Encased in a white light, Inkay's body began to undergo a startling transformation.
Its originally inverted body slowly flipped over within the radiance, its tentacles growing thicker and more powerful, and its head becoming more solid.
Those flashy black eyes appeared exceptionally dazzling within the light of evolution.
The white light dissipated, and a brand new pokémon appeared on the deck.
Its body was completely inverted, head down and tentacles up, its eyes emitting a cold, eerie purple light and radiating an intimidating pressure.
"Malamar, the Overturning pokémon, Level 30, Ability, Contrary..."
Ariel silently recited the information about his new partner in his mind, unable to suppress the joy on his face.
"Well done! Malamar!" Ariel praised sincerely.
The Scarred Burly Man was utterly dumbfounded. His eyes widened, and his mouth hung open wide enough to fit a Poké Ball.
What the hell? It actually evolved?!
His two prized pokémon were now facing a Malamar that had just completed its evolution, and the aura emanating from that Malamar far surpassed that of the previous Inkay.
"Malamar, Dark Pulse!" Ariel ordered decisively, a trace of excitement in his tone.
Malamar's eyes blazed with purple light, and a massive black energy sphere rapidly coalesced at the tips of its tentacles.
That energy sphere was more concentrated than the Dark Pulse Inkay had conjured before, exuding a disquieting pitch-black aura. Carrying powerful Dark-type energy, it hurtled towards Sharpedo and Wailmer!
The Scarred Burly Man's heart gave a violent lurch. He sensed that a true nightmare was only just beginning.
After evolution, the power of this strike was far beyond what it had been before!
Malamar's eyes blazed with purple light, and the black energy sphere coalescing at its tentacle tips was more concentrated than Inkay's previous Dark Pulse, exuding a disquieting pitch-black aura.
Carrying powerful Dark-type energy, it shot towards Sharpedo and Wailmer like a black meteor.
The Dark Pulse howled forth, leaving Sharpedo and Wailmer with no way to dodge.
Wailmer's massive body shifted on the deck in an attempt to evade, but its speed was no match for the Dark Pulse.
It opened its large mouth, and a thick Hydro Pump took shape, surging forth with astonishing force to meet the pitch-black energy.
Simultaneously, Sharpedo also struggled, gathering a stream of water in its mouth to shoot out, joining Wailmer's Hydro Pump in an attempt to block Malamar's earth-shattering strike.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion erupted on the deck, water spray intertwining with Dark-type energy to form a powerful shockwave.
The speedboat rocked violently, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
The residual blast waves from the explosion sent the Team Aqua crew members on the deck tumbling in all directions; many were even thrown directly into the sea by the impact.
"Quick! Abandon ship!"
"How the hell can we fight this?! Retreat!"
"Monster! That thing is a monster!"
The deck instantly descended into chaos. Those Team Aqua crew members fortunate enough not to have fallen overboard were left in disarray by the explosion's impact.
They no longer cared about the captured Pokémon, nor the Scarred Burly Man's orders. One after another, they scrambled and crawled towards the edges of the speedboat, desperately trying to jump into the sea to escape. In the confusion, some were even pushed overboard by their own companions.
However, Malamar's cold, eerie eyes, radiating an undeniable pressure, swept over the scene.
"Hummm—"
An intangible wave spread outwards from Malamar as the center.
Instantly, the three remaining Team Aqua members on the deck who hadn't yet jumped froze, their eyes turning dull and vacant.
Their movements halted mid-air. Then, like puppets on strings, they obediently retracted their outstretched legs, turned around, and walked step by step back to the center of the speedboat.
Their movements were synchronized, even somewhat comical as they sat back-to-back together, their faces wearing an eerie calmness as if the previous chaos and fear had never occurred.
The Scarred Burly Man stared, dumbstruck. Witnessing this absurd scene, his mind short-circuited completely.
His prized Sharpedo and Wailmer were now staggering amidst the explosion's aftermath, while his crew members had been controlled by some unknown move from a pokémon.
"What... what the hell is this thing?"
The burly man muttered to himself, his voice filled with disbelief and a trace of fear.
He had never seen such a bizarre ability; it completely exceeded his understanding of pokémon power.
Watching Malamar efficiently control the entire situation, Ariel understood.
This was it!
He had finally witnessed Malamar's masterful Hypnosis firsthand!
This wasn't simply putting an opponent to sleep; it was practically an essential skill for robbery and controlling the battlefield!
Malamar's abilities were even more powerful and practical than he had imagined.
The Scarred Burly Man's face turned deathly pale, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead.
One of his two prized pokémon had been directly hit by the Dark Pulse, while the other, although it had blocked part of the impact, was also seriously injured.
And his men were controlled like idiots.
He felt an unprecedented wave of despair and fear surge into his heart.
"Kill that monster!"
The burly man shrieked hysterically, his voice trembling slightly. His legs began to shake, almost unable to support his weight.
Pointing at Malamar, his eyes filled with venomous hatred and unwillingness, as if only Malamar's downfall could calm the storm raging in his heart.
Sharpedo struggled to stand firm. Its injuries made its movements somewhat sluggish, but its ferocity was fully ignited.
It charged fiercely towards Malamar, its maw gaping open to reveal sharp teeth, driven by a ruthless determination to tear Malamar apart.
But the next moment, something happened that shocked Ariel.
Facing Sharpedo's pounce, Malamar left behind an afterimage in its original spot—it had actually used Teleport!
Its inverted body flickered and vanished in mid-air, perfectly dodging Sharpedo's attack!
The next instant, Malamar had already appeared behind Sharpedo, its speed so fast that Sharpedo couldn't react in time.
Malamar's thick tentacles from its head, like agile snakes, instantly wrapped around Sharpedo's neck, tightening their grip.
Sharpedo let out a pained howl, its body thrashing violently, but Malamar's tentacles only tightened further.
With a dull thud of snapping bones, Sharpedo's struggles gradually weakened. Finally, its massive body collapsed powerlessly onto the deck, having lost the ability to battle.
"This!"
Ariel was completely stunned. He rubbed his eyes, somewhat unable to believe what had just happened.
Was that... Teleport just now?
How could Malamar have learned Teleport? This completely exceeded his expectations!
After all, Teleport was an extremely convenient move, a godly skill whether for dodging attacks in battle or for a quick retreat in a crisis.
But the number of Pokémon capable of learning this move was extremely limited. Even among Psychic-type Pokémon, very few could master it.
And Malamar clearly wasn't among that small handful of Pokémon that could learn Teleport.
As a Dark/Psychic dual-type pokémon, Malamar being able to master such a rare Psychic-type move left Ariel utterly baffled.
He pondered and pondered, and could only point the finger at those psychic miracle stones he had obtained earlier.
Perhaps those stones had subtly stimulated Malamar's latent potential abilities?
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