Observing the familiar terrain around him, Nel couldn't help but feel excited.
There were still a few days left before the trial ended, but he had no intention of hunting here. He just wanted to find a place to hide.
When the trial ended, he would rush back to the base right away to complete his quest.
To him, staying alive was more important than getting a better result.
His choice looked cowardly, but it was also a very smart one.
As soon as Nel got closer, he smelled something burnt in the air.
His sharp sense of smell was a natural gift, and it had helped him many times before.
Now, the closer he got, the more it smelled like burning flesh. That was enough to make him think of the worst.
Without hesitation, Nel turned and ran.
Even if it was just a misunderstanding, he would never risk his life.
Sensing its trainer's tension, Parasect became alert too.
The next second, Nel's vision blurred. The scenery suddenly changed.
A cold knife came rushing at him.
Nel felt a chill spread through his body, followed by sharp pain.
His strength drained away, and he fell backward.
Blood pooled beneath him as his life began to fade away.
His eyes reflected a horrifying scene. Parasect was trapped by Charmeleon and Eevee, fighting with all its strength against its foes.
Eevee's Advanced proficiency in Helping Hand gave Charmeleon an incredible boost.
A thick pillar of fire burst out. Parasect, who was four times weak to Fire, took massive damage.
Gu Yuan didn't even need to recall Parasect into a Poké Ball. Charmeleon had already knocked it out.
The battle ended. As always, Gu Yuan burned Nel's body until nothing remained.
Gu Yuan had controlled this area for three days. With Nel, that made four people killed by his hand. His points had reached 625.
He felt excited but also became more cautious.
More people would keep coming. Some might even travel in pairs. If Gu Yuan attacked them, the pressure would be greater.
Abra's Teleport and Ally Switch would not be as effective when dealing with multiple targets at the same time.
That would be the true test of Gu Yuan's strength.
The hunt continued. But Gu Yuan could not find a better hiding spot, so he picked a random place and waited.
Two days passed quickly. Gu Yuan killed three more Rocket members.
That made nine kills in total. He only needed one more to complete Shadow's quest.
But then the situation he had feared appeared. Two Rocket members arrived together.
"Looks like someone came before us, and even got something out of it," Barry said, sounding excited as he spotted traces left in the forest.
"No surprise. We're not the only ones with this idea. But this saves us time. We just need to find him and take his badges. That's much easier than searching for them one by one," Rael replied.
Barry was crazy, and Rael wasn't much better.
If Gu Yuan had known, he would have realized these two were infamous among the Rocket members in the trial.
Partly for their strength, but even more so for their madness.
Not madness in battle, but a craving for killing.
They already had human lives on their hands before joining Team Rocket.
After joining, it only got worse.
They were no longer satisfied with killing. They enjoyed torture, loved hearing screams.
Most thought they would end up killing each other. But instead, they became partners.
When their trainers spoke, Barry and Rael's Arboks hissed with excitement.
Ever since they had followed their masters, even humans had become part of their meals.
Whenever their trainers spoke like this, the Arboks knew they would soon feast.
But suddenly, a wave of drowsiness struck them.
From the treetops, Eevee leapt down, using Yawn, then fired Swift at Barry and Rael.
Charmeleon also jumped out, and with its mastery of Flamethrower, it unleashed a stream of fire that engulfed both men.
Sensing danger, Rael reacted first. He shoved Barry in front of him as a shield.
The next moment, Swift and Flamethrower swallowed them both.
"Charmeleon, Eevee, target the Arbok on the right with Flamethrower and Swift!"
Gu Yuan's command rang out.
He didn't continue focusing on the trainers. Instead, he seized the last chance given by Yawn and went for an all-out strike.
Earlier, Gu Yuan had observed that the Arbok on the right belonged to Rael.
Hit by the double assault of Flamethrower and Swift, the Arbok woke up instantly. The pain driving it into a frenzy.
Rael wasn't much better. Even with Barry's body as a shield, his burns were severe.
Still, he endured. Opening another Poké Ball, Rael sent out his Beedrill.
Before he could command both Arbok and Beedrill, he felt killing intent rise beside him.
Turning, Rael saw Barry's Arbok glaring at him.
It had always been satisfied with Barry as its trainer. Barry gave it everything it wanted, even fed it humans.
Cold as it was, it couldn't ignore seeing its trainer die right before its eyes.
"You stupid snake! Can't you see it was them who killed your trainer? Even without me, he wouldn't have survived!" Rael shouted, backing away.
He knew Barry's Arbok was as strong as his own. At this distance, even Beedrill couldn't save him if the Arbok struck.
But the Arbok didn't care. It lunged at Rael with a hiss.
That was why Gu Yuan had attacked Rael's Arbok first—he had gambled that Barry's Arbok would turn on him.
"Eevee, use Helping Hand on Charmeleon, then use Yawn again on Arbok and that survivor!"
"Charmeleon, finish him with Flamethrower!"
Gu Yuan seized the chance and ordered another all-out attack.