"Hiss!"
The moment he woke up, Gu Yuan couldn't help but gasp.
A violent headache throbbed through him, making him wish he could fall back into unconsciousness.
This was the price of overloading his psychic power, but Gu Yuan did not regret it.
Compared to death, this bit of pain was nothing.
After forcing himself to adjust, he could feel how weak his body had become.
Just like his psychic abilities, maintaining Mega Evolution for so long had caused significant physical damage.
Looking around, Gu Yuan saw Sylveon fast asleep.
With a Teleport, Alakazam appeared in the hospital room, carrying prepared food with its psychic power.
Even with Alakazam's usual composure, it nearly lost control of the floating trays when it saw Gu Yuan was finally awake.
After quickly calming itself, Alakazam floated to his side and used Telepathy to ask how he felt.
"I'm fine. I just need some quiet rest to recover."
"More importantly, how are all of you? Any hidden injuries?"
Now that he finally had someone to talk to, Gu Yuan immediately asked the question he cared about most.
From Alakazam, Gu Yuan learned what had happened after the battle.
Once he had collapsed, Dar first ensured he wasn't mortally wounded and then rushed him to the nearest town, Ambrette Town.
On the way, Dar encountered Matsunaga.
Matsunaga's performance was no less impressive than Dar's; he had directly neutralized every trainer who tried to block his path.
Later, Alakazam and the others were sent to the Pokémon Center for treatment, while Gu Yuan stayed here to recover.
Notably, Dar occupied the room right next to Gu Yuan's to prevent the enemy from attempting a surprise return.
Gu Yuan had been unconscious for two full days.
During this time, everyone—even Charizard, who had the most severe injuries and exhaustion—had returned to health thanks to various medical treatments.
As Gu Yuan chatted with Alakazam, Sylveon and the others slowly woke up, and news of his recovery spread quickly.
Charizard and the rest of the team breathed a collective sigh of relief. Soon after, Dar and Matsunaga came by to check on him.
Seeing that Gu Yuan still needed rest, the two tactfully left to let him recover in peace.
Taking out his communicator, Gu Yuan first sent a message to Agatha to let her know he was safe, then contacted Shadow.
To deal with the final desperation of his enemies, Gu Yuan's hidden cards hadn't just been Agatha's Gengar; he had also arranged for help from Team Rocket.
It just happened that he didn't need to use it in the end.
Agatha replied very quickly. She had clearly been worried about her outstanding apprentice.
Shadow's reply, by contrast, was much simpler.
However, Gu Yuan knew it hadn't been easy for Shadow to personally come to the Kalos region for his sake.
Through his conversation with Agatha, Gu Yuan learned the full aftermath.
After the attack ended, Agatha immediately began investigating Takashi's identity, as well as the people who blocked Dar and Matsunaga.
Regardless of the actual findings, Agatha pinned all the crimes on the Cotton family.
Most importantly, Agatha produced a wealth of evidence that left the Cotton family speechless, forcing them to accept the charges and swallow the bitterness.
Unfortunately, this blow wasn't enough to fatally wound the Cotton family, but Agatha was already quite satisfied.
A titan like the Cottons couldn't be dealt with in one go. Agatha preferred to slowly drain their strength until they were weak enough to be swallowed whole!
As the victim, Gu Yuan would naturally receive an enviable reward.
Agatha also instructed him to rest well. The enemies would likely behave themselves for a while, though he couldn't afford to be careless.
Ending the chat, Gu Yuan ate a bit of food and drifted back into a heavy sleep.
Once the Kalos League learned that Gu Yuan was unharmed, their regret grew even stronger.
During the internal struggle within the Kanto League, Kalos had ultimately chosen to stay out of it.
To put it bluntly, they hadn't had faith in Gu Yuan and didn't believe he could survive the assassination attempt.
To their surprise, Gu Yuan was not only safe but had managed to kill a Middle-tier Advanced Psychic.
Even with the help of Agatha's Gengar, it shouldn't have been enough to bridge the gap in strength—especially with a Ghost-type Elite watching from the shadows.
The Kalos League didn't know that the Ghost-type Elite hadn't actually intervened.
Therefore, Gu Yuan's performance undoubtedly solidified his reputation as a "monster."
Even within the Kanto League, the Elite Four had begun to treat Gu Yuan as a future Champion candidate.
It was easy to imagine that at the very least, Gu Yuan would become an Elite in the future.
Knowing a golden opportunity to befriend him had slipped through their fingers, many people felt immense regret.
Fortunately, Matsunaga was still there, which meant they had at least maintained a good relationship with Gu Yuan.
After a week of recuperation, Gu Yuan was fully recovered.
The violent headaches vanished, and he could begin his psychic training again.
His body felt strong and energetic once more, but this served as a reminder: while training his mind, he must not neglect his physical fitness. Physical endurance was a key factor in determining how long he could maintain Mega Evolution.
"Thank you again for your help. If you ever need assistance in the future, I will do my absolute best to help."
Once healed, Gu Yuan first went to thank Matsunaga.
Even though the Kalos League hadn't stepped in, Gu Yuan didn't mind.
Helping was a favor, and not helping was their right; he had no reason to blame them.
Matsunaga, after all his hard work, had wanted exactly this promise.
"It's no problem. Protecting League trainers is my responsibility. Besides, since they dared to strike within the Kalos region, I couldn't have stood by regardless."
Suppressing his inner excitement, Matsunaga maintained a righteous expression.
Though Matsunaga often seemed unreliable, Gu Yuan understood that at critical moments, the man was quite dependable.
After chatting for a while, Gu Yuan said his goodbyes.
Having been delayed for so long, it was time for Dar and Gu Yuan to return to the Kanto region.
After this assassination attempt, those families would certainly stay quiet for a time, but the possibility of them doing something desperate couldn't be ruled out, so they needed to be prepared.
The next morning, Gu Yuan and Dar departed quietly. Even Matsunaga didn't come to see them off, all to keep their movements a secret.
Gazing out at the endless sea, a disguised Gu Yuan used his psychic power and System detection on the deck, but found nothing unusual.
Even so, he didn't dare lower his guard and planned to stay in his room until they reached the shore.
To avoid attracting attention, Gu Yuan and Dar remained in disguise and acted as strangers, communicating only through their devices if necessary.
Back in his room, Gu Yuan began his psychic training while Alakazam stood guard silently by his side.