"Cover me!"
The sound of Shelly's voice rang out, and the surrounding Team Aqua members immediately scattered, engaging the nearest Hoenn League members. Riding on the back of a Sharpedo, Shelly dashed straight toward the blue crystal on the sea's surface.
"If you want to get past, you'll have to get through me first!"
A somewhat heroic voice echoed as Elite Four Drake arrived, riding on the back of his Salamence. A Dragon Pulse was unleashed, instantly halting Shelly's progress.
"Stop him at all costs! It's all for our ideals!"
After letting Sharpedo block the blow, Shelly, as one of Team Aqua's high-ranking executives, had no intention of getting into a prolonged fight with Drake. She directly ordered the Team Aqua members to use their lives to prevent Drake from getting closer. At this moment, even Ace Rank Trainers were reduced to cannon fodder, charging fearlessly toward the Elite Four member.
"Then let's see if you can truly block my path!"
With that, Drake released several more Pokémon from their Poké Balls. A terrifying draconic pressure spread, causing the charging Team Aqua members to involuntarily slow their pace. While they were dazed, Drake did not wait around. The light of a Key Stone surged, and the Salamence beneath him immediately evolved into Mega Salamence.
As a veteran figure among the Hoenn Elite Four, Drake's strength was terrifying. As his ace, Salamence already possessed staggering power, and now, enhanced by Mega Evolution, it stood like a god of war. With a flap of its wings, it charged out like a massive dragon. Drake, meanwhile, nimbly moved onto the back of his Altaria.
At the same time, Kingdra, Flygon, and other Pokémon with Champion Rank strength appeared one after another. Like the twin wings of a dragon, they further tore through the defensive line formed by Team Aqua. Dragon energy coalesced once more, and Mega Salamence, looking like a blood-red crescent moon, began to charge wildly through the enemy ranks, appearing matchless. Aided by Flygon and Kingdra, it was clear that Team Aqua's defense would not last long.
Watching Drake display his divine might from the shadows, a trace of longing flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes. Compared to Elite Four Agatha's ghost army, Drake's style—crushing opponents with just a few Pokémon—undoubtedly suited Gu Yuan's taste better. However, he was in no hurry to act, patiently waiting for the big fish to take the bait. When it came to taking money and doing a job, Gu Yuan had very high standards.
On the sea, Mega Salamence used Hurricane, directly sending two Ace Rank Pokémon flying. Its battle-hungry eyes quickly locked onto Shelly. Relying on instinct, Mega Salamence knew that Shelly was the strongest opponent on this battlefield.
"Go, Mega Salamence! Release your power to your heart's content!"
Drake understood his old partner perfectly and allowed it to attack freely. Feeling the danger coming from behind, Shelly threw out two Poké Balls.
"Ninjask, Shedinja, stop him!"
At Shelly's command, Ninjask and Shedinja charged together. Ninjask was naturally an extremely fast Pokémon, and with its Speed Boost Ability, its speed would reach an incredible level once it got going. Compared to Ninjask, Shedinja was even more abnormal. Its Wonder Guard Ability meant that only super-effective moves could cause it damage. Unfortunately, Mega Salamence happened to have the Flying type, and with the boost from Aerilate, it was a natural counter to Shedinja.
As the battle began, Shedinja took the lead in launching an offensive. Ninjask stayed at a distance, continuously supporting with Shadow Ball while using Speed Boost to enhance its velocity. A hint of disdain flashed in Mega Salamence's eyes. It didn't care at all about these two opponents, who only had Beginner Champion strength.
First, Dragon Rush was unleashed. Transformed into a massive dragon, Mega Salamence crushed the offensive of Ninjask and Shedinja before rushing in front of Shedinja with startling speed. The speed gap between the two sides meant Shedinja had no way to dodge. Hurricane overwhelmed it, and Shedinja was blasted directly into the sea. While possessing a unique ability like Wonder Guard, Shedinja's physical endurance was also extremely weak. In reality, if Shelly weren't currently unable to spare any other help, she would never have sent Shedinja to face Mega Salamence.
Fortunately, Ninjask used this time to fire two consecutive Shadow Balls, allowing its already impressive speed to increase once more. Flapping its wings, Mega Salamence summoned several tornadoes to surround itself, restricting Ninjask's movement.
Ahead, Shelly's Sharpedo had Mega Evolved, consecutively defeating the Hoenn League Trainers blocking its path. Shelly was surrounded by her other Pokémon, acting like the tip of a spear, constantly piercing the League's defensive line to reach the blue crystal. From this, one could see the strength gap between Shelly and Elite Four Drake, despite both being Champion Rank Trainers.
Seeing the blue crystal getting closer, a flash of excitement appeared in Shelly's eyes. Just as she was about to make the final charge, a dark shadow fell in front of her. This shadow was Shelly's Ninjask. In the next second, Mega Salamence charged toward Mega Sharpedo. Under the crushing draconic pressure, Mega Sharpedo felt a sense of fear even before the exchange began.
"Stop him!"
Looking around the battlefield and seeing that almost all Team Aqua members had been defeated, Shelly could only have her remaining Pokémon form a final line of defense. Shelly herself prepared to put everything into grabbing the blue crystal first. Able to emit such power, the blue crystal surely held some special strength—perhaps it could allow her to escape successfully. This was her only chance of survival.
Unfortunately, Shelly still underestimated Drake's strength. Seawater coalesced, and Kingdra charged out from the left riding a massive wave. In the sky, Flygon transformed into a dragon and dived straight for Shelly. Facing a pincer attack, Shelly had no way to escape and could only command Mega Sharpedo to intercept. The result went without saying; facing two Champion Rank opponents, Mega Sharpedo fell directly into a disadvantage.
Further away, Mega Salamence continued to deal with Shelly's other Pokémon. As the battle progressed, Shelly gradually felt a sense of despair. Right then, submarines surfaced one after another. When the hatches opened, Matt, the final high-ranking executive of Team Aqua, appeared!
A large number of Team Aqua members emerged from the submarines. Excluding Archie and his personal unit, the core strength of Team Aqua had effectively come out in full force.
"It's still not enough. Just these two fish aren't worth the net we've cast."
"In that case, let me add a bit more fuel to the fire."
Muttering to himself, Drake notified the hidden forces to reveal themselves.