"Alright, Mankey, you should rest inside the Poké Ball for now, just like Ditto."
As another battle ended, Gu Yuan spoke softly to Mankey.
Hearing that, Mankey lost its joy from winning and looked discouraged instead.
It felt that no matter how well it performed, it could never step forward when Gu Yuan faced a strong opponent.
"It's alright, Mankey. I don't know how strong the enemies this time will be. To move quickly, you all need to stay in your Poké Balls."
"Besides, you're my final trump card, my last fighting power. You're very important."
Gently patting Mankey's head, Gu Yuan spoke with warmth and understanding.
Pokémon weren't tools. They were living beings with flesh and thought, capable of joy and sorrow.
So Gu Yuan always treated his Pokémon with respect and understanding.
Mankey nodded obediently, its energy returning, and let Gu Yuan recall it into the ball.
"Let's go!"
At Gu Yuan's command, Kadabra used Teleport, and they vanished from the spot.
***
Moving through the forest, Kuro and his group used Houndoom's sense of smell to steadily close the distance between them and Gu Yuan.
But Gu Yuan wasn't just participating in the elimination rounds in Saffron City.
While wandering through the Silph Company mall, he had discovered a type of spray that could eliminate one's scent.
Without hesitation, Gu Yuan had bought it.
After Kadabra used Teleport to create distance, Gu Yuan immediately used the spray to mask his scent.
Learning from his past experiences, once he realized this group had a Pokémon like Azumarill with them, he stayed far enough away to avoid being detected by its sharp hearing.
Still, judging from their direction, their Pokémon's strength, and their skills, Gu Yuan found it hard not to believe they were hunting him down.
So he began thinking about how to deal with them.
First were Houndoom and Azumarill. Both were Senior Rank, but Gu Yuan wasn't too worried about defeating them.
Judging by their abilities, they were likely meant to track and restrict him, preventing surprise attacks.
The other two trainers, then, were probably the main attackers.
Just as his system could analyze Charizard's full stats, it could also read other trainers' Pokémon.
The Pokémon of the other two trainers were at Level 49, just a step below Ace Rank, known as quasi-Ace.
Unlike the Leader Rank, this wasn't an official rank but an informal title.
Compared to Rookie, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Ranks, breaking through to Ace Rank was much harder.
For example, even with the help of points, Charizard had needed a long time to advance past Senior Rank. For Pokémon without that advantage, it was far more difficult.
Many Pokémon got stuck just before reaching Ace Rank, and over time, that level became known as quasi-Ace.
It didn't officially mean anything, but it did show that those Pokémon were among the strongest below Ace Rank.
Still, raw power wasn't everything.
Training style, methods, and move mastery determined a Pokémon's real combat strength.
After closely observing their Pokémon, Gu Yuan started to form a plan.
First was Houndoom. It knew the move Taunt, a direct counter to Kadabra.
It was likely highly skilled at using it.
And Gu Yuan couldn't be sure the others didn't have Pokémon that could also target Kadabra.
Unfortunately, Azumarill made things difficult. Its sharp hearing made sneak attacks risky, since Kadabra needed to be close to use Ally Switch effectively.
Seeing Gu Yuan lost in thought, Kadabra extended its psychic senses in the same direction, but found nothing.
This only deepened Kadabra's curiosity about what kind of special ability its Trainer had.
It couldn't be psychic power. Gu Yuan had only just awakened his ability, so there was no way he could sense something Kadabra couldn't.
Kadabra kept the thought to itself, planning to figure it out in time.
"Ditto, I'll need your help next. Transform into this person."
Standing up, Gu Yuan released Ditto and showed it a random image online for reference.
Seeing that it could finally help, Ditto became eager and transformed immediately according to Gu Yuan's instructions.
After giving final orders to Charizard and the others, Gu Yuan moved toward Kuro's team.
"Stop, someone's approaching!"
Hearing Teng's alert, Kuro and Woodman immediately went on guard.
They already knew Gu Yuan had a Kadabra, and Psychic-type Pokémon could be very dangerous.
"Someone's close. It shouldn't be Gu Yuan, otherwise my Houndoom would have reacted."
"You two decide whether we should check it out."
Teng relayed the information from Houndoom and let Kuro make the call.
"Keep tracking Gu Yuan. Watch that person, and only act if they keep getting closer."
After a short hesitation, Kuro decided not to overcomplicate things.
He trusted Houndoom's judgment and didn't want to waste time.
If Gu Yuan escaped the forest and reached the city, the mission would become much harder.
"Got it."
The three continued forward.
Gu Yuan didn't rush closer, instead circling through areas with wild Pokémon to gradually shorten the distance until Kadabra's Psychic senses could detect the group.
At this range, Kadabra could use Ally Switch, and the three trainers were already on alert.
Poké Balls opened, and Charizard and Kadabra were ready.
Kadabra used Ally Switch, and Azumarill vanished from its spot.
Houndoom reacted instantly to Teng's command, using Taunt, but it was still too late.
The reason Teng had been chosen was largely because his Houndoom had mastered Taunt at Advanced level.
But even then, its speed couldn't match Kadabra's Expert-level Teleport.
As Kadabra vanished, Kuro and his teammates froze in disbelief, and even Houndoom was stunned.
Since mastering Advanced Taunt, it had never seen anyone avoid it before.
Meanwhile, the teleported Azumarill was surrounded and overwhelmed.
Caught off guard, it was hit hard by Charizard and Sylveon, then defeated in an instant.
Raising his head, Gu Yuan looked toward Kuro's group.
Now, the real hunt begins.