long days at sea began, a restless Gu Yuan threw himself into training once more. Psychic energy surged as he cultivated his powers, while Charizard and the others continued their rigorous training. With his accumulated points, Gu Yuan didn't have to worry about resources for the time being.
Seven days later, the ship docked at a small island along the route for supplies.
"Gu Yuan, I want to challenge you. Do you dare to accept?"
After disembarking, Taishi Utsunomiya silently approached Gu Yuan, his tone filled with determination.
"Time and place."
As he asked, Gu Yuan activated the System's detection function while signaling Alakazam to remain vigilant. Given Taishi Utsunomiya's background, Gu Yuan could not bring himself to trust him.
"One day from now, at the Pokémon Center's battle court. I'll notify you of the specific court beforehand."
"Deal."
After receiving Gu Yuan's confirmation, Taishi Utsunomiya said no more and turned to leave.
Looking at the man's departing back, Gu Yuan was actually somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Taishi Utsunomiya to challenge him in such a straightforward, honorable way. But does he really have a chance of winning?
During the voyage, Charizard hadn't slacked off for a single moment. With the help of points, its progress in strength was something Dragonite simply couldn't match.
What Gu Yuan didn't know was that Taishi Utsunomiya chose to challenge him now because he feared that as time passed, he would have even less of a chance. Originally, Taishi had been dismissive of the rumors regarding Gu Yuan's "special ability" to help Pokémon grow rapidly, thinking it was just a gimmick.
But seeing it with his own eyes, he realized it was true—and far more terrifying than he imagined! To grasp his slim chance at victory, Taishi Utsunomiya had to challenge Gu Yuan early.
Keeping this in mind, Gu Yuan followed the main group into the Pokémon Center. Under Nurse Joy's hospitality, the group was assigned the best rooms. In truth, there was no one else there to compete with them, and the "best" rooms on a remote island were fairly basic.
Lying in bed, Gu Yuan began to prepare for the battle against Taishi Utsunomiya. Better safe than sorry; he felt it was best to remain cautious.