Urban Pokémon

Outside the villa, in the open clearing, all the bodyguards had gathered, their expressions grim as they kept their eyes trained on any movement from the east.

At the same time—

Uncle Ye wore a solemn face as he turned to the head of security. "Xiao Wang, are you confident?"

As soon as Uncle Ye heard from Xiao Lin that a powerful enemy was approaching, he had rushed over without hesitation.

The head bodyguard replied confidently, "Please rest assured, Mr. Ye—my Houndoom has received specialized training."

"It can detect any approaching threat within a half-kilometer radius."

"Some stealthier Pokémon may be able to slip past its perception, but if Houndoom reacts, then there's definitely a strong opponent closing in."

For bodyguards, the most important skill was constant vigilance—always being aware of potential threats in the surroundings.

That's why every security team leader was equipped with canine Pokémon such as Houndoom, Arcanine, or Mightyena.

These Pokémon were all trained uniformly by the security firm.

Only those that passed multiple live-combat simulations against strong foes could qualify to accompany a team captain.

So the captain had complete faith in Houndoom's warning.

With that reassurance, Uncle Ye reached for the Poké Ball at his waist.

A flash of red light burst forth.

A towering, brown bear-like Pokémon with a yellow circle on its belly and a fierce aura—Ursaring—appeared before them.

This was Uncle Ye's ace Pokémon, a powerhouse in every sense.

Even the bodyguard captain couldn't match it.

"Uncle Ye, what's going on?"

At that moment, Su Qingxue emerged from the villa.

"Young miss, there may be a serious battle here soon. Please return to the villa for safety," Uncle Ye advised firmly.

"Don't worry. If the enemy wants to get past us, they'll have to step over my dead body first."

"And ours too!"

"Rest assured, young miss—we'll protect you with our lives!"

The surrounding bodyguards all pledged their loyalty in unison.

To them, protecting their employer was the highest duty.

Even death was a price they were willing to pay.

Before every assignment, they had signed contracts with the company: should they die in the line of duty, their families would receive generous compensation, and the costs of their children's first Pokémon training would be fully covered.

That guarantee was what allowed these elite bodyguards to stand at the top of the profession.

Su Qingxue believed in their sincerity.

But still, she didn't retreat into the villa.

She understood one thing—if Uncle Ye and the others lost, no hiding place would protect her.

In that case...

I'd rather face it with them.

"Uncle Ye, have you seen my teacher?"

Su Qingxue scanned the group, suddenly realizing that Guo Yi was missing, and asked with a frown.

Uncle Ye furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment. "He left the villa earlier and hasn't been seen since."

One of the bodyguards chimed in, "I saw him. He took his Beedrill and went off alone into the wild forest. He hasn't come back."

"Maybe... he's the one who led the enemy here."

Because of earlier incidents with Guo Yi, many of the bodyguards had been scolded or reprimanded.

So their attitudes toward him weren't exactly friendly.

"I heard the Flying Eagle Gang put a bounty out online for the young miss. Could it be..."

A bodyguard trailed off mid-sentence, but everyone knew what he was implying.

After all, Guo Yi disappears—and suddenly a strong enemy shows up?

It was hard not to be suspicious.

But Su Qingxue quickly spoke up in defense of her teacher.

"My teacher would never do something like that!"

"If he wanted to sell us out, he had plenty of chances before. Why wait until now?"

"I know some of you have grievances against him, but I don't want to hear that kind of talk again."

If she had heard this before knowing what Guo Yi was capable of, maybe she would've hesitated.

But now, after seeing what he could do, she refused to believe he would betray her for money.

If it was about profit—

Just the Nidoran training plan, his discovery about hidden abilities and [Life Orbs], or his ability to craft perfect-grade energy cube—

Any one of those would be worth far more than the bounty from the Flying Eagle Gang.

Of course, none of that was something she could explain out loud.

But she would never allow anyone to slander her teacher.

Seeing the firm resolve on Su Qingxue's face, the rest of the bodyguards fell silent.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Suddenly—

The captain's Houndoom began barking like mad.

"They're here!"

"All units—on alert!"

The bodyguard captain snapped orders the moment Houndoom gave the signal.

Instantly—

Everyone focused their attention on the forest to the east.

Rustle... rustle...

A sound stirred from within the dense trees.

"All Pokémon—prepare to engage."

The Pokémon around them began charging up ranged attacks, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"Damn it!"

"These evening paths are a real pain to walk!"

A voice rang out the moment a figure emerged—one that Su Qingxue recognized immediately.

Oh no!

Her heart dropped.

"Wa—!"

She tried to stop them, but it was already too late.

"Fire!"

With the captain's command, the Pokémon launched their attacks.

[Flamethrowers], [Water Guns], [Razor Leaves]—energy of all types surged forward in a dazzling barrage.

Guo Yi, just stepping out of the forest, was startled by the incoming onslaught.

But in the next second—

Nidoking's massive body stepped in front of him.

White energy flared as sharp stones formed instantly, then launched forward with explosive force.

Boom!

The resulting impact from the clash of energy erupted in a thunderous explosion mid-air.

Now that Nidoking had broken into the Quasi-Elite Four tier, his strength spoke for itself.

Even the combined strike from a group of Pokémon was no match for him—he repelled them all by himself.

However—

Though the attack was blocked, Nidoking was absolutely furious.

His whole family had just found a promising, capable Trainer...

And now someone had dared to attack him?

How could Nidoking possibly tolerate that?

His overwhelming aura burst out in full, and he let loose an enraged roar.

At that moment—

Uncle Ye's Ursaring stepped forward, shielding everyone from the shockwave of Nidoking's power.

Uncle Ye's face turned grim as he muttered under his breath,

"Quasi-Elite Four tier...!"