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"Oh? Still holding on? You've got some backbone."
Matt seemed a little surprised, stroking his chin, the playful look on his face deepening.
"Let's try that again."
"Gyarados, use Crunch!"
The crimson figure once again burst out of the water. This time, it opened its gaping maw, large enough to swallow an ox, its sharp fangs glinting with a chilling light under the sun. A dark, shadowy energy gathered and surged between its teeth.
"Gyarados! Hydro Pump!"
Ariel's voice was a little hoarse. He forced himself to calm down.
He couldn't take it head-on! Absolutely not!
The Mega Gyarados endured the intense pain, firing a thick, high-pressure water jet from its mouth, attempting to block the opponent's attack and buy itself a moment to breathe.
However, that Hydro Pump, powerful enough to pierce steel plates, struck the Red Gyarados like a tickle. It merely made the water currents around it rush a little faster, not even slowing its speed in the slightest!
The Red Gyarados, shrugging off the Hydro Pump's impact, easily charged in front of the Mega Gyarados.
In its fierce eyes, the desperate figure of the Mega Gyarados was reflected.
"Crack!"
The sound of bones shattering clearly reached Ariel's ears.
The Red Gyarados bit down on the Mega Gyarados's shoulder, and the dark energy instantly erupted, fiercely eroding the Mega Gyarados's body.
"Roar!!!"
A painful roar echoed through the sky.
Ariel watched helplessly as the immense energy maintaining the Mega Gyarados's form, under this devastating blow, began to violently fluctuate and flicker, like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.
The link between the mega stone and the Gyarados was being forcibly severed!
"No!"
Ariel's eyes were bloodshot.
But he was powerless.
The brilliant light of evolution, the moment the Red Gyarados let go, shattered like a broken mirror, fragmenting into countless specks of light that dispersed into the air.
The Mega Gyarados's ferocious and massive body rapidly shrank after the light faded, returning to its original, ordinary Gyarados form.
Its wounds were bone-deep, blood stained the surrounding seawater, and its aura was extremely weak, making it incredibly difficult even to stay afloat on the sea surface.
Crushing!
A complete and utter crushing!
"Well done."
Matt whistled, as if praising his obedient pet.
Shelly, meanwhile, let out a hearty laugh:
"Hahaha! Kid! See that? This is what happens when you cross Team Aqua! Matt, don't let him get away, finish him off!"
Ariel stared intently at Matt, his chest heaving violently.
He recalled the dying Gyarados, his fingertips slightly white from clenching.
Run!
Only this thought remained in his mind.
Staying here meant certain death!
Without hesitation, at the same time he recalled Gyarados, he threw out another Poké Ball.
With a flash of white light, the exhausted figure of Malamar appeared on the sea surface.
Its tentacles hung limply in the water, and the little mental energy it had just recovered still left it looking unwell.
But now, there were no other options.
"Malamar!"
Ariel issued the most concise command through their mental link,
"Go!"
Malamar looked at Ariel, sensing the urgency and determination in its master's heart.
The next second, its remaining psychic power erupted without reservation. An invisible ripple spread out from it, causing a slight distortion in the surrounding space.
"Hmm? Still trying to run?"
Matt raised an eyebrow.
Shelly, however, seemed to have discovered something, exclaiming:
"Teleport?! Impossible! How could Malamar know the Teleport skill?!"
No sooner had she spoken than Ariel and Malamar's figures vanished into thin air amidst a ripple of space.
Only a stunned Shelly and an intrigued Matt remained.
"This kid certainly has a lot of secrets."
Matt stroked his chin, not angry at all, but even more excited.
"Interesting, too interesting!"
"Don't let him get away!"
Shelly was anxious.
"He just went through a big battle, his Pokémon must be in terrible condition! That Malamar using Teleport must have consumed a huge amount of energy, he can't have gone far! Chase him!"
Matt grinned: "Of course, I don't have the habit of letting a duck fly away once it's in my mouth."
"Gyarados, find him for me!"
...
A hundred meters away on the sea, space twisted, and Ariel and Malamar's figures appeared, stumbling.
As soon as he left the spot, Ariel felt a dizzying sensation, a side effect of short-distance spatial teleportation.
Malamar beneath him was in an even worse state. Its glow had dimmed, and its tentacles weakly wrapped around Ariel, barely supporting the Trainer and Pokémon as they floated on the sea.
"Thank you for your hard work, Malamar."
Ariel said softly, spraying the last Potion on Malamar.
The Potion's effect was minimal, serving only as a bit of psychological comfort.
Looking around, the vast, boundless blue sea stretched in every direction, the sea and sky merging, making it impossible to distinguish directions.
This infinite vista, which might normally be refreshing, now represented a desperate lack of hiding places in Ariel's eyes.
Sure enough, not long after, a piercing roar echoed from behind in the distance.
Ariel looked back and saw a red speck rapidly growing on the horizon—it was Matt's Shinny Gyarados!
Its speed was incredible, like a red torpedo in the sea, leaving a long trail of white waves behind it.
They'd been spotted!
Malamar felt the threat behind it and desperately flailed its tentacles, swimming quickly through the water.
But it wasn't known for its speed, and now at the end of its strength, it couldn't pick up momentum at all.
Ariel's heart sank little by little.
He checked all the Poké Balls on him. Gyarados was severely injured and near death, Malamar was completely drained, and Greninja had also consumed a huge amount of energy in the previous battle. Even if he sent it out, it would definitely not be a match for that Quasi-Elite Four Level Gyarados.
Truly out of options.
At this moment, let alone facing a Quasi-Elite Four Level Gyarados, even encountering an Superior wild Pokémon in this sea area could be a life-or-death situation.
The sound of water breaking behind him grew closer, he could even feel the salty scent carried by the Gyarados stirring the water.
The shadow of death, more than ever, loomed over his heart.
Should he use up one of his chances?
The opponent was only a Quasi-Elite Four Level Trainer; having Mewtwo intervene would be like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.
But what choice did Ariel have now?
Just as he was about to give up hope, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a small black dot appearing ahead.
Not an island, nor a reef.
As the distance closed, the outline of the black dot gradually became clear.
It was a boat.
A... somewhat overly ornate small boat.