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The sea breeze, thick with salty, fishy moisture, plastered itself against Ariel's face.
Greninja's feet skimmed the water, its form moving so fast it was a mere afterimage; each step sent out a ring of fine ripples across the sea's surface before being swallowed by the surging waves behind them.
Ariel was bound tightly to Greninja's back by its tongue, his entire body practically flying flush against the sea surface.
Cold seawater splashed onto his face from time to time, stinging his skin.
"Damn it, what a mess this is."
Ariel cursed inwardly and glanced back.
That Sharpedo was a total lunatic; its massive body moved underwater like a deep blue torpedo, its dorsal fin slicing through the surface and leaving a straight white wake in its path.
What was even worse was that this thing's combat proficiency was ridiculously high.
It wasn't just blindly chasing; it was constantly using skills to harass them and predictively cut off their path.
"Boom!"
A thick Hydro Pump blasted from Sharpedo's mouth; it didn't aim directly at Ariel, but instead struck the right side of Greninja's path.
The impact of the water flow exploded into a massive depression on the sea surface, sending up a giant wave that slammed toward them like a wall.
"Left!"
Ariel barked.
Greninja understood instantly, its body twisting eerily in mid-air to force a lateral shift of several meters, narrowly avoiding the crest of the wave.
Immediately after, several Water Pulses followed in quick succession, fanning out to cover every possible angle they might use to dodge.
This wasn't a simple pursuit anymore; this was toyed with!
Ariel could feel that this Sharpedo was enjoying the hunting process.
It was draining Greninja's stamina and grinding down his patience.
"This is never-ending!"
Ariel's brow furrowed into a knot.
On this boundless ocean, his usual tactics couldn't be deployed.
He had a bunch of powerful fighters sitting in their Poké Balls, but he needed a foothold to release more of his Pokémon.
Although Greninja was an excellent swimmer, carrying a person meant its speed and flexibility were greatly compromised.
Moving at high speeds across the sea for a long duration was a massive drain on its stamina.
He could feel Greninja's breathing starting to become ragged.
As for Gyarados, that guy's speed probably wasn't as fast as this Sharpedo.
He had to find a place to stand! Even a single reef would do!
However, looking around, there was nothing but deep blue water and more deep blue water.
The horizon where the sky met the sea was blurred, inciting a sense of despair.
Sharpedo seemed to sense its prey's predicament as its offensive became even more violent.
This time, it stopped using long-range skills; its entire body accelerated like an arrow released from a bow, lunging out from underwater with its massive, tooth-filled maw wide open, aiming straight for the center of Ariel's back!
A strong scent of blood rushed toward him.
"Water Shuriken!"
In the nick of time, Ariel calmly gave the order.
Greninja condensed two high-speed spinning Water Shuriken in its hands and hurled them backward without even turning its head!
The shuriken struck Sharpedo squarely in the face.
Though the damage wasn't high, it was highly insulting.
More importantly, the brief impact caused Sharpedo's lunge to stall for a fraction of a second.
That was the opening!
Greninja used the momentum to lunge forward, opening up a vital distance.
Failing its strike, Sharpedo fell back into the water with a frustrated roar, kicking up even larger waves.
The way it looked at Ariel held a hint of playfulness amidst the ferocity.
Ariel knew that he and Greninja were like two mice being toyed with by a cat.
At this rate, being caught was only a matter of time.
Should he release his Pokémon and go all out?
Just as he was weighing his options...
A low roar of an engine abruptly drifted from the distance, piercing through the clamor of the waves.
Ariel snapped his head up, squinting toward the source of the sound.
At the horizon where the sea met the sky, a black dot was rapidly enlarging.
It was a Speedboat!
It was cutting through the waves at an incredible speed, heading straight in his direction!
Was he saved?
Or was it new trouble?
Ariel's heart jumped into his throat.
He didn't have time to overthink it; in his current situation, any variable was better than being worn down to death by the Sharpedo.
"Greninja, head toward that direction!"
As the Speedboat drew closer, Ariel could see that the person driving it was a woman.
She stood with a wild posture, one hand on the steering wheel, letting the Speedboat bounce over the crests of the waves.
Her long black hair danced wildly in the sea breeze, and her skin-tight blue combat suit outlined her breathtaking curves perfectly.
This reckless attitude didn't look like a kind-hearted passerby no matter how he viewed it.
The newcomer was bad news!
Ariel's heart sank.
The Speedboat was extremely fast; in just a few dozen seconds, it had rushed to within a hundred meters of Ariel, coming to a steady stop with a beautiful tail-flick that kicked up a massive curtain of water, blocking his path.
At the same time, the Sharpedo that had been relentlessly pursuing him also stopped eerily, merely staring at him with its cruel eyes and no longer attacking.
A pincer attack from front and back.
Ariel was caught in the middle, trapped in a dilemma.
The sea breeze dispersed the water curtain, revealing the woman's face on the Speedboat.
The moment he saw her face clearly, Ariel's pupils suddenly constricted.
It was her!
Team Aqua Executive, Shelly!
That crazy woman!
Shelly clearly recognized him too; she licked her lips, which were somewhat chapped from the sea breeze, a cruel and excited smile spreading across her face.
"It really is a small world, kiddo."
Her voice had a unique raspiness to it, like waves hitting rocks, every word oozing with wildness.
"Back in Mossdeep City, you were the one who used Psychic powers to protect that little brat and dodge my Crobat's fatal strike, wasn't it?"
Shelly's gaze was highly aggressive, as if she wanted to see through Ariel completely.
"Let me guess, you're a Psychic, aren't you?"
Ariel didn't answer.
His brain was working at high speed, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.
He didn't look at Shelly, but instead turned his gaze to the Sharpedo behind him that had suddenly become "well-behaved."
Why?
Why would this Sharpedo, which was ferocious to the extreme, immediately stop its attack the moment this woman appeared?
It wasn't toying with him; it was following orders.
It wasn't hunting; it was herding.
Herding him right in front of this woman.
An absurd but the only logical possibility exploded in Ariel's mind.
The woman before him...
Was this Sharpedo's Trainer!