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

On the sea...

The fire-breathing dragon's broad back was his only solid support at this moment. Zhang Heng lowered his body, with the whistling sea wind and the powerful flapping of the fire-breathing dragon's wings in his ears.

He wasn't flying aimlessly; his sharp gaze swept across the sea below.

A few Magnemite and a squadron of three Magneton were seen stubbornly continuing to move in a fixed direction, their bodies flashing with electricity like guiding beacons.

"Charizard! Follow them! This is the electromagnetic army dispatched based on Li Guanjun's location; they're heading straight for the battlefield!"

Zhang Heng shouted loudly, his voice slightly dispersed by the wind, but the Charizard understood perfectly, letting out a low growl, adjusting its direction, and closely following this special "guide" team.

Taking advantage of the relatively stable flight time, Zhang Heng immediately took out the high-grade ball that carried heavy expectations.

He skillfully opened the emergency treatment port on the sphere and precisely injected a bottle of highly effective full-recovery spray into it.

"The counter-damage from Wave Rush should not be underestimated; we must keep Kingdra in top condition."

Zhang Heng's concerns were not unfounded, because although Wave Rush is a powerful water-type physical move, it also has certain side effects, namely, it will reflect 1/3 of the damage back to the user.

At the same time, with a thought, the system panel unfolded before his eyes, directly jumping to the Thorn Dragon King's [Learned Skills] section.

The next moment, even Zhang Heng, who was somewhat prepared, couldn't help but gasp.

The list was so long it almost didn't end, ranging from Water Cannon and Dragon Pulse to Meteor Shower and Blizzard, from Surf and Rain Dance to Tornado and Fog Clear, and so on...

Kingdra has mastered almost all the practical skills that can be learned through TMs, tutorials, or leveling up, including physical attack, special attack, and status moves!

"My God..." Zhang Heng exclaimed inwardly, utterly shocked. "Grandpa Guo is training Kingdra like a mobile skill pool! It's learned everything that's in its skill pool!"

This means that in battle, King Thorn Dragon can handle all kinds of complex situations and can launch unexpected combinations at any time.

He tucked the advanced ball back into his waistband and then checked the condition of the ripples.

Thanks to the Dragon Plate's superhuman healing ability, Ripple's previous stamina has been fully restored, and it is now eager to try its skills in the Poké Ball, in excellent condition.

The continuous battles, the shock of witnessing his comrades' sacrifice, and the deep concern for his father's safety... all these intertwined emotions kept Zhang Heng in a state of high tension.

He took a few deep breaths of the salty sea breeze, forcing himself to calm down, closing his eyes, and trying to regulate his breathing.

"I can't panic... The more critical the moment, the less I can afford to panic..." He kept telling himself, and his strong willpower gradually suppressed the turmoil in his heart.

.................................................. ...

The scene shifts to the isolated island where Li Xingeng, the champion, is located. The scenery here can only be described as a bizarre inferno.

The thorny jungle, previously nurtured by Mad Vine's Z-Move and continuously strengthened by Zarude's Jungle Healing, now seemed to possess an immortal life.

Although the master Moltres's divine flames repeatedly reduced it to ashes, the burned-out thorns became nourishment for its next rebirth.

One after another, thicker, dark thorns, gleaming with an ominous light, burst forth from the ground at an even more frenzied speed, re-weaving into a deathly net that blots out the sky!

"Wow!"

The firebird let out an impatient cry and once again unleashed a torrent of scorching fire, burning a large patch of thorns in front of it to nothingness. But in just a few breaths, new thorns began to wriggle and grow again.

The ancient poem, "Wildfire cannot burn it all, the spring breeze brings it back to life," has become the most troublesome reality at this moment.

"Continuing like this is just a waste of Moltres's stamina!" Li Xingeng frowned, his mind racing. His gaze suddenly locked onto the thorny ground beneath his feet, and an extremely bold tactic instantly formed!

"Fire Lion!" He no longer hesitated, his voice like a drawn sword, "Dig a hole! Get to the very bottom!"

"Roar!" Without hesitation, the Flame Lion's muscles bulged, its ground-type energy erupted, and its sharp claws flew, instantly breaking through the ground covered by thorny roots and drilling deep into the earth like a drill!

At the same time, the shadow at Li Xingeng's feet twitched, and Chandelure, the protective Pokémon that had appeared in the Water-type Wild Area, silently emerged.

Its eerie purple flames burned quietly, emitting a strange ghostly energy, slowly lifting Li Guanjun into the air, avoiding the lingering effects of the upcoming battle.

"Now! Flame Lion!"

Li Xingeng's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he roared with all his might.

"overheat!!"

Overheat is a Fire-type Special Attack move with a power of 130. It is a powerful Fire-type Special Attack move, but its Special Attack will drop significantly after use.

Shortly after the Fire Lion sank deep into the earth, the entire ground began to emit an abnormal, low-pitched hum! It was as if a dormant volcano was awakening beneath it!

"Buzzing... hissing—!!!"

A sickening, tooth-grinding sound, like cold water dripping into boiling oil, began to emanate densely from the depths of the earth!

Immediately afterwards, an unimaginably terrifying heat emanated from below!

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble violently. The once solid earth began to soften and become sticky, as if it had been softened by baking asphalt, and even began to emit billowing hot steam!

The color gradually turned dark red!

Those evil roots that had dug deep into the ground and provided nourishment for the entire thorny jungle were now as if they had been thrown into a furnace, emitting a mournful "sizzling" sound, carbonizing, burning, and turning into ashes at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"boom!!!!!!"

A deafening roar, deep and muffled yet containing destructive power, suddenly erupted from the ground!

The next moment, countless blindingly white pillars of lava fire burst forth from the ground like a volcano that had been suppressed for thousands of years finally finding an outlet!

They didn't shoot into the sky, but stayed close to the ground, sweeping and devouring everything in all directions like a destructive wave!

Li Xingeng's crystal lamp spirit was already prepared. The ghostly purple energy, like the most skillful hand, instantly lifted Li Xingeng's body even higher, avoiding the indiscriminate scorching flames!

This raging fire from deep within the Earth's core instantly melted and burned away the very foundation of this evil thorn!

"Molotov!" Li Xingeng, hovering in mid-air, gave the command again, "Flame Throttle! Use both firepower simultaneously to burn it all away!"

"Rage!" The firebird understood immediately, opened its huge mouth, and even more intense holy flames descended from the sky like divine punishment!

The molten lava sea beneath the earth and the divine flames torrent in the sky instantly formed a perfect combined attack!

That once-immortal thicket of thorns, under this devastating attack from both inside and outside, originating at its very core, could no longer regenerate. Like snow under the sun, it was completely melted and evaporated, leaving not even a trace of ash behind!

"Roar--!!!"

A roar, a mixture of pain and rage, echoed from the gradually calming lava field!

Having lost the protection of the thorny thicket, Zarud was finally forced to reveal its wretched true form!

Its body, which was originally bluish-black and full of wild power, was now covered with charred and fallen fur in many places, revealing the red flesh underneath, and wisps of smoke were rising from many places.

The majestic aura of a divine beast has vanished, making it resemble a wild monkey with its fur burned off, appearing both comical and pathetic.

Li Xingeng was extremely experienced in combat, giving it no chance to catch its breath. Before he could even fully see its exact location, he had already given the order: "Firebird, Air Blade!"

With a flap of its wings, the firebird instantly formed countless transparent wind blades, as solid as tangible matter, which swept across the area where Zarude was located with a sharp whistling sound!

However, just as the wind blade was about to strike, Zarud made an extremely insidious and cruel move!

It suddenly hurled what it was holding in one paw at the still scorching hot ground below, where parts were still molten!

That was actually the Flame Lion that had just dived underground and used [Overheat], and was now exhausted with its Special Attack greatly reduced, making it completely unable to fight back!

It turns out that it had been hijacked by Sarud underground.

"boom!"

"Pfft——!"

The Flame Lion's body slammed heavily onto the scorching ground with a muffled thud that sent chills down one's spine, instantly causing burns.

It even let out a faint whimper from its coma due to extreme pain before completely losing consciousness.

Using the recoil from the throw, Zarud plummeted downwards, slamming one foot into the Fire Lion's chest (a clear sound of bones cracking could be heard).

Its other foot cruelly stomped on its head! Using it as the only stepping stone in this lava hell!

"You motherfucker! Let go!"

Li Xingeng's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Seeing his beloved pet being trampled on like this, he, who had been calm all along, finally erupted in a thunderous roar, with veins bulging on his forehead!

"Oh my god~ Are you angry?" A sarcastic voice, full of maniacal laughter, came from the air.

A Pokémon resembling a long-necked dragon, with a huge neck, leafy wings, and a banana-like tail, fluttered its wings and floated up.

But upon closer inspection, its eyes are dull and lifeless, like two tiny black dots the size of mung beans—it is a tropical dragon transformed from a Ditto!

The figure of the Mad Vine from the Temple of Creation stood on its back. The black and white swirling mask on its face could not reveal its expression, but one could hear its mocking and insane laughter.

"Let go? Hahahaha!" Kuang Teng laughed so hard he almost fell over, as if he had seen the most amusing thing in the world.

"Is that possible? Li Guanjun, your main player is now Salud's 'floor'! It's quite soft to step on! Hahahaha!"

Meanwhile, Suzuki Chiyuki's eyes lit up in the distance. Salud was actually able to hold her own against a master-level Moltres, and now was the perfect opportunity for her to launch a sneak attack.