"Mankey, charge in and use Covet!"
At Gu Yuan's command, Mankey dashed forward at full speed.
After so much training, along with the improvements from its rising strength, Mankey's physical power as a Fighting-type Pokémon had become incredible.
In the blink of an eye, Mankey had closed the distance to Raticate.
After using Covet, Raticate's movements clearly slowed.
Taking advantage of the opening, Mankey darted closer and punched Raticate hard in the face.
Without waiting for Gu Yuan's orders, Mankey used Leer, further disrupting Raticate's actions.
Unlike before, Mankey had now mastered the much stronger Cross Chop to replace its old Scratch.
With one decisive Cross Chop, the fierce pain snapped Raticate back to its senses.
Trying to steady itself, Raticate gathered its remaining strength to use Quick Attack, hoping to inflict some damage.
"Mankey, dodge to the left, then rush forward and use Low Kick!"
Hearing Gu Yuan's voice, Mankey immediately rolled left, gracefully avoiding Raticate's strike.
As Raticate turned to face it, Mankey bent its knees and then sprang forward, landing a powerful kick that sent Raticate flying.
"End the battle with Cross Chop!"
With one last Cross Chop, Raticate collapsed, unable to continue fighting.
Returning victoriously, Mankey grinned from ear to ear.
"That's right, you did great. Keep it up, and you'll evolve very soon."
Gu Yuan gently patted Mankey's fluffy head, as tender as ever.
Sometimes, Mankey thought, if only Gu Yuan were a frail woman, I could protect her.
If Gu Yuan knew what it was thinking, though, that gentle pat would probably turn into a lesson in "fatherly love."
"All right, take a rest for now. We'll be reaching Lavender Town soon."
Standing up, Gu Yuan decided not to battle any further.
Over the past few days, Kadabra had fully adapted to using Ally Switch at an Expert level and even improved its strength a bit.
Mankey's progress was even greater. It had advanced further within the Junior Rank and was close to evolving.
More importantly, Gu Yuan had not concealed his route at all.
That would give the Mizutani family enough time to predict his destination and prepare.
If things were as Elite Four Agatha had said, then once this assassination and attack ended, the Mizutani family's downfall would follow soon after.
Gu Yuan's role in this mission was simple: to act as bait.
He didn't mind. After all, the Mizutani family was already one of his targets.
Becoming Agatha's disciple afterward would bring even more benefits. No matter how he looked at it, it was a good deal.
With his quick pace, Gu Yuan soon arrived in Lavender Town.
Because of the Ghost-type Pokémon living here, Lavender Town was quite famous, and its Pokémon Center always had a steady crowd.
After booking a single room, Gu Yuan became more alert.
His goal wasn't just to survive this assassination, but to identify the attackers and force the Mizutani family to send an Ace Rank Trainer.
Only then would the plan be complete.
"Kadabra, I'll be relying on you. Keep watch over everyone who goes near the cafeteria."
Gu Yuan knew this method was clumsy, but it was still his most effective option.
By recording everyone who approached the cafeteria, he could quickly identify the culprit through elimination if poisoning occurred.
Moreover, anyone the Mizutani family sent to act against him would have to get close, making them easy to pinpoint.
However, over the next few days, whether he was searching for Ghost-type Pokémon or resources for training them, Gu Yuan didn't notice anything unusual.
Everything seemed calm, as if he and Agatha had been wrong all along.
But Gu Yuan knew better. This was merely the calm before the storm.
The enemy's delay meant they were studying his movements, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Stretching lazily, Gu Yuan turned into a dessert shop along the street.
Ever since he'd come here once before, his Sylveon had fallen in love with the sweets.
Even Charizard and Kadabra had found treats that suited their tastes here.
"Hello, the usual, please."
"Of course, please wait a moment."
Seeing Gu Yuan enter with Sylveon and Mankey, the female clerk greeted him warmly.
"Excuse me."
Just then, the door opened again, and a small head peeked inside.
"Hello, do you have red bean mochi here?"
"Yes, we do."
"Great, please pack one for me."
Pushing the door open, a girl about the same age as Gu Yuan walked in.
Her sweet face and voice could easily charm boys her age.
She even bounced a little as she walked, radiating youthful innocence.
As she passed by Gu Yuan, she suddenly tripped.
Startled, she instinctively tried to brace herself with her hands.
Before she could fall, Gu Yuan caught her.
Looking up at him, the girl's cheeks flushed red, but in her hand, a small blade appeared and shot toward Gu Yuan's heart.
Unfortunately for her, she failed.
Mankey reacted first, using Low Kick to knock her down, and Sylveon quickly followed, using its ribbon-like feelers to wrap around and knock her unconscious.
At the same time, the door burst open again, and two men rushed in, guns pointed straight at Gu Yuan.
Before they could fire, Ditto, who was disguised as a wristband, transformed into a Golem, then used Defense Curl, raising its defense and shielding Gu Yuan from the bullets.
The attackers released their Pokémon, but Gu Yuan wasn't about to give them a chance to escape.
Kadabra's psychic power surged, but before it could restrain them, the two men bit down on hidden poison capsules and died instantly.
When Gu Yuan turned to check the girl, her face had already turned black. She must have taken poison before Sylveon knocked her out.
The female clerk stood frozen, staring blankly at Gu Yuan and the three corpses on the floor.
"Don't scream. These are bad people. I'll call the police, and you'll understand soon."
Gu Yuan quickly covered her mouth and explained.
She nodded obediently. Even after he released her, she didn't move, quietly waiting for the police to arrive.
It wasn't hard to see why she trusted Gu Yuan so easily.
A handsome boy with such a beautiful Sylveon couldn't possibly be a bad person; these people must have been after his Pokémon.
As for the sweet-faced girl lying dead on the floor, well… sometimes, girls can be scary too.