"Battle position, Ceruledge! Use Swords Dance!"
Gu Yuan's command rang out, and Ceruledge immediately began to boost its own power with Swords Dance.
Seeing this, Luxray instantly unleashed Thunderbolt in an attempt to interrupt Ceruledge's setup.
However, Luxray severely underestimated Ceruledge's mastery over Swords Dance.
Before the electrical current could even reach its front, Ceruledge had already successfully executed the move.
"Ally Switch, Shadow Fire Slash!"
As a Ghost-type Pokémon, Ceruledge was one of the few rare entities capable of mastering Ally Switch.
A peculiar ripple expanded through the air, causing Ceruledge to vanish from its spot. Conversely, Luxray was swapped into Ceruledge's original position, appearing directly in front of the incoming Thunderbolt.
Without a hint of panic, Luxray immediately used Wild Charge to vanish from the spot as well.
By the time Luxray stopped its momentum, Ceruledge had already appeared right behind its back.
Thrusting its sword forward, scorching flames coalesced along the edge of the blade.
This attack seamlessly fused the powers of Phantom Force, Will-O-Wisp, and Slash, effortlessly piercing straight through Luxray's defenses.
The effect of Will-O-Wisp immediately took hold, plunging Luxray directly into a burned status condition.
Furthermore, the combined might of Phantom Force and Slash forced Luxray to endure intense agony.
As electricity began to crackle and spread, Ceruledge gave Luxray absolutely no opportunity to counterattack.
Almost at the exact moment it delivered that heavy sword strike, Ceruledge used Phantom Force to vanish from the area once again.
Staring at Ceruledge as it reappeared in the distance, Luxray forced itself to endure the agonizing pain brought by the burn.
A massive surge of electrical currents erupted, wildly expanding in Ceruledge's direction.
Fixing its gaze intently on Ceruledge's every movement, Luxray prepared itself to launch the next round of offensive strikes.
"Ceruledge, Shadow Fire Slash!"
Gu Yuan's command echoed again, and Ceruledge resorted to its old trick, vanishing from the spot once more using Phantom Force.
The absolute instant Ceruledge materialized, Luxray seized the opportunity to unleash Thunder.
The orange-yellow electrical currents erupted furiously, yet they were effortlessly sliced apart by Ceruledge's sword blade.
Despite this, all Luxray truly needed to do was lock onto Ceruledge's position.
Electrical energy condensed rapidly. Although it lacked a trainer's guidance, this Luxray had still learned through experience how to control its moves to maximize their devastating power.
After successfully locking onto Ceruledge's coordinates, the electricity released by Luxray transformed into a massive lance, charging straight toward Ceruledge.
"Ceruledge, Night Shade, Shadow Fire Slash!"
A pitch-black demonic shadow enveloped Ceruledge, with dark, eerie flames burning across its surface.
Its sword blade gathered energy, and the moment it slashed forward, it transformed into a flying strike burning with pitch-black fire, completely melting the lance of electricity Luxray had conjured.
Following that, under Luxray's shocked gaze, Ceruledge suddenly accelerated and vanished from the spot using Phantom Force.
By the time Ceruledge reappeared, it had already arrived right in front of Luxray.
Even though flames were burning across Ceruledge's body, they did not exude the slightest hint of warmth. Instead, they made Luxray feel a piercing, ghostly chill.
At this point, it was already too late for Luxray to retaliate. Ceruledge executed a strike as swift as lightning, instantly carving a fresh wound onto Luxray.
"Ceruledge, continuous strikes, finish it!"
The moment Gu Yuan's voice rang out, Ceruledge unleashed the sword techniques it had relentlessly honed up to this day.
Facing Ceruledge's sword blade burning with pitch-black fire, the electrical currents released by Luxray melted away rapidly, just like snowflakes encountering a blazing inferno.
No matter how hard Luxray struggled, it could not break free from Ceruledge's relentless offensive.
Wound after wound accumulated. The double toll of the burn and the drainage of its vital energy caused Luxray to rapidly lose its footing. Ultimately, Ceruledge found the perfect opening and sent it flying with a massive sword strike.
By the time Luxray slammed onto the ground, its body had long since reached its absolute limit, leaving it completely unable to stand.
After struggling weakly a few times, Luxray finally collapsed in bitter defeat.
It truly possesses a remarkable fighting spirit. It looks like it can handle a few more battles.
Seeing how fiercely resilient Luxray's fighting spirit was, Gu Yuan nodded in satisfaction. He then directed Hatterene to begin healing it.
Combining Life Dew with Heal Pulse, Luxray's combat capability was rapidly restored.
When Luxray opened its eyes and felt its recovered state, its eyes filled with absolute bewilderment. However, Gengar had already floated directly in front of it.
"Go, Gengar! Night Shade into an Dark Pulse combo!"
Without giving Luxray any time to process the situation, Gu Yuan directly used Telepathy to command Gengar to launch an attack.
A demonic shadow coalesced, enveloping Gengar within it. Following that, waves of Dark Pulse shot out one after another like energy beams, aiming straight for Luxray's vital points.
Having no time to ponder how it had magically recovered its health, Luxray immediately chose to counterattack with Thunder the moment it saw Gengar attacking.
A thick pillar of lightning surged forth, subsequently splitting into several currents that collided violently with Gengar's Dark Pulse.
The instant the two offensives clashed, Gengar claimed the upper hand.
At this moment, Gengar transformed into a veritable artillery turret. Its continuous, unrelenting barrage of attacks suppressed Luxray so heavily that it could barely catch its breath.
Under these overwhelming circumstances, Luxray failed to notice that Gengar was invisibly and steadily closing the distance between them.
"That's it, Gengar! Phantom Force, Hypnosis!"
Abruptly, Gu Yuan's voice rang out, and Gengar's prior subtle movements bore fruit at this exact moment.
Charging rapidly into the alternate dimension, Gengar vanished from its spot.
Gengar's sudden disappearance actually caused Luxray—who had just been locked in a fierce clash—to subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.
However, a split second later, a ghostly, chilling sensation manifested right behind Luxray.
Turning around at lightning speed, Luxray's entire body was enveloped in electrical currents within the blink of an eye. Yet, in the very next second, the energy began to wither away.
During its downtime, Gengar had frequently exchanged insights regarding Hypnosis with Alakazam, giving both of them an incredibly profound understanding of the move.
Now, executing the move with careful calculation against an unsuspecting opponent, Luxray was instantly plunged into extreme drowsiness, its desire to battle plummeting drastically.
"Gengar, Demonic Spear!"
Gu Yuan's command echoed inside Gengar's mind. Using Dark Pulse as the shaft and Shadow Ball as the spearhead, it fused the two together with the power of Night Shade, then hurled it forward with immense force.
By the time Luxray sensed the mortal danger, it was already too late. The Demonic Spear pierced cleanly right through Luxray's body.
"Dark Pulse combo, crush it in one go!"
Pitch-black beams of light surged out consecutively, instantly submerging Luxray.
The injury inflicted by the Demonic Spear severely crippled Luxray's counterattack power and speed. Consequently, from the very first clash of this exchange, Luxray began to utterly collapse.
In the end, Gu Yuan found another opening, allowing Gengar to use the Demonic Spear once more to terminate the battle.
With Hatterene's assistance, Gengar and Luxray began to recover rapidly.
The moment the wounds on Luxray's body healed and it opened its eyes again to regain its combat capabilities, Skeledirge charged straight in front of it with a face full of excitement.
At this point, just like the numerous wild Pokémon previously defeated by Gu Yuan, Luxray felt as though it had fallen into some bizarre illusion.
Unfortunately for them, Gu Yuan had absolutely no intention of explaining anything. He would only immediately command his Pokémon to launch the next attack.