"Set off!"
After several days of rest and reorganization, the ship carrying Gu Yuan and his team departed once again. Watching Dar and his group fade into the distance, Yoshino felt a sense of relief wash over him.
During the time Dar's team was in the Sinnoh region, Yoshino had been constantly on edge. The internal conflicts within the Kanto League, in particular, had forced him to maneuver carefully between several factions. Ultimately, he decided to support the Elite Four's side. He did so simply because it was an order from above; he just had to follow it. This was actually his favorite way of working, as it saved him a lot of mental energy.
Fortunately, the group didn't cause any major incidents. They only lost two members, and the city suffered no damage. Yoshino had been worried that since these people weren't local to Sinnoh, they wouldn't care about the consequences and might cause massive destruction.
As they moved further away from the mainland, Gu Yuan emerged from the training room and went straight to Dar.
"Fine, I will keep your movements a secret. But you must prioritize your safety and stay within a reasonable distance from us."
"Also, wear this on you. It will make it easier for me to locate you at any time."
Faced with Gu Yuan's request, Dar thought for a moment before agreeing. Gu Yuan's request was simple: he wanted to find wild sea Pokémon to battle so he could increase his speed of growth. His reasoning was sound.
Although Basque had been training hard since the start of the journey, his strength still couldn't compare to Taishi Utsunomiya. After so many fierce battles, other regions weren't fools; the contestants they sent out would only get stronger. To maintain the Kanto region's winning streak, Gu Yuan, as the captain, had a responsibility to become more powerful. Furthermore, since an assassination attempt would be extremely difficult out on the open sea, Dar approved the request after some consideration.
In reality, Gu Yuan's motive was even simpler. As Ceruledge and the others grew, the points required by the system were increasing. This was especially true for newly learned moves. He was thrilled when they learned them, but he felt despair when it came to raising their mastery levels.
Apart from his command skills, Telepathy bonuses, and raw power gaps, Gu Yuan's combat prowess relied heavily on moves with extremely high mastery. Only then could he support his flexible and ever-changing tactical style, allowing Charizard and the others to exert strength far beyond their opponents. To maintain this advantage, a steady flow of points was essential.
With Dar's permission, Gu Yuan had Alakazam use Teleport to make them vanish from the deck instantly. On the vast ocean, humans had already discovered many safe shipping lanes. These routes were home to very few wild Pokémon, and those that remained were not particularly strong. A few trainers on a ship were usually enough to handle any attacks.
Of course, there were exceptions. To find valuable opponents, Gu Yuan naturally had to deviate from the standard route. Luckily, since Dar and Gu Yuan had synchronized their locations before he left, he didn't have to worry about losing his way back.
Using the system's detection function, Gu Yuan quickly found a suitable opponent. At this moment, the value of Ditto became apparent. Even at sea, Ditto could transform into an Ice-type Pokémon to create a suitable battlefield or turn into a Water-type to dive in and lure Pokémon to the surface.
Soon, the first opponent was lured out—an Ace Rank Gyarados.
"Come out, Gengar! Let's start with you."
After quickly gauging the Gyarados's strength, Gu Yuan sent out the Gengar hiding in his shadow. A dark figure surged out, and a Shadow Ball quickly condensed, slamming directly into the Gyarados. Already irritable, the wild Pokémon was now completely enraged by the attack.
"Roar!"
With a deafening roar, the Gyarados twisted its massive body and launched a charge.
"Gengar, Phantom Force, then Toxic!"
Before the Gyarados's Hydro Pump could hit, Gengar slipped into the phantom dimension. Aside from its Ghost typing, Gengar was also a Poison type. Reappearing behind the Gyarados instantly, Gengar left three inconspicuous scratches on its hide. The toxins seeped in, immediately inflicting the poisoned status.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The toxin's erosion clearly caused the Gyarados immense pain. It twisted uncontrollably, thrashing against the water's surface and launching desperate attacks at Gengar. However, these frantic strikes posed no threat to the agile ghost.
"Gengar, Venoshock!"
Nimberly dodging a sweeping tail, Gengar lunged in front of the Gyarados again. Venoshock deals double damage to poisoned targets, bringing its power to a staggering 130. The heavy impact actually caused the Gyarados to snap back into a state of cold focus.
Staring intensely at Gengar, the Gyarados first used Aqua Tail, trying to trap the ghost within a torrent of water.
"Gengar, break the blockade with Shadow Ball."
Two Shadow Balls shot out together, blasting a gap through the swirling water. The moment Gengar burst through the opening, the Gyarados's Hydro Pump was already flying toward it. With a slight smirk, Gengar followed Gu Yuan's command and used Phantom Force to vanish again.
Having been caught off guard once, the Gyarados immediately coiled its body, readying another Aqua Tail to prevent Gengar from landing another Venoshock.
"Gengar, Hyper Beam!"
An orange-yellow beam of light erupted, shattering the Gyarados's defensive water coil before slamming into its chest. The impact of the Hyper Beam combined with the poison's erosion sent the Gyarados reeling back.
"Night Shade, then Shadow Ball!"
Centering on Gengar, a pitch-black monstrous silhouette emerged. This was one of the techniques Agatha had taught Gu Yuan—using Night Shade as a form of transformation to buff Gengar's power and make it harder for the opponent to land a hit.
Immediately afterward, two massive Shadow Balls condensed. Gengar seized the moment the Gyarados faltered to launch a fierce assault.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion rang out as the Gyarados's heavy body crashed into the sea.
"Finish it with Dark Pulse!"
Receiving the order, Gengar condensed a Dark Pulse in each hand before merging them into a single, pitch-black beam that struck the Gyarados squarely. After the successive heavy blows, the Gyarados could no longer fight back.
Gu Yuan tossed a Poké Ball, capturing the Gyarados and sending it to Shadow via the transport system. If he had let it sink into the sea, the latent toxins in its body would have eventually killed it.
"Great job, Gengar. Keep up the hard work."
Enjoying Gu Yuan's praise, Gengar couldn't help but let out a mischievous laugh. Using the system's detection and Alakazam's Teleport, they set off again to find their next opponent.