The attack by Juan and his team didn't cause even the slightest ripple at Rex Farm. With its current level of defense, even if the entire Hunter Guild mobilized against it, they would walk away in defeat.
In addition to the Totem Swellow flock and the Poliwrath clan, Rex had recently managed to barely support Diancie's Mega Evolution.
That's right—ever since Rex became a Martial Artist, his physical stamina and mental strength had improved dramatically, enough to sustain the strain of Diancie's Mega Evolution.
The second time he successfully mega evolved Diancie, the Hoenn League's energy fluctuation detectors immediately triggered an alert.
The massive surge of energy had even surpassed the levels recorded during the battle between Tornadus and Thundurus. So of course, Rex received an immediate call from Professor Birch.
When Birch learned the surge had been caused by Diancie's Mega Evolution, he was stunned. But at least the tension was gone—so long as it wasn't a natural disaster, all was well.
After confirming the source, Professor Birch promptly reported the matter to the upper ranks of the Hoenn League.
As a result, the League's attention on Rex was taken up another notch. He was now officially on their radar.
To the League, a Trainer capable of befriending a mythical Pokémon—and enabling Diancie's Mega Evolution—was not someone they could ignore.
Even though Rex was relatively unknown in the region and had no interest in fame or fortune, focusing solely on building his farm, the League knew he could be a crucial force in times of crisis.
Because of this, the League issued a direct warning to the Hunter Guild's leadership, demanding they remove the bounty placed on Rex.
The Guild's continued existence in Hoenn had always depended on the League's willingness to turn a blind eye. The League tolerated their presence only so long as they didn't overstep certain lines.
And the Guild's leaders understood this very well. So once they received the League's warning, they quickly rescinded the bounty on Rex.
After all, Rex had only drawn their ire by capturing Eck—it wasn't a blood feud. With the League breathing down their necks, the Guild wasn't about to escalate further.
They were even furious with the intelligence agents who had failed to assess Rex's true power, blaming them for the embarrassment the Guild had suffered.
As a result, Rex Farm was left in peace. No bounty hunters came knocking, much to Rex's own confusion.
He had been fully prepared to fight back, planning to take down any intruders in one sweep.
It wasn't until a later conversation with Professor Birch that he learned his bounty had been canceled under League pressure.
Rex was grateful, of course—but he also couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. After all, that free combat experience had just vanished.
"Raaah!"
Out on the grassy field near Yuli's cabin, Bagon was charging toward Monferno with all the fierce momentum it could muster—though with its stubby legs, it honestly looked a little comical.
Ever since Chimchar had evolved into Monferno, Bagon had been driven to surpass it in strength, doubling its training efforts since returning to the farm.
Every day, Bagon would beg Swellow to fly it high into the sky, only to leap off and plummet back down.
To grow faster, Bagon constantly pushed its limits. Even after crash-landing and ending up bruised and battered, it never backed down.
To support this, Rex had assigned several Jumpluff to accompany Bagon, ready to heal it immediately if anything went wrong.
He also used his own life energy from time to time to accelerate Bagon's internal recovery and boost its growth.
On top of that, Bagon's meals consisted mainly of high-grade Pokéblocks—sometimes even the rare rainbow Pokéblocks made with special Berries.
This steady intake of energy not only powered Bagon's grueling training but also helped it store reserves for its future evolution.
Every time Bagon felt it had grown stronger, it would challenge Monferno to a match.
Monferno never refused. It had been training just as hard—motivated not to be outdone by the younger Pokémon.
Their rivalry was fierce. Monferno had always been ahead, and it refused to let Bagon turn the tables so easily.
Following Rex's advice, Monferno had also begun training under Blaziken and Machamp to refine its strength.
Thanks to its evolved form, Monferno continued to defeat Bagon handily in every sparring match.
But it couldn't deny Bagon's astonishing progress. Despite training hard itself, Monferno was shocked by how quickly Bagon was improving—as if it had no bottlenecks at all.
Once again, Bagon approached Monferno brimming with confidence. After getting a nod of approval, it launched into a charge, little legs pumping furiously.
Ever since learning the Take Down move, Bagon had fallen in love with the sensation of ramming full-force into its opponents.
Its tough head allowed it to use the move without suffering recoil—thanks to its Rock Head ability.
Take Down wasn't very accurate and was easy to dodge, but when it hit, it hit hard. Even Monferno, stronger though it was, didn't dare take that hit head-on.
Monferno dodged with its usual agility, slipping past Bagon's charge.
But Bagon had learned from past fights. It had begun to anticipate Monferno's evasion patterns.
As soon as its charge missed, Bagon slammed its feet into the ground, halting its momentum.
Then—with a burst of raw muscle—it launched itself like a missile at the very spot where Monferno had just dodged to.
This time, energy flickered faintly around the bone on Bagon's forehead—a clear sign that it was using Zen Headbutt.
(End of Chapter)