"Good work. That's enough for today. Tomorrow we'll have our Gym battle, so you need to keep your energy and focus."
At dusk, Gu Yuan told Charizard and the others to stop training. He gave up on the night session to let them rest.
Eevee stopped immediately without hesitation.
Mankey, however, looked upset. It knew it wouldn't get a chance to battle tomorrow.
"It's fine. After we leave Cerulean City, I'll find a good opponent for you."
"If you really can't wait, then after the Gym battle tomorrow, we can look for a match at the Pokémon Center."
Gu Yuan sensed its feelings. He picked Mankey up gently and comforted it.
Mankey nodded and looked obedient.
At that moment, Gu Yuan worried about what Mankey would be like after evolving into Primeape.
Normally, Mankey gets angry easily, so Gu Yuan had already prepared for that before choosing it.
But to his surprise, maybe because of its environment, this Mankey's personality was different.
The only thing he could see on it was its love for battle.
Still, when it evolved into Primeape, Gu Yuan couldn't be sure it would stay the same.
He didn't like the thought of his gentle Mankey becoming hot-tempered.
Shaking the thought away, he carried Mankey back to his room.
Eevee jumped into his arms too, unwilling to be left out.
"You're always the most eager at this time," Gu Yuan said, tapping its small head fondly.
On the way, he began to think about what kind of evolution was best for Eevee. He compared the pros and cons of each.
After dinner, he leaned toward a decision, but he wasn't in a hurry.
Eevee was only one step away from the Intermediate Rank. It wasn't the best time to evolve yet. Gu Yuan would wait until it broke through, mastered its power, and then evolve it.
Still, he worried that his choice of evolution might bring problems.
So far, only a few Eeveelutions were known. A sudden new one might cause trouble.
"Forget it. I'll ask Shadow about it another day," he muttered, shaking his head.
He stopped overthinking and went to bed, hugging both Eevee and Mankey.
Since he got them, his bed had never been cold. That was another perk of raising Pokémon.
The next morning, after washing up and breakfast, Gu Yuan took Eevee and Mankey to the Cerulean Gym.
Compared to the Pewter Gym, Cerulean was much more popular.
No wonder, since its Gym Leaders were three beautiful sisters. That alone drew huge crowds.
In the waiting room, Gu Yuan let Eevee and Mankey rest on his lap while he studied more Trainer knowledge.
Thanks to his constant effort, he was finally mastering what Shadow had taught him.
The only bad news was that this was only the beginning. According to Shadow, there was still much more to learn.
If it weren't useful, and if he couldn't defeat Shadow, Gu Yuan would have quit long ago.
But now, while waiting for the Gym match to start, he felt glad to have studied.
"Hello, it's your turn for the Gym battle. Please follow me."
Just as Eevee and Mankey were about to doze off, a staff member arrived.
Closing his communicator, Gu Yuan thought that studying really helped pass the time.
Soon, under the staff's lead, he arrived at the water field. Ahead stood Misty's eldest sister, Daisy.
Once both sides were ready, the referee explained the rules.
Looking at Daisy's figure and light outfit, Gu Yuan realized another reason so many Trainers came to Cerulean Gym.
"Battle start!"
"Come out, my sweetie!"
As the referee finished, Daisy sent out her first Pokémon.
The Poké Ball opened, and a sleek shape dove into the water, then poked its head above the surface.
"Goldeen. Just as the intel said."
"Kadabra, battle time!"
Gu Yuan followed his plan and sent out Kadabra.
"A Kadabra? That's a rare opponent."
"Kadabra, use Confusion to control the water around Goldeen, then throw it into the air!"
While Daisy was still surprised, Gu Yuan launched the first attack.
No matter how beautiful she was, he wouldn't hold back. His goal at Cerulean Gym was clear: to win the Cascade Badge.
"Goldeen, charge forward and use Horn Attack!"
Daisy reacted fast. She had Goldeen strike the platform under Kadabra, trying to sink it into the water.
That was a common water-field tactic, dragging foes into the water where Water-types held the advantage.
"Kadabra, use Teleport, then Psybeam!"
After its first attack, Kadabra linked with Gu Yuan through telepathy. That let him issue commands silently.
Kadabra vanished.
Daisy didn't call off her attack. She had Goldeen keep charging, ready to strike as soon as Kadabra reappeared.
Then Kadabra reappeared right behind Goldeen. Too late for Daisy to react, Psybeam landed clean.
Water splashed as Goldeen hit the pool hard.
"Kadabra, use Confusion. Lift it into the air!"
Kadabra spread its psychic power. It seized both water and Goldeen, pulling the fish above the pool.
"Stay calm, Goldeen. Gather power for Water Pulse. Don't give Kadabra a chance to keep attacking."
Daisy stayed composed, focusing on the next move.
"Kadabra, Teleport, then Psybeam again!"
Kadabra vanished once more.
Seeing this, Daisy frowned.
Teleport's unpredictability made it hard to counter.