"It's right here. Let's start looking!"
Ash spoke excitedly as he gazed at the massive mountain before them.
Brock, standing beside him, was even more thrilled than Ash.
This was for no other reason than the person they were searching for this time: Bruno, one of the Kanto League Elite Four!
During the special training period, although Gu Yuan was very strict, he did not interfere with Ash's actions, allowing him to experience various events just as they occurred in the anime.
Coming here to find Bruno was no different.
Not long after they entered the mountains, Alakazam's psychic detection located Bruno's position.
Under Gu Yuan's guidance, the group quickly found him.
"Gu Yuan!? I didn't expect you to be here as well. Could it be that you're also here for that Giant Onix?"
The moment they met, Bruno asked Gu Yuan with a look of slight surprise.
"No, I'm accompanying him here to seek special training from you."
"This is Ash; he's my friend and is also very well-acquainted with Professor Oak."
"These are Brock and Misty. Don't let their youth fool you; they are the Gym Leaders of the Pewter Gym and Cerulean Gym. Currently, they are traveling with Ash to continue their own growth."
Gu Yuan shook his head, and after answering Bruno's question, he introduced Ash and the others.
As soon as Gu Yuan finished speaking, Brock rushed toward Bruno with a face full of adoration.
Aside from beautiful women, this was one of the few times Brock became so agitated.
The subsequent developments unfolded exactly as they did in the anime.
However, watching Bruno fall over with a large bump on his head, Gu Yuan could barely suppress his laughter.
One must realize that Bruno's muscles were not just for show.
Furthermore, his ability to live in the forest by his own strength without releasing any Pokémon was proof enough of Bruno's power.
Finally, the scene where Bruno relieved the Giant Onix's pain and subsequently caught it provided Ash with a wealth of insight.
"Alright, let's call it a day and head back."
Seeing that it was getting late, Gu Yuan prepared to return. Bruno smiled and saw them off.
Closing his eyes, Bruno began to rest and meditate in place.
After an unknown amount of time, Alakazam brought Gu Yuan back to Bruno's side.
"I knew you would come back."
Bruno opened his eyes, looking as though he had expected this.
"Please give me some guidance."
Gu Yuan bowed slightly and made preparations for battle.
"No problem. Then the Pokémon I choose is him!"
With that, Bruno tossed a Poké Ball, and a Beginner Champion rank Machamp appeared before Gu Yuan.
"Go, Charizard! Mega Evolution!"
As the light of Mega Evolution dissipated, the sunlight became even more intense under the influence of the Drought Ability.
With the sunlight pouring down, Mega Charizard Y's strength became even more formidable.
During the time he spent training Ash, Gu Yuan had not remained stagnant.
With the help of points, Charizard's strength after Mega Evolution was even more staggering than before, yet it had been unable to break through to the Champion Rank.
Therefore, Gu Yuan wanted to use this battle with Bruno to try and help Charizard take that final step.
"Wrath of the Fire God!"
Facing a powerhouse like a member of the Elite Four, Gu Yuan did not dare to be careless and launched a full-scale offensive right from the start.
A massive fireball descended, rushing toward Machamp like a sun.
"Go, Machamp, show your strength!"
At the moment Bruno's voice rang out, Machamp shot forward like an arrow from a bow.
Concentrating power into its fists, it struck out with force, directly shattering Mega Charizard Y's Wrath of the Fire God.
"Mega Charizard Y, Heat Wave, then use Fire Dragon Descent!"
Before the scattered flames could vanish, they transformed into a firestorm under Mega Charizard Y's influence, trapping Machamp within.
However, in the next second, Machamp broke free using its incredible physical power.
Waiting for Machamp was Mega Charizard Y, which had transformed into a massive fire dragon and charged out.
A dragon's roar echoed as the fire dragon attempted to swallow Machamp whole, but it could do nothing against the Machamp, who stood as firm as a nail.
Twisting its body, the fire dragon suppressed Machamp, forcing it down to the ground.
Blazing flames enveloped both sides, but the exchange ended with both being knocked backward simultaneously.
After stabilizing their bodies, both sides attacked again, clashing once more in the blink of an eye.
During the battle with Bruno, Gu Yuan clearly felt the strength gap between Bruno and Palm.
Gu Yuan felt that even with the assistance of Moltres and Mega Alakazam, Machamp would likely be able to handle them with ease.
But this was for the best; only by fighting such a powerful opponent could he help Charizard take that final step.
"Go, Charizard, use a Fire Blast combo! Submerge Machamp in flames!"
"Machamp, it's time for us to strike back. Let's go!"
This time, Bruno did not remain silent and directly commanded Machamp to act.
Fighting-type energy gathered, and Machamp threw four Focus Blast orbs simultaneously, launching an attack on Mega Charizard Y from four completely different directions.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The sounds of explosions rang out in succession, but Gu Yuan saw an opportunity and had Mega Charizard Y use Air Slash to attack.
Nearly transparent blades of air shot out, attempting to force Machamp to reveal a weakness.
"Machamp, crush Mega Charizard Y's attack!"
Machamp's response was equally simple. It stood its ground, wrapped its fists in Fighting-type energy, and crushed Mega Charizard Y's offensive with a simple punch.
"Mega Charizard Y, Wrath of the Fire God!"
Using the movements during the battle, Mega Charizard Y had already followed Gu Yuan's instructions to use Dragon Dance to enhance its strength.
Once the buff from Dragon Dance reached its limit, Gu Yuan commanded Mega Charizard Y to launch the final general offensive.
A massive fireball shot out, emitting terrifyingly high temperatures as it rushed toward Machamp.
Machamp's response was the same as before: relying on its amazing strength to forcibly crush the fireball.
This time, Gu Yuan did not have Mega Charizard Y use Heat Wave to pin the opponent down. Instead, he had Mega Charizard Y use Fire Dragon Descent directly.
Relying on its maximized speed, Mega Charizard Y reached Machamp almost at the exact moment Wrath of the Fire God was crushed, swallowing Machamp whole.
And this was only the beginning.
Within the flames, Mega Charizard Y completely abandoned evasion and defense, turning itself into the sharpest spear to launch its attack.
As a Fighting-type Pokémon, Machamp was most suited for this kind of combat.
In the clash between the two, they forcibly ground away the surrounding flames.
But following that, invisible flames appeared behind Mega Charizard Y.
The current Mega Charizard Y, of course, could not trigger the Blaze Ability.
However, the moment those invisible flames appeared, Mega Charizard Y's strength began to undergo a faint transformation.
Mega Charizard Y, being the one involved, did not notice this, but instead continued to immerse itself in the battle against Machamp.