"Alright, let's rest here for a while. It's about time we had lunch."
Finding an open space, Gu Yuan stretched lazily and spoke with a relaxed tone.
Hearing him, Eevee hopped down from his shoulder and imitated him, stretching its tiny body.
Charmeleon, on the other hand, first scanned the area carefully before sitting down close by to rest.
Every time Gu Yuan saw this, he felt that Charmeleon was truly a gift from the heavens.
It didn't have the bad temper many Fire-types were known for, yet it kept their burning desire to battle and grow stronger. And on top of that, it was thoughtful.
Almost like an older brother, Charmeleon always looked after Eevee and Abra.
He let Eevee snuggle in Gu Yuan's arms while they traveled, and he kept watch along the road.
Even during breaks, he carried more of the responsibility, especially when it came to guarding at night.
"You've worked hard, buddy. Rest well for a while and leave the rest to me."
Patting Charmeleon's shoulder, Gu Yuan began massaging him to help him relax.
Under Gu Yuan's hands, Charmeleon's tense muscles softened. After a while, he finally lay back comfortably on the grass.
Satisfied, Gu Yuan left him to rest and started a fire.
He set up a pot. This time, he didn't make his usual stew. Instead, he pulled out some ready-to-heat meals he had prepared.
To avoid growing tired of eating only stew or barbecue, Gu Yuan had made sure to bring a variety of meals.
Soon, the aroma drifted through the air, and Abra woke up, drawn by the smell.
"Had a good nap?"
Gu Yuan smiled as he gently patted Abra's head.
Abra nodded, smacking its lips, as if only a step away from asking when they could eat.
"Alright, alright, it's ready. Let's eat."
Gu Yuan chuckled, carrying Abra to the fire and sitting him down.
By now, Abra had made good progress in strength.
From Gu Yuan's perspective, it wouldn't be long before Abra reached the point where it could evolve. Still, he chose to wait a while longer.
Back when Abra had just reached Rookie Rank, it had overexerted itself. Even if there were no lasting effects now, Gu Yuan didn't want to risk Abra's future growth.
Besides, he was curious. Could a Pokémon that slept as much as Abra really notice and seize the chance to evolve?
But curiosity didn't slow his hands. Gu Yuan quickly filled a bowl to the brim.
Seeing the food, Abra drooled uncontrollably.
"You can start eating."
The moment Gu Yuan spoke, Abra dug in.
Its appetite wasn't as huge as before, but it could still finish two large bowls. Gu Yuan wondered how such a small body could hold so much food.
Now full, Abra rubbed its round belly and went back to sleep, like a little piglet.
After eating, drowsiness hit Gu Yuan too.
He forced himself to stay awake, letting Charmeleon and the others rest while he kept watch.
An hour later, Gu Yuan woke them again, well, he woke up Charmeleon.
Abra was put back into its Poké Ball, and Eevee could rest in his arms. But he really needed Charmeleon to clear the path.
Charmeleon shook off its fatigue quickly, its fighting spirit burning once more.
Gu Yuan didn't go deeper into the forest. By now, the wild Pokémon they encountered were already at Junior Rank.
What he needed to do was cross the forest quickly and reach Pewter City for his first Gym battle.
Not long after they set out, a Raticate appeared.
"Go, Charmeleon! Use Ember!"
Without hesitation, Gu Yuan launched the attack.
A burst of hot fire shot out, dense enough to look like a pillar.
Since Charmeleon had pushed Ember to Advanced mastery, it had become one of his staple moves.
Even so, progress had stalled, showing just how hard it was to cross into Expert mastery.
Feeling the searing heat, Raticate reacted quickly. But with no ranged attacks, it had no choice but to take the hit.
It charged with Tackle, breaking through the flames—but that was its worst mistake.
As the fire faded, another blazing column filled its vision. A second later, Raticate was engulfed in Flamethrower.
The flames burned its fur black, and the pain was unbearable. Instead of making it fiercer, it only made Raticate want to flee.
"Turn up the heat, Charmeleon! Use Flamethrower again!"
Another column of fire swallowed Raticate whole.
At the same time, Charmeleon closed the distance under Gu Yuan's command.
Just as Raticate tried to escape in a flash of white light, Charmeleon appeared in its path.
With Slash, he sent Raticate flying, then followed up with a precise Dragon Breath to its stomach.
As Raticate hit the ground, another Flamethrower ended the fight.
The wild Pokémon collapsed, unable to battle.
Seeing Charmeleon's energy still high, Gu Yuan opened the system and allocated points.
In an instant, Charmeleon advanced to Intermediate Rank.
"Rooaar!"
Feeling the power surge inside him, Charmeleon roared to the sky.
It took him a long while to settle into his new strength, and he would need more time to master it fully.
"Let's go, Charmeleon. Find the next opponent and use them to get used to your new power."
Gu Yuan recalled Raticate into a Poké Ball, then moved forward with Charmeleon.
He also gave Charmeleon some Pokéblocks to replenish the energy he had burned through the breakthrough.
Back when Charmeleon was still at Junior Rank, no wild Pokémon could match him.
Now that he was stronger, they stood even less of a chance.
To sharpen him further, Gu Yuan stopped giving commands, letting Charmeleon fight on his own.
It was important for him to develop the ability to read battles independently.
On the island before, Gu Yuan had seen how Pokémon without trainers struggled to control the flow of battle.
That made them unable to fully show their strength.
Gu Yuan decided he needed to train his Pokémon to read battles themselves. And now was the perfect time.
Charmeleon clearly enjoyed the challenge.