"Is this all I can do?"
Standing beside Azumarill, Bell murmured softly.
Everyone who had followed Bell, along with their Pokémon, had already fallen. Even Bell was down to only his Azumarill.
The wounds covering both of them showed how brutal the battle had been. They were both completely exhausted.
Seeing the fear in the eyes of those chasing him, Bell knew it came from how terrifying he had been just moments ago, fighting like someone possessed.
But it was useless. The young lady he was supposed to protect was already dead. Once these people recovered, both he and Azumarill would end up as corpses too.
Looking at the bare treetops, Bell couldn't tell if he should feel anger or regret.
A burst of scorching flames erupted the next moment, swallowing Bell and Azumarill whole.
Only when Bell's charred body fell and slowly turned to ash did those around finally let out a sigh of relief.
They had no choice. Bell had been terrifying, like a mad dog, dragging people to die with him.
There had been more than ten of them at first, yet only a few were left now. Even their two Senior Rank Pokémon were badly injured, not to mention the Intermediate and Junior Rank ones.
Just as they were preparing to regroup and join the team chasing Gu Yuan, the Senior-level Trainer standing on the left suddenly vanished.
Kadabra immediately used Teleport, taking the other Senior Trainer on the right with it.
The sudden change shocked the survivors. They huddled together, watching their surroundings carefully, afraid they would disappear next.
But that only delayed their deaths.
Pulling out two Poké Balls that held the other Pokémon, Gu Yuan quietly announced that the final hunt was about to begin.
"Kadabra, use Teleport to take Charizard to the battlefield. Use those two bodies to distract them."
"Charizard, use Dragon Rush, then follow with Flamethrower, keep attacking."
"Sylveon, be ready to give support with Shadow Ball. Take them out one by one."
The commands echoed in his Pokémon's minds.
In the next instant, Kadabra vanished with Charizard and the two corpses.
Appearing above the battlefield, they looked down. The two Senior Rank Pokémon on the ground, seeing their Trainers' bodies, were filled with sorrow.
Kadabra seized the moment. It opened the two Poké Balls and recalled both Pokémon, locking them inside.
The remaining Trainers didn't attack Kadabra because Charizard was already diving toward them.
Before the strike, Charizard had boosted its speed to the limit using Flame Charge, following Gu Yuan's orders.
Now, those on the ground could only watch as a blazing dragon descended closer and closer.
Facing death, the Trainers finally reacted. They commanded their Pokémon to counterattack while retreating from Dragon Rush's range.
Boom!
An explosion rang out. Some were lucky enough to escape from the impact, but Sylveon quickly launched its attack.
To avoid hitting Charizard, Gu Yuan had told Sylveon to fire its Shadow Ball at specific targets.
With their fragile human bodies, being struck by Sylveon's Shadow Ball meant certain death.
As Charizard landed, it continued breathing fire.
Flames spread fast, surrounding the area and making Charizard look like a true dragon of destruction.
Without Senior-level Pokémon to defend them, the wounded Intermediate and Junior Rank Pokémon couldn't resist Charizard's onslaught.
With Sylveon and Kadabra providing support, the fight was over in moments. Only Gu Yuan's group remained alive. The rest were reduced to corpses in a sea of fire.
Gu Yuan recalled the surviving Pokémon into their Poké Balls, intending to hand them to Shadow later in exchange for resources.
Once everyone was turned to ash, Gu Yuan had Kadabra teleport them away.
After this battle, Gu Yuan gained many more points. It only strengthened his belief that killing and burning led to profit.
After leaving the battlefield, Gu Yuan didn't go far. He climbed onto a treetop where May Kuroda lay motionless.
In truth, when Kadabra attacked, it had only knocked her unconscious, creating the illusion that she was dead.
This had worked because Bell and the others were unfamiliar with Psychic-type abilities. Otherwise, Gu Yuan's plan might have failed.
He hadn't saved May Kuroda because she was beautiful, though she certainly was. The truth was, Gu Yuan was only ten years old, even if he looked like he was fourteen or fifteen.
The real reason was strategic. Gu Yuan planned to report this to Shadow, letting him decide how best to use May Kuroda.
With Gu Yuan's current rank and power, the most he could do was send her back to the Kuroda family, gain some resources, and maybe earn their goodwill, but that would also put him on Goichi Kuroda's radar.
Shadow, however, could handle things differently.
Team Rocket's power far surpassed the Kuroda family's. With May Kuroda's name, Shadow could quietly take over the entire family.
So after moving May Kuroda to a safe place, Gu Yuan immediately contacted Shadow.
"Are you sure no one else knows about this?"
After hearing the full story, Shadow asked his question.
"I can't guarantee it," Gu Yuan replied. "There was a time when I left the battlefield to draw attention away. I don't know if they sent a message during that time."
"But judging from the scene, the fight was intense. It's unlikely they had time to send a message."
Shadow was silent for a moment.
"I understand. I'll give you a task. Take care of her and bring her to Saffron City. Leave the rest to me."
"Huh? You're not sending someone to pick her up?"
"Hmph. I'm giving you a chance. If you can make her fall for you, you'll save us a lot of resources. Besides, I don't want too many people to know about this."
"Even if they did manage to send a message, it'll take time before another attack. After all, Hiroshi Kuroda isn't dead."
"So just take her safely to Saffron City. Once you're done, I'll give you a reward. That's all."
With that, Shadow hung up, not giving Gu Yuan a chance to refuse.
Clearing the call log, Gu Yuan looked at the unconscious May Kuroda and sighed. He almost regretted not giving her a quick death.