Chapter 166: Gengar vs Steelix

On the other side, the big‑mouthed bat spread its wings, carrying Huo La as it darted through the forest; the cold wind made Huo La's cheeks sting, yet he kept his eyes fixed ahead—Chakra's camp was not far away, and a faint glow of machinery could be seen.

"Kid, are you really okay letting Xiao Gang handle that Black Windcoat Man?" Gengar's voice rang in Huo La's mind, tinged with worry, "That guy's Ekans isn't weak, and Xiao Gang's Pokemon are mostly defensive; what if something goes wrong?"

"Don't worry; since you've confirmed Marshadow is still in Xiao Gang's Shadow, nothing will happen." Huo La said with certainty, though his gaze didn't relax, "When the crisis truly hits, it will definitely act. Right now the priority is to stall Chakra, prevent them from transporting the captured Wild Pokemon, and wait for Officer Jenny."

"And also… given today's situation, I'm afraid I need your help, Old Ghost."

Gengar fell silent for a few seconds, then burst into laughter: "Heh heh heh! It's rare that you voluntarily ask me; I'll reluctantly lend a hand and let you see how powerful I am!"

Huo La said no more, pulled the half‑face mask from his pack and slipped it on quickly—he didn't want to reveal his identity, especially in front of Chakra.

The big‑mouthed bat also lowered its altitude in time, landing behind the bushes at the camp's perimeter; Huo La rolled and jumped down, made a "stealth" hand sign toward the bat, then crept toward the camp.

At this moment, the atmosphere at Chakra's camp had already become somewhat chaotic.

A grunt in a black combat suit stood before Chakra: "Lord Chakra, it seems our position has been discovered! Reports say Officer Jenny is already rushing toward us; should we evacuate immediately?"

Chakra was sitting on a folding chair, his finger scrolling on a tablet; hearing this, he folded the tablet away, spat out the lollipop stick from his mouth, and said evenly, "If they're discovered, they're discovered—why panic? We've almost caught all the Pokemon; since we're being targeted, let's prepare to withdraw."

"But—But Lord Shadow went out to chase and hasn't returned yet; shouldn't we wait for him?" the grunt hesitated.

"Shadow?" Chakra scoffed, leapt down from the chair, "Just two little mice; Shadow can handle them with ease, no need to wait. First load these Pokemon onto the trucks, then we leave."

At that moment, a commotion erupted at the camp's perimeter, accompanied by Pokemon cries and the wails of the Rocket Team.

Chakra furrowed his brows, his complexion darkening: "What's going on? What are they shouting about?"

A gray‑covered grunt rolled and crawled in, his face wailing as he shouted, "Sir! Bad news! Someone ambushed our outer defense! Several guard Pokemon were knocked out!"

"Ambush?" Chakra raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with mockery, "How many attackers came? Could they really scare you this much?"

"Just—just one person!" the grunt's voice trembled more, "But he's too strong! Our Lada and Ekans couldn't even withstand a single attack from his Pokemon; they were all knocked out!"

"Useless! A bunch of useless!" Chakra fumed, leapt up, grabbed the nearby tablet and smashed it onto the ground, "If even one person can't be stopped, what's the point of keeping you!"

He was about to rush out when a cold voice came from the camp entrance: "No need to go, I'm already here, Chakra."

Chakra halted abruptly, looked up—at the camp entrance, a figure wearing a Silver Mask stood there, a translucent Gengar floating beside him, constantly pulling faces, clearly the one who had just ambushed the perimeter.

"Who are you?" Chakra's tone instantly turned wary, his hand slipping toward the Pokeball at his waist—someone who could single‑handedly deal with his outer guards and still dare to come to the gate couldn't be an ordinary Trainer.

"It doesn't matter who I am; what matters is that your 'harvest' today is probably not getting away!"

"Just because of you?" Chakra's voice dripped contempt, his gaze sweeping over Huo La and the Gengar beside him, as if looking at two over‑ambitious ants, "Or that Gengar next to you?"

"Enough talk, act!" Huo La, too lazy to spar with him, let his eyes under the mask harden—since his goal was to stall, all he needed now was to entangle Chakra and wait for Officer Jenny to arrive.

Chakra stopped his chatter, ripped a black Pokeball from his waist and hurled it forcefully: "Go, Steelix! Let them see what true power is!"

The moment the red light burst, the ground shook violently.

A massive snake cloaked entirely in silver‑gray steel scales emerged, its colossal body occupying almost half the camp; its serpentine eyes glowed with icy red light, gazing down at Huo La, its mere aura enough to chill ordinary Pokemon.

Huo La's gaze instantly hardened—on the system panel, Steelix's data displayed clearly:

Pokemon: Steelix

Gender: Male

Level: Lv62

Su Xing: A

Status: Healthy

Nature: Adamant

Type: Steel/Ground

Ability: Sheer Force (Pokemon with this ability have increased move power but cannot trigger additional move effects.)

Height: 9.2 m

Weight: 400 kg

Carried Item: None

Moves: Crunch (69% mastery), Rock Slide (71% mastery), Dragon Breath (59% mastery), Iron Tail (88% mastery), Dig (31% mastery), Earthquake (19% mastery), Earth Power (21% mastery), Flash Cannon (83% mastery), Dragon Pulse (90% mastery), Heavy Slam…

Improvement Count: 1

"As expected, it's Steelix." Huo La narrowed his eyes, secretly startled—Level 62, the hidden Sheer Force ability, and the A‑Grade's Improvement Count make it surely Chakra's main Pokemon, far stronger than any opponent previously encountered.

He couldn't help recalling Xiao Gang's Gigalith—if Xiao Gang could evolve his Gigalith into Steelix, he wondered who would be stronger than the one before him.

Now wasn't the time for such thoughts; Huo La instantly turned to the Gengar beside him, voice urgent yet trusting: "Old Ghost, can you hold back Steelix?"

"Heh heh heh, who do you think you're underestimating!" Gengar's body glowed with a pale violet aura, his voice full of confidence, "Leave it to me; I guarantee that iron lump won't move!"

Hearing Gengar speak, Chakra's eyes flashed with surprise, but he had no time to ponder, for Huo La's next move instantly shattered his plan.

"Fine!" Huo La replied, giving Chakra no time to react, and bolted toward the iron cage in the camp's corner.

"Think you can save them? No way!" Chakra reacted instantly, barking at Steelix, "Steelix, block him! Use Iron Tail to force him back!"

Steelix let out a deafening roar, its massive body jerking violently, its tail glinting with icy metal as it lunged toward Huo La's back—if that strike landed, Huo La would be knocked out instantly.

At that hair‑trigger moment, a ball of pitch‑black Energy Orb slammed onto Steelix, its massive body shuddering briefly from the powerful impact.

It was clearly Gengar's Shadow Ball!