In the courtyard of Professor Oak's Laboratory, a major battle unfolded.
Long ago, even without Gu Yuan's command or pre-arranged tactics, Charizard and the others were still able to excellently display their strength. Now, to further train Charizard and its companions, Professor Oak even had them all attack together to fight the Pokémon he had selected.
Of course, Axew was still at the Newborn Rank and could not participate in this major battle.
Due to their strength, Charcadet and the others, who were only at Intermediate Rank, failed early. There was no way around it, as this major battle included Pokémon at both Ace Rank and Senior Rank. Even with Alakazam's Teleport and Ally Switch, the safety of Charcadet and the others could not be guaranteed.
Nevertheless, the opponent's three Intermediate Rank Pokémon were also defeated. Especially when Alakazam commanded Ditto to transform into itself, allowing Annihilape, whose Rage Fist was raised to the extreme, to have room to maneuver, it defeated three Senior Rank opponents in one go.
Only a single Meganium remained, and it was in imminent danger.
Seizing the opportunity, Alakazam and Ditto appeared simultaneously next to Meganium, using Confusion to control Meganium's movements. Annihilape rushed out of its dimension, and a Rage Fist struck Meganium, instantly making it lose its ability to battle.
Seeing this, Professor Oak nodded helplessly. The Move Rage Fist was simply too broken. Once its power was raised to the extreme, there were few Pokémon of the same strength that could withstand a single blow.
After dealing with Meganium, Sylveon first gave Charizard a Helping Hand, then used Misty Terrain. Charizard's opponent was the Salamence it had battled before, and Misty Terrain's restriction on it was undoubtedly great.
Furthermore, with Sylveon's Pixilate Ability, and its current quasi-Ace strength, Sylveon was able to cause great distress to Salamence. Especially when Alakazam and Ditto were free to act, Teleport and Ally Switch were constantly targeting Salamence and Sylveon. Coupled with Charizard's obstruction, Salamence was simply unable to defeat Sylveon first.
Not to mention there was an Annihilape hiding in the dark, which might rush out and hit it with a punch at any time, further diverting much of Salamence's attention.
Charizard released Flame Charge, accelerating and charging toward Salamence. It brought Dragon Claw down, forcing Salamence to counterattack.
Seizing this instant, Alakazam and Ditto appeared simultaneously beside Salamence. With Confusion in full effect, they managed to halt Salamence's movement for a moment.
Rushing out of the other dimension, Annihilape's Rage Fist directly struck Salamence's back.
"Roar!" Under the stimulus of pain, Salamence lashed its tail, but Annihilape preemptively slipped into the other dimension to dodge.
Alakazam and Ditto released one more Psyshock before simultaneously using Teleport to leave.
Charizard used Flame Charge and flew over Salamence's head at some point. It spat out Blast Burn, and a gigantic fireball fell.
Feeling the rolling heatwave, Salamence subconsciously wanted to counterattack, but was interrupted by Sylveon's Hyper Voice.
"Boom!" The next moment, Blast Burn engulfed Salamence.
An explosion sounded, which directly slammed Salamence to the ground. Sylveon, Alakazam, Ditto, and Annihilape all launched attacks, further exacerbating Salamence's injuries.
Flapping its wings and charging, the recovered Charizard used Blast Burn again, and the battle concluded!
"Everyone, you did really well!" Gu Yuan praised, smiling, after the battle ended.
In this battle, the most eye-catching performer was undoubtedly the most unassuming, Alakazam. Gu Yuan had been cultivating Alakazam as the core of the group for a long time. It seemed now that Alakazam was competent in this position, fully capable of acting as the core.
"That was a wonderful battle. Both you and your Pokémon have made great progress during this time. I don't think I have anything else I can teach you." Professor Oak praised Gu Yuan with a smile, recalling the defeated Salamence and the others into their Poké Balls.
"After all, the path ahead must be walked by you. Imparting too much experience and knowledge to you would only hinder your future growth."
"You overestimate me, Professor. Thank you for your guidance during this time. It is time for me to leave."
Gu Yuan smiled and nodded, knowing very well that it was time for him to leave.
Just as Professor Oak said, all the fundamentals had been solidified. If he didn't want to become the second Professor Oak, then he would need to explore the rest of the path on his own.
"Ah! Older Brother Gu Yuan, you're leaving!?" Hearing this, Gary was a little distraught. I finally get to eat some decent food, and I haven't enjoyed it enough yet, and now it's gone.
"That's right, Older Brother Gu Yuan, can't you stay?"
Compared to Gary, Ash was purely coveting Gu Yuan's Pokémon. Through these days of interacting, Ash had successfully conquered Axew, the three little ones (the starter trio), and Ditto, and could get along with them harmoniously. Now, he was only missing the aloof Sylveon, the indifferent Alakazam, the battle-hungry Annihilape, and his favorite Charizard. How could Ash give up easily?
"I can't help it. I still need to collect the eighth Badge to participate in the Indigo League; that is the goal of my journey." Gu Yuan stroked Gary and Ash's heads and explained with a smile. "Don't worry, I will definitely come back to see you after the Indigo League."
Although Gu Yuan felt that Gary and Ash's intentions for wanting him to stay were impure, one thing was certain: Gary and Ash truly considered him a friend and did not want to be separated from him.
"That's right. If you two are good and listen, I can take you to the venue to watch Gu Yuan's battle. How does that sound?" Professor Oak offered.
"Great!"
"No problem!" With Professor Oak's guarantee, Gary and Ash immediately became full of anticipation.
After calming down Gary and Ash, Gu Yuan went on a major shopping trip to the Pallet Town supermarket that afternoon, replenishing all the supplies he needed. He also bought a lot of instant noodles based on Professor Oak's recommendation.
Finally, Gu Yuan bought a large amount of ingredients, doing his best to cook a sumptuous dinner for Professor Oak and the others to show his gratitude, and he also invited Delia.
Just like in the anime, Delia was not only extremely gentle in character but also gave off a refined feeling.
Perhaps the delicious food diluted the sorrow of parting. In the end, Ash patted his round tummy and went home with Delia, while Gary leaned back on the chair like a dead fish.
In the next morning, holding the lunch box Aunt Delia had made for him, Gu Yuan walked straight out of Pallet Town.
"Alright, this is far enough. Goodbye." Gu Yuan turned back, looked at Professor Oak and the others, and smiled as he bade them farewell.