"Charmeleon, use Slash!"
At the command, Charmeleon charged forward at full speed. A dazzling white light appeared on his sharp claws, slowly covering its entire paw. With a slash, three fierce claw marks were left on the steel target!
The Pewter Gym specialized in Rock-types, so a Fire-type like Charmeleon was bound to be at a disadvantage when he challenged it later. So Gu Yuan used the points he had saved up to raise Charmeleon's Slash proficiency to Advanced. With the addition of Dragon Breath, he believed they could handle Pewter Gym's battle.
After all, you didn't always need to win a Gym Battle to earn a Badge. As long as your performance was good, Gym Leaders would still award it. Showing the right strength, using the right tactics, and bringing out the challenger's true potential was the duty of a Gym Leader.
Using a Fire-type against Rock-types might seem like a bad choice. It showed that Gu Yuan didn't fully understand Pewter Gym. But if he performed well, even a disadvantage could turn into an advantage.
"Alright, Charmeleon, that's enough practice for today."
"Tomorrow we'll have our Gym Battle. You and Eevee need to give it your best."
Gu Yuan stopped Charmeleon from attacking the target again. He fed him some Pokéblocks to restore his strength, then massaged him to ease the fatigue. Hearing this, Eevee slowly stood up. As a Junior Rank Pokémon, Eevee couldn't match Charmeleon's stamina, but it had been working hard within its means.
"Let's go. Time to sleep."
Gu Yuan gently picked up the tired Eevee and spoke with affection. Abra had already fallen asleep inside its Poké Ball without needing a reminder. Back in his room, Gu Yuan carefully checked everything to make sure no one had entered before placing his bag by his pillow. Even at the Pokémon Center, he never let his guard down. He would never leave his bag with all his resources unattended.
***
"Let's go. Time to head to Pewter Gym. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long for our turn."
When he woke up, Gu Yuan patted Eevee on the back to wake it up. After a quick morning routine, Gu Yuan took Charmeleon and Eevee to the Gym.
Thanks to his reservation, he entered the waiting room, where he sat until Pewter Gym's staff called him for the battle. He didn't waste the waiting time. He pulled out his communicator and studied the pointers Shadow had left him. Points could be used to improve strength, but knowledge had to be earned through his own effort. Lost in the ocean of information, Gu Yuan forgot about time. The number of challengers before him grew fewer and fewer.
"Hello, please follow me."
Hearing the staff member's voice, Gu Yuan finally pulled himself out of his studies.
"Alright, thank you."
He put away the communicator and followed the staff to the Rock battlefield. Brock's father, Flint, was already waiting on the other side. Being a Gym Leader was actually an excellent position. Gym Leaders had the right to help manage the Gym's city. They could also take apprentices, building up their own private circle of students. Finally, the role could be passed down, as long as the successor passed the evaluation. Passing down was always easier than starting from scratch. And if the Gym Leader had wide connections, the test could be made even easier.
"Please release your Pokémon."
At that time, Pewter Gym didn't have an official referee to announce the rules. The format was simple: a two-on-two battle. The Gym Leader couldn't switch Pokémon, while the challenger could. The first side whose Pokémon all fainted would lose.
"Here we go! Geodude, I choose you!"
A Poké Ball opened, and a Junior Rank Geodude appeared on the battlefield. When Gu Yuan signed up, his strength information was already recorded. As a Gym Leader, Flint would use Pokémon of similar strength, so Gu Yuan would have the chance to show his best.
Flint looked almost identical to Brock, just older. But Gu Yuan didn't like him. He claimed to chase his dreams, yet left the Gym to his wife and children. Sure, the Gym Leader role could be inherited. But someone had to step up. If Brock hadn't taken the responsibility, Pewter Gym might have been taken over by the League, leaving the family in a worse state. To Gu Yuan, a man so irresponsible didn't deserve respect. Hiding his dislike was already difficult enough.
"Go, Eevee! Use Swift!"
The moment Eevee appeared, Gu Yuan ordered her to attack. By the unspoken rules, the first to send out a Pokémon got to strike first. But in a Gym Battle, the challenger's ability to seize that chance was what mattered.
Star-shaped rays of light shot at Geodude at great speed. Geodude and its evolutions, Graveler and Golem, had amazing Defense. But their Special Defense was poor, and they were slow. Against an Advanced-level Swift, dodging wasn't an option.
"Your Eevee's Swift is impressive! But we won't be underestimated. Geodude, use Rock Throw to counter!"
Flint might not be a responsible father, but as a Gym Leader, he was skilled. He quickly saw how proficient Eevee was with her move. At his command, Geodude acted. It didn't attack. Instead, it used Rock Throw to shield itself, blocking all the incoming stars.
"Geodude, use Defense Curl and then Rollout!"
Those two moves could actually work together. If left unchecked, Rollout after Defense Curl could build up to a terrifying power of 960!
"Eevee, use Quick Attack! Don't let it build up!"
Gu Yuan aimed to break through before the momentum grew.
"Dodge it, Geodude! Keep building power."
Flint wasn't ready to strike yet. He wanted to wait for the right moment.
Surprisingly, Geodude rolled with impressive speed once curled up. Maybe this was its real way of moving.
"This is close enough! Eevee, use Yawn, then follow up with Swift!"
From the start, Gu Yuan hadn't expected Quick Attack to hit. He only wanted to close the distance. Now his plan was in motion.