"Fall back, Eevee, then use Shadow Ball!"
Facing Dewgong's attack, Gu Yuan could only have Eevee retreat while countering.
Under the pressure of Aurora Beam, Eevee's Shadow Ball shattered instantly.
Fortunately, Eevee was very agile, and it dodged the remnants of the beam with ease.
Dewgong, Seel's evolved form, normally evolves at level 34 in the games.
In reality, Gu Yuan could only use game levels as a reference, and he guessed this Dewgong had evolved at a higher level than that.
Otherwise, Eevee's offense would not have been crushed so easily.
"Eevee, give it one last push, use a Shadow Ball combo!"
Seeing Eevee's fatigue, Gu Yuan prepared to unleash one final assault before recalling it.
"Dewgong, use Aqua Jet to rush in, then follow with Aqua Tail!"
Daisy knew Gu Yuan's plan, but with the advantage on her side, she was not about to let Eevee drain more of Dewgong's stamina.
Water surged, and Dewgong shot forward.
It smashed through the first Shadow Ball, then swung its tail.
Water gathered around its tail, and with a powerful sweep, Dewgong shattered the second Shadow Ball and sent the water rushing at Eevee at high speed.
A red beam of light shot out as Gu Yuan recalled Eevee just before the attack hit.
"This is the final battle. Charizard, end it with Flamethrower!"
The moment he returned Eevee, Gu Yuan released Charizard and launched an attack.
"Dewgong, use Aqua Tail!"
When she saw his last Pokémon was Charizard, Daisy wondered why he chose it. But Gu Yuan's performance left no doubt, and she focused only on the battle.
Water wrapped around Dewgong's tail again, and it struck hard, sending waves to smother the fire.
But under Charizard's control, Flamethrower split into streams of fire, weaving past the waves and coiling around Dewgong's body.
Because Dewgong was part Ice-type and its ability was Hydration, Fire-type moves still dealt normal damage.
"That's an Expert-level Flamethrower!"
As a Gym Leader, Daisy could tell immediately.
To control a move so flexibly meant only Expert mastery could make it possible.
There was another possibility: the Pokémon had broken through to the Ace Rank.
At that level, Expert mastery gave moves tremendous power beyond fixed values.
But it was rare to see even Elite Rank Pokémon reach that level of skill.
That was why Daisy was so shocked.
"Press the attack, use Flamethrower again!"
Taking advantage of her hesitation, Gu Yuan commanded Charizard to strike.
Scorching flames burst forth, forming a pillar aimed at Dewgong.
Even without guidance, Dewgong reacted quickly, launching Aqua Jet to escape.
But it was still too slow. Fire engulfed it, evaporating the water as it wrapped Dewgong inside.
"Charizard, use Heat Wave!"
"Dewgong, break free and use Icy Wind!"
Daisy snapped back, issuing sharp orders.
Rolling in the water, Dewgong doused the fire around its body with the field's advantage.
Bitter cold rose, clashing against Charizard's heat.
"Charizard, use Flame Charge, then Flamethrower!"
"Dewgong, defend with Surf, don't fight head-on!"
Seeing Charizard's Expert-level Flamethrower, Daisy chose not to meet it directly.
Waves surged up, smothering the fire and filling the air with steam.
Swimming deep, Dewgong stayed hidden, refusing to surface for Charizard to strike.
"Charizard, keep boosting speed with Flame Charge."
Gu Yuan did not rush. He let Charizard fly overhead, building speed.
From the start, he had checked with the system that Dewgong had no boosting moves.
He wondered if Daisy could stay calm under this pressure.
Flames rose around Charizard, its speed rising further.
Though a Fire-type, it calmly used Flame Charge again and again, without haste.
"Dewgong, use Aurora Beam!"
Watching Gu Yuan's steady tactics, Daisy knew stalling was useless. As a Gym Leader, she had to fight actively.
Dewgong surfaced and fired.
"Charizard, rush with Flame Charge, then prepare Flamethrower!"
The instant Dewgong showed itself, Charizard shot forward like an arrow.
The blast missed, and Charizard closed the gap in a heartbeat.
"Dewgong, Icy Wind!"
The command steadied Dewgong. Cold wind surged to block Charizard's attack.
But flames burst from Charizard's body, shielding it, and then it released Flamethrower.
The firestorm engulfed Dewgong.
It was too late to dodge.
Charizard, boosted by repeated Flame Charge, caught Dewgong and hurled it to the air.
"Dewgong, aim from the air with Hydro Pump!"
Daisy tried to turn it around.
Water gathered with fierce pressure, firing down at Charizard.
"Charizard, dodge with Flame Charge, then blast it even higher with Flamethrower!"
On its sixth use, Flame Charge raised Charizard's speed to the maximum.
It blurred away, leaving the Hydro Pump to strike empty air.
Charizard then came to Dewgong's side in an instant, firing Flamethrower to blast it upward.
"Finish it with Dragon Rush!"
Charizard soared high.
Dragon energy gathered, and it dove down like a colossal dragon.
The impact left Dewgong no chance to resist. It was smashed onto the floating platform of the Water Field.
Flamethrower followed, covering it completely.
A red beam recalled Dewgong into its Poké Ball, and Daisy conceded the match.