Bang!
The moment the two sides collided, Roaring Moon was directly knocked back. Quickly flapping its wings to stabilize its retreating steps, Roaring Moon saw Charizard unleashing Dragon Rush and charging toward it.
Having fought to this point, Charizard's stamina had already dropped below one-third. The Blaze ability triggered, but unfortunately, this battle needed to end with a Dragon-type move.
"Roar!"
First letting out a roar, Roaring Moon desperately mobilized its power and used Dragon Rush to strike back. However, the collision of the dragons no longer resulted in a stalemate. It ended with Roaring Moon being crushed, as an Attack stage three levels higher is not so easily overcome.
Flapping its wings, Charizard rushed in front of Roaring Moon at an incredible speed. It thrust its claws out, and Roaring Moon exerted all its effort to barely block. But in the next second, it was swatted down by a Dragon Claw from Charizard's left claw. A Blast Burn was spat out, turning into a falling fireball that instantly engulfed Roaring Moon.
"The final blow, Charizard! Dragon Rush!"
At Gu Yuan's command, Charizard took a deep breath and channeled its remaining strength into a Dragon Rush. The roar of a great dragon sounded as it crashed directly into the flames, completely defeating Roaring Moon.
As the smoke cleared, Gu Yuan saw an exhausted Charizard and a fainted Roaring Moon that had lost its ability to battle. Nearby, Moltres's eyes were filled with shock. It hadn't expected that the Charizard who defeated it could also crush Roaring Moon.
In truth, the reason this battle went so smoothly was thanks to the intelligence advantage Gu Yuan held from the start. He avoided using—or letting Roaring Moon use—Sunny Day to prevent the opponent's strength from skyrocketing. Secondly, the use of various stat-boosting moves played a key role.
Wild Pokémon generally prefer moves that deal direct damage. Boosting moves like Dragon Dance are often neglected, resulting in low mastery. This Roaring Moon was the perfect example; although it knew Dragon Dance, its mastery was so low that it couldn't integrate the move into its combat or evasive maneuvers like Charizard could. Otherwise, the outcome of this battle might have been different.
With the battle over, Hatterene stepped out from the team to assist Gu Yuan in treating Charizard and Roaring Moon. Soon, thanks to the inherent toughness of Dragon-type Pokémon, Roaring Moon woke from its coma. Straightening its body, it saw Gu Yuan standing not far away.
Whether it was Gu Yuan's self-confidence or his trust in it, the fact that he dared to stand so close after witnessing its power earned Gu Yuan a spark of recognition from Roaring Moon.
"I won. Will you fulfill your promise now?" Gu Yuan asked through Telepathy after Roaring Moon had recovered for a moment.
"Don't worry, I won't break my word. But I have one requirement: when you use that little ball you mentioned to capture me, I will not resist."
"However, if that thing does not possess the power to restrain me, I will not enter it under any circumstances. I will still keep my promise and follow you, regardless."
Like Moltres, Roaring Moon set its own conditions upon deciding to honor the bet. Gu Yuan could see Roaring Moon's personality through this: it only submitted to the strong. Even if it was the power of technology, the device had to earn its respect.
On the plus side, this personality meant that as long as Gu Yuan didn't disappoint it in the future, Roaring Moon would not betray him and would follow orders. It would likely integrate into the team faster than Moltres.
"Fine! I accept!"
"I promise you, if I cannot capture you, then our previous bet is void, and I will still take you out of here. A Pokémon like you shouldn't be left to fade away in this place!"
After a brief thought, Gu Yuan not only agreed to the requirement but offered even more striking terms, causing Roaring Moon's respect for him to grow. In the next second, Gu Yuan pulled out his trump card: the Master Ball.
This was a prize he had won earlier in the tournament held by Silph Co. He hadn't had a chance to use it yet, and he never expected it to play such a critical role now. As the Master Ball was thrown, it lightly tapped Roaring Moon and snapped open, pulling it inside.
Just as Roaring Moon had said, once inside the Poké Ball, it began to struggle violently. Unfortunately, the Master Ball's restraint on non-Legendary Pokémon is absolute. Even though Roaring Moon was a Paradox Pokémon, it was useless. It could only submit to the power of the Master Ball. After a few intense shakes, the ball clicked shut, signifying a successful capture.
Gu Yuan didn't release it immediately. Instead, he let it get used to the ball while he checked its data.
Pokémon
Roaring Moon
Gender
Genderless
Ability
Protosynthesis
Rank
Leader Rank
Type
Dragon, Dark
Level-up Moves
Sunny Day, Jaw Lock, Wide Breaker, Scale Shot, Dragon Breath, Leer, Bite, Focus Energy, Incinerate, Headbutt, Scary Face, Dragon Claw, Zen Headbutt, Flamethrower, Night Slash, Dragon Dance
TM Moves
Take Down, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Aerial Ace, Dragon Tail, Snarl, Metal Claw, Air Slash, Iron Head, Dragon Pulse, Outrage, Hurricane
Egg Moves
None
Like Moltres, Roaring Moon's current strength was formidable, but it needed more moves and higher mastery. Combined with constant training with Gu Yuan, it would eventually reach its peak potential. Gu Yuan wasn't in a hurry. He was in the process of improving his own strength anyway, which provided the perfect opportunity to build bonds with Moltres and Roaring Moon.
Regarding moves, Gu Yuan still had plenty of his Champion-tier quota left and a significant accumulation of points—enough for both Moltres and Roaring Moon to use.
"Come out, Roaring Moon. From now on, like Moltres, you are a partner in this team. Please get along well."
The Poké Ball opened, and Gu Yuan let Roaring Moon out to get acquainted with Sylveon and the others. After two defeats, Roaring Moon had accepted Gu Yuan and naturally followed his lead. With the warm welcome from Sylveon and the rest, it quickly memorized its teammates, though becoming true partners would still take some time.
Compared to the somewhat aloof Roaring Moon, Moltres was purely a tsundere. Having spent yesterday getting acquainted, Moltres was actually much closer to Charizard and the others now. However, the moment it saw Roaring Moon, it wanted to throw out a few taunts—after all, they were rivals before. Roaring Moon didn't back down either; in their previous clashes, it had always been the victor. One could imagine that the team would only get more lively from now on.