Urban Pokémon

Hearing those familiar roars, Uncle Ye and Captain Wang finally smiled in relief.

"Mr. Guo finally noticed the commotion!"

"If he'd arrived any later, even a Pseudo-Elite Four Nidoking wouldn't be enough to turn the tide," Uncle Ye muttered, watching Nidoking and Nidoqueen charge onto the battlefield.

Though powerful, Nidoking's strength was only at the Pseudo-Elite Four—he couldn't completely overturn the battle alone if they'd been defeated first.

This was precisely why, despite Infernape's poisoning, they'd chosen to stall for time. Their goal had always been to maintain the situation long enough for Nidoking and Nidoqueen to arrive, signaling their counterattack.

"Nido!"

This rotten snake again! Honey, watch your husband get revenge for you!

Ever since the ambush at their home, Nidoking harbored a burning hatred for Arbok—unmatched by any other Pokémon. Although the actual culprit was already dead, Nidoking didn't mind directing his anger at this new Arbok.

With immense strength, Nidoking stomped the ground, unleashing a powerful [Earth Power] attack that surged toward Arbok, fracturing the earth in its path.

Nidoking's rage-driven strike was nothing to scoff at.

"Arbok, [Protect]!" Lin Ke ordered immediately.

In the face of such a terrifying attack, Lin Ke wasted no time deploying his Pokémon's ultimate lifesaver: [Protect].

[Protect]: Completely blocks one attack. It was a lifesaving move, usually reserved for the most critical moments because its success rate sharply declined after each successive use.

As a Poison-type, Arbok would be severely injured if struck directly by [Earth Power]. Even if it survived, it would be left severely weakened.

A protective barrier appeared around Arbok just as [Earth Power] struck, absorbing the blow.

"Damn it!" Lin Ke cursed.

"So you had a Pseudo-Elite Four Nidoking. No wonder the old guy was stalling me."

His expression darkened bitterly.

Now he finally understood their strategy—they'd just been waiting for backup!

While Lin Ke weighed his next move, Nidoking's horn erupted with dazzling light, charging straight at Arbok.

[Megahorn]—an extremely powerful Bug-type move with a base power of 120!

With Nidoking's aggressive charge, Infernape and Ursaring also launched their counterattack under their trainers' commands.

[Flamethrower] and [Hammer Arm] struck simultaneously.

With Nidoking and Nidoqueen's support, Captain Wang no longer had reason to hold Infernape back. Even if Infernape collapsed, it would no longer affect the overall battle. He'd rather have it burn its brightest flame before falling.

Fwoosh!

The flames atop Infernape's head flared violently as its [Blaze] Ability activated.

Infernape's chest heaved rapidly, like bellows fueling a furnace, and then it unleashed a searing [Flamethrower] aimed squarely at Ariados.

After releasing this final burst of flames, Infernape collapsed, overcome by poison. Yet, it had fulfilled its role perfectly. With [Flamethrower's] support, Ursaring successfully defeated Ariados, then immediately turned its attention toward Arbok.

Once again, it was two-on-one—but this time, the tables had completely turned.

---

As Lin Ke's group began losing ground, Gengar, who'd silently observed the battle from the dark sky above, finally made her move.

Actually, she had arrived above the battlefield the moment the fight began. However, she didn't intervene immediately. Instead, she waited, quietly assessing the situation.

If the Flying Eagle Gang gained the advantage, she wouldn't even need to act—earning easy money. But now that the Flying Eagle Gang was losing, it was her turn.

In a flicker, Gengar vanished into thin air, reappearing moments later inside Su Qingxue's room.

Su Qingxue jumped in fright at Gengar's sudden appearance, and Breloom immediately stepped forward to protect her.

"Geng-geng!"

Without hesitation, Gengar's eyes flashed hypnotically, sending Breloom into a drowsy stupor before it slumped unconscious on the floor.

[Hypnosis]—Gengar's preferred move for kidnapping.

It wasn't only Breloom who succumbed—Su Qingxue and her nearby Nidorina instantly fell into a deep sleep as well. With Gengar's Elite Four strength, subduing them was effortless.

"Heh heh heh!"

Gengar laughed wickedly in triumph, scooping up Su Qingxue. Another flicker, and they appeared behind the villa.

She couldn't keep Su Qingxue in the spirit realm for long, as humans wouldn't survive prolonged exposure there. Gengar wasn't interested in turning a kidnapping into a murder.

She wasted no time, swiftly soaring toward her rendezvous with Wu Yao.

But shortly after Gengar departed, a swift, insectoid shadow sliced through the darkness, rapidly giving chase.

---

Wu Yao lounged casually, munching sunflower seeds without a shred of worry about Gengar's task. Given Gengar's strength, no one present could possibly obstruct her mission.

"Heh heh heh!"

Hearing Gengar's familiar laugh, Wu Yao looked up, smiling as she saw Gengar descending from the sky with Su Qingxue.

"Nicely done, Gengar!"

"Hurry, let's bag her and get out of here!"

Wu Yao smoothly pulled out a large burlap sack, clearly no stranger to kidnappings.

Just as the two were busy stuffing Su Qingxue into the sack, ready to flee—

A piercing whistle cut through the night air.

Gengar's eyes narrowed sharply, and she swiftly raised a hand, launching a [Shadow Ball] toward the incoming threat.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted in midair.

"My friends, isn't it a bit impolite to sneak away with my student like this?"

Guo Yi emerged from the shadows, calmly stepping forward alongside Beedrill.