"It looks like it's time for me to set off as well."
Slowly standing up, Elite Four Agatha's tone was filled with joy.
Based on the strength Gu Yuan had displayed so far, a top-three finish was basically guaranteed.
Because of this, Agatha decided to personally head out to cheer for him.
After watching Gu Yuan's battles, everyone except the three Ace Rank trainers looked quite solemn.
From the start of the tournament until now, Gu Yuan had exposed far too little of his true strength.
The others had revealed at least three Pokémon, and in the upcoming fifth round, they would be forced to show even more.
If they faced Gu Yuan, the information gap would put them at a disadvantage from the very beginning.
Gu Yuan, unconcerned with how the others felt, returned directly to the Pokémon Center.
After restoring Alakazam's condition, he sent Charizard and the others to continue their training while he watched the broadcasts of the other contestants.
In the training room, Charizard and Annihilape were pushing themselves to the limit.
For the past few days, they could only watch as Ditto and Alakazam battled so many powerful Pokémon. For these two battle maniacs, it was undoubtedly a form of torture.
If Gu Yuan hadn't constantly soothed them, they might have charged out to find any Pokémon just to start a fight.
Ceruledge and the other two weren't doing much better, constantly arguing over who should be the first to take the field.
In contrast, Axew, who was already confirmed to have no chance of appearing, was in tears. It could only silently increase its training volume to get stronger as quickly as possible so it wouldn't miss out next time.
"You've come, Master! This is so exciting."
"Please rest assured, no matter how many difficulties I face, I will give my all to take the championship and bring honor to you."
Holding Agatha's arm, Gu Yuan spoke to her with a smile.
"Smooth talker. You act as if winning this championship is entirely for my sake. Are you saying you wouldn't aim for the title if this old woman weren't here? You just want to squeeze some benefits out of these old bones of mine."
Agatha poked Gu Yuan's head, seeing right through his 'scheme.'
"How can you say that? You're in your prime, how can you call yourself old?"
"Besides, since your disciple is working so hard, it wouldn't be right if you didn't give me a little something as a reward, right?"
"Then it depends on your performance. If you do well, I might give you some encouragement."
"Just watch. No one is taking that championship away from me."
Laughing, he escorted Agatha into the hotel. He didn't stay long before returning to the training room to continue studying his next opponent.
On the other hand, Gu Yuan's opponent, Mitsuki, was feeling quite distressed.
With only two Pokémon to analyze, no matter how much Mitsuki studied, she couldn't form a complete set of tactics. Gu Yuan had hidden far too much of his strength.
With her background, she couldn't obtain much reliable information about him.
Unlike Mitsuki, Gu Yuan—with Shadow and Agatha backing him—had already received full dossiers on the other seven contestants by the time he advanced to the top eight.
With Shadow and Agatha helping to mask his own capabilities, the information gap had manifested itself invisibly.
"Another peaceful day. But compared to a busy life, this kind of lifestyle actually makes me a bit uncomfortable."
Pouring a cup of strong tea, Professor Oak couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
The next second, a chilling aura spread out, immediately triggering Professor Oak's vigilance.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Professor Oak seemed like a different person as a staggering pressure filled the air, and a Poké Ball appeared in his hand out of nowhere.
The chilling aura condensed as several Gengar appeared silently in Professor Oak's room, while one Gengar thoughtfully pushed the door open.
"Oh, your vigilance isn't half bad."
Walking slowly into the room, Agatha's slightly mocking voice rang out.
Like a mouse seeing a cat, the pressure around Professor Oak vanished instantly, and the sharp glint in his eyes disappeared.
"Agatha, it's been a long time. I didn't expect you to come looking for me specifically."
Sitting back down in his chair, Professor Oak spoke to Agatha with a smile, just like his usual self.
In reality, every muscle in his body was tensed.
"Hmph!"
"Don't flatter yourself. I came to see my disciple, and incidentally to see if a fellow like you had kicked the bucket yet."
"You're still the same, never mincing words."
"But Gu Yuan is indeed an outstanding trainer. His future achievements will likely not be inferior to ours."
"Of course! Look whose disciple he is!"
"But Gu Yuan is hiding quite a few secrets."
Watching Agatha's eyes, Professor Oak spoke with significant intent.
"So what? All I know is that currently, Gu Yuan has not only done nothing to harm the League or the people, but has instead stepped forward many times during crises."
"As for secrets, who doesn't have a few?"
"That's true."
Professor Oak nodded, agreeing with Agatha's statement.
"Old man, don't die yet. There will be a time for you to shine later."
"You should take better care of yourself. Compared to me, you're the one in more danger running around everywhere."
"Hmph! Let them try. I'd like to see who can take my life!"
"You..."
"I'm leaving!"
Without listening to Professor Oak's continued nagging, Elite Four Agatha turned and left decisively.
In the following days, Agatha did not go to see Gu Yuan again.
Her purpose in coming was to watch Gu Yuan's matches and cheer for him; she wouldn't provide him with any further excessive help in other areas.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, the sixth round began, and Gu Yuan was scheduled to appear first.
"Gu Yuan! Gu Yuan! Gu Yuan!"
"Mitsuki! Mitsuki! Mitsuki!"
When both sides appeared on the battlefield, the audience couldn't help but cheer loudly.
Compared to the beautiful Mitsuki, the handsome Gu Yuan with his staggering track record was undoubtedly more capable of winning the hearts of the crowd. Consequently, the cheers for Gu Yuan overwhelmed Mitsuki's.
Once both sides were ready, the referee began reading the rules. The light barrier rose, isolating the noise from the stands.
"Go, Ditto!"
"Go, Golduck!"
As the referee's voice rang out, Gu Yuan and Mitsuki released their Pokémon simultaneously.
Seeing Gu Yuan send out Ditto, a flash of joy crossed Mitsuki's eyes.
As a trainer specializing in Grass-types, Mitsuki knew that if her Grass Pokémon faced Ditto, they would easily be suppressed by its transformation into Skeledirge, allowing Ditto to constantly strengthen itself.
Therefore, the Water-type Golduck was the best choice.
As long as Golduck could deal with Ditto, the rest of the battle would undoubtedly be much easier.
Regulating her emotions, Mitsuki had Golduck initiate the attack.