"Oh, it's Gu Yuan? What prompted you to call me suddenly?"
Hearing Gu Yuan's voice, Tom asked curiously, guessing that Gu Yuan might have run into some trouble and wanted his help.
"It's like this, after I dealt with a few Senior Rank Pokémon Hunters, I learned that the Poaching Group behind them plans to move against the Nidoking family, the Tyrant of this forest I'm in. They are preparing to capture the entire Nidoking family, along with the surrounding Senior Rank Pokémon. I wanted to ask if you could contact the nearest Rangers to come for support."
These few sentences shocked Tom multiple times.
First, the matter Gu Yuan described, a Poaching Group with an Ace Rank leader was operating, which was a major issue and required emergency handling!
Secondly, Gu Yuan's strength. Tom still remembered Gu Yuan's power when he first met him, but now he was already capable of defeating five Senior Rank trainers by himself. Thinking about himself, he felt smug simply by reaching quasi-Ace strength, believing he was exceptional compared to anyone outside the established families. In comparison, the more arrogant he had been before, the more ashamed he felt now. After all, based on Gu Yuan's previous performance, he did not seem to be a direct descendant cultivated by one of the powerful families or corporations.
"Are you still listening?"
Having received no response from Tom, Gu Yuan couldn't help but ask again.
"Yes, I'm here! I understand this situation. Immediately send me your location. I will contact the nearest Rangers to head over." Tom became serious and responsive.
"Furthermore, there's one more thing I'd like to trouble you with, and that is, could you monitor this Poaching Group and confirm their location before the Rangers arrive?"
"No problem. Honestly, even if you didn't ask, I absolutely wouldn't stand by."
"Thank you for your brave action. The League will surely give you a satisfactory reward afterward."
"You're too kind. This is what every League direct-line trainer should do!"
Hearing Gu Yuan's reply, Tom couldn't help but feel emotional. Nowadays, trainers like Gu Yuan were truly becoming rare. He secretly decided that once this incident was over, he must petition the League to commend and generously reward Gu Yuan's actions.
After discussing the details thoroughly and reminding Gu Yuan to be careful, Tom got busy. He first contacted the nearby Rangers based on Gu Yuan's location, then notified the Ranger experts to go for support.
To deal with a Poaching Group led by an Ace Rank individual, the Rangers typically dispatched two Ace Rank trainers, or a Leader Rank trainer or above, to ensure the mission's smooth completion. This was an emergency situation, however, so whether he could arrange for Rangers of that strength in time was a problem. After all, those powerful Rangers were not idle; they also needed to constantly execute missions.
Hanging up the phone, Gu Yuan, now feeling confident, began searching for the Poaching Group's tracks according to the information he had obtained. Just as Gu Yuan expected, the place where he had dealt with the five men had been discovered, led by their captain, Nagata!
Based on the evidence at the scene, Nagata could determine that it was the work of a single person, which made Nagata's expression turn grim. Not only was the loss of five Senior Rank subordinates a blow to his power within the Poaching Group, but the possibility that this operation might be exposed was enough to bring him trouble.
Nagata knew his leader's character too well; Gul was a man who would sacrifice anything for profit. Conversely, if you dared to damage his interests, you would face his wrath.
Taking a deep breath, Nagata quickly made a decision: to sacrifice a portion of his own profits to gain the assistance of the other two captains. Even if they refused to help directly, he had to ensure they wouldn't exploit his misfortune!
"Clear the evidence here, then return as a team. Immediately launch a signal flare and notify me if you find any suspicious individuals."
"Remember, you are no match for this person. Your priority is to save your lives."
After losing five capable subordinates, Nagata's tone was noticeably gentler, which made his men slightly uncomfortable.
Nagata went to a secluded place and took out his communicator to contact the other two captains.
"Boss, five of my Senior Rank subordinates were killed. It seems they were defeated after fighting with others, and their fate is unknown." Upon returning to the Poaching Group's stationed location, Nagata immediately confessed to Gul.
"Oh, so you're saying it's highly likely our operation has been exposed, perhaps even reported to the Rangers?"
"Does this mean all the effort we spent was for nothing?" Gul slowly opened his eyes, asking in a flat tone, but Nagata knew this was a sign of Gul's anger. Seeing that the other two captains remained silent, Nagata breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the sacrifice of profits he had made earlier was the right gamble!
Gul was also somewhat surprised. He knew his three captains too well. Logically, they should be exploiting his misfortune right now, but a glance at Nagata's expression made Gul guess what had happened.
"No, our effort won't be wasted," Nagata declared, taking the initiative. "We have already cleared out most of the surrounding Senior Rank Pokémon. Only the forest's Tyrant remains. From the time those five men were killed until now, it is impossible for the Rangers to arrive immediately."
"If we act fast enough, we can capture the Nidoking family and take the Moon Stones before those Rangers arrive."
"To make up for my mistake, I am willing to be the vanguard. Please give me the most dangerous task!" Without hesitation, Nagata presented his prepared speech.
"Alright, I'll give you this chance to atone for your failure. You and your small squad will primarily be responsible for holding off the Ace Rank Nidoking, with the other squads providing assistance."
"Once I deal with the Nidoqueen, Nidoran♂, and Nidoran♀, we will combine our strength to crush the Nidoking."
"We must not delay. Start the operation immediately!"
"Yes!"
As Gul gave the order, the rest of the Poaching Group began to move again. Standing at the forefront of the Poaching Group, Nagata's anxiety was half-gone. Now he only needed to survive this mission; afterward, he could slowly replenish his ranks and find opportunities to recoup the profits he had lost.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuan was not idle. He had already had Alakazam use Teleport to take him to the center of the forest. Any further, and he would be where the Nidoking family lived. Looking toward the Poaching Group's stationed location, Gu Yuan quietly waited for them to arrive, planning to launch a disruption when they began their attack, aiming to maximize their losses and delay the time it would take for them to finish the battle.