Chapter 20: The Tide Caller
Recap: Fang Yuan evolved his Thunderbird Gu and Moss Gu into Storm Phoenix Gu and Solar Vine Gu. Now he stands on the Tide Caller's arena, facing the sixth Gym Leader—a Rank 5 water specialist with a Rank 4 Sea Dragon.
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The sea roared.
Shi Lei raised her trident, and the water beneath the platform surged. Waves crashed against the stone, their foam turning to mist, their spray rising like rain. The Storm Gu above her crackled, lightning arcing between its clouds. The Wave Gu swirled at her feet, a vortex of water that grew with each passing second.
Fang Yuan released his Storm Phoenix Gu.
The creature materialized in a burst of lightning, its wings black as night, its feathers crackling with energy. Rank 3. Electric/Flying. A creature of storm and sky.
"Storm Call," Fang Yuan said.
The Storm Phoenix Gu's wings beat, and the sky answered. Clouds gathered, dark and heavy, lightning flashing between them. The Storm Gu above Shi Lei faltered, its own lightning absorbed by the phoenix's storm.
Shi Lei's eyes narrowed. "You think you can control the weather better than me?"
She raised her trident higher. The Wave Gu surged, a wall of water rising from the sea, rushing toward the platform. It was not an attack. It was a flood, designed to sweep Fang Yuan away, to drown him before he could fight back.
He released his Stone Dragon Gu.
The dragon materialized on the platform, its massive body blocking the wave. The water struck its scales and parted, flowing around it, leaving Fang Yuan dry.
"Stone Dragon. Dragon Breath."
Golden fire erupted from the dragon's mouth, striking the Wave Gu's body. The water creature screamed, its form dissolving, steam rising. But Shi Lei was already moving.
Her Sea Dragon lunged.
It was fast—faster than anything Fang Yuan had faced. Its scales were blue as the deep sea, its eyes gold, its jaws open, rows of teeth gleaming. The Stone Dragon Gu tried to block, but the Sea Dragon was too quick. It struck the Stone Dragon's side, its teeth sinking into the dragon's scales, and the Stone Dragon roared, its body thrashing.
Fang Yuan recalled it before the Sea Dragon could strike again.
Two Subjects down. The Sea Dragon is Rank 4. My Stone Dragon is Rank 3. I can't match it in direct combat.
He released his Wildfire Stallion. The creature materialized in a blaze of orange and red, its mane a torrent of flame, its hooves pawing the platform.
"Flame Charge."
The Stallion charged, its body becoming a streak of fire. The Sea Dragon turned, its jaws opening, a stream of water already forming—
Fang Yuan released his Storm Phoenix Gu. "Thunder Shock."
The lightning struck the Sea Dragon's side. The creature convulsed, its water attack scattering, its scales crackling with electricity. The Wildfire Stallion's flame struck its chest, and the Sea Dragon screamed, its body twisting.
But Shi Lei smiled.
"You think fire and lightning can stop the sea?" She raised her trident. "The sea is eternal. The sea is everything."
The Storm Gu above her erupted. Lightning arced from its clouds, not at Fang Yuan, but at the sea itself. The water rose, churning, boiling, and from its depths, something emerged.
A second Sea Dragon. Rank 3. Smaller than the first, but just as deadly.
Two Sea Dragons. She had a second one hidden.
Fang Yuan recalled the Wildfire Stallion and the Storm Phoenix Gu. He was running out of options.
He released his Solar Vine Gu.
The creature materialized in a burst of golden light, its tendrils waving, its flowers blooming. Rank 2. Grass/Light. Against water, it was strong. Against two Sea Dragons, it was nothing.
"Solar Beam," Fang Yuan said.
The Solar Vine Gu's flowers glowed, absorbing the sunlight that broke through the storm clouds. A beam of golden light shot toward the smaller Sea Dragon, striking its scales, burning them, melting them. The creature screamed, its body writhing, and fell back into the sea.
Shi Lei's smile faded. "Light. Against my dragons. Clever."
She raised her trident again, and the larger Sea Dragon surged forward, its jaws open, its teeth gleaming.
Fang Yuan recalled the Solar Vine Gu. He had one Subject left that could fight. One Subject that had been with him since the beginning.
He released his Moonlight Gu.
The silver insect materialized, its light faint, its wings trembling. Rank 1. Light type. Against a Rank 4 Sea Dragon, it was nothing.
Shi Lei laughed. "A Moonlight Gu? That's your final stand?"
The Sea Dragon lunged.
Fang Yuan raised his hand. "Flash."
The Moonlight Gu pulsed. A burst of silver light, weak and flickering. The Sea Dragon didn't even slow.
But something else did.
The Storm Gu above Shi Lei—the creature that had been controlling the weather, summoning the lightning—stopped. Its clouds parted. Its lightning faded. And its form began to change.
It was absorbing the Moonlight Gu's light. Drinking it. And as it drank, it transformed.
The Storm Gu's clouds turned silver. Its lightning turned gold. And when the transformation was complete, it was no longer a Storm Gu. It was something else.
[Unknown Evolution]
Storm Gu → ???
Type: Electric/Light
Rank: 3
Moves: Thunder Shock, Light Screen, Storm Call
Shi Lei stared at her transformed Gu, her face pale. "What—what have you done?"
Fang Yuan smiled. "I gave it light."
He raised his hand. The transformed Storm Gu—his Storm Gu now—answered. Lightning arced from its clouds, striking the Sea Dragon's side. The creature screamed, its scales crackling, its body convulsing.
The Moonlight Gu pulsed again, and the lightning intensified. The Sea Dragon thrashed, its movements slowing, its strength fading. And then it fell.
It crashed onto the platform, its body limp, its eyes closed.
Shi Lei stood alone, her trident lowered, her face blank.
"You've won," she said quietly.
She reached into her armor and pulled out a badge—blue as the sea, shaped like a wave, its surface gleaming. She held it out.
Fang Yuan took it. The system flared.
[Gym Badge Acquired: Tide Badge]
[6/8 Badges Obtained]
[Unlocked: PP Max now available in Shop]
[Unlocked: Increased capture limit to 42 total Subjects]
[Sixth Badge Bonus: 300 Primeval Stones]
His status updated: Primeval Stones: 381.
He pocketed the badge and turned to leave.
"Wait." Shi Lei's voice was soft. "The thing you carry. The fragments. I've seen them before. In the Dead Lands. In the door."
Fang Yuan stopped. "What door?"
She looked at him, her eyes old, tired. "The door you're trying to open. The door that should never be opened. I've seen what's on the other side. I've seen the darkness that waits." She reached out, her hand trembling. "Please. Don't go there. Don't open it."
Fang Yuan looked at her hand. Then at her face.
"I have to," he said.
He walked off the platform and didn't look back.
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The city was quiet when he returned.
The lanterns were lit, the music played, the laughter echoed. But Fang Yuan heard none of it. His mind was on the door. On the Dead Lands. On the darkness that waited.
He reached his room and sat on the bed, his Subjects' spheres spread before him.
Six badges. Two to go. The seventh was in the central mountains. A Steel specialist. Rank 5. His Gu were said to be unbreakable. The eighth was in the capital. A Dragon specialist. Rank 6. The strongest Gym Leader in the world.
I need more power. More Subjects. More evolutions.
He opened the Shop. 381 primeval stones. He could convert 300 to 3 IES. Enough for one evolution stone.
He did it.
[Conversion Complete]
300 Primeval Stones → 3 Immortal Essence Stones
He now had 3 IES. Enough for one evolution stone.
He scrolled through the options. Fire Stone. Water Stone. Thunder Stone. Moon Stone. Leaf Stone. Ice Stone. Dusk Stone. Dawn Stone. Shiny Stone.
Which one? I need something that can counter Steel and Dragon. Steel is weak against Fire and Fighting. Dragon is weak against Ice and Dragon.
He selected Ice Stone. 3 IES. His IES dropped to 0.
He held the Ice Stone in his hand. It was cold, so cold, its surface gleaming with frost.
He released his Water Snake Gu. The creature materialized, its scales blue, its body coiled. Rank 2. Water type.
He pressed the Ice Stone to its scales.
The Water Snake Gu convulsed. Ice spread across its body, covering its scales, its eyes, its fangs. When the transformation was complete, it was no longer a Water Snake. It was something else.
[Evolution Complete]
Water Snake Gu → Frost Serpent Gu
Type: Water/Ice
Rank: 3
Moves: Ice Beam, Water Gun, Frost Breath
Ability: Ice Body
Water/Ice. Rank 3. Ice Beam. Strong against Dragon. Perfect.
He recalled the Frost Serpent Gu and looked at his remaining stones: 81 PS.
Not enough for anything else. But it's enough. It has to be enough.
He lay back on his bed and closed his eyes.
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He dreamed of the door.
It was closer now. Its surface black, its symbols shifting, its presence overwhelming. He stood before it, his hand raised, his heart pounding.
Open me.
He pushed. The door groaned, its hinges screaming.
Open me.
He pushed harder. The door cracked, light bleeding through.
OPEN ME.
He threw his weight against it. The door burst open. And on the other side—
He woke gasping, his hand pressed against his chest, his heart pounding. The cracked stone was burning against his skin.
He sat up, his breath ragged. Outside, the sun was rising, the city stirring. Two badges remained. Two Gym Leaders. And then the door.
I'm coming, he thought. I'm coming for you.
He stood, gathered his Subjects, and walked out of the city.
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End of Chapter 20