At Lake Heart Island ~

In the deep blue, sea-like sky above the island, white clouds drifted. Formations of Wingull and Pelipper soared in a single line, passing through the fluffy clouds, opening their long, narrow beaks, and emitting piercing Growls.

Deep within the island's forest, amidst a patch of green shade, a group of figures dressed in uniform black leather outfits were gathered. Their expressions were solemn, and the atmosphere was tense, as if they were discussing something important. Among them, one person had his head bowed, timidly explaining something to the person standing in front of him.

"Captain Shi, I really didn't intentionally let the Overlord Crawdaunt die! The situation at the time was too critical; if we hadn't done that, we might all have died..." The person making this defense was Xia Yong, who had previously fought Dr. Chen and ordered Crawdaunt to perform a suicidal rear-guard action. At this moment, his face was filled with terror, and his eyes flickered with despair.

Upon hearing Xia Yong's defense, the person opposite him slapped Xia Yong across the face with a backhand, and a sharp, sinister voice rang out: "Good, good, good, very good, excellent. You're quite good at making excuses for failure."

Xia Yong immediately cowered: "No... no, Captain Shi, this time we ran into a tough opponent. Chen Chunjiang has a Shiny Elgyem with good aptitude."

The person opposite Xia Yong was the leader of this operation. He had no name or surname, only a codename: “Shi,” which means a corpse whose flesh has not yet rotted away. This person was a rather troublesome character; he was a notorious Poison-type Trainer and also a wanted criminal by the police.

It is said that Captain Shi had committed numerous crimes in various regions. He used his mastery of Poison-type Pokémon to create a series of malicious incidents. Once, in a Wilderness Area abroad, he ordered an indiscriminate attack on all living creatures in the park, just to test which of his Poison-type Pokémon had better aptitude and stronger toxicity, bringing immense disaster and suffering to the Wilderness Area and its surroundings.

His actions had aroused strong indignation from all sectors of society, and many righteous individuals were actively pursuing him, hoping to bring him to justice. However, Captain Shi's whereabouts were erratic, and his methods were extremely cunning, making him difficult to apprehend.

After a slight pause for thought, Captain Shi replied, "I didn't expect Chen Chunjiang to actually bring his team in himself." He looked down at Xia Yong, who was slumped on the ground, and said, "Stop pretending. You only got slapped once; you won't die. Compared to the Overlord Crawdaunt you made me lose, that slap was light."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yong secretly rejoiced that he had escaped a disaster. His eyes flickered with resentment, but on the surface, he quickly stood up and respectfully said, "Thank you very much, Captain Shi. I deeply know that I have caused no small loss to the organization this time, and I feel deeply remorseful and self-reproachful. Please believe that I will go all out and do my best to make up for the losses! I humbly request Captain Shi to give me a chance!" After saying these words, Xia Yong bowed slightly, showing a sincere attitude.

Captain Shi sneered in response, "Heh heh, isn't the opportunity here now? We just need to obtain the S-rank ground gem, and our Water Blade Gang can use the power blessed by the ground gem to break through that energy barrier."

Xia Yong knew he couldn't escape: "Captain Shi, I will naturally lead the charge, but my team and I are still not strong enough to deal with Chen Chunjiang and his group. Their team is not weak, and there's also the heir of the Zhang Corporation, who has a complete medical system to quickly restore their team's combat power."

Captain Shi pondered silently, thinking, it seems these top families in Huaguo are truly not simple! They are so concerned about the Wilderness Area that they even directly sent their heir to gain experience. Hmph, aren't they afraid of cutting off their family's lineage because of this?

However, despite Captain Shi's myriad thoughts, he maintained a relaxed demeanor on the surface. He merely curled his lips slightly and said in a firm tone, "You can rest assured and boldly launch the Sucker Punch operation. I will generously lend you the organization's carefully cultivated ace Pokémon. Moreover, if the situation is urgent, I will personally step in and assist you." As he spoke, Captain Shi's eyes gleamed with confidence and decisiveness, as if everything was under his control.

Xia Yong looked puzzled: "Um, Captain Shi....."

Captain Shi: "Spit it out if you have something to say. Why are you being so coy?"

Xia Yong mustered his courage and asked the Captain: "What is in the core of Lake Heart Island? Why is it isolated by an energy barrier?"

Captain Shi looked deeply at Xia Yong: "It seems you're not content just being a loyal dog trained by the organization; you want to know everything you shouldn't." Cold sweat dripped from Xia Yong. "But I can tell you, there are traces of a legendary Pokémon's activity within the energy barrier."

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Back to Zhang Heng's side, after the research team and the Swamp Monster Clan converged, the team and the Pokémon rested for a day.

During the rest period, Zhang Heng heard the system prompt indicating that the system functions had also been fully unlocked, including regular Pokémon and item viewing and identification functions, as well as exchange and reward functions.

During this day of rest, the research teams also adjusted to their optimal state and immersed themselves in rigorous scientific investigation.

As for the Swamp Monster Clan, under the guidance of Zhang Heng, a professional, and with careful treatment, combined with the specialized medicines brought along, and the meticulous care of Ou Yishu and Chen Xue, the previously injured and malnourished Mudkip and Marshtomp had all fully recovered, becoming lively and energetic again. Although their aptitude could not be improved, it was already difficult to maintain them at a healthy level.

Especially noteworthy was the gratifying effect of the treatment on the pregnant Swampert. The fetuses in her womb were growing steadily and healthily, and the mother's physical condition had also significantly improved. Although she had not fully recovered to her peak state, she was at least able to move freely without any restrictions. After all, medical work always requires a gradual approach, and one must not be impatient for success.

Chen Chunjiang and Chen Xue walked towards the Swampert camp, where Zhang Heng was examining the Swamp Monster Clan members, and Ou Yishu was assisting with various minor tasks.

Chen Chunjiang looked at the busy Zhang Heng, still quite appreciative of this junior. He spoke calmly: "Zhang Heng, are you still busy?"

Zhang Heng and Yi Shu straightened up. Seeing Dr. Chen and Chen Xue approaching, they immediately put down the Mudkip in their hands, which was the most mischievous little guy from the beginning.

The little guy was a bit annoyed. He had finally gotten his turn to be petted, only to be interrupted by them. He shot a Water Gun at Dr. Chen.

Dr. Chen hurriedly ducked his head to avoid it, only to see the little guy make a face, stick out his tongue, and run away as if fleeing.

Ou Yishu covered her mouth and chuckled.

Zhang Heng looked at Yi Shu, then helplessly at Dr. Chen, expressing his apologies. Dr. Chen shook his head and said, "It seems the little ones in the Swamp Monster Clan really approve of you."

Zhang Heng: "Dr. Chen, you're joking. I'm just doing my best."

Dr. Chen: "Don't be modest. After these two days of rest, we should set off again, but it seems we need to change our destination."

Zhang Heng asked in surprise, "Are we not going to search further downstream along the river?"

Chen Xue replied, "The lowland downstream of this lake has been submerged by the lake water, so there is no longer a swamp-like habitat."

Zhang Heng frowned slightly: "Where should we go next?"

Chen Xue looked to the side, and Zhang Heng also looked over. Chen Xue's voice came: "We need to go to Lake Heart Island and test the soil."