"I'm finally back."
Stepping into Vermilion City, Gu Yuan felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"Let's go. We'll head to the Pokémon Center first to see how the League plans to arrange things for you next," Dar said with a smile, patting Gu Yuan on the shoulder.
Having returned to the Kanto region, Dar felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted. If those families dared to strike within Kanto, the retaliation waiting for them would not be as simple as before.
The moment Gu Yuan entered the Pokémon Center and presented his Trainer ID, he was informed that someone was waiting for him. After mentioning it to Dar, he went to see who it was.
Before he could even knock on the door, Agatha's Gengar lunged out from his shadow and slipped into the wall, which effectively solved the mystery for him.
"I didn't expect you to come looking for me personally," Gu Yuan said with slight surprise as he pushed the door open, seeing Agatha dealing with Gengar's affectionate antics.
"I had no choice. Your performance this time was so outstanding that, as your teacher, I naturally had to praise you in person," Agatha replied with a smile before turning her attention back to Gengar.
"I know you worked hard this time. I'll give you your reward once we get back, so go ahead and rest for now," she said somewhat helplessly, patting Gengar's large head.
Nodding, Gengar bid farewell to Gu Yuan and vanished into Agatha's shadow.
"Your performance was excellent. From today on, you are officially qualified to be a candidate for the Elite Four."
"What you lack now is only merit and strength. Merit is easy enough to handle; those families aren't going anywhere. As for strength, I need to know—given sufficient combat, how long will it take for your special ability to help you break through to the Elite Rank?"
Agatha's expression turned serious as she fixed her gaze on Gu Yuan.
"I can't be certain of the exact time, but I can guarantee it will be within one year!"
After considering the current state of Charizard and the others, Gu Yuan provided a relatively broad timeframe, aiming to keep his special ability from appearing too conspicuous.
"Good."
"I am giving you two choices now. First, you can immediately start leading a team to search for evidence of those families' crimes. Once we have solid proof, we will strike immediately to uproot them."
"The benefits are obvious. Even setting aside the rewards we give you, the spoils from seizing their assets would be substantial."
"There are drawbacks, of course. Your strength is a major weakness. Even though your Charizard can reach Elite Rank power through Mega Evolution, you should know that Mega Evolution isn't a cure-all. Especially since you've appeared as such a significant external threat, those families will quickly unite."
"You might think the assassinations you encountered before were the limit, but that was only the beginning. You should understand that while the Champion Rank is difficult to reach, Champion Rank Pokémon have very long lifespans. Decades of accumulation are enough for these families to produce an unknown number of Champion Rank trainers."
"When they are pushed into a corner, they will use these hidden reserves against you. With your Leader Rank strength, you would find it nearly impossible to resist."
Agatha did not rush into the second option, instead leaving Gu Yuan enough time to think. After a moment, she continued.
"The second choice significantly mitigates these risks. That is, you keep a low profile starting now and focus entirely on increasing your strength until you reach the Elite Rank before striking!"
"At that point, with the versatility of a Psychic, your formidable strength, and the boost from Mega Evolution, you would have a chance to escape or hold out for reinforcements even if the enemy deploys Champion Rank trainers. Furthermore, you would be able to control more influence by then, making it much easier to dismantle those families."
"Think carefully about the pros and cons, then tell me your choice. I will arrange your path accordingly."
Agatha did not pressure him for an immediate decision after laying out both options.
"There's no need. I choose the second one."
"The assassination attempts against me only just ended. If I act now, those people will likely unite quickly. Not only would I be in great danger, but I probably wouldn't achieve significant results. It's better to patiently increase my strength, collect evidence in secret, and wait for the right moment to deal them a devastating blow!"
Gu Yuan made his choice without needing much time to deliberate.
"A wise choice. I'll keep an eye on that evidence for you. After all, their hands are filthy; it's easy to dig up a mountain of dirt on them."
Agatha nodded in approval.
"My advice is that from this moment on, you hide your tracks and wander through various forests to train. I will prepare detailed maps for you, indicating where suitable Pokémon can be found. As for resources, you don't need to worry—or rather, you should find a way to use up your entire year's worth of Champion-tier allocations so they don't go to waste."
"Additionally, I will try to secure a spot for you in the dimensions."
"In those dimensions, you can battle a vast number of powerful Pokémon and obtain many rare resources that will be useful even after you reach the Elite Rank. You'll also encounter many unique Pokémon."
Though Agatha's description was brief, Gu Yuan immediately thought of the Hisui region. While called a region, it was actually what the Sinnoh region looked like in the past. In certain dimensions created by space-time rifts, people could visit the Hisui of old, where many Pokémon with unique Hisuian forms still lived.
"Yes, I understand!"
Suppressing his inner excitement, Gu Yuan quickly regained his composure.
"Alright, there's no need to rush into training immediately. While you still have time, take a good rest. You won't set out for at least three days. You'll stay in this room; I guarantee no one will know you're here."
Agatha stood up and walked slowly toward the door. As she passed Gu Yuan, she shot him a glance. Her eyes held relief, praise, and a hint of heartache. However, given her personality, she wouldn't say such things out loud, choosing instead to show it through her actions.
After leaving the room, Agatha didn't go far. She checked into the room next to Gu Yuan's, telling him through her actions that for these three days, he could let down his guard and sleep. This was exactly what Gu Yuan needed most.
Ever since leaving the Kanto region, he hadn't had a single day of peace. Now, more than anything, he needed rest without any vigilance.