"I truly didn't expect you to improve so much in just three months. It seems I've been far too slack."
"But don't you worry, I will definitely catch up as quickly as possible!"
As soon as Akatsuka's battle ended, he couldn't wait to find Gu Yuan in the spectator stands.
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you."
Looking at the energetic Akatsuka, Gu Yuan nodded helplessly. He knew very well in his heart that now that the gap had widened, it was impossible for Akatsuka to catch up unless he also possessed a "cheat," which was clearly impossible. He let Akatsuka remain happy, only hoping the boy wouldn't be too crushed by the reality later on.
Afterward, the two stopped chatting and focused on the battlefield. Every person who successfully advanced could potentially become their next opponent.
The last match of the first round featured Taishi Utsunomiya. Information showed that his strongest Pokémon was a Dragonite, the pseudo-legendary of the Kanto region. His remaining Ace Rank Pokémon were Gyarados, Kingdra, Altaria, and Charizard.
Although the family behind Taishi Utsunomiya did not specialize exclusively in Dragon-type Pokémon, he could easily become a Dragon-type specialist given their massive resources. From his roster alone, he was already quite similar to that "Flying-type specialist" Lance.
As the match began, Taishi Utsunomiya sent out Altaria. Although Gyarados and Kingdra could fight outside of water, their combat effectiveness would undoubtedly be affected. Therefore, unless there was a type advantage, it was better to use Altaria or Charizard.
Taishi Utsunomiya's opponent was a trainer with two Ace Rank Pokémon. Even though his Altaria was exceptionally well-trained, he still had to release Charizard to finally secure the win. Based on these two, Gu Yuan gained a rough understanding of Taishi Utsunomiya's strength. As for the specifics, he would only know after a real battle.
Regarding the others, only Kurata and Aiko seemed capable of causing him some trouble. Since the opponents here all possessed Ace Rank strength, it was impossible for anyone to hide too much of their power.
The second round of matches began, and Gu Yuan was once again the first to take the stage. This was somewhat thought-provoking. No matter the competition, appearing first undoubtedly garnered the most attention.
If Elite Agatha and the others arranged it this way, they surely wanted him to display overwhelming strength to smoothly become the captain. If it was someone else's doing, where did they get the confidence that someone could actually defeat him?
Thinking of this, Gu Yuan glanced at Taishi Utsunomiya in the stands before releasing his Pokémon at the referee's signal. This time, he didn't choose Ditto; instead, he sent out Alakazam. No matter who arranged for him to go first, he only needed to crush the enemy with absolute power!
Gu Yuan's opponent, Vaka, released an Onix. According to the records, Vaka was a trainer specializing in Rock-type Pokémon. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Rock-types shared a fatal flaw: their Special Defense was far too low.
"Alakazam, use your psychic power to fly into the air, then use Nasty Plot!"
"Onix, knock Alakazam down with Stone Edge!"
Watching Alakazam fly, Vaka gritted his teeth and issued his command. No one knew the frustration a Rock-type trainer felt when facing an opponent who could fly or possessed excellent Special Attack. Unfortunately, Alakazam currently possessed both. If Vaka weren't a mature trainer, he might have exploded in anger.
Sharp rocks rose from the ground, but Alakazam successfully used Nasty Plot before they could hit. Using Teleport, Alakazam vanished from the spot.
"Onix, sweep it with Dragon Tail!"
Onix immediately began spinning in place, but its assault was easily blocked by Alakazam's Psychic.
"Use Psychic in a continuous barrage!"
At Gu Yuan's command, Alakazam struck first. A massive psychic serpent surged out, biting into Onix's abdomen. Tremendous pain followed, causing Onix to struggle violently. Its massive body and staggering strength shattered the battlefield once again.
Seeing this, a nearby maintenance worker wondered if he should tell Gu Yuan that there was really no need to destroy the arena. Even with Pokémon assistance, repairing it was exhausting work.
On the field, an Onix in this state couldn't affect Alakazam, and under Vaka's command, it quickly calmed down.
"Onix, Rock Tomb, then prepare Stone Edge."
"Alakazam, use Teleport to gain altitude, then Nasty Plot!"
Psychic energy spread, and Alakazam vanished. By the time it reappeared, it was already outside the range of Rock Tomb. A cunning light flickered in its eyes while Onix could only look back at Vaka helplessly. Both Rock Tomb and Stone Edge had range limits, and Alakazam was clearly beyond them.
Gu Yuan waited until Alakazam's Special Attack was boosted to the limit before ordering the attack.
"Future Sight, Psychic Triple Play!"
The moment Future Sight was invoked, Alakazam used Teleport to close the gap. Vaka desperately ordered Onix to use Giga Impact. He knew he had no hope of defeating Gu Yuan, so he figured he might as well vent his frustrations.
When the first layer of the psychic impact landed, Onix felt it was manageable—so what if the opponent's Special Attack was maxed out? But in the next second, Onix was stunned to find there was more. It was slammed into the arena floor. Just as it tried to vent its rage, the third wave of Psychic pushed it back down.
Immediately after, Future Sight activated, dealing the final blow. Because of Gu Yuan's Telepathy, Vaka didn't understand the sequence of moves. Seeing Onix lose its ability to fight, he was momentarily dazed. Was the gap between him and Gu Yuan really this large?
"Come back, Onix! It's your turn, Golem!"
A white light flashed. The moment Golem appeared, it felt an invisible force wrapping around it.
"Break free, Golem!" Vaka cheered it on.
Exerting all its strength, Golem managed to tear through the Confusion binding. However, in the next second, Alakazam's Psychic Triple Play rushed toward it. After breaking through to the Ace Rank, executing such a combo no longer placed a heavy burden on Alakazam. Meanwhile, Future Sight began to manifest, forming a pincer attack.