"Advancing to the top four with only two Pokémon—just how much strength is Gu Yuan hiding!"
"In the next match, will Gu Yuan continue his dominant streak, or will he fall at the hands of an Ace Rank trainer?"
"Traveling for only one year yet reaching the semifinals with overwhelming power, can Gu Yuan continue to write his own legend?"
Opening the browser, Gu Yuan was somewhat surprised to see several trending topics about himself. After a brief glance, he stopped paying attention and began to seriously study his next opponent, Shimura.
Shimura's primary weapon was his Drapion!
Having gone through six battles, Shimura's weaknesses had become apparent: aside from his Ace Rank Drapion, the rest of his Senior Rank Pokémon were only middle to lower-tier in strength for this level of competition. Of course, it was possible the opponent was hiding his true power. However, based on Shimura's past data, Gu Yuan was fairly certain this information was accurate. Even so, when designing his tactics, Gu Yuan included contingencies for the possibility that Shimura might be concealing his strength.
During this time, neither Agatha nor Professor Oak came to disturb Gu Yuan, leaving him enough time and space to think for himself. In reality, with their experience and seniority, they could have offered him plenty of inspiration, but that would have been meaningless. If one does not personally experience, try, and fail, but instead blindly absorbs the experience of others, they will ultimately become nothing more than a poor imitator. Only by putting in the effort and fighting for oneself—even if the result is failure—does the precious experience truly become one's own.
As Gu Yuan researched his tactics alone, time flew by, and soon it was time for his semifinal match.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome contestant Gu Yuan to the field!"
"Gu Yuan! Gu Yuan! Gu Yuan!"
Without needing a broadcast notification, Gu Yuan could hear the cheering from outside even while standing in the player tunnel. He knew it was time to take the stage. Slowly walking out, Gu Yuan, who had experienced several such scenes already, was able to maintain a heart as calm as still water.
In contrast, his opponent Shimura—who appeared stronger on the surface—harbored some resentment that Gu Yuan was more popular than him.
Just you wait. I will tear off your disguise and let everyone witness your weakness and incompetence. I will take back the cheers that belong to me, Shimura thought silently while staring at Gu Yuan.
Noticing the slight malice in Shimura's eyes, Gu Yuan remained cautious despite not remembering any prior friction between them. He wanted to ensure Shimura wouldn't intentionally harm its Pokémon later.
"The match begins! Both contestants, please release your Pokémon!"
As the referee's voice rang out, Gu Yuan and Shimura opened their Poké Balls simultaneously. In a flash of white light, Shimura's Machamp appeared on the battlefield. Gu Yuan, however, did not send out Ditto, but instead released Annihilape.
"That's... that's an Annihilape! The evolved form of Primeape, a Fighting and Ghost-type Pokémon—it's extremely rare!"
"I never expected contestant Gu Yuan to have raised an Annihilape!"
Upon seeing Annihilape, the announcer quickly recalled information about the species thanks to his rich knowledge and experience; his voice filled with shock.
Although Shimura couldn't hear the announcer's introduction, he had heard of this Pokémon before. Knowing that a Fighting-type like Machamp stood no chance against an Annihilape, he immediately moved to recall Machamp.
Unfortunately, it was already too late. The moment it appeared, Gu Yuan used Telepathy to order Annihilape to use Taunt. Gu Yuan had long anticipated that opponents might refuse to engage Annihilape, preventing the power of Rage Fist from stacking. Therefore, he had already trained Annihilape's Taunt to Expert Mastery.
The execution speed was so fast that Shimura couldn't react in time. Most importantly, Machamp's personality was very similar to Shimura's; it charged forward immediately after being provoked, preventing Shimura from recalling it.
Machamp unleashed Cross Chop, but it failed to cause any damage to Annihilape. Annihilape countered with a Rage Fist, then followed up with another Taunt to prevent Machamp from retreating or using Odor Sleuth.
Shimura temporarily gave up on recalling Machamp and instead ordered it to use Fire Punch. Before Shimura could even give the command, Machamp had already used two Cross Chops, helping Annihilape boost the power of Rage Fist to 150. Shimura now felt as much resentment toward Machamp's aggressive nature as he once felt admiration.
"Annihilape, Phantom Force, then Rage Fist!"
Gu Yuan used Telepathy again, allowing Annihilape to begin its counterattack. It first dove into a pocket dimension to dodge Machamp's Fire Punch, and a second later, it reappeared behind Machamp. Despite Shimura's commands, the seething anger slowed Machamp's reaction time. Struck by a Rage Fist with a power of 150, Machamp was sent flying.
Gu Yuan's command rang out again, and Annihilape vanished using Phantom Force once more.
"Machamp, Fire Punch!"
Shimura shouted the command while simultaneously preparing to recall Machamp. Before the red beam could even shoot out, Annihilape emerged from the dimension, preventing the recall while tanking Machamp's attack head-on. The searing heat from the fire was accompanied by sharp pain, but it only made Annihilape more ecstatic. For Annihilape, this kind of flesh-to-flesh combat was a true battle.
Annihilape delivered a Rage Fist with a power of 200, blasting Machamp away. The additional effect of Fire Punch failed to trigger, and Annihilape seized the opportunity to charge again. Facing the approaching Annihilape, Machamp struggled to its feet. Raging flames enveloped Machamp's fists again, but the intense pain caused its speed and reaction time to drop significantly.
Easily dodging the attack, Annihilape delivered another Rage Fist to Machamp, completely defeating it!
"Ladies and gentlemen! It seems we have all witnessed contestant Gu Yuan's performance just now. This proves that Gu Yuan is indeed a rare Psychic who can use Telepathy to command its Pokémon in battle!"
With Machamp's defeat, the announcer excitedly shared his discovery. Shimura realized this as well, and his expression grew increasingly grim. However, the battle was still ongoing, leaving him no time for distractions. Out of options, Shimura released his second Pokémon, Rhydon.
"Rhydon, use Stone Edge to pin down Annihilape's movements!"
After sending out his second Pokémon, Shimura seized the opening created when Annihilape used Swords Dance and immediately ordered Rhydon to attack. Sharp stones shot out, but Annihilape successfully completed Swords Dance before the attack landed and vanished using Phantom Force.