With a flash of red light, a Krookodile wearing sunglasses and a cold expression appeared before him.
"Dive down."
Ariel's command was concise and clear.
"Center yourself on the riverbed and shatter it."
Without a moment's hesitation, the Krookodile flattened its massive body against the ground and, like a fish entering water, instantly submerged into the soil beneath its feet and vanished.
Only a massive crater remained on the surface.
A few seconds later.
The earth began to vibrate.
It wasn't a violent, up-and-down shaking, but a low, tooth-grinding rumble emanating from deep underground.
Centering on the dried-up riverbed, spiderweb-like cracks began to spread in all directions.
Rumble—!
A massive explosion rang out.
The entire riverbed, along with the embankments on both sides, suddenly collapsed downward by several meters!
The earth was forcibly torn open with a massive wound, forming a natural, insurmountable pit.
Krookodile had used Earthquake to open a gap in the riverbed!
The pokémon that were being driven toward the river channel by fire and Toxic Spikes, panic-stricken, instantly lost their balance and fell into the deep pit in droves, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
Gyarados, Ursaring, Golbat...
Dozens of pokémon were crammed into the bottom of the deep pit, most of them already severely injured due to the fall and trampling.
Especially those Water-type Gyarados; away from water and trapped in this dry earthen pit, seventy percent of their strength was gone, leaving them to flap their tails helplessly.
This precise terrain modification instantly changed the entire course of the battle.
Corona's offensive came to a halt as he looked at the massive sinkhole in astonishment, the smug look on his face frozen.
What he created was chaotic destruction, whereas Ariel was using his power to create rules that favored himself.
Viper and Dar also looked over, their eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Ariel ignored their gazes.
He took an unused Poké Ball from his waist.
The texture of this ball was very special; it had no scratches on it and was brand new.
He pressed the button.
With a flash of light, a small, somewhat clumsy-looking pokémon appeared on the field.
It was jet-black all over, its head covered in thick black fur that completely obscured its eyes, leaving only a large mouth visible.
Deino.
A Deino that had only recently hatched from its egg.
"This is..."
Corona frowned; he could feel that this Deino's level was extremely low, probably not even Level 15.
Releasing it on a battlefield like this, did he want it to die?
However, Ariel's next word sent a bone-chilling cold through everyone.
"Eat."
A simple command, yet one filled with primitive savagery.
The newborn Deino seemed a bit confused; it sniffed the thick scent of blood in the air, its body instinctively trembling.
Although it was quite defiant toward its Trainer,
Deep within its bloodline flowed the instincts of destruction and devouring.
Its Elite Four Level potential allowed it to display a ferocity at this moment that was completely inconsistent with its level.
Deino moved.
It moved its short legs, stumbling as it rushed toward the edge of the pit, then leaped and jumped down.
It landed on the back of an injured Ursaring and, without the slightest hesitation, opened its large mouth and bit down hard on the Ursaring's neck!
Puchi!
The young dragon's teeth were as sharp as razor blades, easily tearing through the Ursaring's thick fur and muscle.
Blood spurted out, splashing all over Deino.
The Ursaring let out a roar of pain, trying to shake it off, but Deino was like a maggot on a bone, biting down firmly and refusing to let go, even tearing with force!
That wasn't a battle; that was predation.
The most primitive, bloodiest predation.
The Ursaring's struggles grew weaker and weaker, until it finally collapsed to the ground.
Deino released its mouth, its small body already dyed dark red.
It raised its head, and although its eyes couldn't be seen, everyone could feel that crazed, violent aura.
It had been completely activated by the scent of blood.
It rushed toward its next target, a Gyarados that was likewise unable to move at the bottom of the pit.
It jumped onto the Gyarados's body and gnawed frantically at the hard scales, making a skin-crawling 'crunching' sound.
One Bite, two Bites...
It tirelessly attacked the same spot until it crushed the scales and embedded its teeth deep into the flesh.
Screams of pain rose one after another from the bottom of the pit.
This newborn dragon was like a hungry wolf released into a sheep pen, crazily harvesting those prey that had already lost the ability to resist.
That primitive violence, devoid of any technique and purely for the sake of killing, made Corona's eyelids twitch wildly.
His Charizard and Blaziken were powerful and majestic.
But this little thing before him made him feel a hint of... fear.
He looked at Ariel, that youth who remained expressionless throughout.
It was he who had single-handedly orchestrated this efficient slaughter. First using Krookodile to modify the terrain and create a perfect cage, then releasing this little monster to carry out the final harvest.
From the control over the battlefield to the utilization of a pokémon's nature, everything Ariel displayed far exceeded his own level of only knowing how to crush with brute force.
For the first time, Corona felt that the strength he took pride in appeared so crude and laughable before this person.
After an unknown amount of time, the wails at the bottom of the pit gradually subsided.
Those who were lucky enough to survive the sea of fire and Toxic Spikes ultimately became a meal for Deino.
Specialists wearing Team Rockets uniforms began to enter the field; carrying professional tools, they dragged away the pokémon corpses that still had research value, as well as the few survivors who had been knocked unconscious, one by one.
These Pokémon, if alive, could be sold as merchandise; if dead, they could be used as materials.
In the air, the scorched smell of fire, the stench of toxins, and the thick, inseparable scent of blood mixed into a nauseating odor.
The four gathered together again, but the atmosphere had become subtle.
Corona said nothing, looking at Ariel with a dark face and a complex gaze.
Ariel, however, acted as if nothing had happened, recalling the Deino that was now lying on the ground hiccuping with a round belly.