"Salamence, use Dragon Breath!"
Scorching flames burst forth, forcing Sharpedo—who had been closing in on Milotic—to retreat under the searing heat.
"Come out, Kingdra and Altaria! Coordinate with Salamence and strike!"
With Drake's arrival on the battlefield, the number of Champion-level Pokémon on each side finally reached equilibrium.
"Counterattack, Milotic—Hydro Dragon Charge!"
There was no need for spoken commands between them. The moment Drake appeared, Wallace instinctively redirected Milotic to target the other Pokémon flanking him. As for Archie's Sharpedo, that was now Drake's concern.
"Salamence, target Sharpedo—Dragon Breath!"
Again, searing flames erupted, turning seawater to rising vapor as the boiling heat clashed with the ocean's surface.
Seeing the battle hit a standstill, Ron didn't hesitate any longer and gave orders to his Pokémon to interfere with Shelly and Archie.
Even at this critical juncture, Archie had yet to bring out the people in the submarine. It wasn't out of concern for his subordinates. Rather, he knew that the League's assault meant every Elite Four-level executive had their mission—and their place—on the board.
Even Shelly had only been deployed after Archie exhausted every possible tactic to relieve League pressure, paying a steep price to bring her in.
"Shelly, find a way to retreat!"
With a brief order tossed her way, Archie began scanning for an opportunity.
Though his Pokémon had maintained dominance for much of the prolonged battle, fatigue was catching up. Every moment was draining.
Facing Drake, who had conserved his strength until now, Archie was immediately forced onto the defensive.
If it weren't for the fact that Drake's Pokémon—aside from Kingdra—were not adapted to underwater combat, the situation would have been even worse.
"Understood, boss. Sharpedo—Crunch Frenzy!"
Zeroing in on Drake's Kingdra, Shelly gave her Garchomp the go-ahead. It surged forward, taking over from Archie's Pokémon in its skirmish against Kingdra.
At the same time, Crawdaunt joined the fray, taking the place of Archie's Pokémon in the fight against Milotic.
Though it wasn't quite time for desperate measures, Shelly had already prepared herself for the possibility of sacrifice.
The submarine's torpedo systems were locked on and ready. They hadn't been used earlier because, in battles at the Champion level, torpedoes offered little advantage.
But now? Now every weapon was on the table.
"Wallace, just stall them. Don't let them retreat."
Drake's voice was calm but firm as he arrived by Wallace's side.
"I understand. I'll control the flow of the battle."
Wallace nodded slightly, already reading Drake's intention.
Subtle, but effective—Drake then directed his Pokémon to begin a steady offensive.
Perhaps the rush to reach the battlefield had exhausted them more than expected, because Salamence and the others couldn't press their advantage for long. Eventually, they could only maintain pressure rather than outright dominate.
But that was enough.
This thick, suffocating stalemate kept Archie and Shelly from escaping.
As Wallace received backup, Team Aqua and the League's reinforcements clashed head-on.
Out at sea, a dozen motorboats surged toward each other at top speed.
Once within range, neither side exchanged a word. They simply released their Pokémon and charged into battle.
Beneath the waves, the submarine had already locked onto the enemy and was preparing a torpedo barrage.
In the town nearby, people either scattered or began evacuating in small groups.
Elsewhere, a forest burst into chaos as Rangers, who had been lying in wait for hours, launched their ambush. A brutal melee erupted.
At League Headquarters, Steven had officially taken over command. Information poured in from every corner, and he responded with equal speed and precision.
To throw Archie off, the entire Team Aqua network had been activated.
Undercover operatives planted throughout the League began moving. But Steven had been prepared. One by one, he unearthed and neutralized the infiltrators.
"Notify our agents embedded in Team Aqua—carry on as normal. Do not break cover unless absolutely necessary."
"Yes, sir!"
Immediately afterward, Steven began running calculations on a computer developed by his own company. His goal: determine the best way to keep League operatives from crossing paths with one another while maximizing battlefield impact.
Unlike the impulsive members of Team Aqua, Steven remained composed and analytical.
If this operation succeeded in crushing Team Aqua, those operatives would be the final straw that broke the camel's back, ensuring the organization could never recover.
If not, then the agents' positions might allow them to climb even deeper into Team Aqua's core—giving the League unparalleled leverage.
Think not first of victory, but of defeat.
As the Champion overseeing the League, Steven had to remain calm. Even with a powerful hand, he couldn't afford to bet everything.
After all, Team Aqua wasn't the only threat. Team Magma still lurked in the shadows.
Although they hadn't launched any major operations this time… Steven hadn't forgotten them.
There were still three members of the Elite Four active within the League, along with several other powerful forces. If Team Magma was planning to make a move, then Steven Stone wouldn't mind launching a two-front attack.
...
"Archie is probably going down for real this time. Alert our agents to assist the members of Team Aqua—make sure as many of their operatives survive as possible."
"And remember—keep it covert. Steven and the others are likely lying in wait for us to show ourselves. We can't let this fire directed at Aqua come back to burn Team Magma."
"Understood!"
Upon receiving the order, Tabitha immediately sprang into action.
...
"Mightyena, carve us a path!"
With a thunderous roar, the Champion-level Mightyena charged forward with terrifying speed and power.
Its Trainer was none other than Matt—a fellow high-ranking officer alongside Shelly within Team Aqua's Three Admins.
If Shelly was the brain behind Team Aqua, then Matt was its blade.
Once saved by Archie, Matt had sworn an oath to repay his benefactor—and he had since embraced Archie's ideals as his own.
If someone told Matt that sacrificing himself would guarantee Archie's survival, he wouldn't hesitate to take his own life.
Now, upon hearing that Archie was in danger, Matt was practically burning with urgency, wishing he could teleport to Archie's side. Every League trainer standing in his way only fueled his hatred further.
Unfortunately, before Mightyena could charge too far, it was blocked by a Champion-tier Pokémon that stood its ground without flinching.
While the Elite Four were officially chosen from among the strongest trainers in the League, that didn't mean they were the only ones with Champion-level strength.
Case in point—the one who intercepted Matt wasn't a member of the Elite Four but one of the League's hidden Champion-class trainers.
And this wasn't an isolated case. Elsewhere, another of Team Aqua's Three Admins—Amber—also found their path obstructed by a Champion-level trainer.
After receiving intel from both Matt and Amber, Steven Stone began to rally more forces, determined to take them all down in one coordinated sweep.
Meanwhile, back at the main battlefield, the League's support squad had started to arrive on the scene.
While their strength didn't match that of the main combatants, they didn't engage directly. Instead, they moved to surround Archie and Shelly, ready to strike the moment an opening appeared.
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