Ariel did not hesitate for a second.
He kicked off the slimy top of Malamar's head, using the force to propel himself backward. Like a cannonball fired from its chamber, he voluntarily abandoned the lift of his Confusion and plummeted straight down into the bottomless blue below!
The sea breeze whistled past his ears, carrying a heavy, briny stench that stung his cheeks.
"Hmm?"
Shelly was rejoicing as her Sharpedo was about to defeat the troublesome Greninja. Catching sight of Ariel's movement out of the corner of her eye, she was stunned at first, but that shock quickly turned into wild ecstasy.
She almost laughed out loud.
Had this kid gone mad?
Giving up his aerial advantage to jump into the sea? Was he in such a hurry to die?
"What a born idiot!"
The smugness on Shelly's face was practically overflowing.
"Sharpedo, send him on his way! Let him know the terror of the ocean!"
As the command was given, a massive, ferocious black shadow broke through the water!
Splash—!
Water droplets clung to Sharpedo's sandpaper-rough skin, refracting a chilling light under the sun.
It opened its bloodthirsty maw, wide enough to swallow an ox, revealing rows of dense, dagger-like teeth as it lunged wildly toward Ariel in mid-air!
A stench mixed with blood and fishy odors rushed toward him.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely at this moment.
Reflected clearly in Ariel's pupils were Sharpedo's greedy, brutal eyes and its ever-expanding, abyss-like throat.
The shadow of death was inches away.
Yet, there was not a hint of fear on his face, only a near-cold calmness.
Just as Sharpedo's teeth were about to touch his body!
"Click!"
With a soft sound, the Poké Ball at his waist opened.
A red flash appeared, and a sturdy, fierce-looking Krookodile materialized out of thin air, precisely blocking the space between Ariel and Sharpedo!
"Roar—!"
The deafening roar was filled with violence and wildness!
Shelly's smile froze on her face.
She watched helplessly as the Krookodile that had appeared out of nowhere, like a black-red meteorite, slammed fiercely into the leaping Sharpedo!
Bang!
A dull sound of impact echoed across the sea!
Sharpedo felt the pain, its attack faltering, but Krookodile had already unleashed its most primitive, most savage attack!
Its four limbs clamped tightly onto Sharpedo's smooth body, its sharp claws like iron hooks, mercilessly piercing into the flesh, gripping tight! And tighter!
Immediately after, it opened its fangs-filled mouth and bit frantically at Sharpedo's flank!
"Squish!"
A large chunk of flesh, dripping with blood, was ripped clean off!
Blood gushed out, instantly staining the sea red.
"Awoo—!"
Sharpedo let out a painful cry, its massive body struggling violently in mid-air, and together with the Krookodile that was locked onto it, they crashed heavily back into the sea, kicking up massive waves.
Ariel also successfully fell into the water amidst the chaos.
The cold seawater instantly engulfed him, the bone-chilling cold sharpening his senses.
The world suddenly went quiet, leaving only the sound of bubbling and the muffled thuds of the underwater collision.
He didn't look at the struggle between Krookodile and Sharpedo.
He knew this was only to buy a little time.
Krookodile is a Ground and Dark-type Pokémon; in the sea, its strength, speed, and even its breathing would be severely restricted. Every second was agony!
Time was short!
Ariel discarded all distracting thoughts and opened his eyes wide underwater. An invisible mental force instantly radiated outward, like a stone thrown into water, spreading invisible ripples in circles.
Psychic, Link!
Target—Gyarados!
Hum!
In an instant, a complex and violent torrent of emotions flooded into Ariel's mind.
It was Gyarados's anger, anxiety, and the pain of being attacked by countless stingers and electric currents.
Countless Tentacruel and Tentacool formed an inescapable net. They advanced and retreated in order, combined offense and defense, and coordinated seamlessly, like a well-trained army.
Every charge and every Dragon Rage from Gyarados was cleverly diffused and dismantled by them.
Ariel endured the empathetic agony, his mental force acting like the finest scalpel, rapidly analyzing and searching through the perception of this chaotic battlefield.
He was searching for the commander hidden behind the scenes.
Soon, through Gyarados's broad field of vision, Ariel captured an unusual image.
On the periphery of the entire jellyfish encirclement, in a safe area far from the intense battlefield, was a Tentacool noticeably smaller than its peers.
It didn't participate in any attacks, just hovered there quietly, its soft tentacles waving gently at a unique, rhythmic frequency.
And with every sway of its tentacles, the formation of the massive jellyfish army would undergo a subtle and precise adjustment.
Contracting, dispersing, concentrating attacks, or providing cover for one another.
That's it!
Ariel's heart skipped a beat.
Found it!
Shelly's attention was still fixed on the bloody struggle between Krookodile and Sharpedo. She was frantically commanding Sharpedo, trying to shake off the crocodile that was biting onto it like a mad dog.
This was the perfect opportunity!
Ariel did not pause for a second. He split his mental force again. A violent headache, like needles pricking his brain, washed over him, but he just gritted his teeth.
Second mental link, established!
Target—Greninja!
"Greninja!"
A thought, a command, clearly transmitted.
"Use all your strength, at maximum speed, cut it down!"
At the other end of the mental link, Greninja, which had been hiding on the edge of the battlefield, instantly received the order.
A resolute light flashed in its crimson eyes.
It could feel its master's urgency and understood the importance of this strike.
The last bit of stamina, all of its power, converged into a single point!
Greninja pressed its hands together, and deep blue Water-type energy rapidly condensed and compressed in its palms.
One, two, three... several star-shaped shuriken made of high-density water currents instantly took form, emitting a deadly cold light.
Water Shuriken!
Whoosh—!
Without a sound, the deadly blue stars cut a straight trajectory through the water, bypassing the entire chaotic battlefield. Like the ruthless strike of a top-tier assassin, it shot precisely toward the small Tentacool that was issuing commands!
The Tentacool seemed to sense danger, its tentacle waving pausing for an instant.
But, it was too late.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Water Shuriken spun, slicing into its soft body without any resistance.
No screams, no struggle.
The Tentacool serving as the command center had its body directly disassembled into several pieces amidst a series of subtle cutting sounds, sinking powerlessly toward the deeper seabed, a wisp of ink-colored liquid slowly dispersing in the water!
Commander, neutralized!
Almost at the same time, in the sea area where Gyarados was, the previously orderly jellyfish army instantly fell into total chaos!
Their movements became sluggish and dazed, their originally seamless coordination vanished, and they even began to crowd and collide with each other.
Having lost all command, they were just a rabble!
Gyarados's long-suppressed anger erupted completely at this moment!
"Roar—!!!"
The violent dragon roar stirred up terrifying undercurrents underwater. Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Rage... various powerful skills were unleashed without hindrance, pouring crazily into the scattered swarm of jellyfish!
On the surface of the sea, one broken corpse after another of Tentacruel and Tentacool began to churn upward, floating to the surface.
That stretch of sea was being cleansed by Gyarados's fury.
Ariel, in the water, watched this scene and slowly exhaled a long string of bubbles.
It was done!
***************************
Enjoying the story? Don't forget to drop a review, leave a comment, and smash that like button! Every Power Stone helps push the story further—thanks for reading and supporting! 🚀