"This should be the last one."
Muttering to himself, Gu Yuan walked deep into the heart of the forest. Sensing that its territory had been invaded, the master of the woods, Altaria, immediately charged out. The reason Altaria reacted so quickly was entirely because Gu Yuan's previous battle movements were far too loud.
Furthermore, the dangerous aura radiating from Charizard and the others behind Gu Yuan made Altaria hesitate to act. It could only glare fiercely at Gu Yuan. After a long silence, just as Altaria was preparing to display its majesty and drive them out, Gu Yuan spoke first.
"Go, Charizard! Mega Evolution!"
"Once this battle is over, it'll be time for us to return."
As Gu Yuan's voice rang out, a dazzling light enveloped Charizard. Mega Charizard Y surged forth, its powerful presence making Altaria realize it was no match for its opponent. Despite this, Altaria had no intention of retreating. To flee without a fight would be a devastating blow to its pride.
The return Gu Yuan mentioned referred to going back to the Kanto region. Half a month had passed since the operation to wipe out Team Magma. Following the end of the battle, just as Gu Yuan had expected, the Hoenn League rewarded him with massive amounts of resources based on his performance.
Regarding the Hunter's Guild, the Hoenn League still lacked significant leads. Even Gu Yuan was powerless in this regard. Consequently, the Hoenn League focused all its energy on the aftermath, ensuring that the influence of Team Aqua and Team Magma was completely uprooted. This meant they didn't have much energy left to monitor Gu Yuan.
Conversely, Gu Yuan was well aware of the Hoenn League's movements because Team Rocket was also busy absorbing Team Magma's remaining power. However, that had nothing to do with him. During this time, Gu Yuan began challenging powerful Pokémon again. This Altaria was his final target. Once the battle concluded, it would be time to return to the Kanto region.
The battle began. The moment the two sides clashed, Altaria fell into a disadvantage. Under the scorching heat of the flames, Altaria's pristine white feathers began to turn charred and black.
"Let's finish this quickly. Blast Burn!"
Finding an opening, Gu Yuan ordered Mega Charizard Y to launch a powerful assault. A massive fireball surged forward. Even though Altaria tried to resist with Sky Attack, it still couldn't withstand the power of Blast Burn.
"Flare Blitz!"
The moment the fireball overwhelmed the giant bird, Mega Charizard Y transformed into a lifelike fire dragon and charged. Sensing the dragon's roar, Altaria realized things were bad, but it had no time to use a move to defend itself. In the next second, the giant fire dragon filled Altaria's vision before swallowing it whole.
"Boom!"
The sound of a heavy fall echoed as a heatwave spread out. Altaria lay defeated in a deep crater.
"Blast Burn!"
Without giving Altaria a chance to breathe, Gu Yuan ordered Mega Charizard Y to attack again. A massive explosion of fire expanded, enveloping Altaria and wildly burning away its stamina. The intense pain caused Altaria to scream out repeatedly.
Gu Yuan showed no mercy while he had the advantage. As the flames wrapped around Altaria, Mega Charizard Y continuously added more fuel to the fireball. Under the sustained suppression of the fire, Altaria found it difficult to break free no matter how it struggled. Furthermore, the onset of the burn status made Altaria's resistance increasingly feeble. Finally, it collapsed in the flames, unable to move.
Seeing that Altaria had lost the ability to battle, Gu Yuan finally had Mega Charizard Y retract the flames. As the fire vanished, Hatterene took action. Rain from Life Dew began to fall, combined with Heal Pulse to rapidly treat Altaria's injuries.
By the time Altaria woke up, Moltres was already prepared for battle. As the pressure of a Legendary Pokémon spread, Altaria felt its strength being suppressed. Simultaneously, Moltres launched an attack under Gu Yuan's command.
Though seemingly enraged by its previous defeat, Altaria desperately released its full power, yet it was still crushed by Moltres. Subsequently, Altaria lost to Roaring Moon and Volcanion in succession. These repeated crushing defeats caused Altaria to lose its confidence for a time.
Just as Altaria was about to leave, Gu Yuan departed before it. Looking around its surroundings, Altaria wondered if it truly had the qualification or strength to be the overlord of this forest.
Just as he had arrived silently, Gu Yuan did not disturb many people when he left. Standing some distance away from the pier, Bavi stood waiting.
"I didn't expect you to come personally to see me off."
Suddenly, a voice rang out behind him.
"It is only right. Regardless, as a member of the Hoenn League, I must thank you for your outstanding performance in these two operations. I hope we have the chance to cooperate again in the future," Bavi said to Gu Yuan with great solemnity.
"No problem. Next time I'll be careful and try not to cause you guys any trouble," Gu Yuan said with a smile, nodding his head.
"I hope so," Bavi replied, also breaking into a smile.
Without saying anything more, Gu Yuan bid Bavi farewell and continued toward the pier. By the time he reached the docks, he had already used Ditto's power to change his appearance.
Entering the cabin directly, Gu Yuan did not rush to the training room; instead, he took a proper rest. Since leaving the dimensional space, Gu Yuan had been either traveling or fighting. This state of affairs wouldn't change much even after returning to the Kanto region. Therefore, whenever he had the chance, Gu Yuan would let himself and Charizard's team rest appropriately, maintaining a balance between work and relaxation.
Due to the actions of the Kanto and Hoenn Leagues, the two regions and the shipping lanes between them had become much more peaceful. Seeing powerful entities like the Hunter's Guild, Team Aqua, and Team Magma fall at the hands of the League, how would mere pirates dare to act out?
In this manner, Gu Yuan returned safely to Vermilion City and went straight to see Elite Four Agatha.
"That's the situation. Considering your special abilities, I believe the most suitable path for you is to travel through various regions."
"So, I want to ask for your opinion. If you find it agreeable, I will contact the Leagues in other regions to get a trial map suitable for you," Agatha said, getting straight to business after a brief exchange of pleasantries in her office.
"Don't worry too much about the cost. With your current status and the resources you can allocate, this is a minor matter," Agatha spoke first, seeing that Gu Yuan wanted to say something.
"Yes, I understand. Then I'll have to trouble you," Gu Yuan replied. Hearing this, he no longer had any reservations and directly agreed.