Gu Qiu set out immediately.
The moment he stepped out of the Pokémon Center—
He ran into Mei again.
Pure coincidence.
She stood near the entrance, looking distracted.
Her eyes were unfocused, clearly lost in thought.
Gu Qiu walked past her.
She didn't even notice.
Only then did he remember—
She had given him a small note earlier.
Her contact information.
"Gu… Gu Qiu?"
Mei suddenly sensed something familiar and looked up.
When she saw him standing nearby, disbelief filled her eyes.
She rubbed them quickly.
Was she hallucinating?
Had she been thinking about him so much that she imagined him appearing?
"What a coincidence," Gu Qiu said casually, noticing her strange reaction.
"Y-Yeah… what a coincidence."
Mei forced a smile.
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"But why are you here?"
Gu Qiu blinked.
"I'm traveling."
"If I'm not staying at the Pokémon Center, where else would I stay?"
"At my—"
She froze.
Her face turned red instantly.
"…right."
She almost said it.
My house.
Embarrassed, she quickly changed the subject.
"Did you come to heal your Pokémon?"
"Yeah."
"My Servine got slightly injured in the battle earlier."
"But your Frogadier was amazing."
"I wish I could be as strong as you."
Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
Gu Qiu shook his head slightly.
"Servine isn't weak."
"Once it evolves into Serperior, it'll become even stronger."
"Judging by its condition, it's not far from evolving."
Mei blinked.
"You can tell?"
"More or less."
Her Servine was already Level 26.
At Level 36, once enough evolutionary energy accumulated—
It could evolve.
Evolution brought a massive increase in strength.
In fact—
Most Pokémon didn't evolve simply because they reached a level.
Potential played a huge role.
Anyone serious about pursuing the Trainer path rarely chose Low-Grade Pokémon.
Low-grade Pokémon were usually temporary partners.
Most people saved money and bought at least Mid-Grade Pokémon.
Why?
Because Low-Grade Pokémon grew painfully slowly.
Many never reached Level 30 in their entire lives.
Some couldn't even complete their first evolution.
Mid-Grade Pokémon were better.
With proper training, they could usually reach their final evolution stage.
Their strength often capped around Level 40–45, with rare exceptions exceeding that.
However—
Mid-Grade Pokémon had one major limitation.
They could not Mega Evolve.
They lacked the necessary evolutionary factor.
Of course—
Mega Evolution itself was something most Trainers would never experience.
That was the domain of true elites.
High-Grade Pokémon were what most Trainers dreamed of owning.
With proper training, reaching the final evolution stage was almost guaranteed.
And if cultivated well—
A single High-Grade Pokémon could carry a Trainer into the Quasi-Elite Four tier.
After chatting for a while—
Gu Qiu waved and left.
Mei stood there quietly.
Watching him disappear into the distance.
A faint look of disappointment appeared in her eyes.
Meanwhile—
Gu Qiu had things to do.
—
He placed three Flying Thunder God marks around Pewter City before leaving.
Hidden.
Difficult to discover.
Then he turned to Pikachu.
"Pikachu, you're faster."
"Take this bead and go home."
"Place it in my room."
"Pika."
Pikachu nodded seriously and accepted the bead.
"Once you arrive, wait in my room."
"I'll teleport there and bring you back."
"Pika!"
With a flash of yellow lightning—
Pikachu dashed away.
At its speed, it would probably reach home in under three hours.
Gu Qiu's plan was simple.
Once Pikachu arrived—
He would use Flying Thunder God to teleport home.
Then immediately teleport back with Pikachu.
An incredibly efficient method.
Gu Qiu couldn't help but sigh.
"Flying Thunder God really is practical."
He looked toward the distant mountains.
"Next stop…"
"Cerulean City."
Cerulean City wasn't far from Pewter.
But between the two cities stood a famous location.
Mt. Moon.
Gu Qiu planned to pass through it.
It was the perfect opportunity to train Ralts.
He hoped Ralts could evolve into the Psychic Empress—
Gardevoir.
The sooner the better.
—
What Gu Qiu didn't know—
The internet had already exploded.
Videos of his battle against Brock spread across trainer forums and video platforms.
Views skyrocketed.
Within hours—
They surpassed one hundred million.
Countless viewers were stunned by the power Gu Qiu displayed.
Especially the mysterious Tailed Beast Cloak.
But not everyone praised him.
Criticism appeared quickly.
Some people accused him of grandstanding.
"The Pokémon battle system is already well-established."
"There's no need to introduce strange new methods."
Others claimed Trainers shouldn't chase short-term power.
"Who knows what long-term damage it might cause to Pokémon?"
Some so-called experts even declared his abilities "unscientific."
They warned that this power system might harm both Trainer and Pokémon.
Their suggestion?
Hand Frogadier over.
For research.
"For Gu Qiu's own good."
"For the future of humanity."
Disturbingly—
With the right manipulation of public opinion—
Many people actually agreed.
Some organizations had already begun taking action.
Quietly.
In the shadows.
A storm was brewing.
And Gu Qiu—
Was standing at its center.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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