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Oakley was so focused on the front lines of the battle that she didn't even notice the two hostages had already been rescued.
Inside the device, Annie was still working the controls, paying no attention at all to Kai and the others.
Gardevoir held one hand on Lorenzo and the other on Bianca, teleporting them to the back of the battlefield.
The moment they landed, Bianca cried out, her face pale with worry.
"Kai, Ash please, you have to save Latios!"
Lorenzo, however, was more concerned with the glowing Soul Dew. He quickly warned Kai,
"Be careful! They've already mastered both the jewel and that machine. Right now the whole of Alto Mare is under their control!"
Kai nodded grimly. They had already seen the destructive power of the Soul Dew firsthand how it could activate the city's massive defense system, or even revive ancient Fossil Pokémon. Who knew what other abilities it might unleash next?
In the distance, Oakley finally realized Bianca and Lorenzo had been taken from her grasp.
But she didn't seem to care, After all, they already had what they came for: Latios and the Soul Dew. The hostages were nothing to her anymore.
On the battlefield, Jolteon darted across the plaza with lightning speed, keeping opponents at bay while raining down Thunderbolts from a safe distance. Ash's Totodile, Bayleef, Cyndaquil, and Noctowl all fought bravely at his side, each showing their full strength.
But the brightest star was, of course, Pikachu.
With its nimble body, Pikachu zipped between the Fossil Pokémon—bounding onto a Kabutops's head, then leaping across to an Aerodactyl's back—before unleashing a devastating Thunderbolt that struck several opponents at once.
Together, their teamwork brought down Fossil Pokémon one after another. Numbers alone weren't enough to make up for the enemy's lack of real strength, and for the first time, the tide of battle seemed to swing toward Ash and Kai.
When yet another Aerodactyl crashed to the ground, Oakley spun toward Annie in alarm.
"Do something, or we're finished!"
"I know," Annie's calm voice echoed from inside the sphere. "Relax. They're about to witness the true power of the Soul Dew."
And just as she promised, things suddenly shifted.
At first, Kai and Ash were focused only on defeating the Fossil Pokémon. But soon they noticed something strange: seawater was flooding in from every direction through doors, windows, and even solid walls, moving in ways that defied all logic. Within moments, the water swirled into a miniature waterspout that surged toward them.
"Noctowl, blow it away!"
Ash reacted instantly, commanding his Shiny Noctowl to strike. Beating its wings, Noctowl whipped up a fierce gust. The wind tore through the waterspout, scattering it into a storm of droplets.
But the moment the winds died down, the water gathered again, reforming—bigger than before.
"Bianca, Lorenzo—get outside!" Kai ordered.
The two exchanged a worried glance toward Latios, then nodded and rushed toward the cathedral doors.
Meanwhile, the waterspout grew stronger, ripping tiles from the floor and sucking everything nearby into its core. Even the mindless Fossil Pokémon were caught, their bones smashed apart as they were dragged inside.
Seeing this, Kai turned to Ash.
"We can't let it keep growing let's destroy it together!"
"I'm with you!"
Both Trainers rallied their teams. A barrage of multicolored attacks blasted into the swirling water: Thunderbolts, Flamethrowers, Razor Leafs, Shadow Balls, all striking at once. The waterspout exploded in a violent spray that drenched the battlefield.
But in the very next instant, the sea itself reformed, rising again into another waterspout.
Annie's mocking voice drifted from the orb. "Pointless! This storm is made from the ocean itself and the sea is infinite. Even if you destroy it once, it will always rise again."
Ash's face hardened.
"Kai, what do we do now?"
"Forget the waterspout. We stop it at the source!" Kai pointed toward the massive rings binding Latios. "You free him I'll smash that machine!"
"Got it!"
They split up, dodging around the raging vortex.
Ash commanded his Pokémon to strike at the iron rings, but to his shock, the restraints absorbed every attack, lightning, fire, water, and it all vanished into the metal.
Gritting his teeth, Ash shouted,
"Then we'll break it head-on Noctowl, Tackle it!"
Noctowl swooped down in a diving strike. But the instant it hit, the rings discharged the stolen energy in a violent surge of electricity.
"ZZZAP!"
Noctowl screeched, its feathers scorched as it was blasted backward. The impact knocked it out instantly, smoking and twitching in Ash's arms as he rushed to catch it.
"Noctowl!" Ash cried, cradling his fainted partner, helpless frustration etched across his face.
Meanwhile, Kai had his own battle.
To protect her sister's work, Oakley blocked his path, commanding Corsola and Ariados to hold the line.
But against Kai's Gardevoir, Jolteon, and Gengar, the two Pokémon never stood a chance. In just a few exchanges, they were both knocked out cold.
Now, only Oakley herself stood between Kai and the machine.
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