"The Dark-type Elite Grimsley? I didn't expect an Elite Four member to have their sights on me."
"In that case, the reward I asked from Dar back then was a bit too small."
Gu Yuan wasn't overly concerned when he learned from Hiroshi that Grimsley intended to target him. First, as an Elite Four member, Grimsley couldn't easily mobilize, let alone come to the Kanto region to deal with him personally. If he dared to do so, it would undoubtedly be seen as an act of war against the Kanto League, a responsibility Grimsley could not afford.
Second, even if Grimsley sent others to handle him, they would at most possess Champion Rank strength and would not dare to act too brazenly. Furthermore, Gu Yuan was confident that Alakazam would successfully break through to the Elite Rank before they left the spatial rift. By then, even a Champion Rank Trainer might not necessarily be able to catch him.
Besides, Grimsley might not even dare to send a Champion Rank Trainer to hunt him down. Following his previous plan, Gu Yuan gave Hiroshi a quick end and then destroyed the evidence. Afterward, he had Alakazam use its psychic power to scan the area where they had fought Hiroshi. Finding no one approaching, Gu Yuan dropped the idea of continuing any further strikes.
Now that Charizard, Roaring Moon, and Moltres had successfully broken through, and Alakazam had its crucial special item, only Sylveon, Ditto, and Annihilape remained. Among them, a special item for Sylveon's Fairy type was the rarest. Gu Yuan could only continue to work hard and see how his luck held out; if all else failed, he would try to trade multiple items for one.
Gu Yuan had discovered that these special items were indeed game-breaking existences, sufficient to save him a massive amount of points. He immediately resumed his search. With Alakazam present, there was no need for Gu Yuan to engage every Elite Rank Pokémon he encountered. He only needed to take a stroll through their territories to know if a special item existed in their nests.
This greatly improved his efficiency. With one week left before the three-month deadline, Gu Yuan once again made significant gains. The most satisfying discovery was a Fairy-type special item. Unfortunately, the Ghost type was no less rare than the Fairy type, and Gu Yuan failed to find even one.
However, he did find Fighting-type and Normal-type items, ensuring that Annihilape and Ditto could break through. Additionally, he found a Steel-type item, which he planned to exchange for a Ghost or Fire type once he was out to keep as a spare.
During the final stretch, Gu Yuan stopped searching blindly and focused on battling Pokémon to accumulate points. Throughout his search, he had encountered people from other Leagues, but he never revealed himself. The lesson Sean had left him was still fresh. Gu Yuan didn't know if showing his face would bring goodwill or an attack. If it were an attack, he would have to find a way to resolve them and any potential reinforcements within a week. While defeating them might yield special items, Gu Yuan ultimately abandoned that tempting thought in favor of stability.
After skillfully avoiding these people, he continued his battle trials. It is worth mentioning that during the search for special items, Sylveon and Alakazam had both successfully completed their breakthroughs. It seemed that residual power from the special items used during their initial breakthroughs remained; combined with Gu Yuan's points, their strength improved rapidly.
While the progress of Roaring Moon and Moltres might not have been as obvious, Charizard was now capable of reaching Middle-tier Elite strength after Mega Evolving. Next were Ditto and Annihilape. Long before Gu Yuan found special items matching their types, Annihilape and Ditto were already prepared for their breakthroughs. Though Gu Yuan had made them wait for a while, he couldn't restrict their strength forever.
The energy within this spatial rift was extremely dense, making it the perfect place for a breakthrough. After selecting a good location for Ditto and Annihilape, Gu Yuan had them break through together. Even with the special items providing energy, the two still absorbed a massive amount of environmental energy during the process, which drew the attention of the area's master.
"Go, Moltres. Make sure it doesn't cause too much of a stir."
After the system detected that the intruder was a Grass-type Pokémon, Gu Yuan sent Moltres out, keeping his strongest, Charizard, back just in case. With type advantage and Legendary suppression, the outcome for that Pokémon was easy to imagine.
As Moltres engaged the Pokémon, Ditto and Annihilape's breakthroughs drew to a close. Their Elite Rank auras expanded, and in that instant, both completed their breakthroughs simultaneously. Feeling the surging power within their bodies, Ditto and Annihilape couldn't help but roar toward the sky.
Suddenly, a pillar of fire shot up in the distance, as if Moltres were offering its congratulations.
"Congratulations. From today on, you also possess Elite Rank strength."
"But this isn't enough. You'll need to work even harder from now on."
Stroking Ditto and Annihilape, Gu Yuan praised them while not forgetting to give them a firm reminder. They nodded; having witnessed the power of Charizard and the others, they wouldn't become arrogant just because of a breakthrough.
Once Charizard's group finished their congratulations, Moltres returned just in time to join the harmonious atmosphere.
"Let's go. Ditto and Annihilape just broke through, so it's the perfect time to find a suitable opponent for them to adapt to their new strength!"
After a brief rest, Gu Yuan decided to hold the celebratory feast during lunch. For now, it was better for the two to familiarize themselves with their power. Using Teleport, Gu Yuan found a nearby Pokémon. He was now close to the area where Middle-tier Elite Pokémon were active, so even the Lower-tier Elites here were stronger than the newly promoted Ditto and Annihilape.
A one-on-one might not work, but the two could fight as a pair, experimenting with their power while suppressing the opponent to gain a clear understanding of their new limits. Soon, another fierce battle broke out. Faced with the seamless cooperation between Annihilape and Ditto, Honchkrow ultimately fell in frustration.
At noon, Gu Yuan prepared a lavish lunch to celebrate their success. Since the ruler of this territory, Honchkrow, had been defeated, no blind Pokémon came to cause trouble. With only two days left before the exploration ended, Gu Yuan prepared for one last battle: letting his Mega Evolved Charizard face off against a Middle-tier Elite Pokémon!