Looking at the person before him, Fang Yan cursed inwardly.
Gengar floated in front of Fang Yan, watching Hunter J warily.
Hunter J noticed Fang Yan as well. Standing on Salamence, she looked at him and spoke calmly.
"Have you seen the Ninetales around here?"
Fang Yan's eyebrow twitched. Ninetales? Grandaunt's Ninetales?
In the firelight, Hunter J saw the change in Fang Yan's expression.
"So you know it?"
Hunter J chuckled. "Then do you know where it went?"
"You set this forest on fire and planned to burn it down just to find a Ninetales?"
Instead of answering her, Fang Yan questioned her coldly.
"Is there a problem with that? Someone offered me money to buy this Ninetales. I've been here two or three days without finding it, so I had no choice but to set a fire to drive it out. Who knew it wouldn't come out?"
Hunter J answered Fang Yan's question nonchalantly.
"But that Gengar of yours looks pretty good too. It should fetch a good price."
Hunter J gave a soft laugh.
Hearing that, Fang Yan immediately gave an order.
"Burn it with Will-O-Wisp."
Flames appeared around Gengar, burning away all the silk Ariados had spat from the darkness.
Fang Yan had been watching his surroundings warily from the moment he first saw her.
From the moment he encountered her, he had been destined to have no way out.
Fortunately, he was very familiar with Hunter J's methods: first trap people with String Shot, then petrify their Pokémon with a beam and take them away.
So while she spoke, Fang Yan had used his cheat to detect the Ariados hiding in the darkness.
[Ariados] [Types: Poison, Bug] [Sex: Male]
"Vespiquen, Air Slash."
Vespiquen sent several blades of wind toward the spot Fang Yan indicated, forcing Ariados out.
"Close Combat."
Er Li met Drapion head-on, forcing him back with Close Combat.
Hunter J looked at Fang Yan in some surprise, her gaze darkening.
"Flamethrower."
Salamence spewed flames from his mouth toward Fang Yan.
Watching the Flamethrower rush straight toward him, Fang Yan gritted his teeth.
"Vespiquen, Staravia, Air Slash."
Vespiquen and Staravia unleashed Air Slash together, colliding with Flamethrower and producing smoke.
When the smoke cleared, Hunter J and Salamence had vanished.
Fang Yan was exceptionally calm now, so calm that he could clearly hear his own heartbeat.
He left Ariados and Drapion entirely to Dali and Er Li, remaining on guard against Hunter J without daring to let his attention wander.
"Gengar, Dazzling Gleam!"
Gengar dodged Salamence's Dragon Pulse and fired a Dazzling Gleam, landing a perfect hit on Salamence.
But Salamence shook his body and continued flying higher.
With the help of the Pokémon information panel, Fang Yan could always pinpoint Salamence's location.
Standing in a tree, Hunter J waved her hand, and several Pokémon Hunters approached Fang Yan.
Fang Yan whispered something to Gengar, who then used Double Team to create over a dozen Gengar, each holding a Shadow Ball and throwing it at the Pokémon Hunters.
The Pokémon Hunters commanded their Pokémon to block the Shadow Balls, producing smoke once again. When it cleared, Gengar was nowhere to be seen.
"Flamethrower."
Hunter J's voice rang out again.
Fang Yan had no time to react.
Vespiquen flew in front of him and unleashed Struggle Bug against Flamethrower, only to be engulfed by the flames in the end. Scorched black all over, she fell to the ground and stopped responding.
Fang Yan gritted his teeth.
Sister Xiaoye, why aren't you here yet?
"Staravia, Brave Bird!"
Staravia charged straight at Salamence, who dodged and landed a Dragon Pulse on him.
Staravia barely managed to hold himself up and fly in front of Fang Yan. Seeing this, Hunter J chuckled and gave her order. "It's over. Flamethrower."
Seeing the figure in the shadows, Fang Yan grinned.
"Gengar! Full-power Dazzling Gleam!"
Hunter J's gaze sharpened as Gengar suddenly appeared beneath Salamence and struck him directly with Dazzling Gleam.
Salamence screamed and fell to the ground.
Hunter J looked down. All her subordinates had been put to sleep by Gengar or paralyzed with Lick.
"A bunch of useless fools."
Hunter J cursed, then looked at Fang Yan.
"You're pretty capable. Ariados, String Shot."
Ariados forced Dali back with an X-Scissor, then spat silk toward Fang Yan.
"Star!"
At the critical moment, Staravia scattered the silk with an Air Slash.
Hunter J was too strong. Even giving it everything he had and using his cheat, Fang Yan could only barely hold her off.
Even Gengar had been forced to take two Flamethrowers from Salamence. Covered in wounds and swaying on the verge of collapse, he was holding on through sheer determination.
Hunter J seized the opportunity, aiming the launcher on the back of her hand at Gengar and firing.
"Move away! Don't get petrified!"
"Gengar-"
Gengar hurriedly dodged the beam.
Fortunately, he had guarded against it. Fang Yan had been watching out for her petrification beam from the start.
Hunter J frowned. She realized Fang Yan seemed to know her very well: he had precisely evaded Ariados and Drapion hiding in the darkness, and even dodged her petrification beam.
"You seem to know a lot about me?"
Hunter J could not help asking. Fang Yan smiled.
"Hunter J. Who doesn't know you?"
Fang Yan thought for a moment, then said, "I can tell you where that Ninetales went."
"You're just stalling."
Hunter J chuckled, seeing through Fang Yan's intention.
While they battled, the forest fire grew larger and larger, and the Pokémon inside fled in every direction.
A Marill was fleeing with his family as well. When he reached the forest exit, he saw Fang Yan, and also saw Salamence flying in the air.
He recognized Salamence as the Pokémon who had started the fire. He stopped in his tracks and stared fixedly at him.
Gengar shook his unsteady body and floated in front of Fang Yan.
Dali and Er Li also began retreating to Fang Yan's side.
"Hyper Beam!"
Salamence spat out a terrifying beam of energy.
"Dazzling Gleam, Air Slash, Focus Punch!"
All the moves blasted out, canceling out Hyper Beam. The windblown sand they stirred up covered the entire battlefield.
Taking advantage of Salamence's recovery time, Marill sat on his tail and launched himself into the sky. He closed in on Salamence and knocked him down with Play Rough.
"Where did this Marill come from?!"
Hunter J cursed angrily.
Fang Yan cheered. The dragon slayer certainly lived up to his name.
While Marill was falling, Salamence shakily rose from the ground and took flight again, sending Marill flying with an Iron Head. Marill landed beside Fang Yan.
Watching Marill get knocked away and land nearby, Fang Yan inwardly cursed the missed opportunity.
Marill's final Play Rough had lacked power. Otherwise, it could have defeated Salamence completely.
Drapion and Ariados continued their attacks, while all the Pokémon on Fang Yan's side were already covered in wounds.
"How is this damned Salamence so tough?! Even three super-effective hits couldn't take him down."
"Draco Meteor! Poison Sting! Thunder Fang!"
Hunter J shouted.
Salamence spat out energy, forming a Draco Meteor in the air that came crashing down.
Gengar swallowed all of Ariados's Poison Sting, but Thunder Fang struck Marill just as he got back up. Marill collapsed in pain.
"Block Draco Meteor!"
Fang Yan roared.
Gengar unleashed Psychic, blocking one meteor after another. Dali and Er Li resisted with their fists as well, while Staravia kept dodging in the air. In the end, Staravia took two meteors head-on and fell to the ground, unable to battle.
Just as Hunter J thought Fang Yan had run out of options, sirens sounded all around them.
"Arcanine, Flamethrower!"
Sister Xiaoye, you're finally here!
Fang Yan let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing Officer Jenny and the International Police closing in around her, Hunter J clicked her tongue, jumped onto Salamence, recalled Drapion and Ariados into their Poké Balls, and flew unsteadily into the distance.
She looked back at Fang Yan.
Fang Yan was also looking at her coldly. In the darkness, illuminated by the flames, his expression was exceptionally icy as he stared fixedly at her.
Gengar swayed beside him. Despite taking several Flamethrowers from Salamence, he was still forcing himself to stay upright and watch her and Salamence.
And those two Machamp-despite being weaker than Drapion and Ariados, they had held her Drapion and Ariados back.
She heard Officer Jenny call him Fang Yan.
"Fang Yan, sooner or later, someone will commission me to capture your Gengar."
"Next time, you definitely won't be this lucky!"
Fang Yan spoke just as coldly into the distance.