"Hard work, Alakazam. Now, take a good rest; leave the rest to me!"
After executing one last Teleport, Gu Yuan had Alakazam stop.
He threw out several Poké Balls, and Charizard and the others, having recovered for a short time, reappeared.
After giving Alakazam a medicine to restore its stamina, Gu Yuan recalled it into its Poké Ball.
The light of Mega Evolution surged once more as Charizard transformed into Mega Charizard Y mid-charge.
The Drought Ability took effect, and a Blast Burn swept toward Takashi again.
Using Phantom Force, Annihilape and the Ditto transformed into Annihilape vanished into the shadow dimension one after another, forcing Takashi to remain perfectly guarded.
"It's time to end this farce."
At this moment, Takashi became serious.
Streaks of light emerged as Takashi was shielded by his Psychic-type Pokémon.
With a Leader Rank Starmie, Slowbro, and Mr. Mime protecting him, Annihilape and Ditto found no opportunity to strike.
Hypno acted, releasing Psychic to instantly block Mega Charizard Y's Blast Burn.
Then, it unleashed a barrage of Psyshock attacks. The psychic bolts lunged like venomous snakes at Mega Charizard Y, giving him no chance to stall for Alakazam.
Controlling its movement with psychic power, Alakazam charged straight for Gu Yuan.
It released two Psyshock blasts, sending the Mega Gengar that tried to ambush it flying.
Next was Sylveon.
A Hyper Beam failed to hit the agile Alakazam. Sylveon resorted to Hyper Voice, but Alakazam seized the opening to use Ally Switch.
Teleporting right next to Gu Yuan, Alakazam prepared to deliver the final blow.
Shadows coalesced as Gengar lunged out from Gu Yuan's shadow just in time to block the strike.
"I was waiting for you! Claydol, Psychic!"
The moment Gengar appeared, Takashi released his hidden Pokémon.
Using Teleport, Claydol closed the distance instantly and blasted Gengar with Psychic.
Alakazam also released another Psychic, attempting to pin Gengar down and create an opening for Claydol.
In terms of strength, Gengar was at the Peak of Elite Rank, while Hypno and Claydol were at the Upper-tier. Only Alakazam was at the Middle-tier.
However, even a Peak-tier Gengar couldn't instantly knock out Alakazam, which was why Takashi used Alakazam as bait.
But in the next second, Takashi regretted his decision.
Gu Yuan's own Gengar lunged out from the shadow dimension and tossed its Gengarite to Agatha's Gengar.
The Key Stone on Gu Yuan's wrist radiated light once more, enveloping Gengar along with the glow from the Mega Stone.
Mega Evolution isn't strictly limited to one's own Pokémon; as long as the bond reaches a certain level, the user can use the Key Stone to Mega Evolve any Pokémon wearing a Mega Stone.
Their time spent together had made Gu Yuan and Gengar increasingly familiar with one another. Combined with the help of Telepathy, Gu Yuan and Agatha's Gengar were able to perform a forced Mega Evolution.
While it couldn't gain as massive a boost as Charizard and the others, it was enough to handle the current situation—this was Gu Yuan's final trump card.
As the light of Mega Evolution faded and Mega Gengar appeared, its Shadow Tag Ability activated. Trapped within its range, Alakazam and Claydol were unable to use Teleport or Ally Switch.
Night Shade descended, and Mega Gengar's Dark Pulse shredded Alakazam's Psychic before slamming into the Pokémon.
Claydol's Psychic struck, but it failed to hinder Mega Gengar's movements.
At this moment, Mega Gengar's power had surpassed the Peak tier. Though it hadn't reached Champion Rank, it wasn't something an Upper-tier Claydol could easily shake.
Dark Pulse blasts shot out repeatedly like long spears, piercing through Alakazam.
"You deserve to die!"
In the distance, Takashi could only roar in helpless rage.
While Hypno was suppressing Mega Charizard Y, it was unable to intervene elsewhere. With the Shadow Tag lock, Alakazam had no chance to escape.
Turning around, Mega Gengar launched an attack on Claydol.
Both Gu Yuan and Mega Gengar knew that performing Mega Evolution with their current bond was too straining, so the duration would be very short. They had to move fast.
"Claydol, Future Sight! Psychic barrage!"
Takashi's voice rang in Claydol's mind, calming it down.
After silently initiating Future Sight, Claydol desperately mobilized its power, firing continuous rounds of Psychic.
Gu Yuan didn't give orders, instead allowing Mega Gengar to attack freely.
Mega Gengar did not disappoint. Using Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball to clear the way, it closed in on Claydol in the blink of an eye.
Dark Pulse and claws struck simultaneously, forming a lethal strike against Claydol.
At the same time, a white light erupted from Claydol's body—it used Explosion.
The previously cast Future Sight took effect, cutting off Mega Gengar's path of retreat.
"Mega Gengar, protect yourself! Mega Charizard Y, fly up quickly!"
At Gu Yuan's command, Mega Charizard Y immediately flapped its wings to gain altitude.
Hypno did not stop it, as it also needed to dodge Claydol's Explosion.
Gu Yuan activated Teleport, retreating with his Pokémon.
"Boom!"
The moment Gu Yuan vanished, the blast occurred. The violent explosion instantly swallowed everything in the vicinity.
When the dust settled, Gengar had reverted from Mega Evolution, its aura diminished.
Gu Yuan hadn't expected Takashi to be so decisive. He felt a sting of regret for not warning Mega Gengar sooner, potentially throwing away his advantage.
However, he quickly cast these thoughts aside. The current situation allowed for no distractions.
"Mega Charizard Y, Blast Burn!"
At the command, Mega Charizard Y attacked from the sky again, only to be blocked by Hypno once more.
Although it had rested briefly, the gap in strength meant Mega Charizard Y couldn't hold on for long.
In other words, Gu Yuan was running out of time. He had to find a way to deal with Hypno and Takashi immediately.
Otherwise, once Charizard fell, a heavily injured Gengar would be unable to stop Hypno's advance.
Using Phantom Force, Gu Yuan's Gengar appeared beside Agatha's Gengar, wanting to give it medicine to recover, but was intercepted by the emerging Slowbro.
As Psychic energy surged toward them, Agatha's Gengar was forced to act again, blocking Slowbro's attack.
At the same time, Annihilape, the Ditto-Annihilape, Ceruledge, and Skeledirge all launched a coordinated assault on Takashi!