"Thanks again for your contribution to this mission. I wish you a smooth journey."
"After you finish the Indigo Conference, you might consider becoming a police officer. I look forward to the day we can fight side by side."
Mason patted Gu Yuan on the shoulder, his tone full of expectation.
"Yes, once my journey ends, I'll think about it. At that time, I may need to ask for your guidance."
"No problem. I'll teach you everything I know."
Mason answered without hesitation.
When issuing points to Gu Yuan, Mason had already learned some of his information.
Even though he had only become a Trainer not long ago, he had already caught a Kadabra and trained it up to the Junior Rank.
Not only that, but Gu Yuan's strongest Pokémon, Charmeleon, had already reached the Intermediate Rank.
All of this proved that Gu Yuan was undoubtedly a genius as a Trainer. Combined with his earlier performance, Mason was even more impressed. Naturally, he hoped to recruit him into the police force.
After chatting a little longer, Mason hurried off to handle other matters. Gu Yuan also needed to continue his journey. His next destination was Cerulean City.
"Let's go, Kadabra. Use Teleport to get us quickly to the nearest forest. I'm sure Eevee can't wait to spar with wild Pokémon."
As Mason left, Gu Yuan had Kadabra teleport them ahead.
But in his arms, Eevee quietly shook its head. It clearly didn't want to, yet its opinion was ignored.
Inside the forest, whether they met Rookie Rank or Junior Rank wild Pokémon, Eevee and Kadabra had to take turns fighting.
For Eevee, it felt like going back to the days before Abra had evolved.
The only difference was that its sparring partner had changed, and now Mankey was also watching.
Seeing its partners unleash their power, the Fighting-type Pokémon was fired up too.
But unless they met something like a Weedle, Gu Yuan would not let Mankey battle.
Gu Yuan also discovered that points had special abilities related to battle experience.
When he used points to boost Charmeleon and the others, they gained not just strength, but also accumulated battle knowledge.
According to them, it was like the memories of multiple fights were injected into their minds.
With just a little practice, they could turn that knowledge into real power.
When he used points to raise their move mastery, they said it felt as if they had practiced that move hundreds or thousands of times.
This solved Gu Yuan's worry that using points might give them unstable foundations.
Even so, he still needed them to fight and gain real battle sense, and earning more points along the way was even better.
"Alright, alright, I know you're tired. Just hold on a little longer."
Gu Yuan stroked Eevee's head, saying the exact words it didn't want to hear.
Giving up on whining, Eevee prepared to vent its frustration on its opponent.
Nidorino looked confused.
It hadn't even done anything, so why was that Pokémon glaring so angrily?
"Go, Eevee. Charge in and use Fake Tears!"
At the command, Eevee darted forward.
But instead of striking, it suddenly sat down, eyes brimming with tears.
Nidorino froze, distracted, and its special defense fell.
"Now, Eevee, Shadow Ball!"
Seeing the opening, Gu Yuan ordered the attack.
Eevee's tears vanished, replaced with a sly look.
A Shadow Ball blasted into Nidorino, hitting hard.
That was only the beginning.
"Keep going. Use Swift!"
Stars shot forward, chasing Nidorino.
Wracked with pain, it grew angry, but the battle was already out of its control.
"Eevee, use Yawn, then follow with Shadow Ball!"
Nidorino tried to stand and counterattack, but a wave of drowsiness washed over it.
The next Shadow Ball filled its vision, then struck its face.
The explosion left its head spinning.
As another Swift came crashing in, Nidorino screamed, then collapsed unconscious.
"Well done, Eevee."
Now that the fight was over, Gu Yuan praised it warmly and handed over its favorite Pokéblock.
For Eevee, maybe this was the best part of battling.
At his side, Kadabra's psychic power pulsed, detecting a new presence racing toward them.
Since Eevee had just fought, Kadabra stepped forward on its own.
But when a Nidoking appeared, Kadabra gestured smoothly to Charmeleon.
The signal was as fluid as if it had used Teleport and Ally Switch in combination.
"I almost forgot. If there's a Nidoran or Nidorino, their evolution is probably nearby too. This one's yours, Charmeleon."
Sensing Nidoking's Intermediate Rank power, Gu Yuan chose not to risk Kadabra.
"Charmeleon, use Flame Charge, then follow with Flamethrower!"
Charmeleon dashed forward, flames flaring around its body.
Flame Charge boosted its speed. Combined with its Expert-level Flamethrower, it closed the distance in an instant.
Feeling the heat, Nidoking roared and used Earth Power to defend.
Pillars of stone rose, but Charmeleon spread its flames wide, blasting them apart before striking Nidoking head-on.
The sudden shift left Nidoking wide open.
"Keep it up, Charmeleon. Pin it down with Flamethrower!"
Another torrent of fire roared out, weaving into a burning net that fell over Nidoking.
At Expert mastery, Charmeleon could bend Flamethrower freely, and its strength was far greater than before.
Though Nidoking's power matched Charmeleon's, the tide was turning.
On the third Flamethrower, Nidoking staggered.
Scattered flames struck from every side, forcing it back again and again.
With three Flame Charge boosts stacked, Charmeleon's attacks grew even faster.
The outcome of the battle was already certain.