The back seat of the two-door sports car was cramped as hell.
Of course, that wasn't to say the passenger seat was comfortable.
Xia Chi had planned to sit in the back with his cat, but after inspecting Lin Qunzhi's car, he recalled Floragato into her Poké Ball.
He got in and fastened his seat belt.
"Why all the hassle?" Xia Chi asked. "I have to go to the League to collect my reward?"
He already had a vague idea why, but if he could ask, why guess? Xia Chi wasn't some entitled princess.
Lin Qunzhi made no attempt to hide it. "Probably some big shot wants to discuss something with you. Restoring Donghuang's glory, that sort of thing. After all, it's been a long time since someone from here drew the whole world's attention like you have."
That wasn't empty flattery.
The Donghuang League certainly had a Champion, but without memorable quirks or impressive strength, Champions didn't get much attention from people in other regions.
What region didn't have a Champion?
Of course, that might have been a slight exaggeration.
Every region's Champion had some international recognition.
But there was no question that Xia Chi, who had burst onto the scene this year, was the best-known Donghuang native worldwide in recent years.
More unusually, he was also an outstanding-even genius-mythology scholar and Pokémon researcher.
At times, those two roles mattered far more than being a Champion.
Otherwise, why would Geeta, Steven, Cynthia, and even Giovanni place such importance on Xia Chi?
With Lin Qunzhi's answer confirming his suspicions, Xia Chi nodded lightly and looked out the window, lost in thought.
Shanghai's traffic wasn't so bad outside rush hour.
Fifteen minutes later, Lin Qunzhi drove into the League building downtown.
Parking, signing in, taking the elevator upstairs, and settling into