"Crocalor, use Ember!"
Gu Yuan's command rang out, and Crocalor immediately launched an attack. In the air, the Beedrill fluttered its wings, deftly avoiding the attack, and charged toward Crocalor while brandishing its twin stingers.
Behind the Beedrill was its entire swarm, and this particular Beedrill was the swarm's leader. Under the deterrent effect of Charizard and the others, the entire Beedrill swarm dared not rush forward all at once. It could only allow Crocalor to duel its leader.
"Now! Use Yawn!"
Once the Beedrill approached, Gu Yuan immediately had Crocalor counterattack.
As the Yawn was activated, the Beedrill, which had been fiercely charging, suddenly felt weary. A wave of drowsiness washed over it, causing its movements to begin slowing down.
"Crocalor, use Incinerate!"
Surging, fierce flames shot out. Compared to Ember, Incinerate was more powerful. Furthermore, if the opponent carried a Berry, the move's special effect would completely burn it away.
Influenced by Yawn, even if Beedrill sensed the danger, it could neither dodge nor effectively counterattack. It could only watch helplessly as the flames engulfed it.
Under the type advantage of the Fire-type move, intense pain erupted across its entire body.
"Crocalor, continue to use Incinerate!"
Having succeeded with one strike, Gu Yuan immediately commanded Crocalor to follow up. The Beedrill also reacted under the influence of the severe pain.
First, it used Poison Sting to weaken Incinerate's power. Then, it used its sharp twin stingers to execute Fury Attack, forcibly shattering the flames.
"Crocalor, use Yawn!"
The moment Beedrill completely sliced through the flames, the invisible drowsiness struck again.
This time, influenced by the intense pain, Beedrill's resistance to the drowsiness was noticeably higher. Seizing the opening, Crocalor moved closer; seeing this, Beedrill erupted with its fastest speed to launch an assault, but unfortunately, it forgot that its injuries would affect its speed, and the drowsiness had also caused a flaw in its attack.
"Now, use Ember to shoot it down, then finish the battle with Incinerate!"
Flames, like bullets, shot out one after another.
At first, the Beedrill could still dodge or counterattack with Fury Attack. However, under the dense barrage of attacks, it was unable to fully protect itself.
When one flame hit Beedrill, it was greeted by a storm-like assault. Of course, this level of offense was also a huge drain on Crocalor, but the battle was nearing its conclusion.
"Crocalor, use Incinerate to end the battle!"
Gu Yuan's command rang out, and surging flames rushed out, quickly enveloping the Beedrill. This time, Beedrill failed to escape the flames, and the battle concluded; Gu Yuan did not move against the rest of the Beedrill swarm, ending the fighting there. After a series of battles, Crocalor successfully stabilized its post-breakthrough strength, firmly establishing itself at the Intermediate Rank.
Glancing at the nervous Beedrill, Gu Yuan had Alakazam take him away. "We'll be arriving at Pallet Town soon. I wonder if I'll be able to see Ash this time." After leaving the forest and taking out the map to find his current location, Gu Yuan spoke with a hint of anticipation. Pallet Town is a necessary stop on the way to Viridian City. Even if it weren't, Gu Yuan would choose to take a detour just to meet Ash.
Unfortunately, the timeline of the Pokémon world is not very distinct, making it impossible for Gu Yuan to determine Ash's current age.
However, based on Gu Yuan's estimation, Ash should have been born by now, but he would still be under ten years old. Filled with anticipation, he began to quicken his pace.
With Alakazam's Teleport, Gu Yuan could soon see the outlines of Pallet Town.
Just standing outside Pallet Town, Gu Yuan could feel the entire place radiating a sense of peace and tranquility.
As he walked into the town, he felt his entire being relax. On the streets, people were beaming with excited smiles, accompanied by various Pokémon.
As the location of Professor Oak's research lab, Pallet Town is not ordinary. Most residents here are family members of League personnel.
On the surface, there might not seem to be much in the way of defense. However, Gu Yuan had already used the system's Detection Function to discover many powerful Pokémon lurking discreetly.
After wandering around Pallet Town for a bit, Gu Yuan felt a sense of regret. Even though he knew Ash lived in Pallet Town, he had no idea of Ash's specific home address. Furthermore, he didn't have the luck to just bump into Ash or Ash's mother on a casual stroll.
Gu Yuan shook his head helplessly and gave up the idea of waiting for luck. He decided to attend to the main task: visiting Professor Oak, a task Agatha had assigned him.
When they were young, Agatha, Professor Oak, and Steel, the Poké Ball craftsman, were traveling companions, much like Ash, Misty, and Brock.
In his youth, Professor Oak was also a powerful Trainer; even Elite Four Agatha was no match for him. Moreover, based on Gu Yuan's understanding, it seemed that his mentor, Agatha, had a certain interest in Professor Oak.
Unfortunately, Professor Oak later transitioned to become a researcher, focusing his primary energy on research. This made Agatha feel that Professor Oak's strength was not what it once was, giving her a sense of betrayal. It's likely the two of them had some kind of agreement, something about getting stronger or a battle. While it didn't escalate to an absolute feud, it was safe to say she held a grudge.
Undeniably, however, the friendship among the three still existed. It was just that, given Elite Four Agatha's personality, she would certainly not take the initiative to show goodwill toward Professor Oak. Professor Oak, on the other hand, focused his energy on Pokémon research, intending to let time resolve their conflicts. Clearly, this plan was not very effective.
In this situation, although Gu Yuan didn't know why Agatha would still ask him to visit Professor Oak, he was not averse to the idea. He also wanted to meet him, the mentor who perpetually sends Ash off to travel to various regions while leaving his young and beautiful mother to guard the home alone.
"This must be the place. But how should I get inside?" Professor Oak's research lab was much easier to find than Ash's house. However, after Gu Yuan pressed the doorbell a few times, there was still no response.
At any other time, Gu Yuan would have asked Alakazam to step in and use Teleport to take him inside. However, this was Professor Oak's lab, and Gu Yuan had already used the system's Detection Function to detect several Elite Rank Pokémon. If he were to rush in recklessly, he would probably be directly eliminated as an intruder.
Left with no choice, Gu Yuan could only keep ringing the doorbell, hoping for a response.
Persistence pays off. After Gu Yuan had pressed the doorbell countless times, a voice finally came through. "Hello, this is Oak. Who are you?"
"Hello, Professor Oak. My name is Gu Yuan, and my mentor is Agatha. She asked me to visit you."
"Agatha!?"
"Alright, please wait a moment!" Although he couldn't see Professor Oak, based on the voice alone, Gu Yuan could sense Professor Oak's current state of panic.