About half an hour later, Zhang Heng finished preparing to go ashore, tidied his travel backpack, checked Bastiodon's physical condition, and fed it its favorite rock chunks and Steel-type exclusive energy blocks to restore it to its best condition, as Bastiodon was the strongest obvious guarantee for this adventure.
Zhang Heng stroked Bastiodon's face, which was as hard as a shield, and said, "Bastiodon, I'll have to trouble you again this time."
Bastiodon nodded slightly, nudged Zhang Heng's hand, indicating no problem.
Zhang Heng truly liked Steel-type Pokémon, not just for their handsome appearance, but also for their excellent resistance, wide attack range, aggressive Steel-type move pool, and being the top choice for combating popular Fairy-type Pokémon. These were all reasons why Steel-type Pokémon were popular.
Zhang Heng thought to himself, "Sigh, if only I could have drawn the Steel attribute as my cultivation attribute at the start."
At this moment, Qi Shu, who was ready to set off, looked at the enormous Bastiodon in front of her and jumped up happily to hug Bastiodon.
"Isn't this Uncle Luo's little dragon? Long time no see. The Flash Cannon you taught Vikavolt last time, it has already learned it. If we weren't in such a hurry to leave now, I'd really want you to see our results."
Bastiodon also rubbed against Qi Shu, showing happiness for her.
"By the way, Xiao Heng, aren't you very fond of Steel-type Pokémon? Especially Pokémon with bladed arms, like Bisharp."
Zhang Heng replied, "Exactly! Bisharp is the dream companion for so many surgeons; they don't even need to operate themselves. Opening up a body is much faster!"
Qi Shu felt a bit disgusted and didn't dare to speak, thinking to herself, "Sure enough, Xiao Heng still wants to dissect Pokémon." She silently prayed for the Pokémon egg Zhang Heng had newly caught.
Bastiodon also stared at Zhang Heng with slightly widened eyes, momentarily unsure of what it was protecting.
Zhang Heng saw the atmosphere was a bit strange, so he said, "Alright, alright, let's get ready to go. It's almost 10 o'clock now." As he spoke, he returned Bastiodon to its Heavy Ball.
"Hey, Qi Shu, did you bring a rideable Pokémon?"
"Yes, I have Vikavolt! It flies super fast. Whoosh, it flies far away, and it's so exciting to stand on it!"
"Stop, stop, stop. Do you have any other rideable Pokémon? What am I going to ride?"
"I don't know!"
Zhang Heng was stunned: "Ah? You don't know?"
Qi Shu spread her hands helplessly: "I really don't know. You don't have a rideable Pokémon."
"What the hell?!"
The professor looked at the two clowning around. He threw out a Poké Ball, and from a white light emerged a Pokémon that was entirely gray with a small horn on its head—Rhyhorn.
"You two ride Rhyhorn to the shore. There's a speedboat left by the Water Blade Gang on the shore, and Zou Tianwang sent a message saying it's been checked and is still usable."
Zhang Heng: "Thanks, Professor."
Zhang Heng swiftly hoisted the heavy supplies onto his back, while cradling the Mudkip egg in both arms. Just as he was about to swing himself onto the strong back of the Rhyhorn, a figure flashed past like a gust of wind.
It was Qi Shu; with agile movements, she made a light leap and landed steadily on the Rhyhorn's broad, sturdy back. Immediately after, she excitedly shouted, "Let's go!"
Although this Rhyhorn was massive, its brain was relatively small, and its thinking was simpler. It always executed commands without hesitation. Hearing Qi Shu's shout, it immediately charged forward like a starting locomotive, unhesitatingly striding with its thick limbs directly towards the target direction.
Zhang Heng was stunned by this sudden turn of events, momentarily at a loss.
"Hey! Wait for me! I haven't gotten on yet! I haven't gotten on yet!"
Zhang Heng ran with large strides, tightly clutching the egg in his arms, while yelling at the top of his lungs. However, Rhyhorn had already run far away, kicking up a cloud of dust, seemingly unable to hear his shouts.
Buzz buzz buzz~ Vikavolt emerged from behind Zhang Heng and lifted him up, allowing Zhang Heng to sit on its back, chasing after Qi Shu.
The professor looked at the departing young figures of the two—a 16-year-old genius Gym Leader and a 17-year-old young doctor with exquisite medical skills and hidden abilities—and sighed with satisfaction, "This world is still in the hands of the young generation."
At this moment, on Lake Heart Island, Zou Tianwang, leveraging Swoobat's advantage, had already penetrated deep into the heartland, on the verge of reaching the island's core area.
Along the way, Zou Tianwang encountered various Evil-type Pokémon. Murkrow and Mandibuzz circled in the sky. In the jungle, he encountered Quasi-Champion-level Shiftry and Liepard packs, which took a great deal of effort to bypass their territory.
The shore was a gathering place for Crawdaunt packs, and the Sharpedo packs in the water were also more numerous than other Water-type Pokémon. It could be said that the area around Lake Heart Island had become a paradise for Evil-type Pokémon.
"It's strange, even though it's a Water-type Wilderness Area, why is the Dark Pulse on Lake Heart Island so strong, attracting such a large number of Evil-type Pokémon? This is not good for the Psychic-type Swoobat, severely affecting its perception."
At this moment, Swoobat suddenly trembled slightly, not daring to advance further, and looked back with its eyes indicating, Zou Yi understood in his heart, it seemed they had arrived.
Zou Yi looked through the bushes in the direction Swoobat pointed, only to see a strange, shrouded area ahead, filled with a thick white mist. And within the mist, a faint Divine Beast Field pressure emanated.
Zou Yi spoke in a daze: "This...is this a Divine Beast Field? No wonder the Water Blade Gang set up here. I must immediately request support from the Alliance."
"Drednaw, Rock Blast."
"Swoobat, quick! Protect!"
Four lead ball-sized rock chunks shot towards Swoobat. Swoobat activated its Protect shield first.
Unfortunately, this isn't a game; Protect cannot block all attacking moves. The Protect barrier only took three hits before shattering, and the last one directly hit Swoobat's chest.
Pfft~ Swoobat was knocked to the ground, blood spilling from its mouth, severely injured. With a type disadvantage and only 55 physical defense, it was lucky not to be one-shot.
"Zou Yi, why don't you understand? I told you that you couldn't hold out. Since you've been discovered, you can only sleep here forever." The person who arrived was the Water Blade Gang's Ci.
Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate slightly, and a pure Water-type energy slowly overflowed from the Divine Beast Field. The energy was so pure it was almost solidifying into flowing water.
"Damn it, the Divine Beast Field's instability started a day earlier than the organization predicted. You two deal with him. I'll go destroy the Divine Beast Field."
The two Senior Cadres behind him listened to Ci's arrangements and confronted Zou Yi. The two sides had reached an irreconcilable point.
"Swanna!!"
"Your opponents are us!"