"Charmeleon, use Ember to block Beedrill's path!"
"Eevee, watch Raticate's attack trajectory and get ready to use Yawn!"
Inside the battle room, Gu Yuan's commands rang out. A Beedrill and a Raticate were closing in on him, both boasting Junior Rank strength.
Shadow didn't give any commands, choosing to just stand there watching the battle.
Since reaching the Rookie Rank five days ago, Eevee had steadily gained combat ability, and now this skill was part of the battle routine.
Thanks to Charmeleon's proficiency with Ember, Beedrill couldn't dodge; it could only swing its twin stingers defensively.
Meanwhile, Raticate dashed forward using Quick Attack, aiming at Gu Yuan.
Although Shadow wasn't directing the fight, it had only one command for Beedrill and Raticate: kill Gu Yuan.
If Gu Yuan couldn't defeat them, Shadow wouldn't intervene and would let him be hunted.
Seeing Raticate approaching, Eevee's face grew serious.
When Raticate came within range, Eevee immediately used Yawn.
Even at Rookie Rank, Eevee's Yawn was effective; when it hit, the opponent would fall asleep.
"Eevee, help Charmeleon!"
Not hurrying to deal with Raticate, Gu Yuan focused first on defeating the airborne Beedrill.
After the flames faded, Beedrill accelerated, launching Poison Sting.
From its main stinger, the Beedrill shot a purplish-black liquid in Charmeleon's direction.
Charmeleon dodged the attack by rolling through the ground, but Beedrill was ready for a second attack with its twin sharp stingers.
Charmeleon moved left, and Eevee's Helping Hand landed on it.
"Charmeleon, uses Flamethrower!"
Standing firm, Charmeleon began charging the attack.
After evolving, Charmeleon normally needed more time to learn Flamethrower. Gu Yuan alone couldn't teach it in such a short time, but Shadow had supplied a skill disc for Flamethrower.
At Basic Proficiency, Charmeleon could use the move but required a short charge.
The purple-glowing Poison Sting shot forward, and Beedrill tried to interrupt Charmeleon's attack to land a lethal hit with its stingers.
Unfortunately, Beedrill underestimated the strength of a Flamethrower enhanced by Helping Hand.
The blazing column of fire vaporized the Poison Sting instantly and hit Beedrill before it could dodge.
The fire-type advantage made Beedrill scream in pain.
"Charmeleon, Ember!"
Not giving Beedrill a chance to retaliate, Gu Yuan ordered another attack.
Blazing embers erupted, and Beedrill couldn't escape; in moments, it fell to the ground like a smoking fighter jet, rendered incapable of battle.
Turning his attention, Raticate had just woken from sleep.
"Eevee, help!"
"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"
The command repeated. Helping Hand once again enveloped Charmeleon.
The fire pillar shot out, and the newly awakened Raticate was too slow to react. Even Quick Attack couldn't save it; the next moment, the fire hit.
Repeating the strategy, Gu Yuan had Charmeleon use Ember to bombard the opponent.
Eevee continued supporting Charmeleon, stacking Helping Hand boosts. This was currently her only move trained to Intermediate Proficiency.
When the flames cleared, Raticate was also incapacitated.
Facing two Junior Rank opponents alone, Gu Yuan wasn't overly excited.
In nearly two months, Gu Yuan had undergone a transformation, from a penniless drifter to a Junior Rank trainer.
In terms of raw power, Gu Yuan had used points to raise Charmeleon's level by two during these days.
After reaching Junior Rank, Charmeleon required more time to master and control its new strength; the adaptation period stretched from two days to three.
Eevee, still at Rookie Rank, only needed two days to gain a level.
Currently, Charmeleon was at Level 22, Eevee at Level 15.
Charmeleon's proficiency in Scratch and Dragon Breath had reached Intermediate, completing Quest 3 successfully. Eevee's Helping Hand had also reached Intermediate, completing Quest 7. Gu Yuan had now accumulated 325 points.
During this time, Gu Yuan discovered Pokémon could quickly upgrade skills from Basic to Intermediate. Points were mostly wasted unless used for critical upgrades. Points to reach Advanced Proficiency were scarce, so Gu Yuan had to wait for other opportunities.
Gu Yuan's current quest list:
Raise Charmeleon's level by 5
Reward: 100 points (3/5)
Raise Charmeleon's level by 7
Reward: 150 points (3/7)
Increase eight Charmeleon skills to Intermediate
Reward: 90 points (5/8)
Increase two Charmeleon skills to Advanced
Reward: 100 points (1/3)
Increase three Charmeleon skills to Advanced
Reward: 100 points (1/3)
Raise Eevee's level by 5
Reward: 75 points (3/5)
Raise one Eevee skill to Intermediate
Reward: 30 points (Completed)
Raise three Eevee skills to Intermediate
Reward: 60 points (1/3)
"Well done. Take a day-off tomorrow, remember that resting is also a part of training." Shadow said, recalling Beedrill and Raticate.
Shadow's praise alone showed how well Gu Yuan performed.
"Yes, understood," Gu Yuan replied, nodding.
Seeing this, Shadow said no more and left. What Gu Yuan had learned would be tested in future challenges.
"All right, let's take a break for now."
Patting Charmeleon and Eevee on the heads, Gu Yuan calmed his own nerves, helping them relax and get ready for the next challenge.