"Hiss!"
A sharp cry of pain rang out. Faced with Eevee's pressure and Charmeleon's fierce assault, even Arbok's savagery wasn't enough.
It knew that if this went on, it would die.
But this time, the trainer who always gave it orders to turn the battle around was just standing at the edge in shock.
In truth, Rael had no way out.
With his own Arbok going wild, Rael could only use Beedrill to stall his opponent.
He also had to watch out in case Barry's Arbok broke through Beedrill's defense and struck him directly.
On top of that, there was the ever-watchful Gu Yuan and the haze of Eevee's Yawn. Rael felt his head splitting apart.
"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"
As the column of fire grew larger before its eyes, fear filled Arbok's gaze. Its scarred body felt rooted to the ground, unable to move.
The flames wrapped around Arbok, burning away its final strength.
When the fire faded, the charred Arbok collapsed, barely alive.
Without delay, Gu Yuan ordered Eevee to use Yawn on Rael. Charmeleon's Flamethrower followed immediately after.
Sleepiness clouded Rael's mind. His reaction slowed, and that single mistake let Charmeleon engulf him in flames.
Hearing its trainer's scream, Beedrill wavered.
Arbok seized the opportunity and sank its sharp fangs into Beedrill's abdomen and tore it open.
Before Beedrill could recover, Charmeleon charged forward. Its claws slashed down with Slash, leaving a deep wound.
Then Eevee leapt into the air. With Expert-level mastery, its Swift struck the wound with precision.
The searing pain nearly made Beedrill faint.
Charmeleon pressed on. Another Flamethrower burst forth, targeting the same wound.
Pinned to the ground, Beedrill could barely breathe under the agony.
Gu Yuan quickly snatched a Poké Ball from Rael and forced Beedrill inside, locking it down. Only then did he begin claiming his spoils.
Most important of all were the marks showing he had killed two more opponents. These were the proof he needed to complete the mission Shadow had given him.
But before Gu Yuan could deal with the bodies, a black shadow rushed at him.
It moved fast, but Charmeleon reacted faster, blasting out Ember.
The flames forced the attacker to halt and reveal itself: a Golbat hovered in the air, glaring at Gu Yuan.
The assault wasn't over. A Persian and a Primeape lunged out right after, and all three of them were at the Junior Rank.
"Abra, Teleport!"
Gu Yuan didn't fight back. He chose to retreat.
Three Junior Rank Pokémon meant at least two trainers working together, maybe more.
To fight head-on in that situation would be foolish.
"Damn it! How does he have an Abra!?"
As Gu Yuan vanished with Abra, Mott couldn't help but shout.
The other two were just as shocked, though Mott had spoken first.
"From now on, be careful. We three shouldn't split up. Let's wait until the trial ends," Okita said slowly, forcing himself to stay calm. The air grew heavy.
It was true. Anyone would feel the same if hunted by someone who could appear at their side at any moment, thanks to an Abra.
As Okita said, to avoid surprises, the three of them stuck close together from then on, afraid of giving Gu Yuan an opening.
After that, Gu Yuan seemed to vanish. No matter how many Rocket members Mott's group attacked, Gu Yuan never tried to ambush them.
More importantly, it looked like he had started hunting others instead, as if their group was too large a risk.
Time passed, and though they knew Gu Yuan was nearby, Mott's group slowly relaxed.
It was like having a gun suddenly appear next to you. At first, you fear being shot. But when you see no one using it, you start to forget the danger it represents. You even believe you can coexist with it.
That was how Mott's group felt. But they forgot Gu Yuan wasn't a gun. He was a man who could take their lives at any time.
"Alright, it's time to share the fruits of our work," Mott said on the last day of the trial.
"No, I think we should wait," Okita replied with a smile as his Golbat flew to his side.
"Fine. Who could refuse a little extra profit?"
The smooth days of success had made them bolder.
Following Golbat, the three prepared for one final hunt.
They spread out. The moment the newcomer entered range, they struck.
Golbat, Primeape, and Persian attacked together.
Against three Junior Rank Pokémon, even Gu Yuan would have had to back off. For this lone, confused Rocket member, it was hopeless.
But just then, Gu Yuan and his Pokémon appeared beside Mott.
Even with Paras standing guard, Mott was helpless before the strength of Charmeleon and Eevee.
Charmeleon's claws slashed Mott's throat before he could make a sound. Paras was buried under Eevee's Swift.
"The first one."
Gu Yuan cut off Mott's ear as proof, then prepared to strike his next target.
Primeape still fought well with Okita and the third trainer, even without Mott's orders. That let Gu Yuan stay unnoticed for now.
"Once more, Abra. Teleport."
Gu Yuan stroked Abra's head apologeticaly.
Because of him, Abra hadn't rested in days.
But Abra looked happy instead. It was proud to fight beside Charmeleon and Eevee.
With Teleport, they vanished again.
"Golbat, use Supersonic!"
Okita gave his order, finding that something felt wrong.
By Mott's nature, he should have been the first to charge in, letting Primeape land the finishing blow.
While Okita hesitated, a Charmeleon appeared in front of him.
Like Mott, Okita released his Pokémon to shield him, but he was overwhelmed by Eevee's assault.
Charmeleon's claws moved with Slash, and Okita's body fell lifeless on the ground.
"Only one left."
Gu Yuan looked at the last, clueless trainer. His final hunt was about to end.