"The weather is wonderful. Let's do some fishing."
Gu Yuan spoke leisurely while stretching, with Dreepy and Hattrem following by his side. Meanwhile, Charizard and the others were training in the gym inside the ship.
Ever since the regional battle tournament in the Johto region ended, Gu Yuan's group had boarded a ship bound for the Hoenn region. Seemingly provoked by Gu Yuan's progress, Taishi Utsunomiya had hardly shown his face throughout the journey. He remained in the training room, desperate to have his Dragonite take that final step as soon as possible. Only by matching Gu Yuan's strength could he hope to seize the captaincy.
After all, as news of the tournament results spread through the Kanto region, Gu Yuan's fame reached new heights. The hype from his Indigo League championship had not yet faded, and now, becoming the tournament captain with Leader Rank strength pushed his popularity to a peak.
All Taishi Utsunomiya could do now was complete his assigned mission: take the captain's position as quickly as possible and deliver a fatal blow to Gu Yuan's reputation.
Despite Taishi's hard work, Gu Yuan's Pokémon were no less diligent. Even without his supervision, Charizard and the rest were fully committed to their training. As their trainer, Gu Yuan found himself with nothing to do, passing the time with sea fishing.
He skillfully cast his line, beginning his attempt at "luck-based" fishing.
"You really are taking it easy. Aren't you afraid Taishi Utsunomiya will surpass you? He's eyeing your captaincy like a hawk," Aiko said gently as she walked up to him.
"It doesn't matter. Let him work hard. He can't beat me no matter what he does. I just hope he can handle the blow when he fails," Gu Yuan replied, waving her off. He didn't take Taishi seriously at all. As someone who had already defeated him once, Gu Yuan was confident he wouldn't be overtaken. This was his absolute self-assurance!
Since Aiko and Gu Yuan both belonged to the faction of the Elite Four, their relationship was quite good.
"You certainly have confidence. Then I'll look forward to seeing the expression on his face when he loses."
"No problem!"
As they spoke, Gu Yuan suddenly yanked the rod. A large fish was hooked, but it grew quiet in the next second under Dreepy's sharp claws.
"I'll treat you to fish tonight."
"Sounds good, though I prefer sausages," Aiko teased with a smile before turning back toward the cabin, leaving a graceful figure behind.
Gu Yuan looked at Aiko, then at himself, and sighed helplessly. Even though he wasn't old, he deeply felt what it was like for the spirit to be willing but the flesh to be weak. He put the fish away and recast his line, returning to his idle state.
Deep beneath the sea, a submarine was patrolling aimlessly until a prominent target appeared on the radar.
"The prey is here. Move out!"
An excited voice rang out, and the submarine surged toward the target.
By evening, Gu Yuan returned with a full harvest and handed the fish over to the kitchen, waiting for his "all-fish" banquet. Back in the training room, he made a show of inspecting the Pokémon and offering advice before silently using points to boost the strength of Charizard and the others.
Feeling their power grow, Charizard and the rest became even more enthusiastic about training. Previously, to resolve their confusion regarding how his points helped them improve, Gu Yuan had explained the system as his own special ability.
He told them that as long as they trained or fought to a certain degree, he could convert that experience into power to help them level up quickly. The more they trained and fought, the faster the progress.
Upon hearing this, even the lazy Sylveon became excited. For Sylveon, the logic was simple: the stronger it became, the fewer times it would actually have to fight. Consequently, their collective passion for training and battle reached a fever pitch.
Gu Yuan didn't believe for a second that Taishi could surpass him given this state of affairs, especially with the added help of points.
"Alright, take a break. Let's go eat and rest for a bit."
Only when Gu Yuan spoke did the Pokémon reluctantly stop. After enjoying the delicious fish banquet, Gu Yuan went to the deck to catch the breeze. To prevent his Pokémon from overtraining and hurting themselves, he had to return them to their Poké Balls.
Leaning against the deck railing and gazing at the dark sea, he felt his heart grow peaceful. However, just as he was enjoying the moment, Alakazam detected something unusual.
"Something is approaching? No peace for the weary, I guess."
He had Alakazam use Teleport to take him elsewhere instantly.
"That's the situation. I'm not sure what it is yet, but it should be a submarine or something similar. I don't know if they are friends or foes."
"I understand. I'll notify the others. Stay with me for now," Dar replied. He was well aware of Gu Yuan's past track record, so he took the report seriously immediately.
Even without Gu Yuan's history, Dar wouldn't have been careless. He carried the safety of the entire ship on his shoulders and couldn't afford a single oversight. Soon, the ship entered a state of high alert. Even Taishi Utsunomiya didn't show any contempt just because it was Gu Yuan's discovery. If it turned out to be a false alarm, he could mock Gu Yuan later, but until safety was confirmed, he had to be cautious for the sake of his own life.
Alakazam soon locked onto the submarine's location, yet the ship's radar remained silent. The enemy likely had anti-radar equipment installed. Dar sent out a message asking for identification, but instead of a response, two torpedoes arrived.
Dar was prepared. His water-type Pokémon destroyed the torpedoes instantly, keeping the ship safe.
"Strike first! Attack together!"
At Dar's command, everyone entered combat mode. Aside from Dar, an Elite Rank trainer, Gu Yuan at Leader Rank, and five quasi-Aces, there were many other experts on board.
Gu Yuan couldn't understand which organization would dare attack this ship. Was the enemy really that much stronger? Amidst his doubts, the submarine, realizing a sneak attack was impossible, surfaced.
"Listen up! We are Team Aqua! Surrender now and we might spare your lives. Otherwise, we'll slaughter everyone on this ship!"
A boisterous, arrogant voice rang out, resolving the confusion in Gu Yuan's heart.