"Ditto, Torch Song!"
The surging flames shot out once more, falling like a literal sea of fire. Under the oppressive heat, Venusaur felt as if it were about to be ignited.
"Venusaur, attack with Petal Blizzard combined with Magical Leaf!"
By now, Takaoka could sense something was wrong, but it was already too late. Facing Ditto's relentless assault, Venusaur had no opportunity to use Synthesis to restore its health.
"End this battle! Fire Blast!"
Seeing the sea of fire swallow the Petal Blizzard and Magical Leaf, Gu Yuan ordered Ditto to launch the final strike. A roaring, burning kanji-shaped flame surged forward, integrating the remaining power of the previous fire. It acted like a massive net, completely enveloping Venusaur.
"Ditto, use Slack Off."
Seizing the moment before the referee declared the verdict, Gu Yuan had Ditto use Slack Off, one of the egg moves inherited by Skeledirge.
Slack Off is a Normal-type move that can restore up to half of the user's maximum health. While Ditto was using the move, Venusaur finally succumbed to the burning flames and lost its ability to battle. No matter how fast Takaoka tried to swap Pokémon, he couldn't stop Ditto from successfully completing the move.
"Poliwrath, rush over with Surf, then use Hydro Pump!"
Like the previous Venusaur, Takaoka's second Pokémon possessed Senior Rank strength. Upon receiving the command, Poliwrath quickly summoned a massive wave. The Grass Field had long been scorched to ash by Ditto's earlier attacks, so the terrain didn't hinder the Water-type Poliwrath.
"Ditto, Raichu! Thunder, then use Electric Terrain!"
Once Slack Off ended, Ditto immediately transformed into Raichu. Electricity flickered and a massive amount of current condensed into a thick pillar of lightning that crashed down.
With its Special Attack boosted to the limit, the lightning pillar acted like a god's sword, forcibly splitting both the Hydro Pump and the Surf beneath Poliwrath's feet. Even though Poliwrath dodged in time, it was still caught by a portion of the current. Seizing this opening, Ditto successfully used Electric Terrain to shroud the battlefield.
Within the Electric Terrain, Electric-type moves would be further enhanced.
"Ditto, charge with Agility, then Thunderbolt!"
Using Agility, Ditto's speed began to climb. During its wild sprint, electricity crackled. With its Special Attack maxed out and the boost from the terrain, Ditto resembled a god of thunder. Poliwrath, suffering from a type disadvantage, didn't even dare to counterattack.
Out of options, Takaoka recalled Poliwrath and sent out his final Pokémon, Crobat.
"Ditto, Charizard! Fire Blast!"
At the sound of Gu Yuan's voice, Ditto leaped into the air and transformed into Charizard in the blink of an eye. The two consecutive uses of Agility gave Ditto a massive speed advantage.
Fire Blast shot forward, bearing down on Crobat. Facing such a powerful onslaught, Crobat was forced to use Air Cutter repeatedly to neutralize it.
By this time, Ditto had already reached the air above Crobat. Fire Blast attacks rained down like they cost nothing, and in an instant, Crobat was blasted out of the sky.
At this moment, Crobat probably wanted to curse; who on earth raised such a monster to make its life miserable? Under the searing heat, Crobat not only suffered intense pain but also fell into a burned status. Most importantly, trapped in the sea of flames, Takaoka was unable to recall Crobat into its Poké Ball.
"Ditto, Skeledirge, Slack Off."
Returning to the ground, Ditto used Slack Off again to restore its health. As the sea of fire dissipated, the charred Crobat was revealed, lying helplessly on the ground. The use of Slack Off allowed Ditto to regain some health to deal with the remaining Poliwrath.
Raichu reappeared. There was no need for a lengthy description of the final fight. Facing a type disadvantage against a Raichu with maxed Special Attack and boosted speed, Poliwrath could not turn the tide no matter how hard it tried.
With a precision strike from Thunderbolt, Ditto secured another 3-0 clean sweep. However, Ditto's exhaustion was significant. Even with the recovery from two uses of Slack Off, it had reached its limit. If Poliwrath had lasted just a bit longer, Ditto might have been the first to fall.
As the match concluded, the name Gu Yuan began to echo throughout the venue. Completing three consecutive clean sweeps using only a single Ditto caused Gu Yuan's fame to skyrocket.
Interestingly, influenced by Gu Yuan, many people began preparing to raise a Ditto of their own, hoping to make their opponents taste this unpredictable strategy. However, replicating Gu Yuan's success would be extremely difficult.
Finding a Ditto with the Imposter ability was hard enough, let alone raising the proficiency of its only move, Transform, to the expert level. Furthermore, one would have to train the proficiency of other moves while Ditto was transformed.
While Ditto could copy the opponent's moves and proficiency using Imposter and expert-level Transform, Gu Yuan's points had a miraculous effect. They allowed Ditto's move proficiency after transformation to go a level higher. To enhance Ditto's strength, Gu Yuan had spent no fewer points on it than on any other Pokémon. In the long run, a Ditto that could theoretically use every move was the biggest "point-sink."
Those without points could only rely on training and battling to help Ditto improve. But with that kind of time, it was far more convenient to just train other Pokémon directly.
"Is Ditto really that powerful? Does this mean everything I believed before was wrong?"
In a hotel at the Indigo Plateau, Carlo murmured blankly while watching the television broadcast. He no longer had the high spirits he displayed when he first met Gu Yuan; he looked completely disheveled.
During the preliminaries, when Carlo confidently released his Pokémon, he had frozen in place as if he had lost consciousness, failing to give a single command. Unsurprisingly, he failed the very first round, a blow the arrogant Carlo couldn't handle.
The reality was that even as a student of a trainer school with an enviable background, he didn't get a second chance. Seeing Gu Yuan achieve three consecutive clean sweeps with a Ditto made Carlo doubt himself even more. If he couldn't break through this nightmare, he might not even remain a trainer.
Meanwhile, after returning to his room, Gu Yuan received messages from Elite Agatha and Professor Oak. The message was simple: don't let the current victories go to your head. Gu Yuan accepted the advice humbly; in fact, he was already doing exactly that.
Immediately after the battle, he took his Pokémon to train and began watching the matches of other strong contestants to ensure he wouldn't make mistakes due to carelessness.