"How is this possible?"
Nauplius was utterly shocked by Volcanion's condition.
"Didn't I cool down your heat source? Without that power of fire, how could you still be so energetic? No… you've recovered even more than before. What's going on?"
However, how could Volcanion possibly give him an answer?
Not to mention that Volcanion could not speak, even if it could, it would never explain such things to an enemy on the battlefield.
Both Volcanion opened their mouths at the same time.
Volcanion's reaction was far too sudden. Nauplius, who had originally intended to close in and attack, now found that it was already too late to retreat.
"Steam Eruption!"
"Steam Eruption" was Volcanion's exclusive ultimate move as a Mythical Pokemon.
Even though Alaric's Volcanion was not truly a Mythical Beast, the power of the Steam Eruption it unleashed was still anything but ordinary.
An explosion far more terrifying than "Blast Burn" erupted.
This explosion was born from extremely compressed steam. The high-temperature vapor was violently released all at once, its overwhelming force like a missile, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
The deafening blast instantly blew a massive crater into the ground. Thick steam swept across the entire battlefield, once again robbing the spectators of their sight.
When the dense fog finally dissipated, everything was already over.
Compared to Idas and the twins Lynceus, Nauplius's death was even more gruesome.
The violent explosion had almost torn him into pieces.
Perhaps because of his divine bloodline, Nauplius's durability far exceeded that of ordinary people.
That was why, after taking Volcanion's point-blank Steam Eruption, he had not been reduced to fine dust.
But that was as far as it went.
His status as a son of a god did not spare Nauplius from death, it merely meant that he had been blown into a few fewer pieces.
Such an outcome left the remaining Argonauts both sighing in lamentation and staring in disbelief.
"How… how could this happen?" The most shocked of all was Jason.
The deaths of two companions had already left him deeply grieved.
Now, even Nauplius, the one with the greatest hope, had died in the confrontation with Volcanion. The result nearly broke him.
"Didn't they say… didn't they say that the power of water could restrain it? Why did Nauplius lose too… and lose so miserably…"
In truth, the answer was very simple.
Indeed, the "water" wielded by Nauplius had greatly restrained Volcanion's "fire."
However, Volcanion, as a Pokemon, not only possessed the Fire attribute, but also the Water attribute.
The damage water could inflict on it was far less than Nauplius had believed.
More importantly, Volcanion's Ability was "Water Absorb."
A Pokemon with this Ability takes no damage from Water-type moves, and when struck by such attacks, it instead recovers its stamina.
It would have been one thing for Nauplius to use the power of water merely to block Volcanion's Fire-type attacks, but he had actually dared to counterattack Volcanion with water as well.
Volcanion had already expended a great deal of stamina in its battle with Nauplius.
After this blunder, it not only failed to weaken Volcanion, but actually allowed it to recover.
Naturally, the longer the fight dragged on, the stronger Volcanion became, until its final counterattack left the careless Nauplius with no chance of victory at all.
At this moment, Alaric, who had been quietly staying in the background, stepped forward and revealed part of the truth to Jason.
Of course, he did not mention Pokemon terminology.
Even so, Jason understood.
"How could this be… how could this 'Divine Bull' be so strong? Just a mere Colchis… how could it possess such a terrifying magical beast? We've never heard of anything like this before… not only is it immensely powerful and capable of wielding fire, but even water is useless against it… how are we supposed to fight such an opponent?"
"There's no way to fight it directly," Alaric said with a solemn expression as he analyzed the situation.
"At present, the only option is to pile up lives… use Lynceus's tactic. Continuously wear it down, no matter whether it uses physical attacks or energy attacks, the 'Divine Bull' will still get tired.
When we finally exhaust its power, that will be the moment of our victory."
Alaric's answer was chillingly cold, and it was precisely his plan.
To make Jason watch his companions die one by one before his eyes, all for the sake of fulfilling his dream.
To make him and the other Argonauts feel guilt, despair, and self-reproach.
To drive them to complete mental collapse.
And in the end, at an unguarded moment, to reveal to them the truth behind the conflict of the gods.
These heroes and demigods were meant to be the strongest forces of the gods upon the earth, their direct means of intervening in the mortal world.
Yet Alaric intended to use this very method to make these heroes realize the gods' ruthlessness, their corruption.
To ultimately force a complete break between them.
Even to use these influential heroes of the mortal world to spread resentment toward the gods among all mankind.
Even if most people, long accustomed to worshipping the gods, would refuse to believe such a truth,
Sometimes, even a single spark can start a prairie fire.
As for the possibility that the Argonauts might abandon the plan and give up on continuing the trials because too many had died,
Alaric had no worries at all.
It was not because he had confidence in the heroes, but because he understood those high-and-mighty gods far too well.
Be they human or divine, those who dwell in lofty positions inevitably come to regard the people below as mere numbers, as chess pieces, as ants that can be discarded without a second thought.
The Argonauts' plan was already halfway carried out, and with Medea, the "insider" who could all but guarantee the acquisition of the Golden Fleece, present, Alaric did not believe for a moment that the gods would abandon the plan midway out of pity for the lives of the Argonauts.
Reality unfolded exactly as Alaric had expected.
After much agonized deliberation, Jason finally realized that although Alaric's proposal was cruel, it was the only path left if they wished to complete the trial.
And at last, he broke down.
"Forget it… forget it. Let's leave," Jason said in a low, dejected voice. "Idas is dead. Lynceus is dead. Nauplius is dead too.
And next, we're supposed to keep piling up lives… how many people are we going to lose for this trial before it's over?
And the 'Divine Bull' is only the first test. How many more brothers will have to die before we can obtain the Golden Fleece?
I'm done. I don't want to see any more of my brothers die here for my personal ambition… we… let's give up."
The word "give up" was spoken with extreme difficulty.
Jason's obsession with the Thessalian throne ran incredibly deep.
For its sake, he had sacrificed far too much. In the original history, he had struggled for it his entire life, even to the point of abandoning his wife and children…
Yet now, faced with the deaths of three companions, he spoke of surrender.
From this perspective, although Jason at this moment was not particularly capable and possessed a deeply flawed personality, he was still a leader who valued loyalty.
That was why even Heracles had acknowledged his position as leader and captain.
However, his desire to give up did not mean that others wished the same.
Especially not the lofty gods above.
Mere mortals are nothing more than our chess pieces, how could they be allowed to act on their own will?