"Don't attack! I've come to find you with good intentions!"
Feeling a fatal crisis looming over him, Hunter immediately abandoned any thought of having Gengar resist. He spoke to Gu Yuan with a hint of respect.
"Tell me about it. If your answer doesn't satisfy me, then don't blame me for being unkind."
Unsurprisingly, once Hunter stated his purpose, Gu Yuan was willing to give him a chance to speak.
"The specific details need to be discussed between you and the head of the family. Here is the phone."
Taking out a communication device, Hunter carefully handed it toward Gu Yuan. This was no longer the Kalos region. He was no longer a match for Gu Yuan, so it was better to be honest.
Using his psychic powers to bring the device to him, Gu Yuan listened patiently.
"Gu Yuan, I am Tatao Fukuda. I imagine I'm not a stranger to you."
"Indeed. I still remember that both of your sons tried to deal with me. So, did you send this man here to let me vent my anger?"
As the voice spoke, Gu Yuan quickly recalled the man's identity and felt a bit surprised. Who would have thought that after both of his sons had been humiliated by him, Tatao Fukuda, as their father, would seek a secret cooperation?
"Of course not. You should have felt the goodwill I conveyed previously."
"I admit my two sons were offensive before. As long as I can obtain your forgiveness, feel free to speak your mind. Consider it my apology to you on their behalf. What do you think?"
"It seems the Kurata family doesn't realize they've raised a hungry wolf, but I don't like cooperating with wolves."
Hearing Tatao Fukuda's reply, Gu Yuan actually lost his initial contempt.
"Please rest assured, I simply wish to cooperate with you. Furthermore, I believe this cooperation can bring great benefits to you and the League."
"Most importantly, I guarantee I will not be an enemy of the Kanto League. So, why not listen to the cooperation I'm proposing?"
On the other end of the phone, Tatao Fukuda said with a smile.
"Fine. I hope your next words can convince me."
After speaking, Gu Yuan waited quietly for Tatao Fukuda to begin. Without wasting time, Tatao Fukuda described his plan: he would use the guise of cooperation to gather intelligence regarding the Hunter's Guild for Gu Yuan and the League.
When necessary, the Fukuda family would coordinate with League operations to help strike at the Hunter's Guild and the Kurata family's forces. Ultimately, Tatao Fukuda was even willing to testify that the three great families were cooperating with the Hunter's Guild.
In exchange, Tatao Fukuda sought to lead the Fukuda family safely out of the Kanto region, promising they would not commit crimes in the future!
After finishing his pitch, Tatao Fukuda waited for Gu Yuan's response. He believed Gu Yuan would definitely agree. Compared to the decayed families, neither Gu Yuan nor the Elite Four were the type to stick rigidly to convention. As long as there were greater gains to be had, cooperating with him was no big deal.
The most important point was that Tatao Fukuda firmly believed his hands were the cleanest among all the families, making him the easiest for Gu Yuan and the Elite Four to accept.
"I still need to discuss this with the Elite Four. However, if you dare to deceive us, I will make the Fukuda family vanish completely, even if the three great families and the Hunter's Guild try to protect you!"
Just as Tatao Fukuda expected, Gu Yuan's lack of a direct refusal was essentially a tacit agreement.
"Please rest assured, I will absolutely not disappoint you or the Elite Four."
Hearing Tatao Fukuda's respectful tone, Gu Yuan confirmed once more that this man was a formidable figure capable of both yielding and prevailing. It was said he had successfully broken through to the Champion Rank. With both his strength and mental state reaching the mark, the future of the Fukuda family would go far beyond this.
Even so, Gu Yuan dialed Agatha's number while signaling Hunter to leave. A ghost-type trainer at the Beginner Elite level was no longer a threat in Gu Yuan's eyes.
Giving a respectful bow, Hunter—feeling as though he had just returned from the gates of hell—left without looking back. He knew he had personally attacked Gu Yuan twice before, and Gu Yuan's tendency to hold grudges was famous. If Gu Yuan decided to retaliate, Hunter would have no room to resist.
When Gu Yuan detailed Tatao Fukuda's cooperative goals to Agatha, she agreed immediately. Unsurprisingly, Bruno and the others had no objections either.
The Elite Four already held many clues regarding the Hunter's Guild, but they had struggled to find a suitable opportunity to expand the results of an all-out war. Now that Tatao Fukuda had hand-delivered this chance, how could they not cherish it?
Soon, Tatao Fukuda received word that the Kanto League had agreed to his cooperation. Once the matter concluded, the Kanto League would allow the Fukuda family to leave, but if they dared to commit crimes later, the Elite Four would not hesitate to destroy them.
Naturally, Tatao Fukuda had no objections, and the communication between the two sides fell upon Gu Yuan.
With the Kanto League's guarantee, Tatao Fukuda began cooperating with the Hunter's Guild on behalf of the Kurata family and soon participated in the first attack. To prove his sincerity, he shared all the intelligence he obtained with the Kanto League.
The Elite Four also knew how to play along, intentionally pretending to be ignorant while gathering more intelligence from these actions. On the surface, the Kanto League appeared to be in a frantic state due to the sudden attacks. In reality, they were preparing a fatal blow.
Once they had a precise target, this blow would reveal its true brilliance.
As time passed, the attacks continued, though the frequency decreased significantly. To ensure the stability of the Kanto region, the Elite Four shifted the blame onto Team Rocket.
Using the resources obtained from the raids, the three great families—who had lost during the war—managed to catch their breath. After two months of peace and the seemingly incompetent performance of the Kanto League, the three great families finally entered the fray personally.
Little did they know, this was exactly what the Elite Four had been waiting for.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Gu Yuan was commanding Drakloak in battle. Over the past two months, Haxorus and the others had successfully grown to the point of taking their final step. This battle was the breakthrough fight Gu Yuan had arranged for Drakloak.
"Go, Drakloak! Dragon Pulse, Night Shade!"
At Gu Yuan's command, the excited Drakloak immediately launched an attack. A wave of energy shaped like a dragon surged out, followed closely by Drakloak, who had transformed into a demonic phantom. Facing Drakloak's assault, Magmar immediately retaliated with flames. The battle had officially begun.