"Be vigilant!" Gu Yuan's voice rang out, and Charizard and the others immediately took action. Furthermore, Alakazam used its Psychic power to move the fainted Rattata away, preventing any unnecessary complications. In an area where Rookie Rank Pokémon were active, Gu Yuan did not believe any Pokémon could break through Charizard's blockade.
Amidst the white light, Fuecoco's appearance began to change. This process did not last long; soon, the white light dissipated, and the evolved Crocalor appeared before Gu Yuan.
After evolution, Crocalor's appearance remained extremely similar to a crocodile. Its body was mostly red, its face and abdomen were white, and its limbs were black. Simultaneously, Crocalor had yellow rectangular scales on its back and tail, and black and yellow striped markings across its chest. Crocalor's snout also started to lengthen; it had red square patterns on its cheeks, and its nose tip was triangular.
Notably, the reddish-yellow hair on Crocalor's head, resembling curly fur, was quite amusing. In reality, however, it was a symbol formed by condensed fire energy, much like Fuecoco's previous Antennae.
"Congratulations, Crocalor." Gu Yuan crouched slightly, looking at the still somewhat dazed Pokémon, and smiled as he spoke. Compared to before, the current Crocalor no longer had that goofy feeling, instead exuding a unique sense of humor.
Crocalor nodded obediently. It then proceeded to examine its evolved body, its eyes filled with curiosity. Shaking his head helplessly, Gu Yuan opened Crocalor's information panel.
Pokémon: Fuecoco
Gender: Male
Ability: Unaware
Rank: Rookie
Type: Fire
Level-up Moves: Tackle, Leer, Ember, Round, Lick, Bite, Yawn
TM Moves: None
Egg Moves: Curse, Slack Off
Although Crocalor did not yet possess the Ghost-type, it could already learn some Ghost-type Moves, laying the foundation for the future.
While Crocalor was still curious, Gastly and Charcadet gathered around it, their eyes no less curious than Crocalor's. Compared to the three youngsters, Charizard and the others were undoubtedly calmer. Nevertheless, they all offered their congratulations to Crocalor. Clearly, after spending time together, the three youngsters had integrated into Gu Yuan's team.
Once Crocalor had familiarized itself with its evolved body, Gu Yuan took it to battle, allowing it to fully adapt to its new form. Pushing straight through the area, Gu Yuan quickly passed through the Rookie Rank Pokémon activity zone and stepped into the Junior Rank area.
Unfortunately, Gu Yuan's team temporarily lacked a Pokémon of this strength. Furthermore, even Ditto had no intention of bullying the weak, which allowed Gu Yuan to speed up once more. Consequently, it was only upon reaching the Intermediate Rank Pokémon activity zone that Ditto could truly show its skills.
Opening Ditto's information panel, Gu Yuan prepared to use this opportunity to help Ditto break through to Senior Rank as well! Currently, thanks to its powerful physique, Ditto could easily transform into other Pokémon during battle. It sometimes gained a type advantage, sometimes a speed advantage, and sometimes a strength advantage. Therefore, the accumulation of advantages could easily be converted into a winning position, allowing Ditto to secure victory in the battle!
Under continuous battling, Gu Yuan moved closer and closer to the deeper parts of the forest. Upon discovering that Senior Rank wild Pokémon were appearing, Gu Yuan realized that the Forest Overlord must possess Ace Rank strength. Furthermore, with the Overlord's Boost, it would likely be one of the best among Ace Rank Pokémon, which consequently dashed Gu Yuan's idea of crossing the forest.
Just as Gu Yuan was preparing to take a detour, he saw a fireball suddenly descend, heading straight for the center of the forest.
"You all, return first."
After a moment of hesitation, Gu Yuan returned Charizard and the others to their Poké Balls, leaving only Alakazam. "Let's go, Alakazam. We'll go check it out, and be ready to use Teleport at any moment."
The moment Gu Yuan finished speaking, Alakazam used Teleport to vanish with him. Quickly, the fireball fell, and a wave of heat frantically spread outward. Even Gu Yuan and Alakazam, who were approaching, could feel it. Gu Yuan became increasingly cautious in the face of an entity capable of unleashing such astonishing power.
After several instances of Teleport, Gu Yuan reached the deeper part of the forest. Here, an Electabuzz was eyeing the fireball that had suddenly appeared in its territory. The heat wave that rushed toward it, along with a special Aura, pressured the Electabuzz, making it reluctant to immediately attack and investigate.
Utilizing Teleport, Gu Yuan and Alakazam successfully arrived nearby and concealed themselves within a Treetop. Gu Yuan stared intently at the fireball. Looking at the System's introduction, he couldn't help but freeze.
Pokémon: Moltres
Gender: Genderless
Ability: Flame Body
Rank: ?
Type: Fire/Flying
Level-up Moves: ?
TM Moves: ?
Egg Moves: ?
"System, why is Moltres's information mostly question marks?" Looking at the information panel, where everything except the name, type, and ability was a question mark, Gu Yuan couldn't help but ask.
"Ding. A special power envelops this Pokémon, preventing the System from knowing all the information. It can only be unlocked after the Host captures it."
Hearing the System's reply, Gu Yuan started to ponder. The special power mentioned by the System must be due to the target being a Legendary Pokémon. Compared to other Legendary Beasts, the title of the Three Legendary Birds can only be held by the strongest member of each respective species. Even so, the remaining entities are still Legendary Pokémon and are naturally protected by this power.
While Gu Yuan pondered, the flames dissipated, revealing Moltres's form. Moltres's most distinguishing characteristic was the fierce flames burning on its back and wings. However, from Gu Yuan's perspective, he could also see a horrifying scar on Moltres's back, which made Moltres's Aura extremely unstable.
Seeing the Electabuzz eyeing it covetously, Moltres's pride instinctively prompted it to launch an attack. Unfortunately, it underestimated the severity of its injuries. The moment Moltres flapped its wings, the intense pain from its back caused it to let out a painful cry, followed by it collapsing weakly.
Seeing this, a flicker of light flashed in the Electabuzz's eyes, and a smile gradually appeared on its face. Electricity condensed, and Thunder was unleashed, transforming into a thick pillar of lightning that descended. Just as Gu Yuan had guessed, the Electabuzz, which already had Ace Rank strength, was made even more powerful by the Overlord's Boost. It was clearly way stronger than an ordinary Ace Rank Pokémon.
As danger approached, Moltres endured the intense pain and forcibly spat out a stream of flame. The pillar of lightning descended but could not destroy the flames Moltres had released. Instead, they entangled and broke apart, resulting in a Stalemate. Unfortunately, that single attack had completely exhausted Moltres's power. Conversely, the Electabuzz appeared completely unaffected. Electricity condensed once more, and an even more powerful Thunder than before descended. This time, Moltres had absolutely no strength left to fight back.