"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Ash's voice rang out. Orange-yellow electricity gathered and transformed into a pillar of lightning, engulfing the Beedrill across from it.
Due to the super-effective nature of Electric-type moves, the already exhausted Beedrill was instantly knocked out, losing its ability to battle.
"Great job, Pikachu! Keep it up!"
Watching Ash win again, Gu Yuan knew that this dummy was starting to get arrogant.
To ensure Ash didn't lose because of his own pride, Gu Yuan had to step up and play the villain.
Thinking of this, Gu Yuan felt it went against his conscience, yet the smile curling at the corners of his mouth betrayed his true thoughts.
"Ash, you should remember what I told you before. I said once your special training was over, I would battle you again!"
"There are only a few days left until the Indigo League begins. Your special training can come to a temporary close, so it's time for me to fulfill my promise."
"Awesome! Awesome! This time, I'll definitely avenge my previous defeat!"
Ash immediately became excited upon hearing this.
Hearing Gu Yuan's words and seeing Ash's reaction, Professor Oak understood Gu Yuan's intentions and immediately stepped forward to act as the referee.
"Alright, please release your Pokémon!"
"Let's go, Pikachu!"
"I'll choose you this time, Moltres!"
Following Professor Oak's voice, Pikachu and Moltres appeared simultaneously.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's still so shocking!"
"Indeed. I can't imagine how Gu Yuan managed to catch a Pokémon like that!"
Misty and Brock spoke in surprise as Moltres took the stage.
They couldn't help it. Facing the aura of a Legendary Pokémon like Moltres, Misty and Brock were significantly affected.
"Now, the battle begins!"
"Pikachu, it doesn't matter if the opponent is a Legendary Pokémon. Use Thunderbolt!"
Unlike Misty and Brock, Ash wasn't affected at all. He smiled and issued a command to Pikachu.
As Ash's Pokémon, Pikachu was also unaffected by Moltres's aura and released a full-power Thunderbolt.
"Moltres, Fire Blast!"
Lightning and fire surged forward simultaneously. They exploded upon impact, but Moltres was ultimately stronger.
Even with special training, Pikachu could not bridge the gap in their raw power.
"Pikachu, dodge it with Agility!"
Clearly, the days of special training were paying off.
Facing the scattering embers of the Fire Blast, Ash made the optimal choice.
This was exactly what Gu Yuan wanted to see. Without stifling Ash's natural instincts, he aimed to patch as many tactical holes as possible.
However, tactics had limited effectiveness when faced with an absolute power gap.
"Moltres, Heat Wave!"
"Pikachu, Thunder!"
Seeing Moltres use Heat Wave, Ash recalled how Pikachu had been defeated by Gu Yuan's Charizard last time and immediately ordered a counterattack.
Orange-yellow electricity gathered and turned into a pillar of thunder that crushed the fiery storm. However, Moltres's speed in releasing moves far exceeded Ash's imagination.
The moment the fiery storm was neutralized, two Air Slash attacks surged out, slamming Pikachu to the ground.
"Give it your all, Moltres. Sky Attack!"
Having gained the advantage, Gu Yuan stopped letting Moltres hold back.
Flying-type energy gathered, causing Moltres to transform into a giant bird of light. Raging flames appeared around its body, looking like a magnified version of Moltres.
"Pikachu, Thunder!"
Sensing Moltres's power, Ash immediately gave Pikachu an order. Unfortunately, the orange pillar of thunder could not stop the descent of the giant bird.
Fortunately, at the last moment, Gu Yuan had Moltres control its power. It only knocked Pikachu unconscious without causing serious injury.
One must realize that Moltres possessed the strength of a Peak Elite Rank.
Against a Pikachu whose strength was roughly Leader Rank—or perhaps Beginner Elite Rank when "bursting"—it wouldn't even be difficult to kill it in one hit.
"You have one more chance. One more chance to try and defeat Moltres."
After Moltres withdrew its power and returned to him, Gu Yuan spoke sternly to Ash.
"You worked hard, Pikachu. Next up is your turn, Charizard!"
Accompanied by Ash's roar, Charizard appeared in front of Moltres.
Although the opponent wasn't Gu Yuan's Charizard—the one Ash's Charizard really wanted to face—its fighting spirit ignited instantly upon sensing Moltres's strength.
"Go, Charizard! Flamethrower!"
At Ash's voice, Charizard immediately charged, releasing scorching flames.
"Moltres, give it your all. Fire Blast!"
Seeing Ash let Charizard attack right from the start again, a flicker of disappointment flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes. He decided to stop holding back.
The roaring, burning character for "fire" surged out, directly swallowing Charizard's Flamethrower.
"Dodge it, Charizard!"
"Moltres, Heat Wave!"
While Charizard was frantically dodging the Fire Blast, Moltres's Heat Wave struck its body, slamming it directly to the ground.
"Moltres, Air Slash!"
"Charizard, flap your wings to dodge and use Flamethrower!"
Ash's voice rang out again, filled with unwilling persistence.
Quickly standing up and spreading its wings to take to the air to avoid the Air Slash, Charizard sounded the horn for another charge.
However, against a much stronger opponent, such a reckless attacking style was the most foolish choice.
"Moltres, restrict it with Heat Wave, then use Sky Attack!"
Scalding air currents gathered. First, they neutralized Charizard's Flamethrower, then they acted like invisible chains to trap Charizard.
Following that, Moltres once again transformed into a giant bird of light and launched its attack.
Feeling the oncoming heatwave, Charizard fought back with all its might. Scorching flames burned, eventually enveloping Charizard entirely.
The next second, Charizard collided with Moltres.
Even though Charizard erupted with even greater power, briefly surpassing its usual peak state, it was still no match for Moltres.
With a crisp bird cry, Moltres in its giant bird form crushed Charizard's assault.
Then, the flames on Moltres's body enveloped Charizard.
Charizard crashed to the ground. No matter how much it struggled, it could not extinguish Moltres's flames.
Both were Fire-type Pokémon, but clearly, Moltres's special flames dealt immense damage to Charizard.
"Stand up, Charizard!"
Ash's anxious voice rang in Charizard's ears. It seemed to grant Charizard new strength, supporting it as it slowly stood up.
Unfortunately, under the burning of the flames, Charizard had reached its limit.
After giving the airborne Moltres an unwilling glance, Charizard fell straight down, losing its ability to battle.