"Boom!"
Under the force of Shadow Ball, Rhyhorn staggered back again and again.
Taking this chance, Eevee used Quick Attack to close the last bit of distance.
Another Shadow Ball shot forward, blasting Rhyhorn directly.
"Roar!"
Blood dripped down Rhyhorn's hide as it growled in pain.
It glared at Eevee, then suddenly charged. Using Stomp, it smashed the ground with such force that cracks spread out from its hooves.
"Jump up, Eevee!"
Following Gu Yuan's command, Eevee leapt into the air.
At that moment, a sly glint flashed in Rhyhorn's eyes, as if its plan had worked.
It launched Horn Attack, ready to strike Eevee the instant he landed.
"Eevee, Shadow Ball! After you land, use Swift!"
Clearly, Rhyhorn had underestimated Eevee's skill with Shadow Ball.
The instant its horn struck the attack, the explosion pushed Rhyhorn backward.
Eevee landed safely, then unleashed Swift.
The continuous barrage forced Rhyhorn to retreat step after step.
Seizing the chance, Eevee fired another Swift, and the massive Rhyhorn collapsed to the ground.
But Eevee stayed alert. Instead of relaxing, it turned its eyes to the boulder that had been behind Rhyhorn.
"Eevee, Shadow Ball!"
Since the opponent still refused to appear, Gu Yuan ordered Eevee to attack.
The attack struck, blasting the rock apart.
As the dust rose, a much larger Pokémon stepped out.
When the smoke cleared, Rhydon revealed itself.
Compared to Charizard, Rhydon's body was even bulkier. Its standard height after evolution reached 1.9 meters.
It was worth noting that Rhyhorn could only evolve into Rhydon after reaching the Senior Rank.
Feeling the power radiating from its opponent, Eevee showed no fear. It stood firm, eyes sparkling with excitement.
This wasn't a sudden change in its nature. It was because this Rhydon was a fake.
"I think you'd better show your true form. No matter how real your disguise looks, it won't change your actual strength."
Gu Yuan's calm voice carried across to the Rhydon.
He was right. It wasn't a real Rhydon at all. It was a Ditto in disguise.
Under the system's scan, no Pokémon could hide its true self, not even Ditto, whose entire life revolved around transformation.
Hearing Gu Yuan's words, Ditto still refused to give up. It charged forward, pretending confidence.
Yet its heart was already uneasy, even as it tried to trick itself that this human and Eevee would flee at the last second.
"You won't give up until you hit a wall? Fine. Then let's have a Senior Rank battle."
With that, Gu Yuan released Charizard.
Sensing the fake Rhydon's Senior Rank strength, Charizard grew interested, gathering hot flames in its mouth.
At once, the Rhydon halted its charge. A flash of light covered it, and in moments a pale-purple Ditto stood in front of Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan felt a strong urge to capture it.
Ditto could freely transform into any Pokémon or object. It could also adjust the strength it displayed after transforming.
Normally, Ditto could only raise or lower its transformed power by one rank. But this one had crossed two ranks. With its Junior Rank base strength, it imitated a Senior Rank, showing extraordinary transformation talent.
"How about it, little one? Want to come with me and be my partner?"
"You don't need to worry. I won't force you to fight. I just want you to transform into tools I might need at certain times."
"And if one day you want to leave, I won't stop you."
Gu Yuan stepped closer, while Kadabra linked his mind to Ditto's with telepathy to make communication easier.
Instead of the usual capture-by-battle process, Gu Yuan chose to settle things peacefully.
After all, one day Ditto might copy someone's appearance and stick to his face. Gu Yuan couldn't afford to make it resent him.
Still, he remained cautious. Charizard, Eevee, and Kadabra were all at his side for protection.
Ditto hesitated, wondering what kind of beating it might get if it refused.
"Oh, right. Try this. I hope you'll like it."
Gu Yuan took out some snacks he had bought, using food as his weapon.
The smell was irresistible. Eevee wasn't sure if Ditto would agree, but it knew it was already struggling to hold itself back.
"Don't worry. I'll keep my promise. If you don't believe me, ask Charizard, or Eevee, or even the little Mankey. Do you think such a small kid would lie?"
Gu Yuan placed the snacks in front of Ditto, suggesting that it ask his Pokémon to confirm his words.
Kadabra rolled its eyes at its trainer's shameless trick.
But Ditto, simple-minded as it was, really asked the others. Kadabra began to doubt its intelligence.
Soon, Ditto learned that everything Gu Yuan said was true and finally nodded, agreeing.
Even as it let itself be caught, Ditto stuffed all the snacks into its mouth first, unable to resist Eevee's hungry stare.
Seeing Ditto's gluttonous nature, Gu Yuan knew it wouldn't leave easily.
It wasn't that wild Pokémon were greedy. They just never had chances to taste human food.
Like someone who always ate plain boiled chicken, once given a tomato and egg stir-fry, they'd find it a delicacy.
Gu Yuan tossed a Poké Ball, and Ditto went inside without a struggle.
Beside him, Kadabra silently resolved to teach Ditto properly. It couldn't stay this naive forever.
Meanwhile, the system interface got updated. Ditto was now one of Gu Yuan's Pokémon.
Pokémon: Ditto
Gender: Genderless
Ability: Imposter
Rank: Junior
Level-up Moves: Transform
TM Moves: None
Egg Moves: None
Compared to other Pokémon, Ditto's info was short. But Transform gave it limitless possibilities.
Gu Yuan would keep his promise. Unless Ditto asked to fight, he would never force it. Its biggest use was disguise.
Of course, if one day Ditto wanted to battle under Charizard's influence, Gu Yuan would not refuse. That wouldn't count as breaking his word.