Reborn Pokémon: My childhood sweetheart is Xiaoguang.

Sanping's expression showed a slight struggle, but after only a moment, he handed over the scroll.

"Here's the secret manual you wanted to cure Bricaron's poison. Come and get it."

"Oh? You've thought it through? This is an important mission your master entrusted to you with countless instructions. Are you sure you want to abandon your mission as a ninja for a Pokémon?"

Sanping raised his head, his eyes clear and firm:

“I know that a mission is of utmost importance to a ninja, even to the point of being considered his life.”

"But... if I don't even know how to cherish the friends around me, then I don't deserve to be called a ninja at all!"

"No... Sanping is right!"

Xiaoyun couldn't help but cheer.

This was the perfect answer. Xiaoyun even suspected that Sanping had secretly looked into Motou Village.

"Sanpei, you're really good with words."

Ah Xun was so moved that he cried buckets of tears. From today onwards, you are Ah Xun's brother.

"......"

On the other side, the masked man remained silent.

Good lad, you've got a whole bunch of profound principles to spout. Where did you learn that? And you say them so well.

"Turtle-footed giant armor, use it to detoxify it."

Immediately afterwards, the masked man threw a peach fruit to the giant turtle-footed armored figure, which the latter stuffed into Bricaron's mouth.

"What are you doing?"

Sanping frowned.

The masked man raised his hand to straighten his clothes and said calmly:

"I've changed my mind. I don't want that manual anymore. Besides, what you just said was too arrogant. I'm more interested in beating you up now."

"Turtle-Foot Giant Armor, Poison Strike!"

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the giant turtle-footed armored figure, and a strange purple halo appeared on the tip of its arm as it thrust fiercely at the Greninja frog beside Sanpei.

The constant back-and-forth reversals left Sanping questioning his existence, and he couldn't help but complain.

"are you crazy."

"Koga Ninja, shadow clone!"

Greninja swayed and instantly transformed into more than a dozen identical clones, scattering in all directions to surround the giant armored turtle.

The giant tortoise-footed armor's poisonous strike slammed into the foremost clone, instantly turning it into a wisp of green smoke and dissipating.

The remaining clones took the opportunity to circle around it, forming an encirclement.

"Iai hack!"

The next second, all the Greninjas simultaneously drew their Water Stream Short Blades, and dozens of light blue blades intertwined to form an impenetrable attack net.

"A mere trick, a giant tortoise-foot armor, a turbid current!"

The masked man spoke calmly and unhurriedly.

The giant tortoise-footed armor stomped its foot, and the ground beneath its feet instantly cracked open, spewing out a large amount of murky mud, which scattered its clones.

In just a few seconds, only the original body remained on the field, staggering back a few steps in a sorry state.

"Such a powerful area-of-effect attack!"

Hikaru stood aside and watched, realizing that the ultimate goal of a ninja was to clash with each other's techniques.

"Sanpei, I'm here to help you! Let's show this guy the power of our bond!"

Little Yellow Hair Ah Xun's blood boiled instantly, and before he could even take a step, Xiao Yun unceremoniously reached out and pulled him aside.

"Don't rush, let's see how things go first. You need to change your impatient nature."

"that's true."

Ah Xun thought this made sense, and just as things calmed down, Xiao Yun started fighting again.

"Froghead, Water Ripple!"

A pure white Frog leaped out of the Poké Ball, water quickly gathering in its palm to form a spinning water ball, which it then hurled out.

The giant turtle-foot armored creature raised one arm and used its shell blade to slash at the water sphere, causing the sphere to explode instantly.

"Xiaoyun, you rascal, no way, I want to go too!"

Ah Xun shouted defiantly, ordering Bricaron, "Briccaron, use the seed bomb!"

"Brown!"

Bricaron roared, clenched his fists, and a seed condensed on his carapace, rapidly expanding into a round bomb.

Bang Bang Bang!

With a series of loud noises, seed bombs bombarded the giant tortoise-footed armor, blasting small craters into the ground.

"Ninja Art: Leaf Concealment Technique!"

As the masked man began to form hand seals, countless fallen leaves began to gather within the bombardment area. When the smoke cleared, the giant tortoise-foot armor had vanished.

"Up there! Greninja, Iai Slash!"

Sanping reacted quickly, instantly catching a fleeting afterimage.

Greninja looked up and saw the giant armored tortoise swooping down from the sky. It immediately conjured a short water blade, the blade flashing and cutting through the sky.

"Well done! Tortoise-footed giant armor, use the shell blade!"

A hint of approval flashed in the masked man's eyes.

The giant tortoise-footed armor exerted force on all four arms simultaneously, with sharp blades of light condensing at the tips of each claw as it met the Iai Slash.

clang--!

The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing echoed through the air. Greninja felt a tremendous force and was instantly knocked back.

But behind Greninja is Frog.

"It's been a long time since I've played a group brawl, I'm a little embarrassed."

That's what he said, but his hands didn't stop moving; he continued to give commands to the frog:

"Frog, use... Water Blade Slash!"

The frog arched its body instantly, a cold glint flashing in its eyes. Its front claws quickly crossed in front of it, the water ripples and the aura of the Iai Slash intertwined and condensed into a water blade gleaming with a cold light in the blink of an eye.

The next second, the frog's body flashed through the air like a blue lightning bolt, instantly appearing in front of the giant tortoise-footed armor.

Sonorous!

With a flash of light, the defense of the tortoise-footed giant armor was instantly torn apart, and it fell straight down.

"That was a truly stunning strike."

The masked man looked at Xiaoyun and the frog and couldn't help but admire them.

"It's too late to beg for mercy now!"

"I acknowledge your strength, but I don't like the tone of your voice. Hehehe..."

Ah Xun, with Bricaron surrounding him, gradually became more unrestrained with their smiles.

"You watch too many movies, your smile is really lewd."

Xiaoyun frowned and took half a step back, her eyes practically overflowing with disdain.

"Doesn't that look more imposing?"

Ah Xun curled her lip, then turned to the masked man, her tone suddenly becoming serious: "Tell me! Who exactly are you?"

"Young people these days, they really can't keep their composure..."

The masked man sighed softly and slowly removed his mask, revealing a handsome face with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

Sanping's eyes widened: "Master Caizang! It's you!"

Shocked as he was, Sanping suddenly accepted it when he realized that the person he couldn't beat was his own master.

The handsome ninja straightened his clothes and gave a faint smile: "Well, don't be so surprised. This is a tradition of our ninja village. Everyone who wants to become a formal ninja must undergo this wonderful test."

"I think it's more like a perverted game."

Ah Xun muttered a complaint in a low voice from the side.

"Outsiders' opinions are often biased and contradictory."

Cai Cang smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over Ah Xun, his tone carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"Being a ninja is an excellent and sacred profession; it's not something just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can do."

Ah Xun's lips twitched.

Did this person look at him when they spoke?

Saizo ignored Ah-Xun's reaction and turned to Sanpei: "To become a formal ninja, one must pass both the test of mind and the test of strength. Sanpei, you did very well this time."

Sanpei lowered his eyes: "But... I didn't defeat you at all, I still lost."

"Good lad, you think you can beat your master after only a few days of training..." He kept his inner grumbling to himself, but remained calm on the surface, slowly speaking:

"Victory is not necessarily the ultimate goal. I have witnessed you and your friends fighting side by side and overcoming difficulties together, which is more important than simply defeating them."

"Now that things are over, I'll take my leave."

Cai Cang paused for a moment, took a step back, and nodded slightly to the group.

call out!

The next second, his figure had already disappeared from the spot, leaving only one sentence behind.

"Welcome to visit the ninja village sometime in the future! I will certainly give you a warm welcome!"

"That's it? You didn't even send me a headband or a ninja vest or anything."

Xiaoyun looked at the figure that had already disappeared and said.

Look at Konoha, they at least issue tactical vests, and at the very least, headbands. Is it too hasty to just give verbal approval here?

"I don't need those things. I'm already very satisfied with my master's approval."

Seeing the gleam in Sanping's eyes, Axun muttered, "That's because your master is stingy."

And he's petty too.

--------------

The group traveled together for the time being and continued along Route 12. Before long, they arrived at a habitat of the Squid King and the Hollow Squid.

"So many giant squid... This reminds me of some bad things."

Ah Xun stared at the squid kings, his brows suddenly furrowing, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure.

"Oh, that time you were treated like a dog?"

Xiaoyun immediately chimed in, even deliberately mimicking Ah Xun's zombie-like movements, which made Xiaoguang, who was standing nearby, burst out laughing.

"You've been talking too much..."

Ah Xun's face darkened instantly. If this person hadn't been accompanied by the Lizard King, he would have really wanted to punch him.

Just then, several police cars suddenly stopped by the roadside, the doors opened, and Ms. Jenny quickly got out with several police officers.

With a serious expression, she ordered the officers in a deep voice, "Proceed according to plan! Subdue these giant squid and hog squid! Be careful not to hurt them!"

"Hi!"

The officers acted immediately, taking out a specially made capture net.

Before long, the squid kings and hog squid on the scene were brought under control one by one. Although some squid kings were still struggling by waving their tentacles, they could not cause any waves.

“Miss Officer Jenny, why are you catching these giant squid? They don’t seem to be doing anything wrong.”

Xiao Guang couldn't help but step forward and ask in a low voice.

Officer Jenny glanced at Xiao Guang and said calmly, "This is a confidential operation. Unrelated citizens, please leave as soon as possible and do not interfere with official business."

Seeing this, Xiaoyun immediately took out her investigator's badge from her pocket and handed it to Officer Jenny, speaking calmly:

"Hello, I'm Investigator Xiaoyun. Could you please explain the situation? We might be able to help."

Officer Jenny's expression softened considerably upon seeing the identification, and she sighed softly: "Investigator, it's like this, two of our police cars, as well as a large number of confidential documents from the police system, have been stolen."

"Through surveillance and investigation of clues, we found that the thieves who stole these things were several giant squid."

She pointed to the restrained squid king and said helplessly, "But we can't tell which ones did it. We can only restrain them all for now and then investigate slowly."

"The squid king that can steal documents... why does that sound so familiar?"

Ah Xun touched his chin and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

"It's because I treated you like that last time..."

"That's enough, that's enough."

Xiaoyun had just opened her mouth when Axun abruptly interrupted her.

This person seems to have a serious illness, like they can't stand dogs, right? They've been brainwashed by some cheesy meme.

"Looking for someone? Maybe I can help."

Xiaoyun waved her hand and took out a Poké Ball from her waist.

If you're ever unsure what to do, just ask Lucario.

A flash of white light, and Lucario reappeared in the same spot.

Xiaoyun recounted the situation of the Squid King. After listening, Lucario nodded and closed his eyes.

"Waveguide resides in my heart."

An invisible waveguide spreads out from Lucario, like a fine net, covering the surrounding area.

A few seconds later, Lucario opened its eyes, its bright gaze fixed on the north direction, and nodded slightly to Xiaoyun.

"Looks like we found it." Xiaoyun smiled and turned to look at Officer Jenny.

Officer Jenny nodded quickly, her voice full of gratitude: "Thank you so much! You truly are worthy of being an investigator!"

She immediately gathered several police officers and followed Xiaoyun and the others in the direction Lucario pointed.

Before long, a secluded valley came into view.

At the entrance to the valley were the two missing police cars.

The group walked deeper into the valley, and the further they went, the stronger the energy fluctuations in the air became.

After turning a corner, the scene before them stunned everyone.

A huge rhombus-shaped energy crystal floated in mid-air, its surface covered with dark red patterns that seemed to be slowly flowing.

Several giant squid were surrounding the crystal, their tentacles occasionally touching it, as if they were performing some kind of ritual.

"Who is it!"

The squid king leader was the first to spot the approaching figures and immediately became alert, raising its tentacles simultaneously.

A black, malevolent wave condensed at the tip of the tentacle and was unleashed at the group.

"Thunder Beast, Thunder!"

Officer Jenny was clearly not one to lie low; she reacted the fastest and immediately gave orders to the Thunder Beast behind her.

"Roar!"

The Thunder Beast raised its head and roared, its body instantly enveloped in golden electricity.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed through the sky, followed by a dazzling display of lightning.

A thick bolt of lightning descended from the sky, and the golden and black energies collided, bursting forth with dazzling light.

"Squid..." (So many humans, just in time! Witness our masterpiece!)

The Squid King remained calm upon seeing the newcomer, shaking its head and waving its tentacles towards the rhomboid crystal in mid-air.

hum-

The rhomboid crystal suddenly emitted a strong, pale purple light, which carried an eerie fluctuation and enveloped the area.

The light of hypnosis!

"That light is hypnosis! Everyone be careful."

Ah Xun is the most qualified to speak on this; his first instinct upon seeing the beam of light was to warn others.

"Thunder Beast, interrupt them! Use Thunder!"

Miss Officer Jenny's eyes sharpened, and she gave the order almost instinctively.

"thunder...."

The Thunder Beast let out a low growl, and electricity just began to surge around its body, but it quickly dissipated.

It shook its head, finding it extremely difficult even to gather its power.