"The coordinates are correct; the target should be within this area. While keeping your eyes glued to the detection devices, you must be careful of an ambush."
"Psychics in the squad, pay attention. When Gu Yuan is discovered, you must restrict his movements immediately to create an opening for our encirclement."
Saya's voice rang out through the headsets, his tone filled with caution. Although Saya possessed the strength of the Peak Elite Rank, he did not dare to be the least bit careless when facing the Early-stage Elite Rank Gu Yuan.
The opponent's past battle records were laid out clearly; in a battlefield the target excelled in, there was a constant risk of being counter-killed. Since most of the families' power was tied up in clashes with the Elite Four, Saya was unable to mobilize too many Psychics.
The assassination team currently hunting Gu Yuan consisted of one Peak Elite, five Upper-tier Elites, ten Middle-tier Elites, and twenty Lower-tier Elite Rank trainers, including Saya. Additionally, there were three Early-stage Elite Rank Psychics. This assassination team, composed of thirty-nine Elite Rank trainers, clearly demonstrated the importance these families placed on Gu Yuan.
This was a formidable force the families could muster while their Champion Rank trainers were pinned down and unable to move. And this was only the beginning. If Saya and his team failed, the families would immediately send a second and third wave of assassination teams. In short, Gu Yuan had to die. If they could eliminate Gu Yuan, who had become a symbol, the blow to the Elite Four's morale would undoubtedly be massive.
What Saya didn't know was that while they were locking onto Gu Yuan's area, Gu Yuan had already locked onto their positions. Gu Yuan had long been prepared for things like Psychic shields.
After making his choice, Gu Yuan had come to this forest inhabited by Elite Rank wild Pokémon. Using the advantage of arriving first, he had used his strength to beat the local Pokémon into submission, gaining a clear understanding of how many Elite or Leader Rank wild Pokémon resided in the forest. Since Saya and the others would inevitably release their Pokémon for protection upon entering, they could not escape the System's detection function. With this intelligence, Gu Yuan could do quite a lot.
Alakazam used Teleport, immediately making Gu Yuan vanish from his spot. Nasty Plot, Calm Mind, Dragon Dance, and other stat-boosting moves were used continuously. Only after Charizard and the others' power was pushed to the limit did Gu Yuan launch his attack.
First, Alakazam used Teleport, bringing out the Mega-Evolved Mega Charizard Y, Roaring Moon, and Moltres. A powerful offensive began as searing flames erupted, followed closely by Roaring Moon, which had transformed into a giant dragon.
"Enemy attack! Suspected to be Gu Yuan! Requesting backup!"
Facing the sudden assault from Charizard and the others, this squad—which was led by an Upper-tier Elite—did not panic. Instead, they quickly prepared themselves while contacting others for support.
Before being sent to execute this plan, they had been given the strictest orders: abandon their so-called pride as experts, forget the grievances between families, and use their numerical advantage to eliminate Gu Yuan at all costs! Those selected for the assassination team were elites from various families. Even if they felt this treatment was overly extravagant, they would strictly follow family orders.
However, Mega Charizard Y and the others were merely bait intended to draw their attention. Next, Annihilape and Ditto (transformed into Gengar) struck, using Phantom Force to appear behind the Psychic in the squad.
First, Ditto's Taunt hit, followed by Annihilape's Rage Fist, aimed directly at the Psychic. Having been on guard, how could he be easily taken down? He immediately used Teleport to leave the spot. Unlike Psychic-type Pokémon, even moves like Taunt couldn't have much of an effect on a human Psychic. This was why Psychics and Psychic-type Pokémon were the best partners.
But his reaction was also within Gu Yuan's calculations. While Annihilape and Ditto were attacking, Mega Charizard Y and the rest were whisked away by Alakazam's Teleport. Once the man's Teleport was executed, Ceruledge emerged from the dimensional space behind him, piercing his heart with a single sword strike.
Without staying, Ceruledge used Phantom Force again to depart. Annihilape and Ditto had already left immediately after the first strike, giving the others no chance to intercept them.
During the time spent investigating and moving against the Cotton family, Gu Yuan hadn't been idle; he had been constantly tempering the power of Charizard and the others. With points available, every move was polished with the utmost care, making his strength even greater than before.
According to Gu Yuan's estimates, his strongest—Charizard, Roaring Moon, and Moltres—would likely break through to the Middle-tier Elite Rank soon. Alakazam and the others might be a bit slower, but they wouldn't be far behind. Coupled with Ceruledge, who had successfully broken through to the Leader Rank, and Haxorus and the others who possessed Ace Rank strength, Gu Yuan's power had reached a staggering level.
Especially with the Psychic-types Alakazam and Hatterene, Ditto (who could transform into Psychic-types), and Gu Yuan himself as a Psychic, even other Psychics might not be able to stop Gu Yuan after an assassination, let alone these people without Psychic-type Pokémon.
"The Psychic in the squad has been killed. We are currently in pursuit, but we cannot lock onto the target's position. The target could use Teleport to leave at any time. Please assist in tracking!"
After witnessing Gu Yuan's strength, Tus completely cast aside the contempt in his heart. While immediately tracking Gu Yuan, he reported the latest news to the others.
Hearing this, Saya didn't feel angry; instead, he felt the mission was as thorny as described. While notifying the other squads to begin tracking, Saya did not let them scatter their forces to avoid giving Gu Yuan the chance to defeat them one by one.
From Gu Yuan's previous attack, his strength was not enough to contend with any single squad head-on. The reason he eliminated the Psychic in the squad was to avoid being entangled by them. Although it was unknown what means Gu Yuan used to discover their positions in advance, it was easy to see that Gu Yuan's goal was to eliminate as many of them as possible.
In this way, Gu Yuan would definitely not leave this place he was familiar with easily; instead, he would continue to entangle them in the surroundings, looking for opportunities to strike from the shadows. Thinking of this, Saya's train of thought became clearer.
While dividing the search tasks by area, he decided to remain in this region, waiting for Gu Yuan to act so he could find a flaw to exploit. And the only two remaining Psychics in the team would be the best bait.