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"Boss, when will the breeding facility be ready to open?" Wanda's voice came through the phone.
"You figure it out. If I, the boss, have to decide everything, what's the point of having you as the manager?" Chris replied jokingly.
"After all, you are the boss and I'm just the employee..." Wanda muttered. "Boss, have you arrived in the capital yet?"
"Just got off the plane."
"Since you're about to participate in the Elite Four meeting, I wish you the best of luck!"
"Alright, then I wish your business success as well."
Wanda's mouth twitched as she hung up directly. This boss really knows how to make me uncomfortable. 'Business success' - is he wishing me well or himself?
Chris put down his phone with a smile and walked toward the airport exit.
Since arriving in the Ferrum Region, more than ten days had passed. He'd fought ten battles total, though none of his opponents compared to Keith in terms of strength. It seemed he'd returned to facing trainers of normal regional skill levels.
Trainers ranked 30,000+ used Pokémon ranging from level 20 to 50. Only those within the top 10,000 had Pokémon above level 60. The top 1,000 trainers possessed Pokémon above level 70 - equivalent to Victory Road level trainers from other regions.
A thousand quasi-Elite strength trainers... At first glance, the Ferrum Alliance's power seemed terrifying.
However, the Ferrum Alliance only used Single Battle rules. Most of those top 1,000 trainers probably had just one quasi-Elite level Pokémon for support, with their other team members being first-tier at best.
Calculating the actual number of quasi-Elite level trainers in the Ferrum Alliance, perhaps only two hundred could truly challenge Victory Road.
By this measure, the Ferrum Alliance's strength was roughly equivalent to other leagues, possibly even weaker.
After his second duel, Chris had resumed training Kubfu and deployed his second-string team, with Steelix battling until his ranking reached the top 100,000.
Now Chris ranked 783rd in the Ferrum Alliance.
As his ranking improved, the intervals between battles extended. His next match was scheduled three days away.
However, he'd already obtained what he needed from the Ferrum Region - the "Resonance Stone." This was a reward for top 1,000 ranked players and wasn't related to point accumulation.
Resonance Stone: A trainer item. When a Pokémon's "Resonance Energy" reaches 100%, it can perform "Resonance Burst."
Resonance Burst: Pokémon gains "Superarmor" status, and its next move becomes an enhanced "Ultimate Attack" with 50% increased power, lasting 10 seconds.
The effect was incredibly powerful. Even from Chris's perspective, Resonance Burst surpassed both Mega Evolution and Z-Moves.
While it didn't boost stats, the 50% power increase was secondary to the "Superarmor" condition.
Superarmor: Negates and provides immunity to all status-affecting moves.
With Superarmor, Pokémon became immune to any control effects and could guarantee their attacks would connect. Whether facing Final Gambit or overwhelming suppression tactics, they could handle everything with ease.
The only limitation was "Resonance Energy" - it needed to reach 100% before activation, requiring Pokémon to accumulate power through battle rather than being usable immediately. This made Resonance Burst more of an ultimate trump card ability.
The Resonance Stone from the Ferrum Alliance was small - only fingernail-sized - and appeared as a translucent golden stone resembling amber. Chris had strung it on a black cord and wore it as a pendant around his neck.
"Chris!" A cold voice called from the distance.
Chris looked up to see a familiar figure.
Senior Roy wore a purple suit with black-suited bodyguards lined up behind him, creating an imposing presence. Despite many people recognizing the Elite Four member, none dared approach him casually.
"Senior!" Chris greeted him and hurried over.
"Let's go. I'll take you to your accommodations," Roy nodded slightly, leading Chris directly to a stretched luxury vehicle.
The car quickly departed the airport and headed toward the city center.
"Do you own any property in the capital?" Roy asked.
"No." Chris had stayed in hotels during his last visit and rarely came to the capital, so he'd never purchased real estate.
"I bought some for you. Find time to handle the transfers," Roy said matter-of-factly, handing Chris a folder of documents.
Chris glanced through it - mansions, luxury cars, restaurant chains, and even ranches.
"Senior, this is..."
"You're already an Elite Four member. You'll be coming to the capital frequently from now on. You need these properties here," Roy explained.
"Isn't this too expensive?" Chris understood Roy's good intentions, but while luxury homes and cars were one thing, the ranches near the capital were worth at least two billion dollars - definitely too much.
Roy looked at Chris questioningly. "Your breeding facility is already among the top four in China. How much money could you possibly care about at this point?"
Chris couldn't help but laugh, realizing that with his breeding facility's rapid profit growth, these properties really were insignificant. As a senior Elite Four member for many years, Roy had undoubtedly accumulated considerable wealth. For him, this was barely a gift.
"Then I gratefully accept, Senior."
"It's long overdue."
After driving for over an hour, the luxury car entered a small estate.
"This manor is also part of what I'm giving you. The staff have already been arranged, so you'll have a proper base here instead of staying in hotels every visit," Roy explained.
Chris quickly found the property details in his documents.
"Deerling Manor" - covering 200 acres, it was considered a modest estate. It included training grounds, Pokémon battle arenas, and various specialized habitats for different Pokémon types.
In this world, such trainer-specific estates were quite common.
After admiring the manor's scenery briefly, Roy suddenly stopped.
"I'll leave you here. I have other matters to attend to."
"Alright, thank you for the trouble, Senior. See you at the Elite Four meeting."
"Get ready. I'm looking forward to seeing your performance at the Elite meeting," Roy said seriously.
"I'm already prepared," Chris replied confidently.
"Good." Roy nodded, then added, "Also, make sure you have time available. Don't leave the capital after the Elite meeting ends - I'll be taking you abroad to a highly classified location."