Bang!
In the sky, a signal flare burst apart, turning into a dazzling firework.
Three days had passed since Gu Yuan first targeted Hiroshi. During these three days, Hiroshi had lost count of how many times he had been ambushed. Most frustratingly, Gu Yuan launched only a single round of attacks each time. Regardless of whether he gained an advantage, he would retreat immediately, giving Hiroshi no chance to pin him down.
Furthermore, whenever night fell, Gu Yuan would have Alakazam launch sneak attacks on Hiroshi's Pokémon. This had already cost Hiroshi two Leader Rank Pokémon. Aside from the initial Infernape, a Camerupt had also fallen under the combined assault of Charizard and the others.
Now, aside from his Middle-tier Elite Houndoom, Lower-tier Elite Magmortar, and a Blaziken capable of Mega Evolving to reach Elite Rank strength, Hiroshi was left with only two Leader Rank Pokémon: Torterra and Ninetales.
In terms of raw power, Hiroshi no longer held much of an advantage. Fortunately, Houndoom's Flash Fire ability was still a factor, making Gu Yuan hesitant to launch a reckless all-out attack. However, this stalemate clearly couldn't last forever. If he lost another Leader Rank Pokémon or grew even more exhausted from the constant harassment, Gu Yuan could strike at any moment.
This was why Hiroshi fired his signal flare, hoping his teammates would see it and regroup with him. At this point, only numerical superiority could provide him with a sense of security.
"It looks like he's at his breaking point. It's time for us to make our move."
Once the fireworks from the flare faded, Gu Yuan prepared for the final strike.
"Charizard, Alakazam, Mega Evolve!"
The light of Mega Evolution surged as Mega Charizard X and Mega Alakazam appeared one after another. After various buffing moves were applied, Mega Alakazam vanished from Gu Yuan's side first.
When Mega Alakazam reappeared, it used Ally Switch, directly swapping places with Houndoom to pull it away. Rather than dealing with Hiroshi first, Gu Yuan felt it was more important to weaken Hiroshi's forces. The moment Houndoom vanished, Mega Alakazam simultaneously unleashed five bursts of Psychic toward Hiroshi.
Flames erupted as Magmortar stood in front of Hiroshi to shield him.
"Blaziken, Mega Evolve!"
Using the time Magmortar bought for him, Hiroshi immediately had Blaziken Mega Evolve to attain Elite Rank strength. The moment the evolution finished, Moltres charged forward. Mega Alakazam's offensive surged again, firmly entangling Magmortar, while Mega Charizard X used Heat Wave as it bore down directly on Hiroshi. On the other side, Roaring Moon was responsible for keeping Houndoom pinned.
"Fall back now!"
Faced with the disparity in strength, Hiroshi chose to retreat immediately, but he was a step too late. Annihilape, Ceruledge, Gengar, and Skeledirge rushed out from the spatial dimension one after another to surround him. Torterra and Ninetales were blocked by Sylveon and Ditto—who had transformed into Alakazam.
Forced into a corner, Hiroshi had to release his Ace Rank Pokémon. Unfortunately, facing an Annihilape that had boosted its Rage Fist to the limit, the scene could only be described as "one punch, one kid."
Taking advantage of the chaos, Gengar appeared directly behind Hiroshi, knocked him unconscious, and stripped the Poké Balls from his person.
Even as Gengar brought Hiroshi and the captured Pokémon to him, Gu Yuan did not rush to stop the battle. Instead, he let Mega Charizard X and the others fight to their heart's content. Meanwhile, the system's detection function remained active to ensure any approaching Pokémon would be spotted instantly.
Using Ally Switch, Mega Alakazam swapped opponents with Moltres. In a clash of flames, Moltres—as a Legendary Pokémon—clearly held the advantage. While Mega Blaziken was incredibly fast, it was hard-countered by a Psychic-type like Mega Alakazam. Furthermore, Mega Alakazam had used its Trace ability to copy Mega Blaziken's Speed Boost. The result of their mutual acceleration was that Mega Alakazam's Teleport became even faster. Within a few rounds, it had easily taken the upper hand.
Mega Charizard X and Roaring Moon teamed up against Houndoom. Due to its Flash Fire ability, Gu Yuan did not let Mega Charizard X use Fire-type moves, opting instead for Dragon and Flying-type attacks. Through seamless cooperation, they managed to fight Houndoom to a draw.
As time passed, Sylveon and Ditto were the first to finish their battles, crushing their opponents. Mega Alakazam followed shortly after; under the repeated impact of its Psychic attacks, Mega Blaziken simply could not hold on. Finally, Moltres used the momentum built from its continuous attacks to finish Magmortar with a final Sky Attack.
The battle wasn't over yet. Looking at Moltres and the others surrounding it, Houndoom suddenly felt the urge to surrender. However, Gu Yuan gave it no such chance, letting Houndoom taste what it felt like to be besieged by four Elite Rank Pokémon.
Houndoom's final fate needs no explanation. Two fists cannot rival four hands; despite its reluctance, it could only collapse helplessly under the encirclement.
Once the battle ended, Gu Yuan immediately left with his spoils. Finding a secluded spot, he tallied his harvest once again. Compared to Sean, Hiroshi didn't have much more on him, especially regarding special items. Since Houndoom and Magmortar had already consumed their special items, Hiroshi only had one left—an extremely rare Psychic-type item.
"I didn't expect you to give me a surprise. Once I get the intel I want, I'll give you a quick end."
After stowing away the spoon-shaped special item, Gu Yuan woke Hiroshi up. With Alakazam and Gengar working together, the groggy Hiroshi was quickly hypnotized.
Gu Yuan wanted to know if the Unova League's actions against him were the result of individual motives or the official stance of the League. If it was just the personal idea of Sean and his peers, Gu Yuan could ignore it. As fellow League members, they wouldn't dare—nor have the capability—to strike at him across regions. Once he dealt with the family matters back home and his strength grew, they would just have to swallow their grievances!
However, if it was the Unova League's official stance, Gu Yuan would need to take it seriously. While the possibility was small, it couldn't be ignored. The interrogation yielded one good and one bad piece of news.
The good news was that the Unova League as a whole had no specific plot against Gu Yuan; they simply planned to reclaim their pride if a Regional Battle Tournament occurred. The bad news, however, was that Grimsley, the Dark-type Elite Four member of the Unova League, harbored immense malice toward Gu Yuan. Before they departed, Grimsley had hinted that if they could "resolve" Gu Yuan, they would receive immense rewards.