"Senior Rank!"
The moment Charizard appeared, Yusuke's confidence disappeared. Shock filled his eyes, and he felt a trace of fear in his heart.
"Kadabra, use Psychic to restrain Poliwrath's movement."
"Eevee, use Helping Hand on Charizard, then follow with Shadow Ball."
"Charizard, use Air Slash on Poliwrath!"
Gu Yuan did not wait for Yusuke, who was still stunned.
From the moment Yusuke launched his attack and spoke those words, this became a battle to the death. Gu Yuan would not waste any chance to defeat his opponent.
In an instant, Kadabra and the others attacked together.
The glow of Psychic wrapped around Poliwrath, holding it in place.
Right after, the light of Helping Hand covered Charizard. Just as its Air Slash was ready, the move struck with enhanced power.
Eevee followed up with Shadow Ball, sending it after the slash.
The chain of attacks caught Yusuke completely off guard.
Perhaps it was because Charizard's Senior Rank aura crushed its will, but the moment Air Slash hit, Poliwrath flinched from its added effect.
"Crobat, use Air Cutter on Charizard!"
"Arbok, combine with Crobat and use Venoshock!"
Hearing Poliwrath's painful cry, Yusuke finally reacted.
Even if Gu Yuan's Charizard was strong, in the Cerulean Cave, its power would still be limited. If he could just find the right chance, he might escape.
But his reaction was too slow and too foolish.
When facing a Psychic-type Pokémon, leaving his Pokémon unprotected was a fatal mistake.
Charizard roared, fire bursting out once more. Flames lit up the cavern, drawing Yusuke's full attention.
Seizing this chance, Kadabra retreated and secretly used Ally Switch under Gu Yuan's order.
In the blink of an eye, Yusuke suddenly found an Eevee right in front of him.
Sharp claws struck. Blood sprayed, and Yusuke collapsed, now a lifeless corpse.
Gu Yuan quickly searched him and found the Poké Balls of Poliwrath and the others. But he did not rush to seal them away.
Through Kadabra's telepathy, Gu Yuan knew that Charizard, fresh into Senior Rank, craved a real battle. Unfortunately, he had not found a worthy opponent at the Pokémon Center.
Now, these three Intermediate Rank Pokémon might lack quality, but when together, they could still satisfy Charizard's demand.
Gu Yuan did not refuse Charizard's request. Instead, he let it fight freely while he provided cover.
The flames raged. Already weakened, Poliwrath was the first to fall.
Only Crobat and Arbok remained. They were forced to retreat again and again, their anger fading under Charizard's firestorm.
Standing aside, Gu Yuan carefully watched Charizard's performance, noting its flaws. These would become its next training goals.
But the leap in strength after breaking into Senior Rank was massive. That was the difference between Intermediate Rank and Senior Rank.
Every rank had a power gap. And the higher one climbed, the greater the difference became.
Now, even with two Intermediate Rank Pokémon working together, they could only barely defend. One mistake would mean instant defeat.
Defense always breaks eventually.
Facing Charizard's relentless offense, Crobat and Arbok could not hold for long.
Flames blasted past Crobat's guard, searing its wings. Fire engulfed it, then another Air Slash finished the job.
After Crobat fell, Arbok did not last long. Soon, it was overwhelmed by Flamethrower as well.
Charizard's control of its new moves grew sharper.
Its strength showed no weaknesses.
The only flaw was that Charizard had yet to adapt fully to its new body. In close combat, its movements were still awkward.
Every time a Pokémon broke into a new rank, all of its traits improved.
Not just its moves, but also its speed, strength, and agility. How much each improved depended on the Pokémon.
For Charizard, it was clear. It had grown, but lacked battle experience to master its new power. Training would fix that.
"Charizard, it's yours. Use Flamethrower."
When the battle ended, disposing of the corpse fell to Charizard.
Flames roared, and in moments, Yusuke's body turned to ash. Kadabra quietly moved the remains into the water, and Yusuke was erased from the Cerulean Cave.
Gu Yuan did not leave right away. Instead, he ordered Kadabra to scan the area with its psychic powers while he checked the wild Pokémon with his system.
Only after confirming no one was following did he leave. He recalled Charizard back into its Poké Ball.
When Gu Yuan had released Kadabra in front of so many people earlier, it had been bait. Now, it seemed to have worked well.
Deeper in the cave, the wild Pokémon grew stronger. Mankey rarely had a chance to act.
Even so, Gu Yuan still had Mankey use Leer whenever it could.
Whether it worked or not, the move helped Mankey practice.
At the very least, it taught Mankey what it felt like to face stronger opponents.
"Go, Eevee! Charge in and use Baby-Doll Eyes!"
Eevee darted forward, its small body quick and agile. Its opponent was a towering Rhyhorn.
Gu Yuan's eyes did not linger on Rhyhorn itself, but instead shifted to the boulder behind it.
On the battlefield, Eevee rushed close. With Baby-Doll Eyes, Rhyhorn looked unsettled and confused.
Like Geodude, Rhyhorn had incredible physical defense but very weak special defense.
Now, under Baby-Doll Eyes, its special defense dropped even further.
"Eevee, use Swift!"
Shining stars shot forward. Caught off guard, Rhyhorn quickly recovered and countered.
It used Rock Blast, summoning three stones around its body. Its mastery of the move was clear.
But as the stones shattered under Swift, a new glow appeared. A Shadow Ball materialized before Rhyhorn's eyes, growing larger as it rushed toward it.