"Gu Yuan! Gu Yuan! Gu Yuan!"
At this moment, all of Gu Yuan's fans at the scene could not help but cheer. Among them, the voices from the Hoenn region were the loudest. From today onward, the previous humiliation of the Hoenn region was gone forever. With the Unova region now at the bottom, Hoenn's previous performance appeared exceptionally outstanding.
Meanwhile, the opponents Gu Yuan had faced previously were stunned, yet also somewhat relieved. They felt lucky that Gu Yuan hadn't been quite so aggressive before; otherwise, they might have been the ones swept, permanently nailed to a pillar of shame.
In truth, it wasn't just them and the audience who were shocked; even Gu Yuan's teammates were stunned—especially Aiko. She had originally felt that through her hard work, she might still be able to keep pace with Gu Yuan. She hadn't expected the gap between them to widen once again.
Clenching her fists, Aiko didn't give up. Instead, an even more surging fighting spirit ignited within her. Aiko knew well that she wasn't a top-tier genius, but staying on the heels of one was enough. As long as she persisted, she would one day become a formidable powerhouse. In Aiko's eyes, Gu Yuan was the premier genius of this era, bar none. Her job was to follow closely behind him without a single moment of slack.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Gu Yuan bowed with a smile before slowly walking back to the Kanto region's player area. The host no longer had the heart to continue, but duty bound him to finish the proceedings.
"Sigh! I'm really sorry. I didn't expect Gu Yuan to accidentally sweep the whole team."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely give him a good lecture when we get back. I'll make sure he knows that doing this is wrong. You have to save some face for others, after all."
During the final interview segment, Dar spotted Chambers and jogged over to his side. He spoke with a voice full of feigned apology, but the smile on his face was impossible to hide. Conversely, Chambers' face was as dark as could be, looking as if he had swallowed something foul.
Most importantly, Chambers had nothing to say. Should he claim his trainers were too weak, or praise Gu Yuan's Pokémon for being too strong? Not just Chambers, but Levan and the others also kept their faces taut, wanting to end the interview segment quickly.
However, they underestimated Dar's lack of restraint. To properly vent his frustrations, Dar wasn't going to let them off easily. He had arranged for several reporters specifically for this interview, so there was no way it would end abruptly.
Dar began his performance, subtly mentioning the previous provocations from Levan and Chambers. Whenever they tried to retort, Dar would put on an "I'm just lying to help you save face because you're so pathetic" expression. Under Dar's direction, the full story of the incident was bound to spread, ensuring Chambers and Levan would become the laughingstocks of the new generation.
The final interview lasted a full hour before Dar, satisfied, led Gu Yuan and the others back to their hotel. Once there, he let them move freely. He did, however, warn them that since Gu Yuan had swept the Unova team, they might run into trouble if they wandered around aimlessly.
Hearing this, Aiko and the others completely lost the urge to go sightseeing. Fortunately, their meals were prepared by their own chefs, so they didn't have to worry about any unsavory "accidents" happening to their food. No one resented Gu Yuan for this restricted lifestyle. On the contrary, they felt that Gu Yuan's ability to push the Unova region to such a state was an undeniable testament to his strength.
"Um, could I trouble you to accompany me to the Battle Company?"
"Don't worry, I'll hide my identity. I'm just afraid of what might happen if someone sees through it," Gu Yuan asked Dar after Aiko and the others had left.
Sweeping the team had felt great, and the rewards from Dar were excellent, but a new problem had surfaced. To ensure the growth of Charizard and the others remained unhindered, Gu Yuan had been generous with his points, causing his reserves to dwindle. Before heading to the Kalos region, he needed to harvest another wave of points.
Gu Yuan knew that another assassination attempt likely awaited him in the Kalos region, as it was the final Regional Battle Tournament. Since the Alola region had not yet formed a League, it wouldn't be a venue for these exchanges, making Kalos their last chance. If they missed that, they would have to wait until he returned to the Kanto region, which would be disadvantageous for them. Therefore, Gu Yuan could not allow any stagnation in his strength.
"Give me a proper reason. You should know that your best option is to stay in the hotel. If you go to the Battle Company now, it will look excessively arrogant to the people of Unova," Dar said, staring at Gu Yuan with genuine confusion.
"You should be aware of my special ability. Only through battle—constant battle against strong enemies—can my ability take effect. To deal with the upcoming assassination attempts, I must seize every moment to increase my strength."
After a moment of thought, Gu Yuan used the excuse he had prepared. He had already used this reasoning with Agatha and gained her trust. Given Dar's behavior and Agatha's guarantee, it was clear Dar was an ally. It didn't hurt to tell him, as no one would ever guess he actually possessed a mysterious system.
Dar wasn't surprised; instead, he looked like he had expected such an answer. Ever since Gu Yuan insisted on fighting wild Pokémon while out at sea, Dar had suspected something about his special ability. Now that Gu Yuan had explained it, everything made sense.
"Rest today. I'll take you tomorrow, but I must insist you keep a low profile."
"Alright, I'll take my leave then."
Seeing Dar agree, Gu Yuan didn't linger and went back to rest. Annihilape's injuries, in particular, required time to heal. Gu Yuan had previously offered suggestions regarding Annihilape's combat style, but he couldn't change the Pokémon's nature. A trainer's job is to maximize a Pokémon's traits, not stifle its instincts.
Thus, the best Gu Yuan could do was provide the best medical treatment to ensure no lingering injuries remained, allowing Annihilape to fight to its heart's content. To be fair, this aggressive fighting style made Annihilape incredibly powerful, giving even Gu Yuan a sense of thrill.