Wu Yao turned to Gengar and suggested, "Gengar, with your strength, nobody here could possibly stop you. We could just snatch the target and go. One more late night and I'll turn into an old hag."
"Geng (No)!"
"Geng, gengar (That would draw too much attention)."
"Geng, gengar, geng (Midnight's perfect—once they're all fighting, I can slip in and get our target out without anyone noticing)."
Gengar shook his head, firmly rejecting Wu Yao's proposal.
"Fine, fine! We'll do it the usual way. You charge in and I'll cover you from the outside."
Wu Yao clearly saw this coming and didn't push the point.
As time passed, night gradually deepened.
Soon, the clock struck midnight.
Lin Ke and his men, who'd been waiting in the dark, sprang into action.
Red lights flashed across the night, Poké Balls opening one after another as everyone sent out their Pokémon.
Once all the Pokémon were released, Lin Ke started giving orders.
"Arbok, stay hidden and wait for your chance to strike."
"Ariados, you and the others come with me—hit them head on."
Arbok was the strongest Pokémon in Lin Ke's arsenal, but he didn't have it lead the charge. Instead, he assigned it to take advantage of its exceptional stealth in the dark, biding its time for the perfect, deadly blow.
"Hiss!"
Arbok nodded and slid off, vanishing into the night.
A top predator of the jungle, Arbok was even more terrifying after dark.
"Let's go!"
As soon as Arbok disappeared, Lin Ke led his men straight toward the villa, an imposing force.
At that moment, having been harshly reprimanded by their captain at dusk, the villa's bodyguards were more alert than ever, patrolling with their Pokémon and letting nothing slip by.
"Woof!"
Suddenly, in the courtyard, the Houndoom that had been lying at the captain's feet sprang up, letting out a sharp, piercing bark.
"Trouble!"
The captain, a veteran, sensed danger at once.
"We're… under attack!"
He was about to warn his team over the radio, but the device crackled first—with the screams of his teammates.
"Ah!"
"Aaah!"
In just a few short cries, the outermost patrol had already been taken out.
Realizing how dire the situation was, the captain shouted, "All units, regroup at the villa courtyard immediately!"
"Regroup at the courtyard, now!"
Just from those screams, he knew the attackers were strong. Otherwise, his team wouldn't have fallen so fast—his Houndoom had only just sensed something, and already four were down.
It meant that against this enemy, his people had stood no chance.
At the same time, he quickly notified Uncle Ye.
"Mr. Ye, the villa is under attack. I'm almost certain it's the Flying Eagle Gang. To pull off a coordinated assault this quickly and on this scale—who else could it be?"
"I understand. I'll be right down."
Actually, Uncle Ye had sensed something was wrong the moment Houndoom barked.
But instead of going downstairs, he went straight to Su Qingxue's room.
A red flash lit the hallway as he summoned a Pokémon—tall as a kangaroo, green and tan with bright red claws.
A Gym Leader–Tier Breloom!
Su Qingxue shuffled out in her pajamas, still half-asleep.
"Uncle Ye, what's going on?"
She hadn't quite processed the situation yet.
No time for lengthy explanations—Uncle Ye spoke quickly:
"Miss, we're under attack. I need to help outside, so this Breloom will stay with you and keep you safe."
He gave Breloom a few final instructions before hurrying downstairs.
Meanwhile, the bodyguards were rallying outside the villa.
But when the captain did a headcount, his face instantly darkened.
In just a few minutes, he'd lost four people.
"Damn Flying Eagle Gang… I'll make them pay for this!"
He cursed under his breath, then quickly assigned everyone their posts and turned on the powerful searchlights.
In an instant, the courtyard was as bright as day.
The captain pulled out a marked Poké Ball from his jacket and released its occupant.
A burst of flames roared—Infernape made a dazzling entrance.
Infernape—one of Sinnoh's three starters, known for its fighting spirit and formidable power.
Nicknames: "Big Bro," "Monkey King."
With Infernape on the field, the entire team finally breathed easier.
After all, this was a Pseudo-Elite Four Level Infernape.
Of course, this wasn't the captain's personal Pokémon—it was one issued by the Elite Bodyguard Company.
Otherwise, when Nidoking had appeared before, he'd have used it already.
This was a last-resort ace, only to be used in extreme emergencies—and tonight was clearly that.
"Wang, what's the situation?" Uncle Ye strode over with Ursaring at his side.
"The enemy hasn't shown themselves yet, but several of my people have already been taken out," the captain replied grimly.
Getting blindsided like that—never even spotting the attackers—was bitter indeed.
"Have you called Mr. Guo?" Uncle Ye pressed.
Given how aggressive this attack was, Guo Yi's Nidoqueen and Nidoking would be crucial.
"Uh—forgot! I'll send someone right away."
He'd been so focused on rallying his team that he'd overlooked it.
But as he was about to give the order, Uncle Ye stopped him.
"Forget it—it's too late now."
He'd barely finished speaking when, from the shadows, Lin Ke emerged at the head of his men, radiating menace.