Looking at the area devastated by the explosion, Gu Yuan forced himself to calm down quickly, mentally scanning for anyone capable of using such methods.
Could it be him!?
Soon, Gu Yuan thought of a candidate—a notorious individual and a fellow Psychic!
In the current Pokémon world, top-tier Psychics had not appeared for a long time. The strongest were merely at the Upper-tier of the Advanced level. In fact, even Advanced level Psychics were rare and usually recruited by various major powers. However, there were exceptions, such as Hawkins!
He was the only Psychic who had refused to join any organization, choosing instead to become a Pokémon hunter. He possessed strength at the Lower-tier of the Advanced level. Furthermore, he was a Leader Rank trainer, and rumor had it he would soon break through to the Elite Rank.
If that were all, it would be manageable, but Hawkins was famous for his ruthless and cruel methods. It was said that after becoming a Psychic, Hawkins accidentally obtained an ancient technique used only by Psychics that allowed him to turn people into his puppets.
In reality, this involved using prolonged torture to destroy a person's psychological defenses, followed by long-term hypnosis to gradually erode their thoughts until he could imprint his own brand upon them. The League also possessed similar techniques but had sealed them away long ago because they were simply too inhumane.
Hawkins didn't care. Instead, he used this method to build a fearsome reputation. By now, he was no longer satisfied with just being a Pokémon hunter. To be more precise, as long as the pay was right, he would do anything—capturing Pokémon or assassinating specific targets.
Hawkins would plant a special type of bomb inside his hypnotized subjects, which would detonate immediately upon discovering the target. Combined with the Golem these people carried, they were essentially human bombs.
"I didn't expect those people to spend so much to deal with me. Well then, let's see what this man is truly capable of!"
After identifying his opponent, Gu Yuan didn't feel fear; instead, he began to think calmly. Intelligence on Hawkins stated he was a Lower-tier Advanced Psychic, and since the info was recently updated, he likely hadn't broken through yet.
After awakening his psychic power, Gu Yuan had researched the detection ranges of Psychics and Psychic-type Pokémon at different levels. Comparing them with his system's detection function, he concluded that unless it was an Elite Rank Psychic-type Pokémon or a Psychic at the Middle-tier of the Advanced level or higher, their detection range could not exceed that of the system.
Since he hadn't detected any powerful Psychic-type Pokémon nearby, Hawkins likely hadn't arrived yet. Instead, the puppets controlled by Hawkins were closing in on his position.
"Let's go, Alakazam. We'll clear out these annoying bombs first. While we wait for Hawkins to arrive, I doubt he can keep his entire unit moving together perfectly."
After reporting his information to Elite Agatha, Gu Yuan went back into action.
Hawkins didn't work alone; he had established a small poaching group consisting of ten members. Gu Yuan's targets were the puppets Hawkins had created and the other members of his poaching group. Once turned into puppets, these people had no hope of recovery, so Gu Yuan didn't worry that his actions would cause any negative fallout.
"Alakazam, Psychic!"
Gu Yuan's command rang out. The Psychic attack descended, instantly hitting a vacant-eyed youth in the distance. In the next moment, an explosion roared, completely destroying the surroundings, though it couldn't touch Gu Yuan or Alakazam at their distance.
This was only the beginning.
Using Alakazam's mobility, Gu Yuan moved quickly among the puppets, detonating them one by one.
"Did he realize it was me so quickly? Truly a genius. But what I love most is snaring and killing geniuses."
A silky voice sounded as Hawkins had his Alakazam transport him away. Listening closely, one could hear a trace of irritation in his voice because he had failed to lock onto Gu Yuan's location for so long.
However, Hawkins didn't overthink it. He assumed Gu Yuan was just lucky and believed he would find him soon to torture and kill this rare talent!
What Hawkins didn't know was that while he was searching, Gu Yuan had already locked onto his position using the system's detection function. Gu Yuan would never give him the chance to find him. In this game of cat and mouse, Gu Yuan, with his "radar" active, undoubtedly held the absolute upper hand.
Soon, more than half of the puppets Hawkins sent out were destroyed. This situation caused Hawkins's face to turn grim. He had originally thought that once Gu Yuan's trail was exposed, he could resolve it quickly, but the resource consumption was proving to be enormous. Even for Hawkins, creating a puppet was no easy task. During the torture process, some people would break completely, making it impossible to continue, while others would die from the strain. The current losses were enough to make Hawkins feel the sting.
Amidst his anger, Hawkins suddenly realized that he hadn't heard the sound of an explosion for quite a while. Instead of making him feel better, this led him to a chilling realization.
"Be careful! The target is likely coming for you. Stay alert and watch for ambushes!" Hawkins took out a communicator and notified the other members of his poaching group.
"Understood!"
Though puzzled as to why Hawkins hadn't handled the target yet, Yasuda sprang into action, directing the others to prepare. Having a Psychic like Hawkins as their commander made the poaching group exceptionally skilled at dealing with other Psychics. One Pokémon after another was released; without exception, these Pokémon had all mastered Taunt.
Then, their own radar began to work. Multiple units ensured that any approaching Pokémon or human would be discovered immediately. Furthermore, their positioning was very strategic. If a Psychic-type Pokémon tried to ambush them with Ally Switch or Teleport, two Pokémon would immediately lock onto it and use Taunt to restrict its movements.
"Someone and a Pokémon are approaching! Prepare to counterattack!" Yasuda's voice rang out, and the remaining eight members silently heightened their vigilance.
At the same time, having received the message, Hawkins began to rush back. He had decided that after catching Gu Yuan, he wouldn't kill him immediately. He would torture him and turn him into his own dog!
"As expected of a poaching group led by a Psychic, they really are different. But I never said I was going to use an ambush to deal with you," Gu Yuan whispered softly as he watched Yasuda and the others standing on high alert.