"Alright, Champion-level permissions have been opened to you. Your annual quota has also been clearly marked, so you can go back and take your time looking through it."
Being stared at by Gu Yuan's excited gaze, Dar actually felt a bit uncomfortable and quickly waved his hand to dismiss him.
"Yes, sir. Please call me if you need anything else."
With that, Gu Yuan turned and left in high spirits, though his polite parting words gave Dar a slight chill.
Back in his room, Gu Yuan began to review the Champion-level exchange permissions.
The sight left him stunned on the spot.
It wasn't that Gu Yuan lacked experience, but rather that upon reaching the Champion level, almost every kind of rare item could be found here.
In the exchange list, rare TMs like Swords Dance were relegated to the very bottom.
Further up were various top-quality items, such as top-tier Fire Stones and Thunder Stones, along with a massive array of items suitable for Champion-level Pokémon, such as Champion-level Life Orbs and Charcoal.
Next were custom-made Pokéblocks and Pokémon food tailored to specific types and growth directions.
Finally, there were cultivation methods for various Pokémon. Unfortunately, these were restricted to personal use only, and the exchange price was extremely high. After all, knowledge is power.
As for Pokémon, they were essentially all Pseudo-Legendaries; at the very least, they were incredibly rare species.
Aside from those, other Pokémon were only fit for the bottom of the list.
One could see from this that once you break through to the Champion level, the resources provided by the League are absolutely enough to satisfy you.
The reason the League is so generous is to stimulate trainers to continuously grow stronger.
Previously, Gu Yuan had wondered why the number of Champion-level trainers was so small. However, after Agatha's explanation, he realized it wasn't as simple as he had thought.
First, let's start with the Ace Rank.
Below the Ace Rank, one can slowly break through by grinding through time.
However, when it comes to breaking through to the Ace Rank, the test lies in the accumulated power of the Pokémon.
The source of power is simple: the investment of various resources, such as Pokémon food and Pokéblocks. Secondly, it depends on whether the Pokémon has hidden injuries that might affect its potential.
After the Ace Rank, improving strength also requires the accumulation of energy. This is where the gap between trainers with and without backgrounds truly widens.
However, Gu Yuan has points, which perfectly substitute for the energy required during a breakthrough.
This is why the special ability Gu Yuan displays is so eye-catching and why people view him as a monster.
After that comes the Champion Rank.
If Pokémon growth is divided into three stages, the first stage is from Newborn to Senior, which can be achieved through time and continuous battle.
The second stage is from Ace to Elite. This stage requires not only more proper cultivation by the trainer but also sufficient resources to support the energy consumed as the Pokémon increases its strength.
Similarly, many trainers stuck at this stage will improve their Pokémon's strength through move proficiency. This is why Pokémon at this level master so many moves with Expert Mastery.
The final stage is Champion Rank and above.
To break through to Champion, a Pokémon needs more than just accumulated power; it requires the trainer and Pokémon to be of one mind—in other words, the bond must be deep enough.
Whether you treat the Pokémon with genuine sincerity or use deception, a very high level of bond is required.
Next is the innate talent of both the Pokémon and the trainer.
When the bond is deep enough, the trainer's own talent can intangibly influence the Pokémon.
A prime example is how Ash's Greninja can achieve Bond Phenomenon in the future. This is the kind of impact possible when a bond reaches a certain level.
A trainer's talent cannot be detected; since anyone who can catch a Pokémon can become a trainer, it can only be judged through their performance.
For example, their coordination with their Pokémon, their grasp of the situation, and their tactical arrangements.
It is worth noting that every Psychic is considered to be among those with upper-tier talent.
Of course, those who awaken psychic power later in life are not included in this category.
Therefore, Gu Yuan, who possesses the ability to make Pokémon grow rapidly, is naturally considered to have the talent to help Pokémon take that final step to the Champion Rank.
In contrast, wild Pokémon can only rely on their own talent to slowly experiment. This is why humans have been able to defeat Pokémon and become the masters of this world.
After browsing the exchange permissions, Gu Yuan only upgraded the Pokémon food and Pokéblocks he used. Then, he selected Champion-quality items for Charizard and the others to further enhance their combat power.
He had no use for the other items for the time being. His moves were already sufficient, he had no Pokémon that could use the evolution stones, and he was already well-stocked on medicine.
Most importantly, Gu Yuan's team was not lacking in Pokémon. Even if he wanted to catch new ones, he would have to wait until Fraxure and the others had fully grown.
After exchanging these items, Gu Yuan wouldn't be able to get them immediately. The earliest would be after arriving in the Kalos region.
After what had happened, Dar and his group were naturally unwilling to linger and left immediately according to their original plan.
At the pier, Marshal watched as Dar's group receded into the distance.
It wasn't until they vanished from his sight that Marshal felt a sense of relief.
After all, Marshal had specifically looked into Dar over the past few days and learned about the methods he had used against the Hoenn League.
If the compensation offered by their side hadn't been enough to shut Dar up, who knows how much the Unova League would have been slandered by him.
Now that the people were gone and the dirt hadn't been leaked, they only needed time to let these matters fade away.
During this time, Marshal still had things to do: namely, finding the person or Pokémon that caused Chambers to lose his mind.
Anything Dar and the others could think of, the Unova League could naturally think of as well.
Regardless of who it was, if they dared to use the Unova League as a tool to kill with a borrowed knife and caused the League such losses, they had to pay the price.
Especially now that they had a clear direction, the scope of suspicion had narrowed further.
In the Kanto region, only those three families had the strength to pull this off. Next, they just needed to find traces of their involvement.
Furthermore, the Unova League did not believe the other party would let the matter rest. They expected Gu Yuan would face another assassination attempt in the Kalos region.
So, before Gu Yuan and the others left, the Unova League had already sent people to the Kalos region, preparing to wait for the prey to come to them.
And Marshal was the person in charge of this operation!