Under Wu Yao's silent command, the mysterious figures stepped slowly from the shadows, eerie eyes glittering.
As the moonlight illuminated their forms, Guo Yi finally saw clearly what they were—Butterfree, Beedrill, Paras, Fearow... all common forest Pokémon.
And right now, every one of them was filled with hostility toward him.
While individually weak, with the strongest being only at Veteran-tier, they easily numbered over twenty, not even counting those still lurking unseen in the dark. Altogether, there had to be at least thirty.
They quickly encircled him.
"It's best if you leave now," Wu Yao said.
Seeing Guo Yi surrounded yet not releasing another Pokémon, Wu Yao couldn't help feeling pleased.
Seems he isn't a professional trainer. That Beedrill must be his strongest Pokémon.
Due to the massive resources required, only professional trainers would typically maintain a full six-Pokémon lineup. Most people focused on training just one or two unless they were incredibly wealthy.
Thinking this, Wu Yao's disguised male voice spoke again, harsh and hoarse:
"I'm just doing a job. I don't want blood on my hands. So it's better if you surrender peacefully."
She hoped intimidation alone would send Guo Yi retreating. Winning without a fight would always be best—but if he stubbornly resisted, she didn't mind teaching him a lesson.
However—
Right as her threat left her mouth, before she could finish, Beedrill suddenly emitted a low buzz. Gengar was blasted backward instantly, and without hesitation, she grabbed Wu Yao and vanished into the shadows using [Phantom Force], abandoning the sack-bound Su Qingxue entirely.
"Fast reactions, huh?" Guo Yi chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Well, you can run for now, but you won't escape forever. Wu Yao... we'll meet again."
Whether for Su Qingxue or for finding more talented students, Guo Yi had no intention of lingering forever in this small village.
Shanghai would surely be his next stop.
"Bzzz… (Sorry, Trainer. They escaped...)"
Having swiftly dispatched the wild Pokémon controlled by Wu Yao, Beedrill returned to Guo Yi, looking somewhat downcast. He hadn't expected that, after finally revealing his Champion-tier strength, the enemy would still manage to slip away.
"This isn't your fault," Guo Yi reassured gently. "That Gengar was too cunning. The moment you revealed your power, they retreated instantly."
Guo Yi smiled warmly, clearly not holding Beedrill responsible.
After all, Ghost-types were notoriously elusive. Without an overwhelming advantage, trapping one was always tricky.
"Come on, let's get Qingxue home. Uncle Ye must be tearing his hair out by now."
Guo Yi stepped forward and carefully untied the sack, gently lifting Su Qingxue into his arms. Carrying her princess-style, he headed back toward the villa.
---
About ten kilometers outside Yangliu Village, Gengar emerged from the ghostly dimension, still clutching Wu Yao tightly.
As soon as they returned to reality, Wu Yao gasped deeply for breath.
The dimension Gengar used was nothing like Giratina's expansive Distortion World. It was cramped, airless, and unbearably suffocating. Any human spending too long there would risk suffocation.
Only because of their long experience working together did Gengar dare take Wu Yao through such a lengthy [Phantom Force] leap.
"Huff... huff..."
After a full minute, Wu Yao finally shook off the suffocating aftereffects. She immediately rounded on Gengar, frustration evident in her voice:
"Gengar, what were you doing?! I was just about to take down that trainer!"
In her eyes, victory had been just moments away. Even if that Beedrill was strong, capturing the trainer would've made it irrelevant.
"Geng-geng! (That Beedrill had Champion-level strength!)"
Gengar shot Wu Yao an irritated glance before explaining impatiently.
"Gen-geng! (Take down the trainer? Dream on!)"
If I hadn't reacted quickly, whether we'd even be standing here now would be in question.
Having once tasted Champion-level power herself, Gengar knew firsthand how terrifying Champion-tier Pokémon could be.
Even if it was "just" a common Beedrill, the moment it reached Champion-level, it was no longer ordinary. Numbers hardly mattered; unless you threw thousands at them, non-Elite Four Pokémon would be nothing but fodder, crushed in mere seconds.
At Gengar's words, Wu Yao froze in disbelief, stunned speechless by the mention of a "Champion".
"A Champion-level Beedrill? Are you serious?! Gengar, you're not just making excuses because you lost, right?"
In Wu Yao's view, what would a Champion-level trainer be doing in some tiny rural village? Besides, judging from their exchange earlier, that trainer was Su Qingxue's teacher.
If Qingxue had such a powerful teacher, the Flying Eagle Gang wouldn't be worth mentioning. A single attack from a Champion Beedrill would annihilate them instantly!
Gengar, annoyed by Wu Yao's disbelief, huffed indignantly.
"Gen! Gengar! Gen Geng! (Hmph! If it wasn't a Champion-level Pokémon, how could it have so effortlessly driven me back? As for why someone that powerful is hiding in a tiny village... well, who knows what these strong people are thinking.)"
"Gen Geng! (You've forgotten how the old man stayed in Shanghai's slums all those years—and ended up blessed... no, cursed, with a disciple like you.)"
"What cursed? Clearly, the old man was lucky to find a once-in-a-generation prodigy like me!" Wu Yao retorted indignantly.
"Gen! (Bah! More like cursed!)"
"Prodigy!"
""Gen! (Cursed!)"
...
The argument between trainer and Pokémon raged on for several minutes before finally ending in a draw.
"Hey, Gengar... Do you think they'll come after us for revenge?" After calming down, Wu Yao asked the critical question.
On this point, Gengar was confidently dismissive.
"Geng-Gen. (Don't worry. They have no idea who we are. Worst case, we just won't take any more jobs involving the Azure Dragon Society.)"
"It's just a shame—we almost had the reward in hand. Who'd have thought some random Champion-level trainer would pop out halfway through?"
Remembering how confident they'd been when accepting the job, compared to the mess now, Gengar couldn't help feeling a little gloomy. At least, they still had the five million yuan down payment. Not a complete waste.
As for refunding the money for an incomplete job?
What a joke!
The information given had been severely misleading. It was already generous not to demand compensation from the client.
Refund the money?
Keep dreaming!