"This mission is temporarily abandoned. The target hasn't shown all his strength in battle, and judging by the scene, he's also extremely skilled in real combat."
"I'll take responsibility for giving up. Everyone, stay alert and focus on getting back to Saffron City alive."
After some thought, Seiji decided to give up on this mission.
"Enough, my decision is made. We'll discuss the rest when we get back. For now, we leave."
Seeing that his team wanted to share the blame, Seiji stopped them.
The longer they stayed, the stronger his sense of danger grew. He didn't want to remain here another moment.
The others had no choice but to follow him, though deep down, each decided to share some of the responsibility. They couldn't let Seiji bear it all alone.
They hadn't gone far when Kadabra used Ally Switch and Teleport again.
In an instant, the six-man team became five.
Then came a scream.
"Release your Pokémon and stay alert. Let's go check it out!"
Seiji released his two Senior Rank Pokémon and led the way toward the source of the scream.
As they pushed through the bushes, Kadabra once again used Ally Switch and Teleport.
But this time, the targets weren't Seiji and the others in the middle of the group. They were the Pokémon themselves.
After locking onto its target, Charizard, who had been waiting, suddenly used Slash.
With the boost from Swords Dance, Charizard's attack power had already reached its peak, and its claws were razor-sharp.
Facing Pokémon that hadn't even reacted yet, Charizard could easily pierce their skin or armor, killing them in one blow.
When the Pokémon vanished and there was no further sound, even its trainer began to panic.
"Keep formation and retreat. Just get out of this forest as fast as you can!"
Seiji's voice snapped through the tension. Hearing him, the others regained focus and followed behind.
First there was the Psychic-type Kadabra, and then another silent kill of a Senior Rank Pokémon. Together, these made Seiji and the others overestimate Gu Yuan's power.
They knew he had only one Senior Rank Charizard, but now they believed he had at least three Pokémon of that level.
But since that kind of strength wasn't enough to crush them head-on, so he was using hit-and-run tactics to wear them down.
Once they were weakened enough, Gu Yuan would strike in full force and destroy them completely.
The proof was in the corpses of Willy's team and the silently slain Pokémon.
Gu Yuan could guess what they were thinking, but he didn't bother correcting them. It only made his job easier.
Just as they suspected, Gu Yuan kept ordering Kadabra to attack. Each time, another Pokémon fell, most of them Senior Rank.
Within a short time, half of Seiji's team's Pokémon were gone. The only good news was that they were close to escaping the forest.
"Kadabra."
Even so, Gu Yuan didn't stop the slaughter.
It used Ally Switch and Teleport together again, taking another Senior Rank Pokémon away.
Blood splattered. Now, only two Senior Rank Pokémon remained beside Seiji and his group.
"Prepare for an all-out assault. Kadabra, use Teleport to bring Charizard and Sylveon in close."
"Charizard, use Dragon Rush as soon as you appear. Sylveon, use Yawn!"
Gu Yuan's command rang out, and Kadabra immediately teleported them.
A surge of danger rose in Seiji's chest.
He instinctively looked up. A massive dragon was diving toward them.
At the same time, Sylveon's Yawn took effect.
A wave of drowsiness hit Seiji and his Pokémon, making them lose focus for a brief moment.
In a fight like this, even a small mistake could decide everything. Losing focus meant death.
By the time they reacted, Charizard was already in front of them.
They unleashed several moves at once, but in their rush, they lacked power.
"Roar!"
Charizard's roar filled the air. Seiji ducked behind his Electabuzz, hoping it could shield him.
The power of Dragon Rush exploded outward, severely injuring the Pokémon in the center. Their trainers were killed instantly.
Only Seiji and one other survived by reacting fast enough, but Kadabra appeared behind them.
Kadabra's strength was already close to Intermediate Rank, and with the boost from Nasty Plot, it now fought on par with that level.
Two untrained humans couldn't resist it at all.
And Sylveon played a huge part in this.
Like Kadabra, Sylveon was close to breakingthrough, soon it would get to Senior Rank, which made its Yawn effective even against powerful Pokémon.
The fight continued. Under Yawn's influence, Charizard, powered by Swords Dance, easily overwhelmed the wounded Electabuzz.
Moments later, Electabuzz fell.
When no one else appeared, Gu Yuan calmly collected the Pokémon and valuable belongings from Seiji's group.
Leaving the corpses behind, he finally departed with his Pokémon.
When Gu Yuan was gone, a middle-aged man arrived.
Seeing the battlefield full of corpses, he was shocked.
"I didn't expect him to be this strong. Now I understand why the company wants to recruit him."
"It's a pity that Reima Mizutani was such a useless fool. He didn't even give me a chance to step in."
"But after Gu Yuan's display of power, the Mizutani family won't take this lying down. I wonder if they'll send an Ace Rank trainer next time. If they do, I might not be able to protect that boy."
Muttering to himself, the man turned toward Saffron City.
He was the one Michael had sent to protect Gu Yuan, ready to help him at a critical moment.
Unfortunately, Gu Yuan's performance left him with nothing to do.
With Kadabra's power, Gu Yuan had easily wiped out both Willy's and Seiji's teams.
***
"Damn it! Since when does some peasant dare to provoke the Mizutani family!"
In his study, Takashi Mizutani roared in fury after hearing what Gu Yuan had done.
He didn't reflect on how Reima Mizutani's reckless plan had caused this disaster.
All Takashi cared about was that Gu Yuan's actions had humiliated his family.
Letting Gu Yuan live any longer would only make the Mizutani family a laughingstock.
"Tell him that no matter what it takes, he must eliminate Gu Yuan. Otherwise, I'll start considering a new heir."
With a wave of his hand, Takashi gave his order, granting Reima more power than before.