"Let's finish this, Volcanion! Steam Blast!"
At Gu Yuan's roar, Volcanion harnessed the steam and charged in front of Golduck. Golduck had just barely blocked Volcanion's Steam Eruption and, caught off guard, was seized by Volcanion's powerful arms.
Steam Blast was the name Gu Yuan had given to Volcanion's special ability. As the power poured out, Golduck instantly fell unconscious.
Through repeated experiments and records, Gu Yuan had gained a clear understanding of how strong Volcanion's Steam Blast actually was and what its limitations were. First, regarding its power, Volcanion could control it freely, ranging roughly from 100 to 300. Depending on the power level used, it required different cooling times.
If released with a power of 100, it could be used again in about half a minute. However, if released with a power of 300, it required a three-minute cooldown. Most crucially, as Volcanion's strength grew, the limit of this power would increase, and the cooldown time would shorten. One day, it might truly possess the power to shatter a mountain with a casual strike.
As the battle ended, Volcanion waited for Hatterene to treat Golduck, wanting to see its reaction upon waking. If Golduck wanted to continue fighting, Volcanion would mercilessly defeat it again until the opponent completely lost the desire to battle.
Gu Yuan had tried to correct this habit Volcanion had developed, but the results were not ideal. He could only let Volcanion act as it pleased. Golduck seemed to sense Volcanion's thoughts; upon waking, it lay on the ground like a salted fish, successfully dispelling Volcanion's idea of another round.
"Let's go. Our battles in this forest are coming to an end for now. It's time to meet some other opponents."
Gu Yuan stretched, preparing to leave. Over the past half-month, he had battled every Pokémon in this forest ranging from Beginner Elite to Peak Elite. After recalling Charizard and the others into their Poké Balls, he had Alakazam use Teleport to take him away.
Rapidly leaving the forest, Gu Yuan headed toward the second trial point, not wasting a single second.
At the same time, the Hoenn League had completed its preparations for war. By following the lead provided by Tabitha, the Hoenn League had already pinpointed Maxie's location.
There was no helping it; after Team Aqua was wiped out, the leftover "cake" was simply too large for Team Magma to ignore. Even though Maxie knew that any movement would bring the Hoenn League—who were watching him closely—snapping at his heels, he still took action.
The destruction of Team Aqua had made Maxie realize the sheer gap between himself and the League. Without borrowing the power of Groudon, the Team Magma he had built was simply not enough to contend with the Hoenn League. Continuing to develop in low-profile would only delay the inevitable.
Given the circumstances, Maxie felt it was better to take a gamble. By utilizing the legacy left by Team Aqua alongside Team Magma's own strength, he would try to find Groudon as quickly as possible to realize his plans.
Of course, the reason Maxie made such a risky decision was entirely because the Hunter's Guild had refused to cooperate with him. Who knew what the people of the Hunter's Guild were thinking; Maxie only knew that after he proposed the idea of a partnership, the Hunter's Guild had gone silent.
The reason was actually quite simple: that was how the Hunter's Guild in the Kanto region had been wiped out. Their Branch President had only escaped punishment so far because he had used all his influence to broker a bet—a bet that, in the eyes of the Hoenn League Minister, was a guaranteed death sentence.
Therefore, for the sake of his own life, the Hoenn League Minister felt it was better to honestly execute the plans from above and not add his own ideas randomly. Thus, the current situation arose.
Maxie had still underestimated the strength and patience of the Hoenn League. After waiting for two months, they had finally found him. In reality, the reason the Hoenn League's actions were so swift this time was largely due to the efforts of the Devon Corporation behind Steven.
"The operation plan is as follows. I ask you two to be prepared for a war of attrition; we must draw in all of Team Magma's elites."
"At the same time, I'll trouble Elite Glacia to lead a team to find Team Magma's scattered forces, ensuring they don't develop second thoughts about providing reinforcements."
At the Hoenn League Headquarters, Steven had finalized the entire operation plan. Although Steven was still young, even the most veteran Elite Drake could find no faults and happily accepted the orders. Under the command of the Champion, the entire Hoenn League began to move.
"Volcanion, full power Steam Blast!"
Upon receiving the command, Volcanion controlled its power to pour entirely onto the Rhydon before it. With such immense power combined with type advantage, Rhydon instantly lost its ability to battle and fainted.
The moment the battle ended, a vibration came from Gu Yuan's pocket.
"The Hoenn League is about to move against Team Magma. If you don't want to miss it, you need to start preparing now."
"Understood. I definitely won't miss this feast."
Without a shred of hesitation, Gu Yuan believed the words.
"I look forward to your brilliant performance and the day you step into the Champion Rank."
"I've sent the approximate coordinates to you. What happens next is up to you."
"Understood."
Just as Gu Yuan finished speaking, Shadow hung up the phone. As he deleted the call log, Gu Yuan marveled at how staggering Team Rocket's current sphere of influence was.
In the original story, Team Rocket was the only entity that managed to spread its influence to other regions. Now, with his help, Team Rocket's power had been further enhanced—to the point where they could even obtain information regarding the Hoenn League's movements against Team Magma and their approximate locations.
Gu Yuan could already imagine that once Team Aqua and Team Magma were both eliminated and Team Rocket absorbed portions of their legacies, their influence would reach unimaginable heights.
But none of that had much to do with Gu Yuan; only strength was most important. Given his relationship with Team Rocket, as they grew stronger, the resources he could obtain would only increase, further accelerating his growth!
"Come back and rest for now, Volcanion. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to fight to your heart's content soon."
Recalling Volcanion—who was gradually developing into a battle maniac—into its Poké Ball, Gu Yuan had Alakazam use Teleport to rush to the potential battlefield as quickly as possible. He needed to prepare in advance to prevent the Hoenn League from chasing him away.