"Charizard, come out and use Flamethrower!"
"Raichu, use Agility!"
As Gu Yuan released his last Pokémon, Lt. Surge immediately had Raichu use Agility again. He was trying to use the speed advantage to make up for its lowered Special Defense.
Flames gushed out of Charizard's mouth, and in the next second, they scattered, forming several fire snakes that spread out quickly.
Before Raichu could run far, the fire snakes encircled it.
"Raichu, use Discharge!"
Electricity burst out, quickly defeating the fire snakes. However, Charizard's offensive had just begun.
"Charizard, close the distance to Raichu, and continuously use Flamethrower!"
Flapping its wings, Charizard charged towards Raichu as ordered. The flames were released again. This time, they formed a large net and attacked Raichu.
"Raichu, use Thunderbolt!"
After seeing that this Flamethrower was at Expert Mastery, Lt. Surge stopped considering having Raichu continue to use Agility. He prepared to first deal with Charizard's offense.
Electricity gushed out, but it could not completely shatter the fire net immediately. Expert Mastery allows a move to unleash much greater power than normal.
While the undissipated flames fell to the ground, Charizard used Flamethrower again. This time, the flames turned into fireballs, attacking Raichu like a meteor shower.
"Raichu, use Thunderbolt as a counterattack!"
Electricity surged out, turning into electric snakes to counter the fire. Unfortunately, the number of electric snakes was clearly insufficient compared to the numerous fireballs. The flames fell, forcing Raichu to dodge.
At this point, the clearly faster Raichu was at a disadvantage in the move clash. This was because it could not effectively counter Charizard's Flamethrower.
"Charizard, lower your flight altitude and continue the suppression with Flamethrower!"
At this moment, the rhythm of the battle had fallen into Gu Yuan's hands. Raichu was forced to only counterattack with Thunderbolt. If Raichu wanted to use a move like Thunder to break the situation, it would be unable to deal with the scattered flames. Moreover, Thunder might not even hit Charizard. Conversely, Raichu's Special Defense had been greatly reduced, so it did not dare to trade blows with Charizard.
Flamethrower was released once more. The flames scattered like a rain of fire, and Raichu could only use Thunderbolt to desperately create a safe spot for itself.
Under the continuous flame bombardment, the scattered flames continued to burn on the battle field. The surrounding temperature kept rising.
Sweat dripped on the ground as Surge and Gu Yuan focused on the battle. Staring intently at the Charizard in the air, Raichu did not panic. Instead, it quietly waited for Lt. Surge's command. The long-standing bond of trust made Raichu believe that Lt. Surge could help it turn the situation around and achieve victory.
Unfortunately, Raichu was destined to be disappointed this time.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
This time, Charizard did not change Flamethrower. It simply transformed into a pillar of fire and rushed out.
Seeing this, Raichu's eyes lit up. Then, it followed Lt. Surge's command and counterattacked with Thunder. The pillar of lightning swept across, directly breaking through the flames.
Before Raichu could seize the opportunity to counter, it felt wind blowing around it.
"Raichu, quickly use Quick Attack to hide in a spot without fire!"
Seeing Charizard use Heat Wave, Lt. Surge immediately understood Gu Yuan's plan. He quickly told Raichu to dodge, but it was too late.
The wind fueled the flames. Under the blow of Heat Wave, the flames on the battle field began to burn fiercely again. Then, they turned into a blazing fire that enveloped Raichu.
Under the scorching of the flames, Raichu could only barely maintain its composure.
"Charizard, use Fire Blast!"
Earlier, Charizard had lowered its flight altitude as per Gu Yuan's command. Thus, after Fire Blast rushed out, Raichu, which was trapped in the sea of fire, could not counterattack immediately.
"Boom!"
The flames exploded, completely enveloping Raichu. Under the raging fire, Raichu's fur was scorched black. Hearing Raichu's miserable cry, Lt. Surge did not continue to hold out. Instead, he recalled Raichu into its Poké Ball.
"This Thunder Badge belongs to you. I look forward to seeing better performance from you in the future." The battle ended. Lt. Surge was very satisfied with Gu Yuan's performance and immediately handed the Thunder Badge to Gu Yuan.
Without much more small talk, Lt. Surge had someone escort Gu Yuan away. He then began preparing for the next battle.
***
"Let's go. The next destination is Fuchsia City. If we are lucky, we might even get to witness the techniques of a Ninja." Gu Yuan packed his luggage at the hotel and prepared to leave.
Naturally, Charizard and the others had no objections to this. On the other hand, Ditto and Primeape had started to miss the wild Pokémon battles after having several battles with many Trainers.
After planning the route, Gu Yuan entered the forest as soon as he left Vermilion City. This would allow him to arrive at Fuchsia City more quickly.
After entering the forest, Gu Yuan released Alakazam and the others. The moment it appeared, Alakazam used Telepathy to inform Gu Yuan that two people were following him.
They should be together.
"It seems that performing too well makes it easy to be targeted. Since that is the case, I guess I can only earn some extra money." Gu Yuan glanced at Ditto, Primeape, and Sylveon. He could guess what was going on.
After that, Gu Yuan pretended to be completely unaware and continued his journey. When he met a suitable opponent, he would also let Ditto and Primeape battle.
Time passed quickly, and it was soon noon. Gu Yuan felt some admiration for the two people behind him. Initially, Gu Yuan thought they would act quickly. However, he did not expect them to follow him until now.
It seemed they were waiting for him to lower his guard so they could find an opportunity to ambush him.
"Everyone, let's rest here. I will cook the meal." Gu Yuan lit the campfire and took out the prepared ingredients.
Gu Yuan had made some progress during his long journey. Now, Gu Yuan could use some prepared seasonings to make simple dishes. This was quite an improvement.
Soon, the aroma began to spread. "I am truly a genius." Gu Yuan sampled the food and was instantly impressed by his own cooking. At the same time, he also destroyed the packaging of the seasonings.
"Alright, let's start eating." As soon as Gu Yuan finished speaking, two pairs of eyes appeared in the bush.
They first observed Sylveon and Ditto. Then, upon seeing an unknown Pokémon accompanying Gu Yuan, a hint of greed appeared in both pairs of eyes.
They exchanged a look. Just as the two of them reached for their Poké Balls, they felt a special force restraining their bodies.
"Seriously, don't you know that interrupting someone's meal is extremely impolite?" While the two were in shock, Gu Yuan walked over to them. His eyes contained a cold killing intent.
Subconsciously, the two prepared to beg for mercy, hoping to at least get through this situation first. Unfortunately, they could not even speak.
Waving his hand, Gu Yuan had Alakazam deal with the two using its psychic power.
Next, Charizard spat out a burst of flame, completely destroying the evidence.