Tabitha and Shelly felt deep bitterness welling up inside them.
But now, there was no turning back.
It wasn't that retreating would doom the unconscious members of Team Magma and Team Aqua behind them to some worse fate.
The problem was that if they fell back, they would lose the ground they had fought so hard to gain.
With every passing minute, the danger for both Team Magma and Team Aqua increased.
Bang!
Bang!
Both of them lost two more Pokémon.
For them, that was already a devastating loss.
Later, they would surely have to face the League—and if all their Pokémon were knocked out, not only would they lose their ability to fight, but they wouldn't even be able to protect themselves.
At that point, no one could tell whether they would fall into the League's hands... or into the traps of their own ambitious subordinates who had long coveted their positions.
The thought of retreating surfaced again in their minds.
But just as they were about to take out their Poké Balls to recall their Pokémon, two voices echoed from behind them.
Hearing those voices, both stopped for a moment, a wave of relief washing over them.
"Mightyena, Dark Pulse! Camerupt, Flamethrower! Crobat, Air Slash!"
"Sharpedo, Ice Fang! Crawdaunt, Crabhammer! Walrein, Aurora Beam!"
Maxie and Archie had arrived, each leading two Pokémon to the front lines.
They had finally reached the battlefield from the rear.
Originally, they thought this ambush would be simple—that they could advance before the League reacted, and once they blocked the cave entrance, the League wouldn't dare force their way in at the cost of heavy casualties.
Sending Tabitha and Shelly ahead had already been a cautious decision on Maxie's part.
Otherwise, with Archie's personality, charging in headfirst would have been his first choice.
But even so, things hadn't gone as planned.
When they saw the unfamiliar Pokémon crushing Tabitha and Shelly, their experienced eyes made it clear—Kommo-o's strength was at the Champion level.
A Champion-level Pokémon!
And not just newly so, either.
None of their Pokémon could compare in power.
Only by sheer numbers could they barely force Kommo-o to yield little by little.
Even Kommo-o himself was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
There was no helping it—though none of the opposing Pokémon were individually stronger than him, they had the advantage in numbers and displayed highly coordinated teamwork.
That was precisely the weakness of a wild Pokémon compared to those trained by humans.
Although Cain had captured Kommo-o, he had never trained him. Or rather, Cain wasn't yet capable of training or helping him improve.
Without training, Cain couldn't issue commands or guide him in battle. Fortunately, Kommo-o was powerful on his own, and his battle instincts had been forged through countless fights; even with orders, Cain might not have been able to draw out much more from him.
Even so, Maxie and Archie's expressions grew darker—the battle with the League hadn't even begun, and they were already taking such heavy losses.
Worse still, when they realized their opponents were just two youths—Cain and Steven—their faces sank even further.
They had thought they were being blocked by Drake and the others, veterans of the League. But it turned out their foes were just two boys—boys they knew, whose strength came from a single Champion-level Pokémon. What humiliation!
"Leave them to us," Maxie ordered grimly. He remembered who those two were—Cain and Steven, both of whom he had long regarded as future threats because of their immense potential.
Archie narrowed his eyes, immediately understanding what Maxie meant.
Although attacking children wasn't usually his style, he was never one to be held back by moral limits.
Tabitha and Shelly caught on instantly. With the few Pokémon they had left, they prepared to attack again.
"Rooaar!"
Kommo-o roared furiously.
Were they ignoring him?
He inhaled deeply and launched a sphere of yellow energy skyward. Upon reaching its peak, it shattered into countless blazing meteors.
Draco Meteor!
Tabitha and Shelly, who had just charged forward, immediately paled and retreated in panic.
Now it was clear—Kommo-o was determined to protect Cain and Steven. That put them in a bind; they couldn't attack without endangering their own allies.
So all they could do was fall back while fighting defensively.
But that was enough—an entire army of Team Magma and Team Aqua was being held at bay by just two people.
As Cain and Steven slowly retreated under Kommo-o's protection, Drake and the others were already marching forward with reinforcements.
Advancing with such a large force slowed them down, but along the way they encountered the sentinels Slowking had teleported earlier. From them, they received the message Cain and Steven had left behind.
"How reckless," Drake muttered, frowning deeply.
Even so, he turned to Glacia and said, "Glacia, continue leading the army. I'll go on ahead."
Glacia understood the gravity of the situation and nodded silently.
"I'm coming too," said Norman.
Drake glanced at him for a moment but didn't object. He knew well how strong Norman was.
Phoebe and Wallace, who had also received the emergency alert, didn't rush straight to the danger zone. Instead, they joined up with the main League forces.
They, too, commanded troops now—and at this moment, they played vital roles within the League's army.
They were no longer like before, when they would rush off to fight personally.
Though they were anxious, they knew they had to take responsibility for their subordinates. That was the true maturity of the strong.
Drake summoned his Salamence, and together with Norman, flew at top speed toward where Cain and Steven were.
No matter how strong Kommo-o was, he was still just one Pokémon. Moreover, he had to protect both Cain and Steven, which limited his movements and prevented him from attacking freely.
"Kommo-o, we're retreating!" Cain suddenly shouted.
"Rooaar!" Kommo-o roared in protest but obeyed, retreating quickly.
"What's going on?" asked Steven, moving back alongside Cain.
Cain smirked. "Reinforcements are on their way."
Hearing that, Steven's eyes lit up.
Finally!
"When the League joins the high-level battle, we may not have absolute advantage. Tabitha and Shelly have already taken heavy losses. You and I should each take on one of them to ease the pressure on Mr. Drake and the others. What do you think?" Cain proposed.
Steven hesitated for a second, then replied, "I'll take the man!"
Even though they were enemies, if he had the choice, Steven preferred to fight the man.
Cain didn't argue.
"Alright."
The two of them withdrew to the tunnel entrance, where the vast cavern opened up.
At that moment, Drake and Norman emerged from the League's side.
They saw Cain and Steven standing at the entrance—unharmed.
Their expressions instantly relaxed. As long as the two were safe, any other loss could be recovered.
But what they saw next left them momentarily speechless.
(End of chapter)