The next day, Gu Yuan arrived at the Battle Company accompanied by Dar, though the two of them acted separately.
Gu Yuan had already studied the details of the Battle Company in depth the previous night.
There were two main battle modes available here.
The first was free battling in the main hall. Any trainer could rent a battlefield and a referee for a fee, making it the most popular choice.
The second option involved paying for the company's staff to battle you. The downside was the high cost.
However, the benefit was that they could meet almost any requirement for specific power levels or elemental types.
Of course, there was a ceiling to this service. Once a trainer exceeded the Elite Rank, the Battle Company could no longer provide adequate opponents.
Considering his need to maintain a low profile, Gu Yuan chose to spend money on the company's sparring partners.
The Kanto League had provided him with ample funds anyway, so he didn't mind the expense.
To further shield his identity, Gu Yuan deliberately forged two personas, using different Pokémon for each.
For his most conspicuous Pokémon, Annihilape, Gu Yuan had it work in tandem with Ditto.
Before every match involving Ditto, Gu Yuan had it transform into various other Pokémon to mask its true form.
Furthermore, Gu Yuan changed his sparring partners every time, so he didn't have to worry about being recognized.
If nothing else, the quality of the Battle Company's sparring partners was quite high.
To put more pressure on himself, Gu Yuan specifically requested powerful trainers. Every opponent performed exceptionally well; at the very least, Gu Yuan didn't dare to be careless and had to utilize his true strength.
As a result, Gu Yuan—who initially only wanted to accumulate points—gained significant experience fighting against trainers from the Sinnoh region.
In this moment, Gu Yuan perhaps understood the significance of these regional exchange matches for the participants.
It wasn't just about seeing the world; it allowed them to face Pokémon from other regions in advance and accumulate combat experience.
After all, no matter how detailed a written report was, it couldn't compare to the lasting memory of an actual battle.
While Gu Yuan was immersed in the services provided by the Battle Company, Chambers was not having a good time.
Levan was one thing; though he was impulsive as a captain, it was understandable for a young man, and his final performance had been excellent. He had simply been unlucky enough to run into a monster like Gu Yuan.
Simply put, Levan had backing. Combined with his status as a genius, the Unova League wouldn't be too hard on him.
But Chambers was different.
As the lead official, Chambers was supposed to restrain Levan's behavior, gather intelligence on the opponents' strength beforehand, and arrange appropriate tactics.
Instead, Chambers had joined Levan in his provocations and failed to realize Gu Yuan's terrifying strength. This was undoubtedly a massive failure.
Consequently, Chambers was not only punished within the League but was also thrown out as a scapegoat to face the condemnation of the Unova public.
Once public attention had shifted entirely to Chambers, the League temporarily dismissed him from all his posts. In this way, the internal regional issues were considered resolved.
As for the news spreading to other regions, it would simply have to be forgotten over time.
Chambers knew very well that he might regain his current status in the future if an opportunity arose, but moving any higher would require a massive contribution.
He was acutely aware that his life had likely peaked, unless he could make a breakthrough in his personal strength.
However, having held Elite Rank strength for a long time, he knew that the Champion Rank was an extremely difficult hurdle to overcome.
"Ah!"
"On what grounds!?"
"Why does Levan get off scot-free while I have to take all the responsibility? Why!?"
Tossing a wine bottle aside, a drunken Chambers couldn't help but roar.
Slumped over the table, the resentment in Chambers' heart continued to fester.
A nameless fury rose within him, and Chambers felt as though he were a powder keg on the verge of exploding.
"No! I can't go on like this. I'm going to take back everything I lost!"
Abruptly, Chambers stumbled to his feet, his eyes suddenly becoming determined.
Grabbing his Poké Balls, Chambers prepared to personally seize back what he had lost!
After Chambers left, a man slowly emerged from another room, followed by a Hypno.
Both the man and the Pokémon wore smiles that suggested a successful conspiracy before they vanished from the spot.
After leaving his residence, the outside wind blew against him, but instead of sobering up, Chambers became even more resolute.
He went straight to the hotel where Gu Yuan and the others were staying and waited silently.
Chambers didn't believe for a second that Gu Yuan could stay inside the hotel forever.
Leaving the Battle Company, Gu Yuan looked satisfied.
After several days of fierce fighting, Gu Yuan's points had become staggering once again, enough to ensure that Charizard and the others could continue growing at their current pace.
By now, the time for Gu Yuan and the others to leave the Unova region was drawing near.
After all, their presence seemed to serve as a constant reminder to the Unova public of how poorly they had performed in the regional battle.
"Tomorrow is the last day. We'll rest well the day after, and then we should leave Unova the following day."
"Since your previous performance was so dazzling, the people here don't want us staying long. It's actually made our resupply and recovery much faster than before."
Looking at Gu Yuan with a smile, Dar's tone held a hint of excitement.
For the Unova region, this was a disgrace, but for Dar, it was a glory. Otherwise, Dar wouldn't have given Gu Yuan the quota to purchase Mega Stones in the first place.
"I understand. I'll make the most of my time tomorrow."
Just as Gu Yuan finished speaking, an Elite Rank Zebstrika lunged at him.
And that was only the beginning.
The moment the Zebstrika charged, an Excadrill burrowed out from the ground.
Like the Zebstrika, the Excadrill also possessed Elite Rank strength.
Its sharp claws thrust forward, aiming directly for Dar.
The Zebstrika focused all its attention on Gu Yuan's side, using Agility combined with Discharge.
Before it even got close, Gu Yuan felt a numbing sensation. He could only imagine what it would feel like if the Discharge actually hit him.
Reacting quickly, Gu Yuan immediately used Teleport, pulling Dar along with him to dodge.
As if anticipating Gu Yuan's move, the moment Gu Yuan and Dar reappeared, a Krookodile burst from the ground beneath them.
Fortunately, the previous Teleport had given Dar time to react.
A Poké Ball was thrown, and a Champion Rank Blastoise appeared by Dar's side.
The aura of a Champion Rank Pokémon surged outward, causing the Krookodile's movements to falter for half a beat.
In the next second, the Blastoise's Hydro Pump blasted the Krookodile away, which also served to sober Chambers up slightly.