"Golem, Rollout!"
Seizing the opportunity to stack the power of Rollout, Junshan had Golem lead the offensive. Under its terrifying momentum, neither Scyther nor Pinsir dared to take the hit head-on.
Electabuzz was the most desperate, as it truly lacked effective offensive means against a Pokémon like Golem. Just as Electabuzz prepared to retreat, Onix suddenly burrowed out from the ground, the shadow of its massive body instantly enveloping the Electric-type.
Before Electabuzz could react, Onix used Bind to coil around it before slamming it heavily into the ground. Onix then condensed Stone Edge, launching a relentless assault. Junshan had timed this opening brilliantly, striking just as Scyther and Pinsir were preoccupied with Golem's Rollout and unable to provide support.
Electricity surged, but it failed to cause much damage to Onix. Conversely, every strike from Onix brought immense pain to Electabuzz. Hearing its screams, Scyther and Pinsir tried to assist, but they were intercepted by Golem and the other Pokémon of the Rockbreak Poaching Group.
While Junshan gained the upper hand, Karen was not idle either. The coordinated offensive between Victreebel and Vileplume left Ursaring and Nidoking suffering. The only ones holding an advantage were the Pidgeot and Fearow soaring in the sky. As their clansmen joined the fray, the members of the three poaching groups were tied up one after another.
The key to victory now depended on whether Junshan and Karen could crush their opponents before their subordinates were overwhelmed. This was exactly why Junshan had said that Fidel's participation would have made the mission a near-certainty.
Scanning the battlefield, Gu Yuan moved away silently, letting Charizard and the others begin to buff themselves.
Under Onix's continuous heavy blows, Electabuzz was eventually broken. However, Junshan's risky move had left Onix caught in a pincer attack between Scyther and Pinsir. As if fueled by the shame of being countered in a three-on-two situation, Scyther and Pinsir began utilizing the strength of their kin to tie up the rest of the Rockbreak Poaching Group.
Once Golem's Rollout ended, its weakness—slow movement—was exposed, leaving it unable to keep up with the pace of Scyther and Pinsir. Similar scenarios played out across other parts of the battlefield. As the fight progressed, the situation became increasingly deadlocked.
For Junshan's side, the longer the battle dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became. This was a forest, after all; other wild Pokémon could arrive as reinforcements, or Forest Rangers might show up.
At this thought, Junshan stopped holding back and directly released his third Leader Rank Pokémon, Nidoking.
"Fire Blast!"
At Junshan's command, the combination of the Sheer Force Ability and the power of a Life Orb boosted the power of Fire Blast to its limit. Feeling the oncoming heatwave, Scyther and Pinsir instinctively tried to dodge, but Golem would not let them escape so easily.
The moment Nidoking appeared, Karen and Theo both glanced at Junshan. As they had suspected, Junshan had indeed kept a trump card hidden; fortunately, it was exposed now. However, based on the strength Junshan had revealed, he still didn't have enough power to swallow all the spoils alone; at most, he would take the lion's share, which was within Karen and Theo's range of acceptance.
While the three were still calculating against each other, several figures appeared silently on the battlefield.
Initially, Gu Yuan did not attack directly. Instead, he sent out Ceruledge and his other Ghost-types to strike at isolated Pokémon or trainers. Under this strategy, the rate of casualties among the three poaching groups accelerated once again.
In the front, even after revealing his hidden trump card, Junshan couldn't immediately crush Scyther and Pinsir because their kin were simply too numerous.
About ten minutes later, Junshan was the first to realize something was wrong. Logically, after releasing his third Leader Rank Pokémon, the tide of battle should have gradually turned in their favor. Yet ten minutes had passed, and instead of becoming more favorable, they seemed to be slipping into a disadvantage.
Just as Junshan prepared to divert his attention to figure out what was happening, Gu Yuan seized the opportunity to launch a total offensive.
First, Charizard spread its wings and flew into the air, relentlessly releasing Blast Burn. Fireballs shot out, and the highly concentrated flames radiated staggering heat like miniature suns. The three poaching groups, caught in their own struggles, could not spare enough power to defend and could only watch as the falling Blast Burn descended.
Boom!
Deafening explosions rang out as the erupting flames instantly engulfed the hunters. The expanding shockwaves repeatedly hammered the Pokémon still in combat, who were stunned by the sight before them.
As the attacker, Gu Yuan did not dither. The moment the explosions dissipated, Annihilape and the Ditto transformed into Annihilape began sweeping the battlefield, targeting the Ace Rank Pokémon that still had combat capability. Ceruledge and the others, meanwhile, freely hunted the hunters or Pokémon below the Ace Rank.
After releasing Blast Burn, Charizard stared menacingly at Junshan and his companions, as if deciding whom to strike next.
The sudden turn of events initially stunned the wild Pokémon, but they quickly threw themselves back into the fight. From their perspective, these newly arrived Pokémon were undoubtedly helping them, and they took the opportunity to kick the poaching groups while they were down. Conversely, the Leader Rank wild Pokémon hesitated, wondering if these newcomers were friends or foes.
Junshan and the other two, stared down by Charizard, dared not act rashly for the moment. The previous Blast Burn was sufficient proof of Charizard's strength. Coupled with the Leader Rank pressure being continuously emitted by Sylveon and the others, the trio realized that even if they joined forces, they would be no match for this person.
Even if they could win, the opponent could easily escape with that Psychic-type Alakazam. Not to mention there were still the wild wild Pokémon present; if they truly fought, they might actually lose their lives here today.
"If Your Excellency wants these wild Pokémon and that Elite Rank Altaria, please feel free to take them. How about letting us go our separate way!?" Junshan couldn't help but speak out as he watched his subordinates being slaughtered.
Karen and Theo glanced at Junshan but did not stop him. Surviving was the most important thing; they could deal with the rest later.
"Compared to those wild Pokémon, I'm more interested in your heads. I wonder if you can give them to me?"
Stepping out from his hiding place, Gu Yuan no longer concealed his identity.