"Alright, who's next?"
"I'll go!"
As soon as Ditto recovered its stamina, a Trainer stepped forward.
Around them, many other Trainers had gathered, eager to see if Ditto could claim yet another victory.
After helping Charcadet fully integrate into the team, Gu Yuan had wanted to find a proper battle tournament.
Unfortunately, his timing wasn't great, and there weren't any events happening nearby.
Remembering his promise to Ditto and Primeape, Gu Yuan started looking for opponents inside the Pokémon Center instead.
Both Primeape and Ditto were top-tier among the Junior Rank, and combined with Gu Yuan's command skills, his record of victories had become nearly flawless.
As time went on, more and more Trainers gathered, hoping to be the one who could finally defeat him.
"I'll take the first move, Ditto, transform into Sylveon and use Covet!"
Gu Yuan attacked first, taking advantage of being the one to reveal his Pokémon early.
His opponent, Wendell, was using Combusken, one of the starter Pokémon from the Hoenn region.
"Be careful, Combusken, use Flamethrower!"
Many Trainers had already fallen victim to Ditto's opening tactic over the past few days.
Wendell had warned his Combusken before the battle started.
Still, whether it could actually defend against it was another matter.
Even though Combusken was ready, Covet's feint caused it to lose focus for just an instant. Its Flamethrower came out a beat too late.
Seizing the opportunity, Ditto dodged the flames and charged forward.
" Change to Primeape, and use Leer and Cross Chop!"
As the distance between them closed, Gu Yuan had Ditto change shape again.
Now transformed into an enraged Primeape, its Leer hit with full force.
Even though Wendell gave his command quickly, Combusken still couldn't react in time. Cross Chop grazed its shoulder, but that alone was enough to make it cry out in pain.
After its Defense dropped from Leer, even a glancing blow left its right arm throbbing and limp.
"Ditto, transform into Poliwrath and use Water Pulse!"
The more opponents Ditto battled with, the wider its range of transformations became, allowing it to counter more types.
As a glowing orb of water flew forward, Wendell again shouted for Combusken to dodge.
But with its injured arm, it couldn't move fast enough and was caught in the splash.
After several exchanges, Combusken was panting heavily, while Ditto shifted forms once again, turning into Dodrio and charging forward.
At that incredible speed, Combusken's Flamethrower couldn't possibly hit.
In a flash, Ditto's three heads pecked at once, leaving three deep punctures on Combusken's body.
Finally, Ditto became Poliwrath again and launched one last Water Pulse, striking Combusken before it could react.
The battle was over.
"So strong!"
"It's unbeatable! That Ditto can transform into too many Pokémon. No matter who you send out, it's always at a disadvantage."
"It's not just that! Didn't you notice? No matter what Ditto turns into, its Trainer can make full use of its strengths. That's what makes it terrifying."
"Yeah, the constant change in battle style, no one can keep up!"
As Gu Yuan claimed yet another victory, the surrounding Trainers broke into discussion.
After Wendell stepped down, Gu Yuan told Ditto to rest. But no one else dared to step forward.
A few Intermediate Rank Trainers seemed interested, but the gap between them was too large, and they were too embarrassed to ask.
"All right, that's enough for today. Let's go train for a bit."
"I also need to prepare a new strategy for Charizard and the others. The Gym battle's tomorrow."
He patted Ditto and Primeape on the head, deciding to stop since there were no more challengers.
Tomorrow would be his turn to battle at the Gym, so it was better to rest and prepare.
Ditto and Primeape, who had been fighting nonstop for days, didn't object.
Returning to the hotel, Gu Yuan went straight to his rented training room.
He arranged training plans for Ditto and Primeape, and had Charcadet watch over them to keep it from getting bored.
Then, he began drafting battle strategies for Charizard and the others.
Although Lt. Surge was part of Team Rocket, Gu Yuan wasn't planning to rely on that connection.
Last time, Sabrina's treatment of him was likely because Shadow had made arrangements, perhaps even at some cost.
But Gu Yuan didn't want Shadow to owe anyone favors on his behalf.
If he had the strength to win through Gym battles, he would do it on his own.
Just as Gu Yuan was analyzing Lt. Surge's strength with his Pokémon, Kadabra suddenly closed its eyes as if meditating.
A wave of psychic energy spread outward, which Gu Yuan, being a Psychic himself, immediately sensed.
Remembering what had happened during Kadabra's previous evolution, Gu Yuan quickly told Charizard and Sylveon to move aside and give it space.
The moment they stepped back, a bright light of evolution surrounded Kadabra, pulsing with psychic power.
Inside the white glow, its body began to stretch and grow.
The light soon faded, revealing the fully evolved Alakazam.
Its body was still yellow, but its mustache had grown long and thick, and its ears were now sharper and longer.
Its broad, gleaming forehead shone brilliantly; they said the older and wiser an Alakazam became, the larger its head would grow.
Its chest and shoulders were covered with brown armor-like plates, and wrist guards of the same color wrapped around its arms. It now held a silver spoon in each hand.
Its legs were thicker, and its knees were protected by brown plates.
Just looking at that shining forehead, it was clear this Alakazam was a genius.
"Congratulations, Alakazam."
At his words, Alakazam nodded calmly, though its eyes couldn't hide their joy.
"All right, take some time to get used to your new strength. Tomorrow, you'll shine in the Gym battle."
Suppressing the urge to pat its smooth forehead, Gu Yuan instead gave Alakazam a firm pat on the shoulder.
Nodding seriously, Alakazam closed its eyes and began meditating, adjusting to its new psychic power.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuan checked its updated data.
Pokémon: Alakazam
Gender: Male
Ability: Inner Focus
Rank: Intermediate Rank
Level-up Moves: Confusion, Kinesis, Teleport, Disable, Psybeam, Reflect, Psycho Cut, Recover, Psychic
TM Moves: Calm Mind, Double Team, Light Screen, Psychic, Safeguard, Trick
Egg Moves: Ally Switch, Guard Swap