"Phew... finally home..."
By the time Qingyu finally stepped into the Sunshine Gym, it was almost dusk.
His trip to Johto had only lasted about a week, but he had been through quite a lot.
First, he had effortlessly crushed the competition and won his very first Great Ball-tier International Championships, making Teacher Yu's name ring out across the Pokémon world once again.
Besides the satisfaction of earning that honor, winning also brought him international ranking points, which were incredibly important to an Ace Trainer.
As the winner of an international competition, the points Qingyu had earned from this Psychic Power Masters Tournament alone were basically enough to secure him a qualifying spot in the next Masters Tournament ahead of time.
Though that competition still seemed a ways off. At least it wouldn't be happening this year...
The other matter concerned Giovanni and Team Rocket.
In a sense, Qingyu's meeting with Giovanni had also helped Lance and the others finish cleaning up after their previous operation.
After all, capturing Giovanni himself wasn't actually that important. Team Rocket's core executives were still missing, and given enough time, someone would eventually step up to lead Team Rocket again.
In the games' storyline, the Four Executives had chosen to head to the Johto Region after Giovanni's defeat, rebuilding their strength while waiting for Giovanni to return like a bolt of lightning.
The more famous incidents, such as harvesting Slowpoke Tails and occupying the television station, had happened during that period.
But once Qingyu and Giovanni reached an understanding, those Team Rocket remnants, who had previously left Lance and the other investigators at a loss, were no longer a concern.
With Giovanni, Team Rocket's heart and soul, around, they at least wouldn't dare cause trouble openly.
As for Team Rocket's transformation... that wasn't