"Archie! Shelly! Don't you want my head!? Then come and take it!"
Roaring defiantly, Wallace released Milotic once more.
He landed atop Wailord, choosing not to remain with Ron and Gardevoir to facilitate an easy escape. Instead, he stayed close to his Pokémon—closer to the heart of the battle.
With Gardevoir still locking onto their position telepathically, Wallace quickly issued commands to launch an assault against Archie and Shelly, who had yet to fully withdraw beneath the waves.
The sea churned violently. The massive submarine now looked like nothing more than a toy tossed about by the tides.
Several silhouettes surged from below. Leading them was Archie's most powerful Pokémon—Sharpedo, his teeth glinting like serrated blades.
Though they knew Wallace was bait—risking himself to stall for the arrival of more League Trainers—Archie and Shelly had no choice but to engage.
With Wallace and Milotic still in control of the sea's battlefield, retreat by submarine was no longer an option. And beyond that, this was a golden opportunity—a rare chance to eliminate Wallace once and for all. One Archie simply couldn't resist.
And so, another full-scale Champion-level battle erupted across the ocean. What had been a calm surface now roiled with crashing waves and explosive force.
Thankfully, most wild Pokémon had already fled the area during the previous skirmish, sparing innocent lives from the chaos.
Watching the battlefield from above, Ron quietly used Pokéblocks and his Fighting Aura to help Machamp recover strength.
If Wallace couldn't hold out—if Milotic and the others couldn't retreat in time—Ron would forcibly extract him.
As long as they were alive, there was hope.
"Sharpedo! Use Crunch Frenzy! Take him down!"
Archie's roar echoed as his furious Sharpedo charged toward Milotic like a torpedo.
"Milotic, Hydro Dragon Surge!"
Water coalesced into a serpentine dragon, roaring as it clashed head-on with Sharpedo's gaping jaws.
"Sharpedo—Crunch Frenzy!"
Shelly joined the assault. Milotic, already overwhelmed, now had to face a two-pronged attack alone.
Meanwhile, Gyarados and Swampert, Wallace's other key Pokémon, were locked in their own brutal duels—each facing Champion-tier enemies that rivaled or even exceeded them in raw power.
Unlike previous skirmishes, where Wallace could fight while retreating, this time he had no choice but to stand firm against Archie and Shelly. A single misstep would give them an opening to escape.
"Machamp! Target the submarine—Second Gear. Use Finger Pistol: Evening Elephant!"
Seeing Wallace begin to falter, Ron made his move.
Second Gear boosted Machamp's muscles to their peak, and with Life Return, he unleashed his full power in one explosive surge.
The mighty Evening Elephant attack tore across the sky like a red beam of compressed force, streaking toward the submarine with pinpoint precision.
"Damn you, Ron! Crawdaunt, counter with Skydrill Impact!"
Archie immediately recognized the source of the attack—the same Ron he regarded as a persistent thorn in his side.
Temporarily ceasing pressure on Gyarados, Crawdaunt turned and fired, unleashing a water-powered cannon strike that collided with Machamp's attack, bursting it apart midair in a geyser of spray.
"Gardevoir, take me to Wallace—now."
Supporting Machamp, Ron used a combination of top-grade Pokéblocks and his Fighting Aura to restore its stamina while simultaneously preparing his next play—to draw attention away from Wallace.
"Wallace, hand me your Elite Four-tier Pokémon. Let them follow my commands—I'll lead them in a full-power offensive. If we're lucky, we can buy more time."
There was no room for pleasantries. Ron spoke quickly and clearly.
"Got it. I'm counting on you."
Without hesitation, Wallace passed Ron several Poké Balls.
Ron wasted no time. He had Gardevoir immediately initiate telepathic communication with the Pokémon inside, forming a mental battle link.
Meanwhile, Lucario unleashed his Aura once more, scanning the battlefield for optimal attack vectors.
"Shelly, have your Pokémon kill Ron. I'll deal with Wallace myself!"
"Understood!"
Having noticed Ron's meddling, Archie knew they needed to remove him from the equation—now.
If everything went according to plan, they could eliminate both Ron and Wallace in one operation.
"Sharpedo, Hydro Cannon Pillar! Knock him out of the sky!"
Following the order, Shelly redirected her Sharpedo. It abandoned Milotic and targeted Ron mid-air instead.
Archie also pulled one of his Pokémon back from Swampert to maintain pressure on Milotic.
Multiple jets of high-pressure water blasted upward, tearing toward Ron and Gardevoir.
But Gardevoir remained calm. Using Moonwalk in tandem with her innate levitation, she danced between the water pillars with ease—even while carrying Ron.
"Gardevoir, Teleport!"
"Ludicolo—give me everything you've got. Hit them with your strongest move!"
With the help of Gardevoir's telepathy, Ron could still identify the Pokémon contained in each of his Poké Balls.
Two commands rang out in quick succession.
From behind Shelly, Ludicolo burst from its Poké Ball, charging forth.
Even midair, Ludicolo — a top-tier Elite Four–level Pokémon — unleashed its attack with unwavering force.
A deafening roar erupted. A spinning drill, formed entirely of surging water, screamed through the air at blinding speed, aiming straight for Shelly and Archie.
Yet Archie didn't flinch, entirely focused on his assault against Wallace, unfazed by Ludicolo's offensive.
Commanding so many Pokémon at once meant Archie's attention was far more divided than Wallace's — giving the Sootopolis Gym Leader a rare moment to catch his breath.
Still, thanks to his overwhelming strength, Archie was confident: in no more than four or five minutes, he would break through Milotic and the others' defenses — ending this with ruthless efficiency.
"Sharpedo, Hydro Vortex!"
Jets of high-pressure water surged up from the sea, effortlessly blocking Ludicolo's assault.
Refusing to let the battle devolve into a prolonged standoff, Ron immediately recalled Ludicolo after its move resolved, swiftly retreating from the spot.
"Ludicolo, Starmie, attack together!"
Using flight and teleportation to his advantage, Ron relentlessly hounded Shelly, keeping her locked in a state of divided focus.
Even so, Wallace's Pokémon were clearly in dire straits — close to collapsing at any moment.
Ron's Pokémon were no better off. The unrelenting battle had worn them down to the brink of exhaustion.
"Ron. It's time."
The voice of Gardevoir echoed clearly in his mind, calm yet urgent.
"All of them — send them out. Go all out!"
Without hesitation, Ron released all his Pokémon in one swift motion.
Ludicolo, Starmie, and the rest — each one answered the call without a flicker of doubt, unleashing their remaining strength in a final, desperate assault on Archie and Shelly.
The turbulent sea surged upward, waves twisting skyward like the world had turned upside down — as if the ocean itself had reversed its tide.
"Sharpedo, Crunch Frenzy!"
A prehistoric roar split the sky.
Water compressed and solidified as Sharpedo transformed into a titanic shark from an ancient age, erupting from the sea's surface with devastating force — tearing through the combined onslaught of Ron's team like paper.
As Ron recalled each of his Pokémon one by one, a draconic cry echoed across the battlefield.
Hearing it, both Wallace and Ron smiled.
The real battle — the annihilation — was about to begin.
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