"Be careful. We don't know the enemy's strength yet."
Dar didn't respond to the Team Aqua members. After whispering a warning to Gu Yuan and the others, he silently released his Pokémon.
"It seems you've chosen death."
"Everyone, attack! Finish them quickly!"
Seeing the lack of response, the leading executive issued the attack command.
One Poké Ball after another snapped open.
The Ice-type Pokémon acted first, freezing the sea surface to create a suitable battlefield and simultaneously encasing the ship in ice. Immediately after, waves of Pokémon appeared on the ice or lurked beneath the water.
Soon, the enemy's strength was laid bare before Gu Yuan's group. They faced a Leader Rank Crawdaunt, an Ace Rank Swampert, an Ace Rank Ludicolo, and a large number of Senior or Intermediate Rank Pokémon.
Any other ship facing such opponents would likely lose. Even if they could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. Unfortunately for these attackers, they had encountered a vessel carrying the Kanto representatives to the Regional Battle Tournament. Their luck had simply run out.
"The four of you will take the lead in this battle to hone your skills. We will support you as needed," Dar said, pulling his own Pokémon back once he confirmed the enemy's limits. He decided to let Gu Yuan and the others handle the main assault.
"The leader and that Leader Rank Pokémon are mine!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yuan and Alakazam vanished from the spot.
A split second later, a dragon's roar echoed as Charizard charged toward the Crawdaunt with a furious howl. Sylveon landed steadily on the ice, manipulating Misty Terrain to swirl around its allies. This was the result of raising a terrain move's mastery to the Expert level. To prevent terrain moves from buffing enemies or hindering allies, a master could tether the effect specifically to designated Pokémon without losing potency.
After deploying Misty Terrain, Sylveon began to use Calm Mind, preparing to pass that focused power to Charizard via Baton Pass.
"Dragonite, let's go too!"
Taishi Utsunomiya refused to be outdone. He rushed out right after Gu Yuan. Dragonite locked onto the two Ace Rank Pokémon, but one was snatched away by another teammate, leaving Dragonite to deal with the stronger Swampert.
Seeing this, Gu Yuan directed Annihilape and Alakazam to sweep through the Senior Rank opponents, while Ditto stayed by his side for immediate support.
"Who... who are these people!?"
Standing atop the submarine, the Team Aqua executive was completely dazed by the sight of his forces collapsing. Fortunately, the approach of danger snapped him back to reality.
"Sacrifice some Pokémon to hold the line! We're retreating immediately!"
Realizing he had kicked a steel plate, the executive prepared to flee. However, Gu Yuan wasn't about to give him the chance.
Using Telepathy, Gu Yuan signaled Ditto, who transformed into Alakazam. It used Teleport to close the distance, followed by Ally Switch.
The executive suddenly found himself standing on the ice. Before he could even think of running, Gengar appeared silently in front of him. Gengar used Hypnosis, instantly plunging the man into a deep sleep. It then hoisted him up and tossed him onto the ship's deck, where crew members were waiting to tie him up for interrogation.
Sylveon's Baton Pass activated, and the battling Charizard felt its strength surge visibly. Conversely, the Crawdaunt fell into a panic upon seeing its trainer captured. Charizard immediately seized the opportunity.
Under the bombardment of flames, Crawdaunt felt as if it were being roasted alive. Taishi Utsunomiya threw out two more Poké Balls, commanding Gyarados and Kingdra to block the retreating submarine.
Aside from Gu Yuan and Taishi, the most eye-catching performance came from Koji, the Electric-type specialist. His electrical currents surged, easily clearing out large swaths of Pokémon.
"Time to end this, Charizard. Fire Blast, then use Fire Spin to trap Crawdaunt!"
A series of commands echoed in Charizard's mind. Searing flames erupted, forcing Crawdaunt to defend. Immediately, fire rose from all sides, trapping it within a Fire Spin. The moment Crawdaunt tried to break out, a Blast Burn slammed into its chest. The agonizing pain of the burn spread, and Crawdaunt collapsed.
Gu Yuan wouldn't give it a chance to slip back into the sea. A gale swept in, carrying seawater to form a whirlpool that lifted the Crawdaunt into the air. Caught between fire and water, Crawdaunt felt its hard shell was about to shatter.
Cloaked in draconic energy, Charizard slammed into Crawdaunt in the blink of an eye, piercing its shell with razor-sharp Dragon Claw. A scream of pain rang out as Charizard knocked the Crawdaunt onto the ice.
As Charizard withdrew its claws, blood flowed from the wounds. Crawdaunt struggled to stand, but it was futile. Fortunately, the ship's crew quickly recalled the Crawdaunt into a Poké Ball; otherwise, it would have surely died from such severe injuries.
Staring intently at Gu Yuan and Charizard, Taishi Utsunomiya silently urged his Dragonite to intensify its attack, fully recognizing the current gap between himself and Gu Yuan. With a Dragon Rush, Dragonite finally crushed the Swampert.
Looking at the few remaining Team Aqua Pokémon, Taishi lost interest in fighting and turned to walk back to the ship. Gu Yuan, however, stayed until the battle was completely over before returning, a display that earned a nod of approval from Dar.
Dar sighed inwardly. He had hoped this battle would build teamwork and rapport among the four representatives, but he hadn't expected the enemy to be so weak. Gu Yuan and the others had utterly crushed them before even showing their full strength.
"Good work, everyone. Get some rest. I'll handle the rest."
"Oh, and Gu Yuan, I'll need a favor. Please keep Alakazam on high alert until we've interrogated them for useful information."
Having regained his composure, Dar offered a rare word of praise. Surprised, Taishi and the others departed, leaving only Gu Yuan to assist with security and the interrogation.
Gu Yuan soon witnessed Dar's interrogation methods. Compared to his own method of "slow slicing," Dar's approach was far more systematic, breaking down the subject's mental defenses piece by piece. Since the captive's loyalty to Team Aqua was shallow to begin with, he quickly began to spill everything he knew.
The attack had been part of a long-term mission to gather resources for Team Aqua's expansion. While Dar had little use for the specific intel on Team Aqua's movements, he knew it would be valuable leverage for negotiations with the Hoenn region. After all, as Bruno's assistant, Dar had a very keen nose for politics.