The pressure of the deep sea was omnipresent, as if an invisible giant hand wanted to crush every intruder.
Ariel rode on the back of Gyarados. The surroundings were absolutely silent and dark; only the fierce aura emitted by Gyarados itself formed a vacuum zone, causing all deep-sea Pokémon to keep their distance.
How could he lure out that Sharpedo?
Using his own main Pokémon as bait was too risky.
The enemy was in the dark while he was in the light. If the opponent had some strange moves, or if there was more than one Gym Leader Level Pokémon in this sea area, he could fall into a passive position or even lose a valuable asset.
Ariel never considered such a losing deal.
His gaze shifted in the darkness, his fingers gently tapping on the Gyarados beneath him.
A moment later, a flash of inspiration struck him.
He had it.
He remembered the Poliwrath he had snatched from Team Aqua.
That guy also possessed Gym Leader Level strength and wasn't his main Pokémon; using it as bait was a match made in heaven.
Even if an accident really happened, the only loss would be a disobedient trophy, while his core combat power would remain unharmed.
With the plan set, Ariel did not hesitate any longer.
He took a Poké Ball from his waist. A red light flashed and vanished in the deep sea, and a sturdy Poliwrath with a somewhat rebellious look appeared in the water.
As soon as it emerged, it felt the terrifying water pressure and the undisguised pressure of Gyarados, causing its body to tense up involuntarily.
"Gu... Gwa?"
Poliwrath looked at Ariel, its eyes filled with vigilance and Confusion.
Ariel transmitted his command directly via telepathy:
"Do you see this sea area? Go, hunt to your heart's content, and make some noise. The bigger, the better."
Poliwrath was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood Ariel's intention.
This was to make it act as bait!
Its large eyes rolled, and the spiral pattern on its abdomen seemed to twist in resistance.
As a dignified Gym Leader Level Pokémon, how could it do such demeaning work?
It flung its arms violently, clenched its fists, and struck a pose of refusal.
"Unwilling?"
Ariel's voice rang in its mind, cold and devoid of any emotion.
Poliwrath stiffened its neck and let out a low croak, which served as its answer.
"Very well."
Ariel's voice betrayed no emotion,
"Gyarados."
He didn't even turn his head, merely patting the big guy beneath him gently.
"Roar!"
Gyarados's pair of scarlet giant eyes instantly locked onto Poliwrath, its blood-red maw slightly agape, and its sharp fangs gleaming coldly in the dim seawater.
A pressure, far more terrifying and solid than before, crashed down—this was the pure killing intent from the top of the food chain.
"I'll give you one last chance."
Ariel's voice drifted over,
"Either go and be the bait now to lure out that Sharpedo, or I will have Gyarados Mega Evolve right now and make you its first snack after evolution."
Mega Evolve?
Poliwrath's body froze.
Although it didn't know exactly what that was, it had experienced it personally, and it was a feeling it would likely never forget in its life.
It felt the terrifying aura on Gyarados suddenly surge; it was a threat that could utterly destroy it!
The instinct to survive ultimately overcame the dignity of a Gym Leader Level Pokémon.
Poliwrath's large head drooped, and its clenched fists loosened powerlessly.
It nodded humiliatingly toward Ariel.
Watching Poliwrath swim away reluctantly, the corners of Ariel's mouth lifted unconsciously.
Gyarados was only level 49, just at the peak of Superior level, not yet Gym Leader Level.
Yet now, it could bluff a genuine Gym Leader Level Pokémon; if this were told to others, no one would likely believe it.
He recalled Gyarados; this guy's target was simply too large, and keeping it here would only expose them.
Subsequently, he released Greninja, who had been staying inside the Poké Ball.
A black shadow that almost blended into the darkness appeared silently beside Ariel, its scarlet scarf drifting slightly in the water, and a pair of sharp eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly.
With Greninja present, Ariel's safety was guaranteed.
Man and frog, like two statues in the deep sea, hid behind a massive, forest-like patch of seaweed, waiting quietly for the prey to take the bait.
Poliwrath was very efficient, or rather, it vented all the humiliation and anger from being coerced onto the unlucky ones in this sea area.
It was like a blue tank out of control, rampaging on the seabed.
"Bang!"
A Dynamic Punch directly shattered a coral reef blocking the way, sending the few Luvdisc hiding inside fleeing in terror.
It reached out with a large hand, grabbed an Octillery that was leisurely spitting ink, and without caring about the ink sprayed by the opponent, directly choked it unconscious with its sturdy arms and threw it aside.
A Chinchou curiously approached, and the light on its head happened to illuminate Poliwrath's face, which was full of annoyance.
The next second, a rapid Hydro Pump sprayed from its mouth, blasting the poor Chinchou away to who knows where.
The commotion it caused was too great.
The force of its punches stirred the water current, forming tiny whirlpools;
its brutal predatory behavior caused the scent of blood and the emotion of panic to spread rapidly throughout this tranquil sea area.
Some weak Pokémon had already fled, while others with some confidence in their own strength were completely enraged by this uninvited guest.
A few Remoraid formed a formation and fired Water Guns at Poliwrath from afar, but those attacks hitting its thick skin didn't even count as an itch.
Poliwrath seemed to have found an outlet for its frustration; it dived in, waving its arms like propellers, and with one "Double Slap," directly smacked these few Remoraid until they were dizzy and disoriented.
In the distance, Ariel took it all in, becoming even more certain in his heart.
A Pokémon like Sharpedo, which is extremely aggressive and has a strong sense of territory, would absolutely not tolerate such an arrogant and domineering guy appearing on its turf.
Taking the bait was only a matter of time.
Just as he was waiting patiently, a faint "rustling" sound came from his side.
Ariel turned his head to see a palm-sized Krabby, waving its disproportionately huge claw, crawling out from the shadows of the seaweed.
Perhaps because Ariel, an outsider, had invaded its territory, this little guy appeared exceptionally angry, making threatening "click-clack" sounds at Ariel.
Beside him, Greninja's eyes turned cold, and with a flick of its wrist, a shuriken made of water had already formed.
"Wait."
Ariel raised his hand to stop it.
A little guy with a level of only a dozen or so didn't require Greninja to act.
As it happened, he also wanted to test what his Psychic was like now when dealing with a level ten-plus Pokémon.
Moreover, Ariel was also curious about whether Psychic could exert its full power underwater.
Ariel's gaze locked onto the swaggering Krabby.
He didn't make any movement, just concentrated his spirit.
An invisible force, purely composed of spirit, instantly crossed the seawater between the two and acted precisely upon the Krabby.
The Krabby's movements suddenly froze.
It felt as if it were being pressed by an invisible mountain, making even moving a crab leg a luxury.
Immediately after, an irresistible force squeezed in from all directions; its hard shell, which it was proud of, was as fragile as paper in the face of this power.
"Crack..."
A slight cracking sound rang out; Krabby was slammed hard against the rock behind it by this Confusion, its huge claw drooping powerlessly, rolling its eyes, and completely losing its ability to battle.
One hit, just one hit.
Ariel nodded with satisfaction.
Although it was just a small experiment, the effect was surprisingly good.
Underwater, the conduction of Confusion encountered almost no obstruction, and its power had not been reduced.
This undoubtedly added another powerful trump card to his arsenal.
He cast his attention back into the distance.
Poliwrath's "performance" was still continuing, and the protagonist he was waiting for should also be making an appearance soon.
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