A red light flashed, and the Gengar that was currently locked in a struggle with Annihilape was instantly pulled inside and locked down, cutting off any possibility of it coming back out.
Initially stunned by the sudden loss of its opponent, Annihilape quickly regained its composure and snapped out of its frenzied combat state. It understood the current situation well and wouldn't let its own thirst for battle cause trouble for Gu Yuan.
"Don't worry. Once this war is over, I will definitely find plenty of Elite Rank Pokémon for you to fight to your heart's content," Gu Yuan said softly, stroking Annihilape's head.
He knew his Pokémon better than anyone; they were all top-tier battle maniacs. However, for the sake of the bigger picture, he had to interrupt their fights time and again. Perhaps they would continue to restrain themselves for his sake, but Gu Yuan felt that once the war ended, he needed to give them a proper reward.
After disposing of the man's corpse, Gu Yuan immediately vanished from the spot. Just as the man had thought, one could not afford even a hint of carelessness in a street fight of this level. After all, those capable of participating in this war—aside from Psychic or Ghost-type trainers—would also possess Pokémon with strong ambush capabilities.
Gu Yuan's only advantage was the system's detection function, which could be described as absolute. Relying on this "bug-level" ability, he was like a fish in water in these urban skirmishes. Soon, Gu Yuan set his sights on another conspicuous target and began to wait patiently.
Looking ahead, Gu Yuan seemed to see the person through the walls. He felt a sense of respect for the trainers participating in these street fights. They performed the most dangerous work, yet they received the least applause and rewards. For them, once too much of their intel became known, it meant death was not far off.
At the same time, trainers from both sides involved in urban combat needed to adhere to one principle: they must absolutely not cause too much of a commotion. Otherwise, the opposing side would seize upon that point without hesitation, occupy the moral high ground, and use overt forces to suppress them.
Despite his respect, Gu Yuan showed no mercy when he struck. The moment the opponent showed a vulnerability, Annihilape and Ditto, hidden in the darkness, launched an attack according to his instructions.
Using Phantom Force, Annihilape immediately tied up the opponent's Dusknoir. Meanwhile, the Sableye hidden in the shadows did not escape either; it was instantly sought out by Ditto, who had transformed into a higher-level version of the species.
Quickly releasing his third Pokémon—a Gengar—to protect himself, the man began searching for the attacker's location while simultaneously looking for a suitable escape route. Unfortunately, Gu Yuan gave him no such chance.
Ceruledge, Gengar, and Skeledirge appeared one after another, constantly dividing the man's attention and Pokémon. Looking at the Pokémon that had already appeared, a name involuntarily surfaced in the man's mind. By the time he reacted, Alakazam had already appeared behind him.
Psychic power surged out, instantly resolving the man and leaving him unable to even make a sound. Poké Balls were opened one by one under the control of psychic power, capturing the battling Dusknoir and the others and locking them down.
As usual, after disposing of the corpse, Gu Yuan searched for his next target. It wasn't until dawn approached that the urban skirmishes silently drew to a close, waiting to resume when night fell again.
That night, Gu Yuan dealt with six people in one breath, which would surely relieve a lot of pressure for his allies. The next day, he wasn't in a hurry to leave. Instead, he first recovered his mental energy before silently vanishing from the city to continue searching for his next target.
Out of caution, Gu Yuan did not upload his recent battle results. He only informed Agatha privately, letting her announce them collectively. After all, many people were like Gu Yuan, not wanting others to judge their general movement routes based on their battle records.
The Four Elites had no objection to this cautious approach. In their view, only this style of prudence allowed one to live longer.
Over the following period, lone Psychics from the families were repeatedly killed, and they couldn't even figure out who the killer was. However, as time went on, the families' intelligence systems proved they weren't useless. They soon locked onto Gu Yuan, though they were unable to pinpoint his exact movements.
Even so, having a specific target allowed the families to arrange a corresponding layout. This time, whether it was the three major families or the surviving ones, they had hardened their hearts. Once Gu Yuan exposed his location, he would surely face a fatal blow.
"A good sleep really feels comfortable," Gu Yuan said, stretching lazily.
The continuous raids had left him exhausted. After finding this decent spot, he had Alakazam stand guard while he enjoyed a deep sleep. Now that his spirit was replenished, Gu Yuan knew he was facing a difficult choice again.
The war had developed to a point where it was nearing its end. If it continued, things would truly escalate into an all-out rage. Neither the families nor the League were prepared for that yet.
Under these circumstances, having performed so conspicuously, he would undoubtedly become a thorn in the families' side. According to Elite Agatha's judgment, as long as his whereabouts were discovered, those families would spare no effort to target him.
The best choice would be to find a place to hide and wait for the families to reach their limit and proactively stop the war. However, compared to that safe option, Gu Yuan preferred dancing on a knife's edge.
Conveniently, he had provided so much intelligence; it was time to collect the reward. After first contacting Agatha to outline his plan, Gu Yuan prepared to take the initiative. He picked a target at random and began his move.
"Gu Yuan has appeared!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out in the intelligence department's meeting room, instantly drawing everyone's gaze. Immediately after, the news was uploaded to Toranosuke Kurata.
At the same time, Jin Kobe received the news as well. Only Gaius was a bit slower, though not by much. Upon learning this information, the heads of the three major families immediately held a meeting. They decided who to send, how to divide the teams, and how many people would be in each squad.
It could be said that for many years, Gu Yuan was the only Elite Rank trainer to be treated this way by the three family heads simultaneously. As for the remaining families, they could only obediently follow orders.
To ensure the plan against Gu Yuan proceeded smoothly, the three major families even decided to withdraw troops from the war to concentrate more power for the strike. Since they had already lost this war anyway, they might as well trade an early defeat for Gu Yuan's life. Looking at it that way, it wasn't a loss!