During the charge, a Taunt with expert mastery was unleashed, directly hitting the Alakazam before it could react. More importantly, while this Houndoom possessed Elite Rank strength, it also had the Flash Fire ability, which effectively neutralized most of Charizard's utility.
Beside Gu Yuan, Annihilape prepared to counterattack with Phantom Force, but Gu Yuan held it back. On the surface, it appeared Gu Yuan could detect surrounding Pokémon because of his status as a Psychic. In reality, it was the system's detection function at work.
Therefore, Gu Yuan had discovered the man's presence long before he drew near. Specifically, when Alakazam failed to give a warning and Jynx's group showed no abnormal behavior, Gu Yuan was certain the newcomer carried a device capable of blocking psychic energy. The intruder's motive was clear. Despite this, Gu Yuan had still sent Gengar to pursue Hawkins, proving he was not at all concerned about this new threat.
Although the man didn't know why Gu Yuan wasn't defending himself, it didn't change his decision. Raging flames erupted, coalescing into a massive character that hurtled toward Gu Yuan. From the oncoming heatwave, Gu Yuan could smell the scent of death.
Even so, he remained motionless, not even allowing Charizard and the others to attack. In the next instant, two Air Slash attacks tore through the air, directly shattering the Fire Blast.
"You certainly are calm. Weren't you afraid I actually wouldn't step in?"
A familiar voice rang out. Charizard turned its head to see a man wrapped in a black robe, his true face hidden, walking out from the shadows.
"I believe that with you here, such a clown could never harm me," Gu Yuan said respectfully.
"It seems Agatha took you as her apprentice not just for your talent; that mouth of yours deserves some credit too," Shadow replied with a chuckle before turning his gaze toward the man across from them.
In that moment, an icy sensation rose, enveloping the man.
I'm going to die!
These words suddenly surfaced in the man's mind. Fear spread through his heart like a virus. Without any hesitation, he threw out all his Poké Balls.
"Block him! Houndoom, come with me!"
The man's roar echoed as Houndoom immediately turned to regroup with him, while the rest of his Pokémon charged toward Shadow with reckless abandon. Compared to Hawkins and the puppets, this man and his Pokémon clearly shared a deeper bond. Unfortunately, in a life-or-death crisis, these Pokémon were still treated as disposable pawns.
"Leave these to me. Go find that Gengar; I'll handle the rest," Shadow said. He didn't care about the fleeing man and even took the time to instruct Gu Yuan.
"Yes. Then I shall take my leave."
After speaking, Gu Yuan departed, bringing along the incapacitated Psychic-type Pokémon.
Watching Gu Yuan leave, Shadow's eyes turned cold once more. Every Pokémon caught in his gaze felt a chill run through their bodies. The fact that a human could make them feel this way was terrifying. Before they could compose themselves, a dark blur surged out silently, passing through the group of Pokémon. A second later, they collapsed as corpses.
After tidying up the aftermath, Shadow leisurely sat on the back of his Crobat to hunt down the escaping man.
From the moment Gu Yuan chose the Viridian Forest, he had already planned how to protect himself. Although Elite Agatha had arranged for a top-tier Elite Rank Gengar to guard him, even the strongest could be overwhelmed by a coordinated strike. If those families or corporations truly went mad, a single Gengar might not guarantee his safety.
To this end, while staying in Viridian City, Gu Yuan had contacted Shadow and finalized a detailed plan. If he encountered a crisis, Shadow would arrive with shielding devices. If Gengar could protect him, so be it; if not, Shadow would intervene.
While Gu Yuan didn't know the full extent of Shadow's power, his system had just detected plenty of useful information. It also confirmed his suspicion: Shadow truly belonged to the absolute top tier of Team Rocket!
With the system's detection function, Gu Yuan quickly located Gengar. When he arrived, he saw a dying Alakazam and a heavily injured, unconscious Hawkins. The surrounding battlefield was in shambles. Evidently, faced with Gengar's assault, Hawkins had unleashed all his power, but it was futile against the massive gap in strength.
"You were fantastic, Gengar! I'll definitely give you a glowing review to Master. Here, take these Pokéblocks first."
Seeing Gengar's "look what I did" expression, Gu Yuan understood its thoughts immediately. He praised it profusely and handed over the specific Pokéblocks his own Gengar enjoyed.
Seeing how sensible this "little brother" was, Gengar patted Gu Yuan on the shoulder with satisfaction before taking the treats. It muttered repeatedly that if such tasks came up again, it would definitely come to protect him. Gu Yuan could only accept the offer with a smile.
Meanwhile, Shadow had caught up with the man. The man lay on the ground, either unconscious or dead, with Houndoom beside him. Strangely, looking at the environment, it didn't look like a major battle had occurred. Upon closer inspection, a communicator was near the man's hand, as if he had tried to send a message but failed.
After commanding his Pokémon to clean up the scene, Shadow vanished silently.
A long while later, Chika arrived to take away Gengar and Hawkins. From Chika, Gu Yuan learned the results of this harvest. After Gu Yuan sent his message to Agatha, the Elite Four immediately deployed their forces. In a very short time, they captured several Elite Rank trainers.
And those were just the ones taken alive. Among those killed for refusing to cooperate were over a dozen Leader Rank trainers, several Elite Rank trainers, and a large number of Ace Rank trainers.
It could be said that the actions of Agatha and the others delivered a heavy blow to those families and corporations. While it wasn't enough to cripple them, it was enough to keep them quiet for a long time. Most importantly, as their strength waned, Agatha's faction found opportunities to swallow up some of their industries.
Overall, the operation against Gu Yuan not only failed but caused significant losses to the involved families. Unable to vent their frustration on Agatha, they turned their ire toward the Fukuda family. In their view, if the Fukudas had acted cleanly, none of this would have happened. Consequently, the Fukuda family, whose assassination attempt failed, was forced to pay out massive resources to appease the anger of the other families and corporations.