Aftermath

That afternoon, the Pokémon League's main force arrived at the Seafoam Islands to begin post-disaster reconstruction. The body of the Yin-Yang-Faced Freak, whom Greninja had killed earlier, was disposed of with minimal fuss: cremated and buried, leaving no evidence behind.

Staff then discovered the base the Yin-Yang-Faced Freak had used on Western Island. A large quantity of documents was found inside, all of which were taken away and sent to the supreme Pokémon League headquarters for safekeeping.

The Yin-Yang-Faced Freak's true identity was established. He had been the Dark-type King of a certain region. Despite his high position and considerable authority, he had usually been friendly, and his signature Pokémon was a Greninja with Protean.

"Since he was a King from another region, the Pokémon League there has sent a formal notice to the supreme Pokémon League, requesting the transfer of all relevant documents."

Gongping gave no response to Lorelei's explanation. Seeing the boy remain silent, the veteran Ice-type King knew this would be difficult to get past. "The Kanto League is also in a difficult position right now. You need to understand its predicament."

"Is it because preparations for Greater Kanto are unstoppable, so you don't want to offend the Pokémon League of an economically developed region at this critical juncture?"

This world's political structure resembled a confederation, with regional Pokémon Leagues operating under the coordination of the supreme Pokémon League headquarters in the Mt. Silver Range.

These Pokémon Leagues periodically split apart and joined together. For years, the Kanto League had sought to unite with the Johto Region to establish Greater Kanto. Its intended territory included not only the two major regions of Kanto and Johto, but also six smaller regions, including the Orange Islands, which were all targets for annexation.

The region the dead Yin-Yang-Faced Freak came from had a highly developed economy and important trade ties with the Orange Islands. Once Greater Kanto was established, relations between the two sides would become even closer.

In a situation where one move affected everything, the death of one of their Regional Kings on the Seafoam Islands was no less than a bombshell. Relations among several powerful figures within the supreme Pokémon League had grown tangled and complicated again.

Gongping gulped down some hot water from his cup. "A Regional King who had been famous for years was also a notorious wanted criminal. They offer no explanation and instead want us to keep as quiet as possible?"

Although Gongping's tone barely fluctuated, Lorelei could sense his anger. She explained patiently, "They offered to apply to the supreme Pokémon League for a pardon for Lu in exchange."

"Lu-I don't want him used as a bargaining chip."

The cup hit the table with a sharp clack. Gongping stared at Lorelei and shook his head solemnly, rejecting the proposal without hesitation.

"Now that things have come to this, I only hope the victims of this incident can rest in peace. As for Lu, I think he needs to truly recognize what he did wrong. If he doesn't learn enough from this, I'm afraid he'll cause an even greater disaster in the future."

Even without that region's Pokémon League intervening, Gongping knew very well that this incident probably had ties to the Kamiya Foundation. What came afterward left him somewhat frustrated. Although he knew nothing could be done about it, he had still lost his temper with Lorelei.

"Lance, why weren't you the one who went to the Seafoam Islands?"

After Gongping left, Lorelei adjusted her glasses and asked quietly, "With your strength, subduing a King with a single-core team shouldn't have been difficult, right? Don't give me anything about soothing people's nerves. The situation on the Seafoam Islands was worse than on Cinnabar Island at the time, wasn't it?"

Lorelei had not gotten angry when Gongping snapped at her, but that did not mean she could not find someone to vent on. And so Mr. Lance, the Dragon-type King, became the target of King Lorelei's displaced anger.

Faced with the icy gleam behind Lorelei's lenses, Lance coughed a few times. "At the time, I couldn't leave Cinnabar Island at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Another King-level expert appeared on Cinnabar Island, intending to pin me down and keep me from acting. Their miscalculation was that Gongping's Mega Salamence was no slower than my Dragonite and could break through that atmospheric turbulence. That caused their plan to fail."

At Lance's explanation, Lorelei's gaze grew grave. "Was this someone from the same region as that man?"

"No, another region. Compared with the Yin-Yang-Faced Freak, that guy ranks among the strongest King Trainers. I had no choice but to stay on Cinnabar Island."

At this point, Lance looked at Lorelei. "Gongping still has a lot to work on. As a hope for the Kanto Region's future, please look after him and keep him from going down the wrong path."

Considering the value of the information in what Lance had just said, Lorelei finally stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "Haha, our great Dragon-type King is not only thorough, but so gentle, too."

"Thank you for the compliment."

News of the incidents on the Seafoam Islands and Cinnabar Island kept breaking, causing quite a stir in this peaceful era.

In particular, footage of Gongping battling the criminal on the Seafoam Islands and finally staying behind alone to cover the retreat had been recorded by local residents and uploaded online. Online opinion, much of which had turned against Gongping after he slapped Lu, began shifting once again.

Large numbers of users began tagging Sandstorm King Gongping, declaring themselves new fans. But Gongping, the subject of all this discussion, was sleeping soundly by himself on Cinnabar Island, seemingly unconcerned with anything outside.

"Grandpa."

"Oh, Gary. I heard you were on the Seafoam Islands a while ago. Are you all right?"

Gary was deeply touched by Professor Oak's concern, but reassuring his grandfather came first. He stressed that he had not been injured at all and had made it through the crisis perfectly safely.

After grandfather and grandson chatted for a while, Gary finally brought up the reason for his call. "Grandpa, I actually want to enroll at the Kanto Branch and learn more there."

Professor Oak was not surprised by his grandson's idea. Instead, he chuckled.

"Indeed, King Gongping is a very talented young man with plenty of ideas. You don't know this yet, Gary, but I'll also be teaching several courses there in the future. If you want to go, I only need to put in a word with Agatha."

"Thank you, Grandpa!"

On the main peak of the Seafoam Islands, Vulpix's neck was being crushed. Its eyes widened as it struggled desperately, whimpering without pause. Yet that person kept tightening their grip until the Vulpix before them breathed its last.

That final moment jolted Gongping awake from his dream. Morning sunlight streamed in. He raised his head and looked around, breaking into a slight cold sweat. Then he clutched the bedsheets tightly, his eyes heavily bloodshot.

I'm still too weak!

With that thought, Gongping decided to leave the Pokémon Center and head to central Cinnabar Island to visit Blaine, the Cinnabar Gym Leader, hoping he could offer guidance on how to improve his strength next.

Unexpectedly, Blaine proved elusive. Gongping spent the entire morning searching without finding a trace of him.

"A Gym assessment?"

Blaine, who had been eating lunch, spat out a mouthful of tea and looked at the staff members with an expression caught between laughter and tears.

The Cinnabar Gym was going to be assessed?

That was even more far-fetched than assessing the Cerulean Gym.

After all, the real estate magnate of Cinnabar Island was none other than the elderly Blaine before them. The island's various hot spring establishments and travel agencies were all his family's businesses.

Every year, Blaine applied to the Kanto League to close the Cinnabar Gym, and every year, the League refused approval.

Seemingly having guessed Gongping's intentions, Blaine chuckled. "Ignore him. At worst, I'll just stop running the Gym."