"Crobat, use Air Slash, then rush forward with Quick Attack!"
Crobat flapped its wings, and two sharp blades of air flew out, destroying the Shadow Ball. The moment the attack was countered, Crobat transformed into a streak of white light and lunged forward.
A series of sound waves spread out as Sylveon used Hyper Voice again. Facing the wide-ranging Hyper Voice, Crobat could only use Hurricane to meet the attack once more.
Using this gap, Sylveon quickly retreated, once again putting distance between itself and Crobat.
From then on, no matter how Crobat attacked, Gu Yuan continued with his guerrilla tactics, giving Crobat no opportunity for a head-on clash.
In reality, this style of battle made it difficult for Koga to leverage his full capabilities. Koga's true battleground should have been in complex terrain or under the cover of a dark night, which would have allowed him to exert his full strength.
Stamina slowly drained away. Despite several failed attacks, Koga remained completely calm, maintaining a steady and methodical approach, giving Gu Yuan no opening. Regardless of anything else, Koga's composure was certainly something Gu Yuan needed to learn.
"Crobat, use Quick Attack!"
Finding an opportunity, Koga had Crobat attack again.
"Sylveon, we'll also use Quick Attack!"
This time, Gu Yuan did not have Sylveon retreat. Instead, it charged forward, meeting Crobat in a clash.
The two streaks of white light collided, and Crobat, with its momentum from descending, clearly had a slight advantage.
"Crobat, use Supersonic!"
"Sylveon, use Double-Edge!"
Koga, who had intended to use Supersonic to confuse Sylveon and defeat it with minimal effort, immediately had Crobat change its attack upon hearing Gu Yuan's command.
Hurricane was used, dissolving Sylveon's offensive move the moment it was used, and trapping Sylveon within the vortex.
A red light emerged, and Gu Yuan recalled Sylveon. Immediately after recalling Sylveon, Gu Yuan released Charizard.
"Crobat, use Supersonic!"
Seizing the moment, Koga prepared to strike first.
"Charizard, use Growl!"
The instant it appeared, Charizard followed Gu Yuan's command and used the move.
Growl and Supersonic mixed together, mitigating the intended effect of Supersonic. It only made Charizard feel slightly dizzy, but failed to inflict confusion.
"Crobat, use Hurricane!"
Seeing this, Koga still ordered Crobat to press the attack. Air currents condensed, forming a storm that bore down on Charizard.
"Charizard, use Fire Blast!"
Searing flames condensed, shaping into a large character that rushed out. The burst instantly shattered the Hurricane.
"Charizard, use Flame Charge to ascend, then Fire Blast!"
At this point, Gu Yuan no longer needed elaborate tactics. Simply maintaining Koga's previous methodical approach was enough to secure victory. The only thing he needed to guard against was an unexpected move from Crobat.
Unfortunately, not everyone is like Ash, who can devise all sorts of unpredictable strategies. Against the steady approach of Gu Yuan, Koga, too, lacked a good countermeasure.
In terms of move power, Charizard's Fire Blast and Dragon Rush were enough to maintain control. In terms of move mastery, Charizard's Expert Mastery Flamethrower surpassed others at the same stage.
Crucially, Gu Yuan, despite being a young trainer with victory clearly in sight, showed no sign of impatience and revealed no weaknesses, leaving Koga with no openings.
"Crobat, use Double Team, then Aerial Ace!"
Seeing Crobat's stamina rapidly depleting from the continuous exchanges, Koga prepared for a final desperate attempt.
Flapping its wings, Crobat quickly created over a dozen copies. Aerial Ace was then used, and only a multitude of dark blurs could be seen rushing toward Charizard.
"Charizard, use Heat Wave!"
With a single flap of its wings, scorching air currents burst forth, destroying one dark blur after another, but failing to locate the real Crobat.
The next second, Crobat appeared behind Charizard, using Cross Poison.
Before Crobat could get close, Charizard swiftly turned its head and released Flamethrower, enveloping it in a net of fire. Although Crobat broke free immediately, the burning flames still caused it significant pain.
"Charizard, use Heat Wave!"
"Crobat, use Hurricane!"
Air currents condensed, but having consumed energy battling Heat Wave, the Hurricane had lost much of its power by the time it reached Charizard.
"Crobat, use Aerial Ace!"
Flapping its wings, Crobat once again demonstrated astonishing speed, reaching Charizard in the blink of an eye.
Slash condensed, and Charizard quickly threw a hand out, blocking Crobat's attack.
Giving Crobat no chance to continue its offense, Charizard used Flamethrower again. Feeling the temperature of the flames, Crobat immediately retreated.
"Charizard, charge with Flame Charge, and use Flamethrower to bind it!"
Flames emerged, enveloping Charizard. While speeding up its charge, the flames transformed into several ropes of fire, attempting to trap Crobat.
"Crobat, use Hurricane!"
Koga's voice rang out. Even though Crobat was nearing its limit, it still forced itself to unleash its remaining strength.
Air currents condensed, and the storm rushed forward, instantly destroying the flames. However, Charizard dodged a step ahead. Then, with a flap of its wings, it used Air Slash, defeating the spreading vortex heading toward it.
"Charizard, use Fire Blast!"
The blazing character condensed. Feeling the intense heat wave approach, Crobat no longer had the strength to retaliate.
A red light appeared, and Koga recalled the exhausted Crobat before the Fire Blast could hit it.
"Your performance was flawless, from your control over the battle rhythm to your composure. You are truly deserving of this Soul Badge."
After recalling Crobat into its Poké Ball, Koga was full of praise. He then pulled out the Soul Badge from his pocket.
"You overestimate me, sir. I still have much to learn from you."
Accepting the badge, Gu Yuan remained humble, just as before.
Perhaps admiring Gu Yuan's performance, Koga subtly expressed the idea of Gu Yuan joining the Fuchsia Gym. However, Gu Yuan refused. Given that Koga was compromising between Team Rocket and the League, Gu Yuan already had connections that were far more influential, making Koga's recruitment offer entirely unattractive.
Koga did not mind this and smiled as he watched Gu Yuan leave.
Walking out of the Fuchsia Gym, Gu Yuan did not depart. Instead, he patiently waited for Agatha to fulfill her promise of delivering his Fuecoco.
"That's the general plan. Let's start training."
In the training room, Gu Yuan quickly laid out the training plan for Charizard and the others. Even Charcadet, who was about to reach Rookie Rank, began exercising.
Only Gastly floated leisurely beside Gu Yuan, showing no intention of moving. Gu Yuan was not worried about this, as Gastly would be best suited to begin training after it had reached Rookie Rank. Of course, the focus of its training would naturally be on Special Attack moves, otherwise, it would be a disservice to Gengar's high base stats.
After all, Gu Yuan was not like Ash, whose Pokémon could achieve astonishing strength with minimal training.