As a Psychic, Hawkins was capable of performing Teleport himself. Most crucially, Alakazam was not his only Leader Rank Pokémon.
"Sylveon, use Helping Hand on Gengar."
"Gengar, use Hyper Beam to directly crush Alakazam, then go after Hawkins. I can handle things here."
Hearing Gu Yuan's voice, Gengar did not hesitate.
An orange-yellow energy beam surged forth. Alakazam, its body already pierced by Dark Pulse, was powerless to resist and was instantly overwhelmed by the Hyper Beam bolstered by Helping Hand.
Furthermore, this Gengar's Hyper Beam had reached an incredible Expert mastery, allowing it to overcome the move's usual side effects. To be safe, Gengar threw out two more Shadow Ball attacks to ensure that Alakazam was completely incapacitated.
Immediately after, Gengar vanished using Phantom Force.
Back when it first entered Gu Yuan's shadow, Agatha had instructed it to follow Gu Yuan's arrangements for all actions. Gu Yuan's previous outstanding performance had clearly paid off. If it were anyone else, it was doubtful whether Agatha would have sent this Gengar—a top-tier existence even among the Elite Rank—let alone allowed an Ace Rank trainer to command it.
Besides, Gengar hated letting opponents slip through its fingers, so Gu Yuan's order perfectly aligned with its own desires.
With Gengar's departure, Gu Yuan had to face the four Ace Rank Pokémon Hawkins left behind on his own. These four were Grumpig, Exeggutor, Jynx, and Slowbro.
Of course, even though Hawkins was a Psychic, it didn't mean he only used Psychic-type Pokémon. He had simply released all his Psychic-types to restrict Alakazam and leave Gu Yuan no openings. Including the defeated Alakazam, if Hawkins managed to escape now, he would be severely weakened, left with only a Leader Rank Hypno.
"Ditto, use Helping Hand to help Annihilape boost the power of Rage Fist to its limit. After that, Annihilape, target Slowbro and take it down as quickly as possible!"
"Sylveon, use Helping Hand on Charizard. Use Fire Blast repeatedly to suppress them."
"Alakazam, use Triple Psychic to seize the initiative!"
The moment Gengar left, Gu Yuan used Telepathy to issue attack commands. Similarly, before Hawkins fled, he had ordered his Pokémon to swarm Gu Yuan.
Psychic waves surged as Alakazam's Psychic clashed repeatedly, creating an opening for Charizard. A Fire Blast was released, becoming even more powerful under the effect of Helping Hand. The flames descended, spreading wildly in all directions.
Facing Charizard's assault, the disadvantaged Jynx and Exeggutor immediately retreated. Slowbro stepped up, using its psychic powers to control currents of water to extinguish the flames. On the other side, Grumpig was about to attack when it was intercepted by Sylveon.
Roar!
With a draconic cry, Ditto transformed into Charizard, launching an attack alongside the original. Psychic energy surged as a massive amount of water gushed out to meet them. Steam erupted as fire and water collided, but to these Psychic-type Pokémon, the mist meant nothing.
Just as Jynx and Exeggutor prepared to provide support, Annihilape burst out from the shadow dimension. A Rage Fist boosted to its maximum power slammed directly into Slowbro's back. Seizing the opportunity, Ditto transformed into Raichu and unleashed Thunder, ensuring Slowbro completely lost its ability to battle.
This sudden turn of events made Jynx and the others turn serious. Psychic energy surged as they quickly huddled together, leaving Annihilape no opening to attack.
From the start, Jynx and the others never intended to actually defeat or kill Gu Yuan; they only wanted to stall him. They had witnessed Gengar's strength—even Alakazam and their trainer were no match for it. Dealing with them would be a simple matter. Their plan was to stall for a while and then leave immediately.
If Hawkins escaped successfully, they would return to his side. If Hawkins died, they would regain their freedom. No matter the outcome, they wanted to emerge unscathed. Consequently, Jynx and the others fought somewhat half-heartedly.
In their view, since everyone was at the Ace Rank and their side was slightly stronger, it would take a long time for the opponent to defeat them. By then, they would have long since fled. They never expected the opponent to possess such a lethal weapon as Annihilape. After all, Psychic-type Pokémon are merely smarter, not every one of them possesses wisdom surpassing humans, nor do they necessarily know everything about other species.
"Charizard, Ditto, use Fire Blast together to suppress them! Sylveon, use Hyper Voice to coordinate the attack."
"Alakazam and Annihilape, look for openings to take them down one by one!"
With Slowbro out of the fight, the situation on the battlefield shifted instantly. The encroaching flames forced Jynx and the others to defend, while the eerie Hyper Voice made their defense even more difficult.
Despite this, Jynx and the others still held an advantage due to their raw strength. However, they didn't dare to take the initiative to attack; the scene of Slowbro falling was still fresh in their minds.
Multi-colored orbs of energy appeared as the Future Sight Alakazam had used earlier struck Jynx and the others from behind. Simultaneously, Alakazam used Teleport to appear above them, activating Triple Psychic. Charizard and Ditto intensified their assault, while Sylveon directly unleashed Hyper Beam.
Four against three, with such powerful attacks, Jynx and the others were forced to go all out. The moment the clash ended, Annihilape seized the opening to burst from the shadow dimension, landing a Rage Fist directly on Grumpig. Then, it used Phantom Force to pull back.
Surrounded by five Ace Rank Pokémon, Jynx and Exeggutor were already wondering if Gu Yuan would accept their surrender, given they were already bound by Poké Balls.
Just as Jynx and Exeggutor were hesitating, a man stepped out from the nearby bushes. Seeing this, Alakazam's eyes filled with shock. Since the battle began, it had been using its psychic powers to monitor the surroundings. How could a human and a Pokémon have approached without being detected!?
"A Psychic Isolation Device. It seems you've also come to kill me."
Gu Yuan's voice rang out, solving Alakazam's confusion. In the Pokémon world, there were substances capable of blocking psychic energy. With technological advancement, these substances were developed into specialized devices used to shield against psychic detection, specifically to deal with Psychics or Psychic-type Pokémon.
Without answering, the man directly ordered the Houndoom beside him to attack.