Pokémon: I just became a Gym Leader, and Cynthia proposed to me.

Xiao Zhao leaned against a withered tree. "Oh, what kind of prop is that? Why are you all so eager to find it?"

Ashou began, "That item is... the Hidden Shadow Blade, which has been passed down through generations of our Kongo Team and was made using the fangs of an ancient Ocean King."

"The divine power bestowed upon Oceanus by the Grand Master Sinnoh, coupled with the fact that it was crafted by an exceptionally skilled artisan, allows one to use this item to infiltrate the Shadow Dimension and, to a certain extent, control the power of the Shadows."

"But possessing this Noble Phantasm could lead to being bewitched by that exiled one, so our Kongo Corps sealed it away."

"But... Ah Zhe suddenly stole him away; he must have been bewitched by that traitor!"

Aaron chimed in, his voice laced with obvious anger.

"We found a letter in his room with only one sentence: 'I want to awaken true power.' This is enough to prove that A-Zhe has been bewitched."

"We must retrieve the Hidden Shadow Blade as soon as possible, otherwise A-Zhe might cause a major mess."

A-Yi added, "We started from headquarters and followed A-Zhe's trail all the way here."

"This twisted jungle is full of Pokémon corrupted by shadow energy. After we entered, we lost track of A-Zhe."

"It's very likely that A-Zhe has already taken action and succeeded."

Ashou looked up at Xiaozhao.

"And you? What are you doing here?"

Xiao Zhao took a Poké Ball from her waist and twirled it on her fingertip.

"Star and Moon, the leaders of Team Galactic, hired me to investigate this withered forest."

"Based on the information you provided, the problem with this withered forest in G is most likely related to your missing A-Zhe."

She looked in the direction of the earthen tortoise; the smoke from the smoke bomb had mostly dissipated.

The giant tortoise was still roaring in place, the purple light flickering in its eyes.

Xiao Zhao said, "The Earth Tortoise should be the master of this forest, and its current state is probably due to being corrupted by shadow energy."

"Ordinary Pokémon go berserk in a spacetime disorder, their eyes glow with a blue-purple light, but its light is pure purple."

"Deeper, thicker, like something was poured directly into it."

Ashou's face turned deathly pale.

"You mean... A-Zhe?"

Xiao Zhao shook her head. "I'm not sure."

"But if he wants to awaken true power, then this twisted jungle might be his testing ground."

She turned around and faced the three young men from the King Kong team.

"Are your Pokémon still able to fight?"

Prince Bo shook his wings, shaking off the mud.

Electric currents lit up the cat's paws.

Heracross used his horns to push off the ground and stood up.

"Yes," Ashou said.

"Then come with me."

Xiao Zhao walked towards the earthen platform tortoise. "Let's take care of it first, otherwise we won't be able to find A-Zhe."

She took a few steps, then stopped and looked back.

"By the way, if I find your Hidden Shadow Baki, I'll have to take it."

She stretched out her hand and made a fist.

"That's my payment."

A-Shou paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

"Alright, as long as you can help us capture A-Zhe, you can have that Hidden Shadow Baki, but you must show the willpower to not be swayed."

Xiao Zhao nodded, revealing a satisfied smile.

"I'm sure I have no problem with that."

She led the way forward.

When Xiao Zhao arrived in front of Torterra again, all seven of his Poké Balls bounced off at the same time.

In the instant the white light exploded, the seven Pokémon lined up in front of Torterra.

The earth turtle's mud spray erupted again, the dense mud bullets forming a moving wall.

"Cat Monster, use Quick Attack to cut in from the left! Ponyta, use Flamethrower to suppress from the right flank!"

"Staraptor, Rowlet, Airblade, sever its crest!"

"Zubat, Floatball, and Shadow Ball to disrupt its senses!"

"Golduck, Wave of Water!"

Xiao Zhao's voice was crisp and clean, like a knife cutting butter.

All seven Pokémon moved at the same time.

The cat monster's body transformed into a golden bolt of lightning, slicing into the left side along the edge of the mud bullet rain.

The little horse charged out from the right, spewing out a scorching pillar of fire from its mouth.

The pillar of fire accurately struck the side shell of the earth turtle, and the soil hardened rapidly under the high temperature.

M'kl and Rowlet, one on the left and one on the right, unleashed two intersecting air blades, the wind blades striking the top of the Turtle's head with pinpoint accuracy.

Zubat and Floater simultaneously fired Shadow Balls from above, and the two purple orbs exploded in front of Torterra.

The Earth Tortoise's vision was briefly obscured by shadow energy.

Golduck clasped his hands together, and the water gun condensed into a high-speed spinning water bullet in his palms.

It did not launch immediately, but waited.

Wait for the moment when the Torterra tilts its head due to the interference of the Shadow Ball.

The water bullet was fired and hit the earth turtle's left eye precisely.

The earth turtle let out an angry cry of pain, and its huge body tilted to the left.

Not only is the water's movement powerful, but it also has a chance to confuse the Earth-based Turtle.

"Prince of Po, Bubble Beam! Lucas, Thunder Fang! Heracross, Pin Missile!"

Ashou's command came from the rear.

Prince Bog sprayed out a dense foam, and Lecter leaped from the side, his Thunder Fang biting into the forelimb joint of the Earth Tortoise.

Hercules used his horn to smash open the right side of the earth turtle's shell, and a missile pin shot out from the tip of the horn, embedding itself in the seam of the shell.

With the four of them working together and all ten Pokémon joining forces, Torterra was completely overwhelmed.

Its eyes blazed with purple light, and shadow energy seeped from the cracks in its carapace, like a black film covering the wound.

The mud spray erupted again, this time covering a larger area and with a higher density.

Xiao Zhao took out three stones from his waist.

She threw the first one at the right eye of the earth turtle.

The stone traced a precise arc and struck the earth turtle's eyelid, causing it to instinctively close its eyes and tilt its head.

She threw the second one at the raised left forelimb joint of the earth turtle.

The stone precisely embedded itself in the joint gap, causing the earth turtle's supporting leg to buckle and its body to tilt to the left.

She threw the third one at the turtle's chest.

"puff--!"

The stone struck him squarely in the chest with a dull thud.

The earth turtle let out an extremely painful scream.

Its body trembled violently, disrupting the rhythm of its mud-shooting.

The three members of the King Kong team all looked at Xiao Zhao at the same time.

Each stone made a whooshing sound as it struck the air; its power was outrageous.

A stone thrown by a ten-year-old girl can make even a Pokémon like Torterra, known for its defensive capabilities, cry out in pain.

What kind of superhuman strength is this?

Ashou asked curiously, "Miss Xiaozhao, have you trained specifically with Fighting Pokémon?"

Xiao Zhao smiled slightly, "Sorry, I'm just naturally strong!"

The Starbird's air blades only need a short time from wing flap to release.

"How come her Pokémon attacks are so accurate?" Aaron muttered to himself curiously.

Ayi stared at Xiaozhao's back and noticed a detail.

A very faint, almost invisible blue light flowed around her body.

The light emanated from beneath her feet, spreading out like an invisible net that enveloped her Pokémon.

That's right, it's the power of waveguides!