After Zou Tianwang eliminated the two Senior Cadres, he looked back at the dark ball on the ruined ground. Just as he was about to reach out to pick it up, Swanna blocked him with her snow-white wings.

Swanna was afraid that her Trainer would be harmed, as the Thievul inside the ball was Elite Four level. Zou Yi patted Swanna’s wings and said, “Don’t be afraid. If he had the guts to fight to the death, he would have come out and battled us to the end from the start.”

After speaking, he walked directly to the open space, which had been leveled by the aftermath of the battle, picked up the dark ball, and began scanning the Poké Ball with his personal Pokédex.

The Pokédex displayed: Pokémon Thievul, Level 61 (Elite Four Pokémon), already registered under Alliance control, Poké Ball is being Locked-On, please do not move.

He then examined the dark ball and said, “Regardless of whether you willingly became a Pokémon of the Water Blade Gang before, you have committed many evil deeds by their side and must face the Alliance’s judgment. I have scanned your information into the Alliance. I hope we have a chance to meet again.”

The Thievul inside the dark ball seemed very afraid of Zou Yi, and the ball itself began to tremble slightly.

Subsequently, the Pokédex prompted that the Poké Ball had been successfully Locked-On. A phantom chain, crossed into a cross, appeared around the Poké Ball, sealing it.

Poké Balls in this world have a special setting: any Pokémon that has committed a crime in the Hua Country Alliance, or any Pokémon belonging to a criminal, will be controlled by the Hua Country Alliance. Once a Poké Ball is Locked-On, it can no longer be opened, and the Pokémon inside cannot escape. It can only accept the Alliance’s judgment. Only specialized law enforcement departments in various regions can unlock them.

Immediately after, Zou Tianwang carefully cradled the cold body of the Swoobat and gently placed it into the earthen pit meticulously dug by Swanna. He softly stroked the Swoobat’s body, as if bidding it a final farewell. Once the body was properly laid, Zou Tianwang gently scooped handfuls of soil and carefully covered the Swoobat until the entire pit was filled.

After the burial was complete, Zou Tianwang took out Swoobat’s Poké Ball from his pocket and gently placed it on the small mound. The Poké Ball shimmered with a faint light, as if still retaining a trace of Swoobat’s aura from when it was alive.

After completing all of these tasks, Zou Tianwang took a deep breath, then deftly put the dark ball in his hand into the backpack on his back. Next, he turned to look at Swanna and Tropius, who were standing quietly by his side, a look of concern in his eyes.

He gently waved his finger, and two red rays of light shot towards Swanna and Tropius respectively, instantly recalling them into their respective Poké Balls. This way, these two exhausted Pokémon could get ample rest to better conserve their stamina for the challenges ahead.

Finally, Zou Tianwang pursued Zhang Heng and Qi Shu in the direction they had left on foot.

Zhang Heng and Qi Shu were riding Rhyhorn, and with the help of Dr. Chen’s Rhyhorn, they were about to reach the Core area of Lake Heart Island, faintly discerning the ripples formed by the Divine Beast Field in real space.

Zhang Heng also gradually felt the Water-type energy from ahead becoming purer and purer. The Pokémon egg in his arms vibrated with increasing amplitude and frequency, indicating that it was about to hatch.

Suddenly, two sounds, “Tsk~ Tsk~,” shot out from both sides of the road. Qi Shu shouted, “It’s Water Gun!”

Although Rhyhorn was not skilled in combat, its reaction speed was extremely fast. It first charged forward, dodging one Water Gun attack, then drifted, throwing Zhang Heng and Qi Shu off its back. Zhang Heng, protecting the egg, rolled once on the ground before stopping in a crouch, observing the situation. Qi Shu, on the other hand, flipped and landed steadily.

The other Water Gun directly hit Rhyhorn, eliciting a muffled groan, and its entire body was propelled by the Water Gun attack, knocking down a section of trees.

Qi Shu’s reaction speed was very fast. With a slight flick of her sleeve, she threw out two Poké Balls. Two flashes of white light appeared, and Vikavolt and Araquanid emerged.

“Use Electric Net and Bubble Beam in the two directions of the attack.”

Vikavolt’s Electric Net attack, covering the sky and earth, struck with crackling electric sounds towards the location where the last Water Gun was fired.

Araquanid’s Bubble Beam was like a blue-flamed Gatling gun, with a density of projectiles like bullets, shooting towards the spot where the previous Water Gun attack, dodged by Rhyhorn, had originated.

Boom! The two attacks hit their targets with deafening roars. However, from the right side of the bushes, a plump, light-blue body, bathed in the residual electric light from the Electric Net, slowly emerged. It even touched its head, seemingly unaffected.

It had two black dot-like eyes and a large mouth. Its back and tail had purple and dark green stripes, and its body was always slippery.

Qi Shu: “Tsk, a Ground-type Quagsire.”

Meanwhile, Araquanid’s Bubble Beam attack had not stopped, because he felt a sense of powerlessness every time his attack hit, so he continued to sweep the area to gauge the enemy’s strength.

From the left side of the bushes, a plump blue body floated out, with a beard, small eyelashes, and small eyes, but no lips. As it floated out, it absorbed the Water-type energy from Araquanid’s Bubble Beam.

Araquanid spat lightly, stopped its Bubble Beam attack, and eagerly waved its front claws, wanting to go up and dismember it.

After seeing clearly, Qi Shu said, “A male Jellicent with Water Absorb. They really like life energy. Ships that accidentally enter a Jellicent’s habitat will sink. Along the Hua Country coast, sailors often get attacked by them for no reason. They are notorious Pokémon.”

At this moment, a middle-aged man in a standard shark-skin suit walked out and said, “Long time no see. Heir of the Zhang family, I didn’t expect you two to dare come to the Core area of Lake Heart Island. Since you’re here, don’t leave. I believe the Zhang clan will be very willing to pay the ransom.”

The person who arrived was Xia Yong, who had previously fought Dr. Chen and commanded Crawdaunt, followed by a Little Boss.

Zhang Heng ignored him and instead used his system ability to scan the Rhyhorn that had been knocked down by the Water Gun attack.

Pokémon Name: Rhyhorn (Severely injured, near death)

He breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately, it wasn't dead. After all, with its meager 30 Special Defense and quadruple weakness to Water, Zhang Heng was very afraid it wouldn't survive this attack and would be one-shot.

Zhang Heng took out Rhyhorn’s red and white Poké Ball and recalled it, then injected a healing aerosol into the white dot in the middle of the red and white ball, temporarily saving its life.