Chapter 437: Battle

Ma Zhishi's eyes were sharp as an eagle, fixedly staring at Huo La and the three others; the Raichu beside him was already poised to strike, and in a deep voice he said, "Huo La, we meet again so quickly."

Sird's gaze instantly locked onto the leading Bilan, his brows twisting sharply, and his tone carried a hint of coldness: "You are the one who has always been by Liu Bo's side... hehe, it seems Liu Bo indeed had other schemes all along."

Bilan's expression was icy, his tone gave no concession: "What we intend to do is none of your Rocket Team's business to intervene."

"Heh, we'll take you down first, then go find Liu Bo and ask him face‑to‑face!" Sird said without hesitation, flinging a Pokeball: "Cursed Doll, appear! Use Illusion Beam!"

Before the words finished, she immediately ordered the attack, without the slightest hesitation.

Just as the Illusion Beam was about to close in, a jet‑black Shadow Ball suddenly shot out from Xiao Gang's shadow, precisely blocking the strike.

It was Marshadow, hidden in the shadow, that made the move.

Huo La instantly took out a Pokeball, ready to join the fight, but Xiao Gang reached out and stopped him.

"You and Bilan go first; I'll leave this to Xiaoyin and me," Huo La turned to Xiaoyin, saw his calm expression, already having taken out a Pokeball and prepared for battle, and said no more.

"Want to leave? Not that easy! Cursed Doll, Shadow Sneak!"

"Fierce Carp Dragon, Dark Pulse!" Xiaoyin immediately commanded, a flash of Red Light, the massive red Fierce Carp Dragon materialized out of thin air, thundering to block ahead, hard‑blocking the Cursed Doll's Shadow Sneak.

"Thunder!" Ma Zhishi followed closely, issuing the command loudly.

"Steelix, Protect!" Another massive shadow crashed to the ground, its heavy body firmly blocking, hard‑blocking the falling thunder.

Seeing the Fierce Carp Dragon and Steelix appear, Huo La thought briefly, took several stones from his pack and around his neck, tossed them to Xiao Gang and Xiaoyin, and reminded, "Be careful in your response!"

Having said that, he didn't linger, grabbed Bilan, turned and slipped away in a circuitous path toward the distance, swiftly withdrawing from the battlefield.

Xiao Gang held the Mega Stone and Key Stone that Huo La had thrown, felt a warm surge in his heart, inhaled deeply, and his expression instantly grew solemn.

"Steelix, are you ready?" Steelix lifted its head and let out a low roar, its aura fully charged.

Xiao Gang raised his hand, flinging the Mega Stone high toward Steelix, and in a deep voice commanded, "Respond to my will, Super Evolution—Mega Steelix!"

In an instant, dazzling brilliance erupted, enveloping both Xiao Gang and Steelix.

As the light swirled, Steelix's form slowly transformed, countless sharp flat shards floated around it, and its body sprouted several iridescent crystal spines, its presence surging dramatically.

"So it's a Mega Evolution..." Sird's gaze darkened, his face icy.

"Don't lose focus, your opponent is right here!" Xiaoyin's voice rang out timely, his tone bearing a hint of defiance.

"Fierce Carp Dragon, we follow too!"

Another burst of brilliant evolution light suddenly flared, and Mega Fierce Carp Dragon majestically appeared on the arena.

"Fierce Carp Dragon, Hurricane! Toss the Cursed Doll straight away!"

The gale suddenly rose from nowhere, whistling straight toward Sird and the Cursed Doll, the powerful airflow instantly split the battlefield in two, completely isolating the few.

Seeing Xiaoyin entangle Sird and the Cursed Doll, Xiao Gang no longer hesitated, immediately turned toward Ma Zhishi and Raichu.

"Steelix, Flash Cannon!"

Ma Zhishi looked at the Xiao Gang before him, also a Kanto Gym Leader, his eyes alight with battle intent, and immediately gave a deep command: "Raichu, Thunderbolt, hard‑block head‑on!"

Dodge? Absolutely impossible! Ma Zhishi wouldn't take a single step back!

The blinding Electric Light collided with the massive energy cannon in a thunderous crash, a huge roar instantly echoed across the battlefield, and shockwaves surged outward.

From behind came earth‑shaking roars and explosions, and Huo La felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Although the exact duel on the battlefield was unseen, the mere spread of combat aftershocks made it clear that both sides were very strong.

"Huo La, will Xiao Gang and Xiaoyin be alright?" Bilan's voice was full of worry.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine," Huo La said calmly, raising his hand to point at the Palkia and Red in the sky, "As long as they hold the time for us, that's enough. With Chi Hong Ge and Palkia on guard, nothing dangerous will happen."

At this moment high above, Red was surrounded by a swarm of Flying-type Pokémon.

But the strength gap between the sides was vast; this Pokémon encirclement could at most slightly harass, and could not harm Red at all.

On the other side, Fu Lindo heard the sudden battle sounds from the cell direction, his expression immediately darkened, and he turned to XiLaNu, ordering, "XiLaNu, prepare; we will activate the plan to capture Lugia ahead of schedule."

XiLaNu adjusted his glasses, said nothing, and turned to walk toward the depths of the Shamouti Island base.

Gilbert clicked his tongue, his tone carrying a hint of amusement and surprise: "Tsk... forced into a corner, we have to act early?"

Fu Lindo's expression remained flat, his tone unruffled, and he said lightly, "It's merely precaution, to avoid trouble later."

Gilbert shrugged, said no more, turned and followed XiLaNu's figure, briskly heading toward the deeper part of the research base.

Meanwhile, Fu Lindo's gaze remained firmly fixed on the perpetually sealed door, his expression unreadable.

The door did not budge a hair, showing no sign of opening.

Huo La and Bilan hid in distant shadows, crouching low; Bilan extended a finger toward the figure nearby whose gaze was fixed on the door, his voice hushed: "That's the Rocket Team operative Fu Lindo."

Huo La looked in the direction she indicated and gave a slight nod.

It must be said, Fu Lindo's aura was indeed extraordinary, steadier and more formidable than ordinary Rocket Team members, even surpassing the Rocket Team Nine Captains, exuding a natural intimidation.

His gaze slowly shifted to the tightly shut door, his brows slightly furrowed, and he asked softly, "Inside that door... is Liu Bo?"

"Yes, that's him," Bilan also whispered, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily, fearing discovery.

Huo La nodded in understanding, his gaze lingering briefly on Fu Lindo and the door, showing no intention of moving forward—currently the primary task was to track XiLaNu, without creating side issues.

He immediately gave Bilan a gentle nudge, urging, "Don't delay, let's hurry and follow XiLaNu and Gilbert."

Bilan understood, nodded quickly: "Let's go, I know a small path that can bypass here without them noticing."

Having said that, the two rechecked the surroundings for any abnormality, then crouched low, using the shadow's cover, and quietly followed the direction Bilan indicated, inching toward the deeper part of the research base where XiLaNu was heading.