Chapter 177: The Beginning of the Final Battle

Due to the urgency of the situation.

Shan Ren abandoned the idea of entertaining Dawu and Shi Yuan Zhi; the moment he learned Elder Ejin's forces had mobilized, he led the convoy toward Huang Tie Town.

At a time like this, every second counts.

The sooner they return to Huang Tie Town, the sooner they can deploy Champion Dawu and the Four Heavenly Kings as decisive weapons.

On the road.

He remembered to call Baimu in Huang Tie Town, trying to share the good news—but the moment he realized the signal was disrupted, he understood Elder Ejin's forces might already have reached Huang Tie Town.

The die was cast; his earlier agitation instantly cooled.

Even without Champion Dawu and the Four Heavenly Kings, the original plan—centered on Lei Ou—still held a considerable chance of victory.

Moreover, Master Liu Ge and the others' primary goal was to delay Elder Ejin's forces within Huang Tie Town, not to achieve total victory.

Ultimately, the crucial coup would still be launched by Dines and other Oure locals from Guibi City, followed by a top-down purge of Elder Ejin's entire interest network.

But with Champion Dawu now added to this operation, perhaps all of Elder Ejin's forces in Huang Tie Town could be trapped.

Shan Ren had absolute faith in Dawu's power.

Dawu and Shi Yuan Zhi couldn't help but be curious about his shifting demeanor—agitated one moment, calm the next.

"Before the enemy arrives, I want to get back to Huang Tie Town as soon as possible. Since they're already here, I have no choice but to trust my comrades."

Shan Ren forced a faint smile and whispered, "Based on my understanding of that person, this little problem won't bring him down."

The formation of the Rainbow Team had, to some extent, pushed Baimu to the center of the storm.

After Elder Ejin's forces arrived in Huang Tie Town, they would inevitably target Baimu first—the leader. Even if he only needed to hold out for a moment, it would be a severe test for him.

But Shan Ren trusted him.

"Who is this person you're talking about? Could you introduce me to him?" Dawu asked, intrigued.

——

Huang Tie Town.

Just as Shan Ren had suspected.

Elder Ejin's forces—or rather, the former Shadow Team—had successfully reached Huang Tie Town, blocking key transit points like the train station and cutting off all external communications from the town.

Yet they did not rush in immediately; instead, they dispatched several small squads to the most defiant factions within Huang Tie Town.

The Immortal Wood Miracle

The Rainbow Team was among them.

"Where's your leader? Make him come out!"

A Shadow Team member swaggered into the Rainbow Team's headquarters building.

Baimu appeared before them, exactly as planned: "I am."

The man glanced at his face and sneered.

"Tch. A kid who hasn't even grown a single hair. Let me be straight: in one hour, we want every high-ranking member's Pokémon from your Rainbow Team, plus at least five thousand Pokémon from everyone else."

The Shadow Team member named an impossible number: "Fewer than five thousand, and your Rainbow Team has no reason to exist."

"Five thousand… isn't that too many?"

Baimu frowned slightly, feigning ignorance: "And hand over our Pokémon? That's impossible!"

"Refuse? Fine. Then just wait."

The Shadow Team member had intended to slap his face, but Baimu dodged, so he let it go—only sneering: "Huang Tie Town lacks everything, but it never lacks obedient slaves. If you don't produce those Pokémon in an hour, you'll know the consequences."

Heaven knew what the Shadow Team commander was thinking.

Demanding Baimu hand over himself and all his high-ranking Pokémon—anyone could see that was impossible.

It was as if they were begging for a confrontation.

"They're using this to test loyalty," Master Liu Ge whispered behind Baimu. "You must understand not everyone has your backbone."

The Shadow Team member's face turned icy: "Who gave you permission to speak?"

"Will many factions surrender?"

Baimu ignored him and turned to ask Master Liu Ge.

"There will be some, but not many. Many factions have only just hastily banded together, and internal conflicts run deep. Their leaders fear others will hide even one Pokémon, so none will hand any over." Master Liu Ge shook his head.

"So it's bound to come to battle."

Baimu nodded.

His utter disdain enraged the Shadow Team member; he immediately pulled out a Poké Ball and released a Pokémon, shouting: "Dark Charge!"

Several accompanying members followed suit.

Yet the Rainbow Team remained unmoved, watching the Shadow Team members like fools—and critiquing the Pokémon they released.

"These are Dark Pokémon?"

"Yes. Normally invisible to the naked eye; you need special instruments to detect them. They wield a mysterious power outside any known type—hard to counter."

Master Liu Ge continued.

The few Dark Pokémon were now shrouded in black energy, lunging toward them.

Suddenly—

A pink wave surged.

A powerful psychic force, like a wall or a heavy hammer, slammed into all the Dark Pokémon, flinging them through walls and smashing desks and chairs.

The graceful figure of Yin Bu, her tail swaying, stepped forward from behind them.

But the Shadow Team members, seeing their Dark Pokémon thrown back, showed no reaction: "Hmph! You think that's enough to defeat them? Get up! Use Dark Charge again!"

The thrown Dark Pokémon immediately rose from the ground, howling as they charged once more toward Baimu and the others.

The previous attack had clearly inflicted almost no damage.

The Shadow Team members expected Baimu and the others to be shocked, but instead a spiky-haired youth stepped out from behind them, "You're overthinking it—I just wanted them to stand in a convenient spot for throwing the balls!"

The words had barely fallen.

One Capture Ball after another shot out, striking the Dark Pokémon, which were immediately sucked inside.

The Shadow Team members' faces turned pale with shock, "This is impossible!"

"No! These are Capture Balls! You're Lei Ou!" One of them, apparently an older-generation Shadow Team member, had recognized Lei Ou.

The Capture Team had only one Capture Device capable of producing Capture Balls; after Lei Ou stole it, the Capture Team nearly collapsed and was forced to hunt him across Ourei as a traitor.

Thus, even if one had never seen Lei Ou in person, seeing a Capture Ball was enough to confirm the identity of the person before them.

"Now you know? Too late!"

Baimu and the others surged forward, swiftly capturing the Shadow Team members.

Nearby, Flobo twisted his throat, emitting a voice identical to the leader of the Shadow Team, "This guy's voice is pretty hoarse—hard to imitate."

Then, a Ditto clung to his face and rapidly transformed him into the exact likeness of the man just moments before.

"Being an undercover agent is tough."

Amid the stunned expression of the Shadow Team member, Flobo let out a sigh of regret.