Elf: Starts with small diamonds, then mutates into Diancie.

So busy was Su Hao that he had no time to pay attention to who his opponents were or what their strength was.

Bai Linglong said, "I think the teams from the South Korean Alliance, the Indian Alliance, and the Sakura Country Alliance are all worth being wary of. The captain of the South Korean Alliance team is the nephew of their Ghost-type Elite Four. Their Ghost-type Pokémon are elusive and will be difficult to deal with."

Bai Linglong had clearly done her analysis and was very familiar with the situation of most teams.

Although they are among the best of the younger generation in the Shenzhou League, otherwise they wouldn't have been selected, they still take the competition very seriously.

Following the South Korean alliance, Bai Linglong mentioned general information about several other alliances, such as the Indian alliance's abundance of superpowered individuals, the Korean alliance's formidable teams that would stop at nothing to achieve victory, and the host country's Sakura alliance's certain hidden secret weapons.

Su Hao memorized them all, and when the waveguide detected the enemy with the corresponding characteristics, he would take targeted measures.

Cheng Liming, who is skilled with Ground-type Pokémon and also good at surveying terrain, continued Bai Linglong's words: "Our location should be on the northern edge of the Aokigahara Forest. That so-called range will most likely shrink towards the center."

"In other words, we must go to the center in advance to occupy advantageous terrain and take the initiative, so as not to be ambushed by the enemy, right?" Xiao Zijian, who was rubbing his hands together, had an expectant look on his face as if a fight was about to break out.

The four were clearly exceptional talents, each fulfilling their roles and providing different benefits to the team. Su Hao felt much more at ease and nodded slightly, saying, "Then let's head directly to the center of the Aokigahara Forest."

...................................

At 10:00 AM, somewhere in the Aokigahara Forest.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

In the dense forest, a figure in deep blue and a figure in green are engaged in a fierce battle.

The area around them was littered with broken trees, sunken craters, and other debris from the aftermath of their battle.

The brutal, bone-crunching attacks always invigorated it; a hint of excitement shone in the Motor Lizard's eyes as it crouched down to dodge Heracross's horn strike.

When the Motolizard was about to use its tail to knock Heracross away and deliver a heavy kick, it suddenly remembered that half of its tail was broken off. It could only use a sweeping leg to temporarily suspend Heracross in the air, and then unleash a powerful punch.

This punch not only produced a dull thud at the point of contact, but the wind from the punch also blew leaves off the surrounding trees. Heracross felt a sudden surge of power in its abdomen, and the entire Pokémon was sent flying backward by the Motosquirrel, crashing through several tree trunks before losing consciousness.

The Motor Lizard showed no emotion as it easily defeated the elite-level late-game Heracross, as if this was nothing to it.

Heracross was not a worthy opponent.

Watching the Motolizard effortlessly defeat Heracross without even using a single move, Bai Linglong and her companions wore strange, numb expressions. After traveling for an hour, they had encountered at least a dozen attacks from wild Pokémon.

The number of wild Pokémon in Aokigahara Forest is comparable to that in Viridian Forest; you could hit a flock of Spearow with just a random stone.

The strength of wild Pokémon is quite uniform, probably because they are still on the fringes, with their strength generally hovering around the elite level. The Heracross from earlier was one of the stronger ones.

It was agreed beforehand that Su Hao's Motolizard would handle opponents below the professional level. In reality, the four of them were somewhat worried. How could a Motolizard at the late stage of the common level possibly fight against those powerful wild Pokémon at the elite level?

Until... the four of them were stunned when the motorcycle lizard punched a cunning tengu that had jumped out to block their way.

Whose common Pokémon can defeat an elite Pokémon with a single punch?!

The Motolizard's subsequent display of fighting prowess confirmed all of this; without using any special moves, it defeated more than a dozen elite-level wild Pokémon solely through its fists and feet.

Bai Linglong's expression was particularly interesting. She remembered that the Motolizard was considered a crippled dragon within its clan, capable of polluting the superior genes of dragon-type Pokémon. But... why was this Motolizard, which had been timid and subservient in the dragon's lair and barely ate, so ferocious in Su Hao's hands?

Those old guys' appraisals are a bit unreliable!

After defeating Heracross, the Motolizard strolled back with a completely unsatisfied expression. Without its long tail, it couldn't use many of its fighting techniques, and each battle always felt somewhat awkward and uncoordinated, which made the Motolizard very uncomfortable.

Su Hao handed the Motor Lizard an orange and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work."

The motorcycle lizard nodded, reached out and took the orange fruit, eating it to replenish its energy.

Seeing the Motor Lizard's behavior, Su Hao couldn't help but marvel.

Normally, the Motor Lizard seems obedient but not compliant, but when it comes to battle, it will take the initiative to fight even if Su Hao doesn't mention it... These changes only occurred after it consumed the Taijing Crystal.

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Chapter 625 Socialite Su Haoshou

The Motor Lizard seems to be hiding some secret, whether it's gaining unimaginable power through the crystal, or acquiring moves that seem to require no skill to master, or its exceptionally proficient combat techniques.

Su Hao felt that the answer might only be found when he collected more Taijing Crystals to feed the Motor Lizard, or when the Motor Lizard was willing to establish a waveguide connection with him.

................................

Meanwhile, at 10:00 AM, deep within the heart of the Aokigahara Forest, the Sakura Kingdom Alliance's team was precisely deployed there. After traveling for nearly two hours, they gradually began to see the outline of their destination.

This place is less like a sea of ​​trees and more like a primeval tropical jungle hidden deep within it, with unidentified vines hanging everywhere like long snakes, providing convenience for the special Pokémon species that live here.

The moment Tachibana Mahiru and her teammates arrived at this place, they were spotted by the local inhabitants.

The ape-like Pokémon, with gray and black fur, moved swiftly through the jungle using vines. In no time, at least ten blood-red eyes were fixed on the group from the Sakura Kingdom Alliance.

These Pokémon are the Zarude Pokémon species worshipped by the Sakura Kingdom League.

Knowing Zarude's extremely aggressive nature, Tachibana Mahiru did not panic after being surrounded. First, she signaled her teammates to recall their protective Pokémon and raised her hand, showing no malice. Then, she took out a token given to her by the higher-ups—a flexible vine.

The Zarude gathered here vary in strength, with the weakest being only at the late stage of the Dojo level. Tachibana Mahiru himself was confident in defeating the opponent, but he dared not.

Apart from this Zarude at the late stage of the Gym Leader level, the Zarudes scattered around all possessed Elite Four-level power, and the strongest of them had already reached Champion level.

Tachibana Mahiru knew very well that these Sarud were merely pawns; the true tribal leader had silently appeared before them the moment he produced the vine token.

The Zarude that appeared before them had a distinctive feature on its face—a scar that ran from its left eye to its left cheek, said to be a mark left by the Zarude leader when it defeated the previous leader during a battle for tribal leadership.

The leader chose to leave the scar on even though it could have been healed with a move, as if to remind all Zarude who the real boss is.

As if startled by the sudden appearance of the Zarud leader, or perhaps shocked by the oppressive aura surrounding them like a swamp, Tachibana Mahiru's teammates instantly turned pale, their backs soaked with cold sweat, and large beads of sweat dripped down their backs.

Tachibana Mahiru was also intimidated by this imposing presence, but his performance was clearly much better than that of his teammates. He swallowed hard and said in a respectful tone, "Senior Leader, we have come to keep our appointment."

The scarred-faced leader of Sarud looked at the group with an oppressive gaze, and the pressure around them only subsided like a receding tide when even Tachibana Mahiru could no longer maintain her composure.

Even so, the Zarude tribe, which should have been unruly and volatile, remained silent, demonstrating the deep-seated power and influence of the Scarface Zarude leader within the tribe, and the fear that all Zarude trembled at his strength.

Tachibana Mahiru noticed that his teammate Aoi Erina's long, slender legs were trembling, clearly frightened. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to care about his teammate's emotions.

Because... the voice of the scarred leader, Saruud, rang in his mind through telepathy.

“Choose a Zarude below champion level to follow you for three days, then get out!”

The voice was hoarse and sinister, the very tone of a tyrant.

"Thank you for your help, Chief." Despite being treated like this, Tachibana Mahiru, who was surrounded by admirers, was not annoyed... or rather, dared not be annoyed. He knew very well that there was a world of difference between his strength and that of the scarred leader, Saruud, and his useless pride could only be abandoned at this moment.

"Then, please let that Zarude, who is at the late stage of the Heavenly King level, follow us for the time being."

Tachibana Mahiru carefully and quickly selected one of the dozen or so Zarude that appeared, as if afraid that the scarred Zarude might become impatient.

Zarude, whose name was called by Tachibana Mahiru, lowered his head and obediently approached under the gaze of the scarred leader.

He moved to the side of the five people.

The scarred-faced leader of the Saruud clan rang out again: "You, follow them for three days and help them hunt other humans!"

.........

Half an hour later, Tachibana Mahiru led her team out of the Zarude territory. However, the chosen late-stage Elite Four level Zarude was right behind them.

Only after leaving the territory of Sarud did Erina Aoi dare to whisper, "How scary... I almost peed my pants just now."

Tachibana Mahiru ignored her, instead muttering with a gloomy expression, "Is this the pressure of a master-level... no, a second-class legendary-level? It's terrifying."

"Since this new leader took office, the Sarud tribe has become somewhat uncontrollable. Under his leadership, their methods and nature have become even more brutal... It seems I'll have to report this to Champion Itō after the competition ends..."

Tachibana Mahiru didn't try to avoid the late-stage Celestial King-level Zarude following behind them. If anyone was dissatisfied, it was the other Zarude who were brutally suppressed within their tribe.

The Zarude, too, had an expression of complete indifference, ignoring Tachibana Mahiru's mutterings.

.....................................

At 11:00 AM, the Shenzhou Alliance team had traveled approximately five kilometers, even with wild Pokémon constantly appearing and blocking their path.

As they passed a natural mountain standing amidst a sea of ​​trees, Su Hao suddenly stopped everyone.

Bai Linglong and the others quickly stopped what they were doing, and at the same time, they ordered the fossil aeroda flying in the sky to descend so as not to reveal its position. After working together for a while, they already knew that when Su Hao called a halt to the team, it meant that a wild Pokémon had entered his waveguide detection range.

With his eyes closed, Su Hao said in a deep voice, "Strength, mid-stage Gym Leader... It's a Grass-type Pokémon."

Xiao Zijian rubbed his hands together eagerly and said, "Grass-type... then leave it to me!"

Unexpectedly, Su Hao rejected Xiao Zijian's request to participate, shaking his head and saying, "No... if it's this Pokémon, none of you should make a move."

Cheng Liming asked doubtfully, "Are you going to make a move...? Even the Motorola is struggling against professional-level Pokémon. Are you planning to switch Pokémon?"

"Who said I was going to fight it?" Su Hao's aura clearly outlined the shape of the grass-type Pokémon, and a smile appeared on his lips as he said, "Give it to me... Maybe we can gain a new fighting force."

Since the rules provide a large blank space for them to play freely, it wouldn't be against the rules for the holder of Viridian Power to gain the favor and help of a few wild Pokémon, right?

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Chapter 626 The Blessing of the Tree of Beginning

Amidst the steep, rocky mountains, a mountain goat with a steady, weathered gaze strode nimbly on its routine patrol.

The rugged and steep rock walls were like flat ground to it. As the leader of a tribe, the mountain goat was not particularly outstanding in terms of strength as the leader in the Aokigahara Forest. The tribe's collective combat strength was also not high, otherwise it would not have fallen to the edge of this forest despite being a gymnastics-level creature.

To prevent predators from attacking the herd, the strongest of the herd, the mountain goat leader, declined the offers of other strong members and instead patrolled the area around the herd day after day, year after year.

At this moment, the mountain goat was very close to the bottom of the mountain, and even the ground under the sea of ​​trees could be seen clearly.

Having confirmed that there were no dangerous Pokémon around, the goat was about to move its limbs and leave when a scent that was clearly heading in its direction caught its attention.

With its deep red eyes peering through the gaps in the forest, the mountain goat it rode quickly locked onto the newcomer.