The faint light of dawn pierced through the clouds, gilding the deep blue surface of the sea with a layer of shattered gold leaf.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty tang and moisture, blew across the entire beach.
He looked at his waist, and then, his fingertip lightly flicked a Poké Ball at his belt.
A red light flashed as a Poké Ball opened in mid-air.
"Roar—!!!"
A deafening roar instantly exploded, as if it wanted to completely tear this peaceful coast to shreds!
A massive body slammed heavily onto the beach, kicking up a wave of sand.
It was a Gyarados whose size far exceeded its peers; its hideous head was raised high, and its deep blue scales reflected a cold, metallic luster under the morning sun.
It was the leader of that Gyarados group, a Level 44 Superior pokémon!
As soon as it appeared, this Gyarados didn't hesitate or observe for even a moment; its crimson eyes were dead-set on Ariel, a gaze mixed with overwhelming hatred and tyrannical killing intent.
In the next second, its huge mouth snapped open, and a blinding white light frantically condensed in its throat!
Hyper Beam!
No testing, no warning—its first move was its most violent killing technique!
The members of Team Evil, who were doing their morning exercises nearby, had their expressions change drastically; this terrifying energy fluctuation made their hearts skip a beat.
When had they ever seen such a fierce pokémon that tried to kill its Trainer as soon as it came out?
The Gyarados they had obtained were already considered extremely savage.
But under high-voltage electricity and the professional training of Team Rockets, they had all bowed their heads.
But this Gyarados was exceptionally vicious!
However, Ariel stood in place, not moving an inch.
There was no extra expression on his face, and not even a ripple in his eyes; he just calmly watched the destructive beam that was about to burst forth.
"How foolish."
He calmly uttered those words.
"Krookodile, Weavile."
Before his voice had even faded, two black shadows surged up from the left and right!
Krookodile's thick hind legs kicked off the sand, and its entire body catapulted out like a cannonball; it didn't even use a skill, instead relying on its formidable physical strength to slam its head hard into Gyarados's lower jaw!
"Bang!"
A muffled, extremely loud sound.
The Hyper Beam condensing in Gyarados's throat was knocked upward, turning into a thick pillar of light that shot into the sky, blasting a huge hole in the clouds on the horizon!
The violent impact sent its massive body reeling backward, and the intense pain and humiliation drove it even more insane.
But before it could adjust its posture, a ghostly black shadow had already closed in on its side.
Weavile!
Its speed was at the absolute limit, leaving only a trail of afterimages on the beach.
Its sharp claws carved two forest-white cold lights in the air; this was a pure physical attack.
Metal Claw!
"Rip!"
A piercing tearing sound rang out as the scales, hard as iron, were actually sliced open into two wounds of varying depths by Weavile's claws!
Blood instantly spurted out.
"Roar!"
Gyarados let out a painful roar, and its massive tail swept across with the force of ten thousand tons, the resulting gale sending sand and stones flying.
Aqua Tail!
Weavile lowered its body, deftly sliding under the Aqua Tail while its claws reached out again, leaving several intersecting claw marks on Gyarados's belly.
Krookodile then opened its tooth-filled maw, and pitch-black energy gathered.
Crunch!
It bit down on Gyarados's neck, its sharp teeth embedding deeply into the flesh.
"Crack!"
That was the sound of bones letting out an overwhelmed scream under the immense force.
The entire process was so fast it was dazzling.
From Gyarados launching its attack to being suppressed by the two pokémon working together, barely ten-odd seconds had passed.
There was no flashy exchange of skills, only the most primitive and barbaric hand-to-hand combat.
This was an absolute crushing of power and speed.
Ariel's two main pokémon used the most direct method to tell this beast who the master here was.
Gyarados although possessed brute strength, it didn't know how to use it.
"Bang!"
Krookodile jerked its head, slamming the dying Gyarados heavily onto the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust several meters high.
Gyarados's massive body twitched on the beach, blood staining the sand beneath it; it struggled to lift its head, but Krookodile stepped on its head with one foot, making all its efforts futile.
Even so, those crimson eyes still stared deathly at Ariel, filled with unyieldingness and malice.
Ariel walked over slowly, looking down at this defeated dog from above.
He took out his pokédex and aimed it at Gyarados.
"Beep."
A crisp electronic sound rang out, and a virtual screen unfolded before Ariel's eyes.
"Gyarados, the Atrocious pokémon. Level: 44. ability: Moxie (Boosts the Attack stat after knocking out any pokémon)."
"Moves Known: Rain Dance, Ice Fang, Whirlpool, Crunch, Brine, Waterfall, Aqua Tail, Dragon Dance, Hydro Pump, Hyper Beam, Hurricane."
"Body development far exceeds its kind, scales are hard, strength is abundant, personality is exceptionally violent..."
"Aptitude Assessment: Elite Four Level!"
Ariel's gaze swept across the screen line by line.
The level and ability were both as expected.
But when his vision landed on the "Aptitude Assessment" column, his pupils couldn't help but contract.
Elite Four Level!
These three words seemed to carry the weight of a thousand tons.
This meant that as long as it was given enough resources and proper cultivation, this Gyarados's future would be at least a main member of an Elite's team!
Ariel's heart skipped a beat.
He had originally thought this leader's aptitude was at most Elite Four Candidate, but he hadn't expected it to be a genuine Elite Four Level!
This was simply a windfall from the heavens.
His gaze continued downward, falling on the move pool.
Dragon Dance, a core divine strengthening move.
Hydro Pump, Hyper Beam, and Hurricane—three high-power offensive moves.
Ice Fang, to supplement its coverage.
Rain Dance, a super strong weather move that boosts the power of Water-type moves.
This move pool was a bit excessively luxurious.
Whether it was strengthening, output, or tactical coordination, it could be called perfect.
Ariel's breathing couldn't help but become a bit heavy.
He knew very well that after Mega Evolution, Gyarados's typing would become Water and Dark.
A pokémon with Elite Four Level aptitude, a perfect move pool, and one that just happened to fit into his Dark-type team...
Who could resist such temptation?
Ariel raised his head and looked again at the Gyarados being stepped on.
He could feel that hatred, which was almost tangible.
Indeed, he had led people to wipe out its group, captured so many of its kin, and dragged it down from its throne as leader to become a prisoner.
This kind of hatred was unforgettable.
No pokémon would ever easily submit in such a situation.
Ariel looked at those eyes that still burned with fire even in a desperate situation and suddenly smiled.
He quite appreciated this wild streak.
A pokémon's personality is often linked to its potential.
The more unyielding and rebellious it is, the higher its upper limit usually is.
This Gyarados had the capital to be wild.
If its aptitude were only Superior or Gym level, and it were this oblivious to the situation, Ariel wouldn't mind having Krookodile snap its neck and take its useful materials.
But Elite Four Level aptitude was enough for Ariel to exert sufficient patience.
An unpolished piece of jade, though sharp-edged and even capable of cutting one's hand, can bloom with peerless brilliance if carefully polished.
"Want to kill me?"
Ariel crouched down and met Gyarados's hate-filled eyes.
"Fine, I'll give you a chance."
He pulled a top-tier Potion spray from his pocket and sprayed it onto several of Gyarados's most severe wounds.
As the cool mist touched its wounds, Gyarados let out a painful low growl, but it could feel that the burning pain was rapidly subsiding, and the wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It looked at Ariel in confusion.
"I'll treat your injuries, give you the best energy cubes, and let you return to your peak state."
Ariel's voice was very flat, yet it carried an unquestionable magic.
"When you can defeat my pokémon, you can leave."
"Or..."
He paused, a slight curve forming at the corners of his lips.
"Kill me."
After saying that, he stood up, not giving the Gyarados on the ground another look.
"Krookodile, let it go."
Hearing this, Krookodile moved its foot off Gyarados's head.
Regaining its freedom, Gyarados lunged to its feet; it stared intently at Ariel's back, a threatening roar coming from its throat, but it didn't launch another attack immediately.
The ten-second crushing from before had made it profoundly understand the gap between them.
It wasn't stupid.
Ariel's actions, in its eyes, were blatant humiliation.
A humiliation more painful than being killed.
But what he said also gave it a glimmer of hope.
Defeat his pokémon.
Gyarados's gaze swept over the nearby Krookodile and Weavile, finally landing back on Ariel.
That deep-seated hatred had now transformed into something even more stubborn.
It would become stronger, and then, tear this man to shreds with its own hands!