"What exactly is he thinking?"
Gu Yuan stared into the sky, whispering softly.
On the surface, Bolton seemed to offer a perfect explanation for the situation. As a Psychic, Hawkins wanted to break through to the next level. To ensure the process went smoothly, he acted preemptively. He forced the Fuchsia Gym to deal with Team Rocket attacks, leaving it with no extra energy to search for the Mind Lotus.
However, upon careful reflection, this reasoning seemed flawed.
First, given Hawkins's identity and status, he should have understood Koga's position. Although the Mind Lotus is an extremely rare and precious resource, Koga likely would not have competed with Hawkins if the latter had simply offered some compensation.
Instead, Hawkins did the opposite. He found a way to publicize the entire affair. This would inevitably draw more attention, especially from the League.
No matter how flawed the League might be internally, they would never stand by and allow Team Rocket to gain a Leader Rank member who was also an Advanced Psychic. Even if Koga had demanded an astronomical sum, Hawkins had no logical reason to broadcast the news.
"Let's go. We will head to Fuchsia City first."
Shaking his head, Gu Yuan stopped thinking about it. With his current strength, capturing a Team Rocket member of Bolton's caliber was the absolute limit. Anyone of Ace Rank or higher was simply not someone Gu Yuan could fight against.
Rather than continuing to worry, it would be better to visit Fuchsia City to see if the Fuchsia Gym had made any new discoveries.
Once he made up his mind, Gu Yuan had Alakazam use Teleport to take them away.
***
"We sincerely apologize. Due to an internal problem, the Fuchsia Gym is temporarily closed. Please wait for the announcement regarding the exact time it will reopen."
Outside the Fuchsia Gym, a staff member stopped Gu Yuan before he could even walk inside.
Gu Yuan understood the cause and turned to leave without asking further questions. However, he decided to pay close attention to the Fuchsia Gym's actions. If a true operation started, he might be able to get involved.
"Alright, you have all worked hard for so long. Let's take the day off and rest first."
Returning to the Pokémon Center, Gu Yuan decided against training Charizard and the others, opting instead for a rest day.
Before Gu Yuan could lie down, he received a call from Agatha.
"What is it, Master?"
"The Team Rocket activity near Fuchsia City has become erratic lately. I have dispatched people to investigate, and since you are already there, I need you to keep a close eye on this situation."
"Yes, Master. I understand."
"By the way, will you be coming when the time comes?"
"Barring unforeseen circumstances, I will make the trip myself. After all, the opponent is an Advanced Psychic, and his actual strength might be higher than Leader Rank, as he hasn't fought in a long time."
"With you taking action, Master, even if he somehow broke through to Elite Rank, he won't cause any trouble."
"Don't just fill my ears with flattery, boy. Focus more on yourself. Psychic-type Pokémon are not invincible."
"Yes, I understand."
"Good. That's all for now. Contact me if anything happens."
Hanging up the phone, Gu Yuan grew even more curious about Hawkins's true intentions.
For all the talk, the arrival of the Elite Rank Agatha, although surprising, was not unexpected.
An Advanced Psychic, paired with Psychic-type Pokémon, is nearly impossible to defeat at the same strength level in a straight fight. Furthermore, even if defeated, they can easily escape the battlefield by using Teleport.This is only in a direct confrontation. If they resorted to a hidden assassination, few people would notice their presence until it was too late.
Therefore, to prevent Hawkins from breaking through and causing widespread harm, eliminating him beforehand was the most logical approach.
This had been the source of Gu Yuan's initial confusion. When Hawkins released the information, it guaranteed a massive League crackdown. Especially since Hawkins hadn't coordinated with Team Rocket beforehand, the organization was blindsided, putting them on the same starting line as the League.
Lost in thought, Gu Yuan discarded the idea of resting. He rose and left the Pokémon Center, immediately finding a hotel close to the Fuchsia Gym where he could stake out the area. He hoped to get some valuable information from the Fuchsia Gym's movements.
Over the next two days, Team Rocket did not temper their offense. Instead, they became more aggressive, with some members even daring to commit crimes inside Fuchsia City.
Koga seemed genuinely enraged by Team Rocket's constant actions and mobilized the entire Fuchsia Gym force. In just one night, all the Team Rocket members still lingering in Fuchsia City were eliminated.
Following this, Koga immediately declared war on Team Rocket in the name of the Fuchsia Gym Leader.
Koga's trained ninjas were already masters of assassination. This was one reason Koga could maintain his favorable position between the League and Team Rocket. Now, Team Rocket's repeated aggressive actions exposed their hideouts and bases, giving these ninjas a perfect chance to operate.
Every day, Gu Yuan saw ninjas, their clothes stained with blood, return from outside to the Fuchsia Gym for recovery or resupply. Judging by their expressions, the Fuchsia Gym was clearly holding the advantage.
Conversely, Hawkins, who began with such a fanfare, was rapidly losing ground under the Fuchsia Gym's counterattack.
Perhaps seeing the Fuchsia Gym's overwhelming lead, the people the League had dispatched to gather information also joined the war. They prepared to combine with the Fuchsia Gym's strength to completely sweep the nearby Team Rocket presence. This would be a powerful blow against the evil organization.
With intelligence paving the way, the Fuchsia Gym's battlefield success mounted. Eventually, Agatha contacted Gu Yuan again, informing him that they had discovered the secret base where Hawkins was making his stand.
To end the conflict before Team Rocket reinforcements arrived, Koga prepared to enter the field himself.
Agatha's intention was simple: she wanted Gu Yuan to participate. He would acquire valuable points and, more importantly, witnessing a confrontation of this scale would be a valuable experience for him.
This made Gu Yuan truly appreciate the benefit of having a powerful mentor. While others were mindlessly following orders, Gu Yuan was able to identify the most advantageous path for himself.
Without hesitation, Gu Yuan left for the coordinates Agatha provided, arriving to meet the League forces just before the final battle commenced.
***
"This is the location, Gym Leader. The rest is up to you."
At the front of the line, an investigator respectfully addressed Koga.
"Simple enough," Koga replied.
Koga simply waved his hand, and the Crobat at his side immediately shot forward. Standing nearby, Gu Yuan's system clearly detected that this Crobat possessed Elite Rank strength.
Immediately afterward, Koga's Crobat directly used Hyper Beam. The massive energy blast instantly tore a large hole in the ground.
Everyone around the hole got ready to face an enemy, yet, unexpectedly, not a single person or Pokémon emerged from the deep fissure.
"I will enter first. You all follow behind me."
As the strongest person present, Koga took the lead, immediately commanding Crobat to charge into the hole.
From his distant vantage point, Gu Yuan's expression turned grim.