Jiang Mo's pupils instantly dilated, and an alarm blared in his heart.
He immediately realized that something was amiss, and at the same time, noticed several Black-Clad Men furtively glancing his way from not far off, their movements highly suspicious.
"Something's wrong, I need to get out of here!"
Jiang Mo thought to himself, one hand already subtly reaching for the Poké Ball behind his waist, his steps slowly moving backward, ready to retreat at any moment.
However, seeing that Jiang Mo intended to leave, the Black-Clad Men stopped pretending and immediately gave chase.
One of them shouted loudly, "Stop, don't even think about running!"
At the same time, they all threw out Poké Balls, instantly summoning several Pokémon.
Meganium, Typhlosion, Blastoise, Empoleon, and more – all Starter Pokémon.
As soon as these Pokémon appeared, they immediately adopted battle stances, with the weakest among them being Gym Leader Class.
Jiang Mo's heart sank at the sight.
The opponents were clearly prepared and formidable; such a luxurious Starter Pokémon lineup was not something ordinary dark forces could possess.
He no longer hesitated, swiftly throwing out six Poké Balls, and Pikachu, Gengar, Tyranitar, Goodra, Eevee, and Swampert all appeared, confronting the opposing Pokémon.
"Jiang Mo, weren't you coming for dinner? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
The leading Black-Clad Man said with a sneer, "We are very interested in the legendary resources you obtained from the Alliance two days ago."
"As long as you hand them over obediently, we can consider letting you off with less trouble."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mo immediately understood.
The opponents were clearly after the legendary resources, but they seemed unaware that Tang Lao had given him a rainbow feather.
This indicated that while they knew the Alliance had given him legendary resources, they were not clear about what exactly it was.
"Looks like they're from within the Alliance..." Jiang Mo sneered inwardly.
These masked Black-Clad Men clearly didn't want to expose their identities.
Jiang Mo guessed that they were very likely pawns of certain forces within the Alliance, coveting the legendary resources and looking to seize them opportunistically.
Thinking this, Jiang Mo instead calmed down. He crossed his arms, a hint of playfulness in his tone: "You should be from the Alliance, right? You know that attacking a Top Researcher of the Alliance is a serious crime. Are you sure you want to do this?"
The Black-Clad Men visibly tensed upon hearing Jiang Mo's words.
They exchanged glances, seemingly not expecting Jiang Mo to expose their identities so quickly.
Seeing this, Jiang Mo continued, "Let me guess, which faction are you from? It wouldn't be the Li family, would it?"
Upon hearing the words "Li family," the Black-Clad Men visibly stiffened, and a hint of panic flashed in their eyes.
Although they did not speak, Jiang Mo had already gotten his answer from their reactions.
"It really is the Li family..." Jiang Mo sneered inwardly.
After all, it was Li Xiang who had invited him here, and Li Xiang was a collateral descendant of the Li family.
Furthermore, these Black-Clad Men also knew that he was here for dinner, which further confirmed this point.
Jiang Mo had merely made a casual guess based on this, and unexpectedly, he had guessed correctly.
"The Li family is truly persistent, always targeting me, huh." Jiang Mo thought to himself, his face remaining impassive.
Seeing that Jiang Mo had already guessed their identity, the leading Black-Clad Man stopped wasting words and said coldly, "Jiang Mo, since you refuse to cooperate, don't blame us for being impolite!"
"All together, take him down!"
With that, he waved his hand, and several Pokémon immediately swarmed forward, launching a fierce attack on Jiang Mo's Pokémon.
Jiang Mo remained unhurried, swiftly commanding: "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Gengar, Shadow Ball! Tyranitar, Precipice Blades! Goodra, Dragon Pulse! Eevee, Shadow Sneak! Swampert, Hydro Pump!"
As Jiang Mo's commands were issued one by one, Pikachu's body was instantly enveloped in powerful electricity, a thick bolt of lightning striking directly at the opposing Empoleon.
Gengar immediately rubbed its hands together to form a black Energy Ball, smashing it fiercely towards Blastoise.
Tyranitar waved its hands, and a massive rock greatsword rose from the ground, pointing directly at Typhlosion.
Goodra opened its mouth wide, and a dragon-shaped energy wave surged directly towards Meganium.
Eevee and Swampert also launched their respective attacks.
However, the opposing Pokémon's strength was also not to be underestimated.
Especially the Empoleon and Meganium, whose strength had already reached the Elite Four level, clearly indicating they had been carefully trained.
"Boom!"
The attacks from both sides converged in the air, erupting in a huge wave of energy.
Although Jiang Mo's Pokémon were strong, they still struggled somewhat under the opponent's encirclement.
"Jiang Mo, don't bother!"
The leading Black-Clad Man sneered, "You might have some skill in regular Pokémon battles, but this is a street fight; there won't be any battle rules to Protect you."
Jiang Mo ignored the taunt and calmly observed the battle situation.
The current situation was that the enemy Pokémon were numerous, and their Pokémon were all very strong, especially the Empoleon and Meganium, which completely tied down his Tyranitar and Gengar.
"Can't fight head-on, I need to find a way to break through." Jiang Mo thought to himself.
"It seems the Li family intends to kill two birds with one stone." Jiang Mo sneered, already having a plan in mind.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack! Gengar, Phantom Force! Tyranitar, use Sandstorm! Goodra, use Harden! Eevee, use Substitute! Swampert, use Protect!" Jiang Mo's commands came out like a machine gun.
As Jiang Mo's commands were issued, Pikachu instantly transformed into an afterimage, swiftly disengaging from the battle.
On the other side, Gengar's body instantly vanished from its spot, appearing behind the opponent's Pokémon the next second to launch a surprise attack.
Tyranitar also immediately stirred up a Sandstorm, and the swirling yellow sand obscured the opponent's vision.
Goodra used Harden, significantly boosting its defense, and together with Swampert, bore the brunt of most of the damage.
Eevee, meanwhile, created a Substitute in place, drawing a portion of the firepower.
However, Meganium's Petal Blizzard still managed to strike towards Jiang Mo.
"La chi!"
Seeing this, Swampert stepped forward, using its body to block all attacks.
However, thanks to its "Sap Sipper" ability, Swampert suffered no damage at all, instead letting out a comfortable cry.
"Good job, Swampert! Now!"
Jiang Mo seized the opportunity, swiftly recalled all his Pokémon, turned, and ran.
"Don't let him get away!" The leading Black-Clad Man immediately shouted upon seeing this.
However, Jiang Mo was already prepared.
As he ran, he pulled out a special Dawn-made smoke bomb from his pocket and forcefully threw it behind him.
"Bang!"
The smoke bomb instantly exploded, and thick smoke quickly filled the air, obscuring the Black-Clad Men's vision.
"Damn it!" The Black-Clad Man cursed, hastily commanding his Pokémon to pursue.
However, by the time the smoke cleared, Jiang Mo had long since vanished.
"Chase him! He can't have gone far!" The leading Black-Clad Man said through gritted teeth.