The atmosphere was tense, ready to snap at any moment.
Ariel glanced at the two people beside him out of the corner of his eye.
Steven's expression hadn't changed in the slightest. His handsome face even held a trace of the composed ease of a young nobleman, as if this group of vicious thugs before them were nothing more than rocks on the side of the road.
Cynthia tilted her head slightly, a lock of golden hair falling down to cover half her cheek, making her expression unreadable. Yet, the invisible chill radiating from her made the surrounding air feel significantly heavier.
Ariel chuckled inwardly.
These small fry had no idea what they were up against.
One was the future hoenn champion, and the other was the future Sinnoh Champion.
Either one of them was enough to wipe them and this temporary base off the map.
The squad leader was still foolishly taunting them, "Big brothers here can give you a free ride, straight to see Pelipper."
The implication was clear: they would be dumped into the sea.
The team members behind him let out a burst of jeers, the Poké Balls in their hands already glowing red. Clearly, they were preparing to swarm them and enjoy a one-sided bullying session.
Steven and Cynthia exchanged a glance almost simultaneously, reaching for their waists in perfect sync.
But just as they were about to strike, a sharp snap of fingers broke the stalemate.
It was Ariel.
He didn't even look at the squad leader, his gaze sweeping calmly across the entire field as if counting his prey.
"Make it quick," he said.
Before the words had even faded, Cynthia moved with lightning speed.
Without any testing or unnecessary words, she threw a Poké Ball directly.
"Roar—!"
Accompanied by a roar that shook the forest, a ferocious giant beast appeared with a boom!
It was a Garchomp.
Having just experienced a battle against Gyarados and Krookodile, its body was still stained with fresh blood and the aura of combat.
The wildness and ferocity of a top-tier predator swept through the entire camp like a physical shockwave.
The sneers on the faces of the Team Aqua grunts froze.
The Mightyena and Carvanha beside them, which had been baring their teeth a second ago, now acted as if they had been throttled. They whimpered in unison, uncontrollably retreating, and some even collapsed to the ground, shivering.
This was absolute suppression from a higher level of life.
"A... a Pseudo-Legendary?" The color drained from the squad leader's face instantly, his voice trembling.
It wasn't over yet.
Steven also made his move, the Poké Ball he threw tracing an elegant arc in the air.
Amidst the light, a silver-white steel giant floated up.
Metagross!
Its four legs were like siege hammers, and the massive metal "X" crossed over its chest gleamed with a cold light. Its red compound eyes, like the most precise sensors, emotionlessly locked onto all the enemies present.
Ariel watched this silver-white Metagross and couldn't help but ponder.
When he first met Steven, the Beldum wasn't a Shinny, but now this Metagross was silver-white.
There were only two possibilities: either this guy was incredibly wealthy and managed to get his hands on four Shinny Beldum.
Or, Devon Corporation had mastered a special technology to turn Pokémon into Shinnies.
Whichever it was, it signified the powerful strength backing him.
At this moment, the Metagross's Gym Leader Level aura was as heavy as a mountain.
If Garchomp's arrival was wild violence, then Metagross's appearance was a cold and desperate judgment.
Watching the scene before him, Ariel's competitive spirit was thoroughly ignited.
In front of two geniuses, he didn't want to be a mere spectator.
With a flick of his wrist, he threw four Poké Balls simultaneously in a move that was almost a display of skill!
Four beams of red light erupted, and four figures appeared.
Malamar's eyes flashed, and a strange psychic power spread out like ripples, making all the Team Aqua members who made eye contact feel dizzy.
A black shadow darted at high speed among the tree shadows, sharp claws slicing through the air with a teeth-gritting "hiss" sound—it was Weavile.
Greninja appeared behind a team member like a phantom, silent and soundless, with two clear water blades already condensed in its hands, radiating a chilling aura.
The last one to appear was a little guy who looked somewhat out of place.
Deino.
It was only level 25, not even as tall as a Mightyena's leg, yet it fearlessly raised its head and let out a childish but fierce roar at the "monsters" surrounding it.
The violence stemming from deep within its bloodline made it not only refuse to retreat when facing enemies dozens of times its size, but instead, it bared its teeth in excitement.
This comical yet fierce scene, combined with the auras of the three big-shot Pokémon around it, created a bizarre impact that made the Team Aqua grunts feel a deep-seated dread.
What kind of background did a Trainer who could use a Pseudo-Legendary cub as a starter Pokémon have?
Fear began to spread.
The beginning and end of the battle happened almost in the same instant.
"Earthquake!" Cynthia's voice was cold and emotionless.
Garchomp slammed its arms into the ground!
Boom—!
The ground rolled violently like waves, countless hideous cracks instantly tore through the camp, and those heavy instruments were overturned, twisted, and deformed in the violent shaking!
The Team Aqua grunts couldn't stand steadily, stumbling about. Their Pokémon were even sent flying by this destructive power, tumbling in the air as they lost the ability to battle.
"Zen Headbutt." Steven's command was equally concise.
Metagross's compound eyes glowed intensely red, and a massive psychic power transformed into an invisible heavy hammer, precisely striking the Pokémon that were attempting to struggle and resist.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of dull thuds, like watermelons cracking, sounded. The Houndoom and Muk didn't even have time to scream before their eyes rolled back, and they passed out completely.
One move, clear the field.
This was the strength of a Pseudo-Legendary.
Ariel's Pokémon were not idle either.
Malamar's "Dark Pulse" was like a dark tide, completely engulfing the few stragglers.
Weavile, like an elegant assassin, accompanied every flicker with an ice-blue fist shadow, precisely reaping the remaining combat strength.
The entire process took no more than ten seconds.
The Team Aqua, which had been arrogant and overbearing a moment ago, was now in total disarray, completely routed.
The dust slowly settled.
The camp was deathly silent, with only the wreckage of the instruments still sparking, making a "zizz" sound.
However, at this moment, a bone-chilling killing intent descended from above the tree canopy without warning.
It was a pure, unmasked malice, like the coldest current in the deep sea, instantly enveloping the three of them.
Ariel's pupils constricted. He saw Cynthia's Garchomp and Steven's Metagross, almost simultaneously, adopt defensive stances, looking vigilantly toward the dense forest above.
A figure leaped down from the shadows.
In an extremely insulting manner, she lightly stepped on the back of a Team Aqua Mightyena that had just struggled to get up, used it to leap, and landed steadily in front of the three.
The Mightyena let out a wail, its spine snapped, and it collapsed completely to the ground.
The person who arrived was a woman.
She possessed a highly aggressive tan skin, as if she had been baptized by the scorching sun and sea breeze for years.
Her tight black diving combat gear outlined her incredibly hot curves to the fullest.
A head of wet, long black hair was draped casually behind her shoulders, with a few strands sticking to her cheeks, adding to her wildness.
Her eyes were the most striking feature.
What kind of eyes were those?
Sharp, wild, carrying a fierceness and arrogance that could only be honed through years of fighting against deep-sea monsters.
She glanced at the mess on the ground, her gaze not lingering for a second on the unconscious team members, as if they were just a pile of useless trash.
Finally, her gaze fell upon Ariel, Steven, and Cynthia, as well as the few Pokémon with powerful auras in front of them.
Team Aqua Executive, Shelly.
She licked her somewhat chapped lips, her mouth curling into a dangerous arc.
"I really didn't expect that while just pumping some groundwater, I would actually fish up three big ones."
Her voice had a hint of husky magnetism, yet it was like a viper's tongue, sending shivers down one's spine.
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