"Get out of my way, Mightyena! Unleash Howl of the Savage Wolf!"
Matt's furious roar echoed across the battlefield, his glare burning holes into the League trainers standing in his path.
"You're not leaving this place, Matt."
"Sableye, use Soul Snare!"
"Dusknoir, cast Veil of Night!"
The crisp voice of a woman rang out, and the temperature around them began to plummet.
With her sun-kissed skin and jet-black hair, Phoebe stormed onto the battlefield in her fiery attire, radiating the confidence of an Elite Four member.
Faced with the seamless coordination of two Champion-tier trainers, the once-fierce Matt faltered almost instantly, barely managing to hold back their relentless onslaught.
"Absol, strike with Shadow Flash!"
Sidney called out, and his Absol lunged ahead in a blur of light, charging toward Amber with lethal precision.
Out at sea, perhaps Sidney and his team of Rangers and Forest Hunters couldn't fight at full strength—but on land, his prowess was unquestionable.
Amber, whose strength was slightly inferior to Matt's, now found himself cornered by two Champions. The tide had fully turned.
After all, not everyone was Wallace—capable of battling two Champion-level trainers in succession without defeat.
"Maxie... Three of the Elite Four have appeared on the battlefield, and Wallace is being held up by Archie... Tell me, aren't you tempted?"
Steven Stone muttered under his breath as he studied a holographic 3D map of the Hoenn region.
If they could wipe out both Team Aqua and Team Magma in one move, and suppress the weakened Pokémon Poachers until they were crushed beyond repair, Steven's time as Champion would be marked by a legacy of unmatched success.
Then, perhaps, he could finally enjoy the laid-back life he'd always dreamed of—fishing, clocking in just to clock out, digging up fossils at his leisure.
Once his friend Wallace matured enough, Steven could stage one final ceremonial battle and hand over the Champion title. Retirement never sounded so sweet.
...Until reality struck him like a Giga Impact.
If he wasn't Champion, he'd have to go home and inherit his family's billion-dollar corporate empire.
Why?! Why couldn't he just be a normal trainer, chasing his dreams freely? Why did the only choices in his life boil down to Champion... or billionaire heir? This wasn't the life he wanted!
Sensing Steven's inner turmoil, Maxie decided to help make the choice for him.
With three Elite Four on the battlefield and Wallace tightly occupied, League HQ had never been more vulnerable.
The very thought of it—the tempting vulnerability—clawed at Maxie's mind. The words on the screen in front of him seemed to pulse with an irresistible pull. The opportunity to raid the League's entire cache of resources was right there.
It took every ounce of his willpower to resist.
"Stick to the plan. Continue supporting Team Aqua from the shadows. Do not engage the League directly. If things go south—retreat at once."
"Yes, sir!"
No hesitation. No questions. Tabitha accepted Tabitha's orders and moved immediately—exemplifying what it meant to be a truly dependable subordinate.
"Sableye, Soul Snare!"
Phoebe's voice rang out once more, and the temperature dropped again.
Mightyena, bruised and bloodied, threw itself toward the incoming Sableye in a final act of desperation—but the end was inevitable.
With one last defiant snarl, it fell.
"Matt, it's over. Surrender."
Having taken down his final partner, Phoebe turned toward Matt, her voice resolute.
All around him, his subordinates lay defeated. Their Pokémon—every last one—had fallen. His own team had been wiped out. No chance for reversal remained.
"Leader... Matt can no longer serve you..."
Turning toward the sea with one final roar, Matt bit down on the lethal poison capsule hidden in his molars.
His body trembled... then collapsed.
One of Team Aqua's three top admins—Matt—was dead.
"Clear the battlefield. Get the wounded to the nearest Pokémon Center or hospital. The rest of you—continue pursuit with me!"
"Dahl, please take Amber's body back to HQ for report."
"It would be an honor!"
Compared to Matt, Amber—slightly weaker—had already taken his life moments before.
After giving her orders, Sidney didn't linger. He led the remaining Forest Rangers and Hunters deeper into pursuit, determined to root out every last trace of Team Aqua.
Steven's command had been clear: eradicate all surviving forces of Team Aqua.
Phoebe, following suit, moved to continue the operation after witnessing Matt's fall.
Back on the primary front—
Shelly's Crawdaunt now floated lifeless in the sea.
With more and more League reinforcements arriving, the tides had turned again—this time against Archie and Shelly.
Surrounded, overwhelmed, outnumbered.
And finally—out of time.
Even as Archie and Shelly released all the Pokémon they had left, and every remaining Team Aqua member aboard the submarine rushed out to join the battle, the disparity in numbers remained insurmountable.
At some point, the surface of the sea was stained crimson.
Even on a battlefield of Champion-tier Pokémon, Archie and Shelly failed to gain any significant advantage.
Especially after another Champion-level Trainer arrived midway through the clash, the tide of battle was irreversibly determined.
"Boss," Shelly said firmly, "I'll give everything I've got to cover your escape. You must seize the opportunity. As long as you survive, there will be a day when Team Aqua rises to its peak again!"
After leaving behind what sounded very much like a final message, Shelly leapt onto the back of her Sharpedo.
Once a Pokémon reaches the power of a Champion-tier, it unlocks a method akin to burning its own life force—absorbing the energy around it at an accelerated pace to unleash power that exceeds its natural limits.
The price? Once that energy is spent, its life will burn out as well.
A single Champion-level Pokémon—let alone a high-ranking Team Aqua admin—would normally be considered a major threat.
But now? Wallace and his allies didn't even spare Shelly a glance. Their sights were locked on Archie alone.
"I understand. Sharpedo, fall back and cover our retreat. Leave Wallace and the others to them."
With that command to the rest of his Pokémon, Archie revealed an oxygen tank in his hand—no one knew when it appeared.
He vaulted onto Sharpedo's back, choosing to flee.
Even so, his remaining Pokémon began absorbing all surrounding energy, launching desperate, self-sacrificing final attacks.
Four Champion-tier Pokémon fighting to the death—even Wallace and his team found them to be troublesome foes. For a moment, it even felt like a battle between equals.
Seeing this, the other Trainers quickly ordered their Pokémon to launch attacks in Archie's direction.
The arriving submarine fired torpedoes wildly. Explosions erupted from the sea in rapid succession.
With Gardevoir and Lucario by his side, Ron was keenly aware that these assaults had failed to stop Archie. On the contrary, they only helped him dive deeper into the ocean's depths.
Ron couldn't help but admire the sheer physical resilience of humans in this world. How could someone withstand such underwater pressure?
In that moment, he also couldn't help but recall one frustrating mystery—how on earth had this body died from a lightning strike? The thought made him shudder involuntarily. Even now, Ron still harbored a fear of lightning.
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