Water Pulse exploded. The splashing water tore through the leaves above the trees.
When Gu Yuan landed, his face darkened.
Just as Kadabra was about to use Teleport to take him away, the man beside May Kuroda ordered his Azumarill to use Water Pulse at them.
The attack interrupted Kadabra's Teleport, forcing Gu Yuan to appear before everyone.
"This young man, please forgive us. We're from the Kuroda family, and this is the young lady, May Kuroda."
"As long as you safely escort her back home, the Kuroda family will reward you handsomely!"
Seeing a Kadabra by Gu Yuan's side, Bell's eyes lit up. He hurriedly spoke to him.
When Bell arrived earlier, his Azumarill had heard someone hiding in the trees above and secretly told its Trainer.
After learning that, Bell didn't act. He only stayed alert in secret.
But when the pursuers caught up, Bell decided to force Gu Yuan out, to split their attention. That had been his plan from the start.
However, after discovering that Gu Yuan had a Kadabra, Bell quickly changed his tone.
Unlike Bell, the pursuers had no interest in negotiation. They immediately split off some of their men to attack Gu Yuan.
To them, killing May Kuroda was important. But more importantly, no outsider could be allowed to know. That meant Gu Yuan had to die too.
One side tried to bribe him, the other attacked him outright.
Logically, helping Bell would have been the most beneficial choice.
But Gu Yuan knew very well who had forced him into this situation in the first place.
It was also a harsh reminder: never let your guard down.
If he hadn't assumed that Houndoom and Azumarill couldn't find him and stayed behind to watch the chaos, this wouldn't have happened.
"Come out, Charizard! Use Flamethrower!"
"Kadabra, switch positions! Teleport!"
Charizard burst forth in flames. It roared and unleashed Flamethrower, forming a wall of fire that blocked Houndoom's Taunt and the enemies' advance.
Kadabra used Teleport, swapping May Kuroda to Gu Yuan's side, then reappearing behind him. The movements were smooth and flawless.
"Finish her, Kadabra!"
Bell's face showed a brief look of joy , but then Gu Yuan gave his command.
In the next moment, May Kuroda fell to the ground, motionless.
"No!"
Bell's furious roar echoed. His eyes turned red.
Now he regretted ever turning on Gu Yuan. If he hadn't, maybe they could have escorted the young lady safely, instead of watching her die.
"You bastard!"
Bell no longer thought about running. He only wanted revenge.
The pursuers didn't plan to let him go either.
Even though May Kuroda was dead, they couldn't allow Bell to escape. If he did, their actions would be exposed.
Ironically, the one who had just killed May Kuroda, Gu Yuan, was now the least pressured.
To them, he was already the murderer. If word got out, he would surely die anyway.
"Let's go."
Through telepathy, Gu Yuan's voice echoed in Charizard's and Kadabra's minds. He even took May Kuroda's body with him.
Facing the enraged Bell, the pursuers had to divert most of their strength. They left only one Senior-ranked Trainer and two Intermediate-ranked Trainers to chase Gu Yuan.
They didn't expect them to defeat him, only to keep track and report.
Once Bell and his group were dead and both sides regrouped, Gu Yuan would be surrounded.
"Azumarill, use Hydro Pump!"
After Gu Yuan vanished, Bell turned his fury toward the pursuers.
He had failed his master's task, and now his lady was dead. Bell and his people had no will to live.
If they couldn't drag Gu Yuan to hell, they would take these enemies with them.
As Bell's team fought with reckless abandon, death became the only song left on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the three Trainers chasing Gu Yuan were still following closely, using Houndoom's tracking ability.
But with Kadabra's Teleport, they quickly lost his trail.
To stay safe, they didn't split up. Still, they sent Houndooms apart to expand the search.
If Charizard attacked suddenly, the Houndooms could react at once.
Suddenly, the Senior-ranked Trainer disappeared, replaced by Kadabra.
Then Teleport flashed again, and Kadabra vanished from sight. The other two Trainers didn't even have time to react, let alone order an attack.
The smell of blood began to spread. Houndoom's keen nose caught it instantly.
Driven by rage, the lead Houndoom dashed toward the source, unaware that it was moving too far ahead.
When it arrived, it saw its Trainer's corpse.
Before it could react, a scream came from behind.
Suppressing its grief, Houndoom turned and ran toward the sound, seeking revenge.
Pushing through the bushes, it found the other two Trainers dead in pools of blood. Their own Houndooms were gone.
Before it could process what happened, a red beam shot out, hitting Houndoom and trapping it in a Poké Ball. The ball clicked shut.
Gu Yuan stepped out from hiding.
"Good work, Kadabra. Rest for a bit. We still have another battle coming."
He patted Kadabra's shoulder and signaled Charizard to handle the bodies.
From the moment Bell forced him into the open, Gu Yuan had no intention of letting anyone leave alive.
Killing May Kuroda was only a setup to create this chaos.
And the key to defeating the three Trainers so quickly was Kadabra's Teleport.
For this battle, Gu Yuan had poured all his remaining points into Teleport, raising its mastery to Expert level.
At that level, Kadabra's teleportation was faster, had greater range, and used less energy.
Most importantly, even moves like Taunt or Mean Look couldn't easily stop it unless their mastery was also Advanced or higher. That was Gu Yuan's confidence.
Having spent so many points, Gu Yuan intended to make up for the loss by taking everything from the fallen.