"Let's rest for a bit. It's time for lunch anyway."
Setting down his backpack, Gu Yuan stretched his body, then began preparing the meal.
Just then, the phone rang. It was Elite Agatha.
"Go ahead, kid. What kind of reward do you want? A Pokémon or an item, either is fine."
"Forget it. I'll just send you a list and unlock a few permissions for you. Since you've passed my first test, I'll take you as my registered disciple. That should sound reasonable enough."
"Take a look first. Tell me what you want, but you can only pick one. Don't be too shocked."
Before Gu Yuan could speak, Agatha said all that in one breath.
It was clear that wiping out the Mizutani family had left her in a very good mood.
More importantly, Gu Yuan could hear a trace of pride in her voice.
She obviously wanted to take him as her disciple, but she still acted like she was only reluctantly agreeing because he'd done well.
"Yes, I understand. Thank you, Master."
"Hmm."
On the other end, Agatha nodded in satisfaction before hanging up and sending Gu Yuan the list.
With Agatha's authority, unlocking permissions for him was an easy matter.
Glancing over the list of items, Gu Yuan didn't pay it much attention. What caught his eye instead were the Pokémon he could exchange for, especially those from other regions.
Before meeting Agatha, Gu Yuan had wondered how he could explain having too many Pokémon from other regions if he acquired them through Team Rocket's channels.
Now that Agatha was backing him, he didn't need to worry anymore.
Unfortunately, with his current contribution points, he could only redeem Pokémon from the Hoenn or Sinnoh regions, and even then, only the rarer but not particularly powerful ones.
Having made up his mind, Gu Yuan already knew what he needed to do next.
He would use Team Rocket to obtain the resources he needed and acquire Pokémon through the League, so no one would suspect anything.
With that plan in place, he began browsing for the Pokémon he wanted.
"This one!"
Once he decided, Gu Yuan immediately called Agatha again.
"You really are a clever one," Agatha said with a smile after hearing his request. "Fine, I'll have it transferred soon. Contact me once you reach a town with a Pokémon Center."
She didn't refuse, but she secretly thought her disciple wasn't being very clever this time.
Did he really think she unlocked those permissions just so he could look for Pokémon from other regions? Had he forgotten what Pokémon made his Master famous? Wasn't Gengar good enough?
With her experience raising Gengar and plenty of extra resources to spare, training one would have been twice as easy for him.
Honestly, now she would have to wait for another opportunity to force, no, suggest that Gu Yuan apply for a Gastly next time.
After hanging up, Agatha immediately took action.
Though they hadn't known each other for long, she already knew Gu Yuan's background and was very satisfied with his personality and methods.
They were similar, both the type to act immediately when something displeased them.
He also had a clean background and a rare ability to accelerate his Pokémon's growth.
With such talent, Agatha couldn't simply let him grow unattended. If something happened to him or another family recruited him, it would be a loss.
So, she would "sacrifice" her own time to teach him personally.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuan was in high spirits.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ditto quietly crept up beside him.
"What is it, Ditto? Do you need something from me?" Gu Yuan asked through Telepathy, seeing how nervous it looked.
"Um… I… I want to train too. I want to fight, to be like Charizard. Can I?"
Hearing its timid voice, Gu Yuan couldn't help but smile.
When he had first caught Ditto, it had been worried that he would force it to train and battle.
Yet now, when Gu Yuan kept his promise not to push it, Ditto was the one asking for it.
"I see. Are you sure you're ready?"
"You've seen it yourself. Training and battling aren't easy. Are you confident you can endure it?"
Instead of agreeing right away, Gu Yuan asked seriously.
"Yes!"
Feeling his tone, Ditto straightened up and answered firmly.
"Good. Starting today, I'll make a training plan for you and find suitable opponents."
"Remember, this is your choice. There'll be no turning back later."
"Yes!"
"All right, go play for now. Lunch will be ready soon."
"Okay!"
Having finally resolved what had been troubling it for a long time, Ditto felt lighter than ever and happily went to play with Sylveon.
Watching Ditto, Gu Yuan smiled. With it and the Pokémon he'd soon receive, he finally had a complete team.
He only needed to add two or three more to be fully prepared for the Indigo League's Pokémon rotation system.
Satisfied, Gu Yuan began cooking.
To celebrate Ditto's decision to start battling, he planned to make an especially hearty meal.
As the aroma spread, Mankey suddenly froze mid-play, as if sensing something.
Sylveon and Ditto thought it was just tempted by the smell of food and were about to tease it, when a bright white light began to shine from Mankey's body.
At that exact moment, Gu Yuan, who had just plated the last dish, saw it too.
"Charizard, Sylveon, and Kadabra, keep watch around us. Ditto, stay by my side."
Realizing Mankey was evolving, Gu Yuan immediately ordered his team into position.
Kadabra's psychic field expanded, while Gu Yuan's system activated, ensuring the evolution wouldn't be disturbed.
The process was fast. As Mankey's form stabilized, the light faded, revealing a Primeape in front of him.
Before he could even say anything, Primeape charged at him.
For a moment, Gu Yuan thought its personality had changed drastically, but instead, Primeape leapt onto him excitedly, proudly showing off its new body.
Well, it hadn't gotten angrier; it had just become even more energetic.
Feeling the pain from his lower back, Gu Yuan realized Primeape still hadn't learned to control its new strength and was a bit too rough.
But still, evolution was always a good thing.
"Congratulations, Primeape."
"Pucha!"