bookcurios Chapter 411 Shattering the Z Crystal
Chapter 411 Shattering the Z Crystal
Zhang Heng's pupils constricted, and his breath almost stopped: "Are you sure? It's already evolved into a Swampert?"
Lin Yue was taken aback by the abrupt question. Staring at Zhang Heng's ever-changing expression, it took him a while to react: "Yes! That Mudkip is indeed exceptionally talented; it has already completed its evolution."
Despite his curiosity about the mysterious artifact, Zhang Heng knew that external forces were ultimately just aids, and true power always came from within oneself.
Compared to the unconfirmed Ground-type Pokémon, he was more interested in the "brother" that hatched in the same batch as his own shiny Mudkip.
Born from the same starting point, our Mudkip not only shines from birth, but also enjoys unique growth resources.
The martial arts master and his apprentice personally delivered the baby, receiving the blessing of a legendary Pokémon; learned two skills outside of the move pool: Sonic Punch and Flattery; and even participated in the Water Tower Trial, which only Water-type legendary Pokémon could challenge.
Under Zhang Heng's careful nurturing, his own Shiny Mudkip made its debut as a main force from the very beginning. After experiencing countless fierce battles, the nourishment of the power of water control made it have unlimited potential.
"How is this possible!" Zhang Heng couldn't help but exclaim. "How could a member of our species raised in the wild evolve faster than my ace?"
"What wild kin?" Lin Yue was completely confused.
Zhang Heng quickly composed himself: "It's nothing. Senior Lin, what's the exact location where that Swampert was recently spotted?"
"To be honest, I haven't been able to track it down for a long time..."
Where was the last place you found him?
Lin Yue stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "That's right! The last record was in the core area of the island in the middle of the lake!"
"What a coincidence? The heart of the island in the middle of the lake?" Zhang Heng muttered to himself, his heart suddenly pounding.
Isn't that the forbidden area guarded by Martial Arts Bear Master? And isn't that where I obtained the Water Scroll?
"Don't worry, Senior Lin, if we encounter it, I will definitely help you complete the data collection for the Swampert."
After a brief farewell to Senior Lin, Zhang Heng, whose communication device contained the coordinates provided by Lin Yue, found himself turning towards the medical room.
Today, with the academy's competition followed by the Dynamax launch event, the Pokémon haven't had enough rest. Zhang Heng's priority is to get his partners back to their best condition.
Pushing open the automatic door to the medical room, a refreshing scent of disinfectant mixed with healing energy wafts out.
Zhang Heng gently placed the three Poké Balls on the intelligent treatment table. The moment the blue light swept over them, the three Pokémon materialized.
Mudkip lay on the soft mat, while Altaria rubbed its wing against the back of his hand. The claw marks on his neck, which had not yet fully healed, still gleamed faintly, and there were signs of battle on Duraludon's metallic body.
"Thank you for your hard work."
The medical pod automatically extended its mechanical arm, and a pale green healing beam enveloped the three elves.
As the medicine was slowly injected into the vein, the Mudkip's tense muscles gradually relaxed, the Altaria chirped contentedly, and the Alumina Dragon's metallic body regained its luster.
As the buzzing from the medical pod subsided, the three Pokémon's injuries had stabilized.
Zhang Heng carefully put away the medical records and looked at his partner, who was now full of energy again, feeling exceptionally happy.
The moment he stepped out of the medical room, his gaze passed through the glass curtain wall of the training tower and landed on the misty island in the middle of the lake in the distance.
He muttered to himself, "I wonder how that little guy is doing."
Zhang Heng dragged his tired body into the rest area of the water system wilderness. Before he could fully lie down on the memory foam mattress, the whole room suddenly began to shake violently.
"Boom~"
The water glass danced a breakdance on the table, and the decorative painting on the wall teetered precariously.
He staggered and grabbed the door frame, watching the strange ripples on the ground—it was definitely not a sign of an ordinary earthquake, but more like some kind of energy surging wildly beneath the surface.
"What is going on..."
Zhang Heng's pupils contracted in response to the vibrations. It was important to understand that the anti-vibration alloy used in this building complex was not only fireproof and earthquake-resistant, but could even absorb powerful attacks like the Destructive Ray. Yet, it was now trembling like a withered leaf in the wind.
He grabbed his coat and rushed out the door. The damp air, carrying the smell of burning, hit him in the face, and in the distance came the panicked screams of Water-type Pokémon.
In the empty plaza, hundreds of trainers looked up at the sky. Dr. Chen's hovercraft rapidly circled beneath the clouds, its doors wide open, and the silvery-white, shimmering monster was weaving a protective net with its telekinesis.
Dr. Chen, wearing black-rimmed glasses and with a few strands of silver in his neat short hair, tapped rapidly on the control panel with a serious expression.
"Dark energy fluctuations detected! In the direction of the island in the middle of the lake, the value has exceeded the threshold by 37 times!"
Following his taut fingertips, a blinding red light exploded from the direction of the originally misty island in the middle of the lake, and a pitch-black energy vortex was slowly taking shape, dyeing the clouds in its path with an eerie purple.
"Haunter, take me up!"
"hey-hey!"
From Zhang Heng's shadow, Gastly's figure slowly emerged, carrying Zhang Heng's body, and headed towards the hovercraft above Dr. Chen.
"Doctor! Where is Duan Guanjun?"
Dr. Chen glanced at Zhang Heng and said, "Zhang Heng, you've arrived. Duan Guanjun has already gone to the island in the middle of the lake and asked me to tell you to go with him."
As soon as Dr. Chen finished speaking, he threw a Poké Ball at Zhang Heng, who caught it.
The doctor said, "The Warrior Eagle, the latest breed bred by the research institute, will assist you in reaching the island in the middle of the lake."
"Okay, thank you, Doctor."
Zhang Heng quickly threw out the Poké Ball, which grazed the surface with a white streak, and a Brave Eagle appeared.
However, it was obvious that this warrior eagle was not yet an adult, but there was no problem for Zhang Heng to ride it.
"Ghostly, lend a hand."
Zhang Heng grabbed the eagle's slender leg ring with his other hand, and Gastly immediately conjured a semi-transparent arm in the air, lifting him onto the back of the warrior eagle.
The night wind, carrying salty, fishy vapor, lashed against Zhang Heng's face. He bit open the tab of his energy drink, and the amber liquid mixed with ice slid down his throat, but he couldn't suppress the throbbing drowsiness in his temples.
The young wings of the Warrior Eagle trembled with each flap, and the water-based wilderness below gradually turned into a dark abyss. The closer they got to the island in the center of the lake, the more the dark energy condensed in the air stung their noses like a tangible substance.
"Awooo—" A sharp wolf howl pierced the night, and the leader of three crows suddenly appeared from the clouds, poison needles mixed with purple light piercing through the air.
Gastly chuckled and transformed into smoke, enveloping Zhang Heng, while Altaria spread its wings adorned with starlight, its dragon breath bursting from the tips of its feathers incinerating all the poison needles into ashes.
Zhang Heng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, staring at the wildly fluctuating numbers on the energy monitor and muttering, "The convergence of Dark-type energy is visibly making Dark-type Pokémon agitated, but Dr. Chen predicted the peak would be tomorrow afternoon..."
As the pale dawn pierced the clouds, the outline of the island in the lake finally broke through the purple mist.
Zhang Heng's breath suddenly stopped—hundreds of meters in the air, Duan Guanjun was circling on his Steel Armored Raven.
A blue-white, sparkling Gallade hovered beside it, its Fighting-type energy swirling around it forming a forty-meter-long giant sword whose shimmering iridescent light sliced through the entire sky.
"call out--"
The sound of air being torn apart was like tearing silk, and the giant energy sword, carrying the force of splitting mountains, crashed down.
Zhang Heng's pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly recognized what the item was, because he himself had two. The black rhombus-shaped crystal covered with cracks was the Dark-type Z-Crystal!
The energy ripples from the explosion nearly caused the Warrior Eagle to lose control. Tiny crystal fragments fell like meteors, and the dissipated dark energy acted as a fuse, instantly igniting the dark energy surge lurking throughout the area.
"So that's it..."
Zhang Heng gripped the saddle of the Warrior Eagle tightly, watching the energy level in the water-based wilderness below surge at a visible rate.
The shattered Z-Crystal fragments transformed into a black vortex, frantically sucking up Dark-type power from within a hundred miles. In the distance, purplish-black foam churned on the water's surface, and hordes of Dark-type Pokémon were swarming toward the island in the center of the lake.
Duan Guanjun gazed indifferently at the core of the island in the middle of the lake and sighed, "Sigh, is this still not enough?"
At this moment, Zhang Heng also came to Duan Guanjun's side and said, "Duan Guanjun, are you trying to open that space directly?"
"Yes, Champion Huahai sent a message that Kyurem will cross the Thousand Islands in three days and arrive at our territorial waters in the South China Sea. We don't have much time left."
Zhang Heng also sensed the urgency of time and said, "So... you want to directly gather evil energy to induce that space to open ahead of schedule."
"Yes, but the energy needed to directly shatter a single Evil Z Crystal isn't even enough..."
Zhang Heng seized a Dark-type Z-Crystal from a South Korean spy yesterday, which came in handy.
Zhang Heng pulled out his sword and said, "Champion, let's not delay, let's chop another piece..."