"Ah!"
A cry of pain rang out, then stopped abruptly.
"This is your last chance. If you keep screaming for no reason, then there's no need for you to speak again."
Gu Yuan calmly watched Kuro and motioned for Kadabra to release its hold.
Once he could speak again, Kuro didn't scream anymore. He forced himself to endure.
"Speak. Tell me everything you know about the Mizutani family."
"I'd advise you not to lie, unless you think he can survive the same torture."
Gu Yuan gestured toward the unconscious Teng before letting Kuro speak.
"Alright."
Kuro trembled as he answered, not daring to lie.
He had already experienced the agony of being flayed alive. He knew Teng couldn't endure it.
Rather than suffer more, it was better to tell the truth.
With his rank, Kuro naturally knew quite a bit about the Mizutani family.
Before long, Gu Yuan had gained a general understanding of their power.
Besides the publicly known Elite Rank Trainer, the Mizutani family also had two Leader Rank Trainers and five Ace Rank Trainers.
Their overall strength was considerable.
But despite their power, the Mizutani family's foundation was weak.
Among those Trainers, the Elite Rank one was indeed a Mizutani, Takashi Mizutani's grandfather, Junichiro Mizutani.
It was because of Junichiro Mizutani that the family had reached its current status.
Even the powerful Trainers under the family had all been recruited by him.
Although Takashi Mizutani was the current head, as long as Junichiro was alive, the family's true authority remained in his hands.
That was one of the reasons their foundation was unstable.
Even so, with their current strength, the Mizutani family was far beyond what Gu Yuan could confront directly.
But Gu Yuan had no intention of backing down.
Even the strongest fortress can crumble from within.
He refused to believe that all the Mizutani family's businesses and enterprises were united and unshakable.
Not fully trusting Kuro's words, Gu Yuan ordered Kadabra to knock him unconscious.
Then he woke Teng and began the second round of interrogation.
Compared to Kuro, Teng knew less, but his information could be used to verify the truth of Kuro's statements.
After obtaining what he wanted, Gu Yuan took Kuro's communicator and sent a message to the Mizutani family.
"If you've got the guts, fight me to the end!"
After sending the text, Gu Yuan erased all traces from the area.
It wasn't that he had lost his mind and planned to challenge the Mizutani family with just his Senior Rank strength. He only wanted to provoke them into making rash decisions.
After the last battle, Gu Yuan had gained a clear understanding of his limits.
Although he couldn't defeat a quasi-Ace Rank Trainer like Kuro in direct combat, that didn't mean he couldn't kill him.
Especially after this defeat, if the Mizutani family wanted to continue attacking, they would have to send an Ace Rank Trainer, which would break the rules.
Even though the title of official League Trainer wasn't as valuable as before, the truth was that Gu Yuan could have reported the first attack to the League.
Of course, that likely wouldn't have solved anything.
The Mizutani family might have withdrawn temporarily, only to attack again later.
Still, there was a clear boundary, and that boundary was the Ace Rank.
Given their power, the Mizutani family could easily send an Ace Rank Trainer.
But if they found him again, even with Kadabra's help, his chances of escaping alive would be slim.
No matter how strange Psychic-type Pokémon were, strength ultimately decided everything.
The League always sought to protect its young Trainers, or at least maintain the least bit of fairness.
If an Ace Rank Trainer were sent against him, the League's reaction would be entirely different.
Not just the League; other families and corporations would see it the same way.
Secret attacks were one thing, but sending an Ace Rank Trainer was a blatant violation.
Every family had its own talented young heirs. If one of them were ambushed by an Ace Rank opponent, there would be outrage.
So if the Mizutani family truly dared to send an Ace Rank Trainer after him, Gu Yuan believed that, even before the League stepped in, their rival families and corporations would seize the chance to strike back.
When that time came, Gu Yuan might find his opportunity to retaliate. For now, he would wait and see what the Mizutani family would do next.
"Let's go, Kadabra. Take us to the next town."
Opening a Poké Ball, Gu Yuan had Kadabra teleport them away.
***
"Hmph."
"I didn't expect this. I thought he was just a country boy, but it turns out he has strength and insight."
"Fine then. Since you want to provoke me, I'll give you exactly what you want."
Takashi Mizutani smiled as he looked at the message from Gu Yuan.
But behind his smile burned deep fury.
Picking up the phone, he began giving orders.
After finishing, Takashi leaned back in his chair, already anticipating Gu Yuan's reaction when he saw the Ace Rank Trainer he would send.
Then his thoughts drifted to Reima Mizutani.
Before the tournament, Takashi had been satisfied with Reima's performance.
But now, he saw that Reima still had weaknesses.
Even though Takashi had once said he would replace him, in truth, he was still fond of his son.
He just needed to correct his flaws.
Unless Reima proved truly unfit, Takashi had no intention of giving up on him.
As Takashi pondered how best to train Reima, the door to his study suddenly opened.
"Father!"
Seeing who entered, Takashi quickly stood, the anger on his face vanishing.
"Father, what brings you here?"
Hurrying forward, Takashi helped Junichiro Mizutani to a seat.
"If I hadn't come, I'd worry you'd ruin the entire Mizutani family!"
Though old, Junichiro's body was strong, and his voice carried power. Takashi didn't dare speak out of turn.
"Father, what are you saying? I've been behaving myself."
"Oh? You think you can fool me? I'm not senile yet!"
"I told you before, Ace Rank Trainers are forbidden from attacking anyone below their rank. That's the bottom line. If you break that, you'll bring ruin to the Mizutani family!"
Junichiro's voice was sharp, and Takashi fell silent.
"Watch carefully. I'll show you another way. To deal with this kind of Trainer, we don't need to use our public forces."
Junichiro stood abruptly, ready to reveal some of the family's hidden methods, without noticing the dark look on Takashi's face.