"Five Team Rocket members are seriously injured and unconscious. Most of their Pokémon are still receiving emergency treatment, and one is still in critical condition. Gongping, you really are violent."
As they surveyed the battlefield, Bruno looked at the devastation before him and the Pokémon sprawled everywhere, gaining a rather direct understanding of Gongping's way of doing things. This guy went absolutely wild in battle. He was more like a Fighting-type King than I was.
"Team Rocket's moles are mixed in among us, but we leave them alone because of certain tacit understandings we have no choice but to maintain. I can't tolerate that."
Gongping's words made Bruno shake his head helplessly. In the Kanto Region, the Elite Four and the Champion Leader did indeed hold lofty positions, but above them were the Kanto League Council and the League officials at headquarters. In a sense, what people like them could do was extremely limited.
As the two chatted, a crowd of reporters swarmed in, scrambling to photograph the aftermath of the battle.
"Mr. Gongping, were you responsible for the battle damage here?"
"It wasn't down to me alone. Team Rocket chose to resist violently, escalating the conflict between us."
Escalating the conflict?
Gongping's words left several reporters exchanging looks. Amid such terrifying destruction, not one of the Sandstorm King's Pokémon had been injured, while everyone on the other side had been beaten so badly they were nearly in vegetative states. He called that an escalation of conflict between both sides?
"Please be serious. This is a live broadcast."
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Gongping's puzzled expression as he turned around was promptly captured in screenshots and spread across websites and forums. Many of his female fans gathered once again to post and boost the threads, though even more people questioned the Sandstorm King's cruelty.
What caused organizations like Team Rocket to keep springing up? Why did those homeless children join them one after another and become thugs, only to be ruthlessly swept away by the League Kings in the end?
Sister Sally, who had gone quiet for several days, spoke out again. Her impassioned words were posted online, prompting many netizens who did not know the truth to support and repost them.
On this internet where people could speak freely, the generally accepted politically correct stance was to denounce the League's injustice and criticize it for squeezing out many Trainers' room for growth. Its rigid, dogmatic model produced one batch after another of brats who never grew up and still thought they were ten years old.
These children raised in sheltered environments had never considered that, before the League was established, each region's resources had all been concentrated in the hands of the aristocracy. Commoners had always lived at the very bottom, fighting wild Pokémon to the death.
The most crucial element of the League's regional system was the comprehensive rollout of Pokémon Centers. They spread across every area like a spiderweb, ultimately breaking the great families' millennia-long control over elite education. Those people then moved into other industries, including the media.
Gongping's harsh image was further reinforced. Meanwhile, the League's higher-ups discovered, to their headache, that this Sandstorm King seemed to show just a slight hint of being a mad dog.
Being young and spirited was certainly a good thing, but it was not yet time to let him make sweeping changes. With that in mind, Watanabe consulted several higher-ups and shifted the focus of his work to the Kanto Region's tournaments.
"Let him handle the exchange match with the Johto Region in a week."
"They're sending the Psychic-type King, Will, and we're sending a newcomer this time?"
The Kanto–Johto King Tournament was a friendly exchange match held between the Kanto Region and the Johto Region every season. Each side would send an experienced King to compete in a three-on-three exhibition match. The entire match was broadcast live, with ratings rivaling the regional tournament finals, the King Promotion Match, or the Champion Leader Challenge.
"Are you worried we'll lose?"
A female representative on the League Council shook her head. "His current strength rating will be raised by one tier. As far as this matter goes, I'm actually more worried that King Will might underestimate him."
"Then it'll give people even more to talk about."
After settling the matter, the League's higher-ups moved on to other topics. As for Gongping seriously injuring Team Rocket members, the important figures did not even mention it, as though such a severe incident was beneath their notice.
Pallet Town was the largest natural habitat area in the southern Kanto Region. Aside from the famous Professor Oak's Laboratory, dozens of Pokémon Breeding Areas were located there. Sandstorm King Gongping's dedicated Breeding Area had also been established in Pallet Town.
Several League staff members accompanied Gongping to the Breeding Area. Looking over the enormous ecological park and breathing in the fresh air, he could not help relaxing. He took out his electronic card and swiped it lightly, and the gates slowly opened.
After the Mt. Moon operation, aside from being notified about the regional Kings' exchange match in a week, he had only miscellaneous duties. These included accompanying Agatha to assess some Gyms tomorrow and attending the opening of a new Pokémon Center with Lorelei in three days. Beyond that, Gongping had no other arrangements at present.
After applying to transfer here as a regional King, he not only had a dedicated lounge at each Pokémon Center for his everyday use, but the League had also assigned professional care staff in Pallet Town to help him raise his Pokémon.
The several enormous Breeding Areas here had all been prepared for these League Kings. Their benefits were first-rate, and the League covered every resource invested here, leaving the Kings with no worries on that front.
A King generally had around thirty Pokémon, but Gongping had seventy-eight. More than fifty of them were Pokémon associated with the Ground, Rock, or Steel types, so highly specialized staff were needed to manage them.
As soon as he entered his Breeding Area, a Nidoking rushed up like a child and hugged Gongping affectionately.
The staff who had accompanied him looked on in surprise as the silent Sandstorm King was embraced by his own Pokémon. They had to admit that Gongping showed no resistance at all, instead interacting affectionately with Nidoking quite naturally.
Nidoking had traveled throughout the Unova Region with Gongping since he was still a Nidoran. He knew about many of the things Gongping had experienced in the past, so as he hugged his Trainer, he also murmured softly a few times.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
At Nidoking's concern, Gongping's gaze softened considerably. He stroked Nidoking naturally, massaging his Pokémon with an almost professional technique.
"There are seventy-nine-no, seventy-eight in all. I'll spend the rest of today here giving them massages."
These Pokémon were all Kyohei's most important companions. On this designated day each week, he would always find a way to personally massage and knead every one of them, because each preferred having different spots worked on.
One of the benefits of being a League King was that it made caring for them much more convenient for Gongping. After all, always relying on his professor in the past had been rather inconvenient. They were so far apart, and many Pokémon not native to the Unova Region had trouble adapting to the climate there.
The fact that so many Breeding Areas could be established in Pallet Town was enough to show how suitable its environment was for all kinds of Pokémon.
In addition, Nidoking, Swampert, Rhyperior, Scizor, and Tyranitar needed certain adjustments to their diets every day. Raising so many Pokémon truly was a mentally and physically demanding task. Vast amounts of recorded information and feedback appeared on his virtual glasses, while he also relied on parameters returned by the Dream System to adjust their diets.
The enormous Pokémon lined up docilely, waiting for Gongping one after another. As he kneaded Nidoking's muscles, Gongping kept asking him about details of his daily life, while also making a few requests of the staff.
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