A water-type trainer who specializes in dragon-type water.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."

Zhang Leiyuan had a communication device unique to China pinned to his chest, from which came the anxious voice of a garrison communications officer.

"Zhang...Zhang Guanjun, what happened to you? Do you need help?!"

"Be on guard! Do not rush to provide support! Await my orders!"

Zhang Leiyuan knew that there were no high-quality combatants in the guard team who could fight alongside him at the moment. Rather than wasting manpower, it was better to let him stay here to delay and wait for real support.

The reef beneath Zhang Leiyuan's feet trembled slightly in the waves, and shattered ice crystals floated in the murky water. The deathly silence of the battlefield was suddenly pierced by a suppressed sob.

"Woo-ah..."

Wow!

Suddenly, a huge splash erupted from the sea not far ahead! The old dragon, soaking wet and covered in long white fur, struggled to raise its long neck and burst out of the waves.

Its snow-white beard clung tightly to the wrinkles of its neck, and seawater flowed like a stream through the gaps in its aged yet still sturdy white down.

What's most heartbreaking is its broad back—it steadily supports the Ampharos, which has reverted to its Mega form and completely lost consciousness!

The electric dragon's golden fur was soaked by seawater and clung to its powerless body. Its once-shining electric sacs were now dull and lifeless, and the blood that oozed from its mouth and nose quickly spread and diluted in the cold seawater.

It lay limply on the old dragon's back, with only the very faint rise and fall of its chest proving that it was still alive.

"Anuo—!" The old dragon called out, a sound that was a mixture of exhaustion and urgency. His gentle dragon eyes were now filled with anxiety, fixed on Zhang Leiyuan.

Its enormous wings skimmed the churning sea, creating white wakes, as it charged relentlessly toward the isolated island reef! (In the anime, the Old Man Dragon can actually fly.)

"Attack!" Kameda's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he almost roared. The huge flower on Venusaur's back instantly lit up with a dangerous green light.

"Crack—boom!!!"

His response was a sudden, intensified, and terrifying thunderclap from the clouds!

The purplish-black thunderclouds churned violently, and around the massive head of the Thunder Drum, which had just retreated back into the clouds and was only showing its outline, billions of silver snake-like currents suddenly lit up.

Intertwined into a destructive electric grid, the crackling explosions drowned out the howling sea breeze, and the pure energy pressure, like a tangible hammer, slammed into the nerves of everyone who tried to cause trouble!

Kameda's movements froze abruptly, and the energy that Venusaur had gathered instantly dissipated.

Kim Jae-hoon, Suzuki Chiyuki, Park Chang, Kim Hyun-woo, and their Pokémon, all poised to unleash their power, were as if they were being choked by an invisible hand.

The objective is to kill Zhang Leiyuan and seize the wristband.

But if we force our way in now, we will first have to face the destructive blow of the thunder god in the clouds, which is filled with rage!

Who would be the first to stick their neck out and bear the price of mutual destruction? Five pairs of eyes briefly met in the air before quickly looking away, each seeing the deep fear and calculation in the other's eyes.

The cost is too high, and the timing is not right—what they need is the safest possible strangulation, not a gamble that would destroy everything.

The air seemed to freeze in this eerie balance.

"Electric Dragon, hang in there..." Zhang Leiyuan's voice trembled slightly, and he staggered forward, almost falling to the shore.

The old dragon's massive head was close to the reef. It carefully turned its body to the side, allowing its seriously injured companion on its back to slide off.

Zhang Leiyuan reached out his blood-stained hand, trembling, and touched the electric dragon's cold, wet cheek. His once vibrant companion, pulsating with warm arcs of electricity, now shrank as weakly as a candle in the wind.

A wave of overwhelming grief washed over his heart like an icy tide, but he clenched his teeth and forced back the sob that threatened to burst from his throat.

There's no time to indulge!

A flash of red light, and the Poké Ball gently retrieved the battered and bruised Ampharos.

He quickly opened the emergency injection port on the side of the sphere and forcefully inserted a highly concentrated treatment spray. The pale green mist instantly filled the sphere.

This was the only emergency treatment he could do at that moment. He subconsciously glanced at Babu Tubo, who was in a semi-comatose state due to the exhaustion of his prayers for resurrection—this miraculous skill of reversing life and death could not be reproduced in a short time.

"Woo..." The old dragon whimpered softly, gently nuzzling Zhang Leiyuan's arm with its long neck, its expression filled with inquiry and worry.

"Hold on, we haven't lost yet." Zhang Leiyuan's voice was hoarse but resolute as he turned his gaze back to the destructive thunderclouds in the sky and the menacing enemy ahead.

at this time--

"Gululu..."

The area blasted into the deep sea by the thunderous drum caused the seawater to churn violently as if boiling, and then, incredibly, slowly parted to both sides!

It was as if an invisible giant hand had parted the vast waves, revealing a "road" leading straight to the seabed.

Stepping onto this divine staircase made of seawater, the Land Cloud Spirit Beast form slowly ascends into the air!

Its dark brown rocky body bears charred marks from being burned by high-voltage electricity, and seawater flows down its mountain-like shoulder armor and spine.

Those calm yellow eyes were now burning with a raging fury at being provoked by ants! As a Ground-type Divine Beast, it had been repelled by Electric-type power that "should have been ineffective"—this was a blatant trampling of its divine status!

"Roar--!!!"

The earth cloud looked up and let out a roar that shook the universe, the sound waves carrying the weight and anger of the earth, causing the surrounding seawater to surge back!

It hovered in mid-air at the same level as the head of the Thunder Drum, with a powerful, earthy-yellow energy flowing around it like a tangible halo, forming a terrifying confrontation with the churning thunderclouds above, as if the heavens and earth were being torn apart!

From within the clouds, a deep, resonant sound echoed, like a thunderous drum. The enormous head, resembling that of an ancient behemoth, began to shrink, and the raging electric currents coiling around it subsided slightly.

The purplish-black thunderclouds rolled to both sides like a curtain, revealing the complete form of this mysterious Pokémon to the five champions for the first time!

Its body slowly descended from the clouds, eventually meeting the earth cloud across the sky. Its form was long and eerie, combining power and streamlinedness. Its head resembled the legendary Thunder God, covered in heavy armor that looked like it had been cast in bronze, with ancient lightning patterns on the armor flashing with eerie blue arcs of electricity.

Its long neck was covered with dense, dark blue-black scales that extended all the way to its strong torso, which was also covered with metallic armor.

Its thick limbs tread through the void, its claws sharp and coiled with tiny electric snakes. A long tail hangs down like a steel whip, its tip crackling with restless sparks of electricity.

"What...what kind of monster is this?! A long-necked dragon? A thunder god?" Park Chang's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible panic.

This form, this aura, completely exceeded the scope of any known divine beast in their understanding!

Chiyuki Suzuki stared intently at the ancient and unfamiliar patterns on the Thunder Drum, her pupils suddenly contracting to the size of a pinhead. A nearly forgotten legend, considered utter nonsense, instantly flooded her mind, causing her to scream:

“Ancient…Ancient Pokémon! This is…a legendary Pokémon from ancient times?! Those legends…are actually true!” Her voice was distorted by extreme shock and fear.

Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around the hearts of the other four champions.

The unknown is always the greatest source of fear. This bizarrely shaped and monstrous ancient thunder beast completely disrupted their "safe encirclement and annihilation" strategy!

In that deathly silence frozen by the divine beast's oppressive aura, and in that brief moment when the five champions were momentarily stunned by terror—

"Zhang—Lei—Yuan!! I'm here!!"

A roar as deep and domineering as thunder, carrying unparalleled majesty, suddenly rolled in from the distant horizon!

The sound pierced through the thunder, overwhelmed the waves, and with a violent force capable of tearing apart all gloom, it instantly crashed into the battlefield!

Zhang Leiyuan's lips, which had been taut like iron, couldn't help but curl upwards the moment he heard that voice, forming a smile that was a mixture of exhaustion, ecstasy, and the relief of finally getting what he had been waiting for.

"Damn it..." he cursed under his breath, but his voice carried a long-lost warmth, "Dawdling... Li Xingeng... is finally here!"

That familiar voice was once his formidable rival on the field, and also his fierce opponent in the training tower!

Now, we are comrades-in-arms, guarding the same land back to back! Reinforcements are on their way!