"All Water-type Pokémon, listen up! Use Water-type moves to shock the sandstorm!" As an executive of Team Aqua, Izumi naturally knew how to command coordinated group battles. At times like this, combining various skills could produce considerable power. Upon hearing Izumi's command, a large amount of water spewed from the mouths of the different Pokémon. It instantly transformed into a surging river, crashing directly into the raging sandstorm. The sandstorm was immediately drenched by the deluge; even with Tyranitar's powerful control, the speed at which the sand became saturated was far greater than the speed at which new, dry sand could be generated to maintain the storm.
"Retreat!" Sensing the abrupt change in the sandstorm, Aoki whispered the command. Tyranitar and his other Pokémon slowly began to fall back, moving in unison with Steven's team. When the numerical advantage of the opposition was too overwhelming, it could begin to affect the quality of their own defense. With Izumi and Homura firmly in charge of the vanguard, Aoki and Steven had lost their earlier opportunity to launch effective surprise attacks. However, even as Tyranitar and the others retreated, they did not cease their offensive, continuously unleashing powerful moves to impact the front line of Team Aqua's formation and maintain pressure. The sandstorm had disappeared, but due to Tyranitar's fierce and relentless attacks, a temporary, tense stalemate was maintained within the tunnel.
"You're really putting up a stubborn resistance! Camerupt! Torkoal! Use Flamethrower now!" Homura's face, which seemed honest and plump, now showed a clear hint of anger and impatience. His Camerupt and Torkoal obediently rushed to the very front of the advancing line. Two scorching, concentrated streams of flame instantly shot forth, covering the width of the entire tunnel and raising the temperature within considerably, causing the air to waver with heat haze. Aoki and Steven had no particularly good way to counter these intense flames in such a short time, so they could only continue their slow, fighting retreat, trading attacks as they withdrew. The opponents, however, had already given up on having their regular members lead the charge; Homura and Izumi themselves now rushed to the forefront, leaving Aoki and Steven with just enough strength to defend, but no clear opening to launch a meaningful counterattack. Nevertheless, they had now significantly slowed down the enemy's overall advance. As long as they could hold out until the League's main force arrived, their mission would be considered a success.
The space beside Aoki rippled slightly, and Slowking, who had successfully sent everyone away, reappeared at his trainer's side. Suddenly, Aoki's available strength felt greatly increased. He reached out and placed his hand on Slowking's back, mentally stacking their psychic powers together to enhance their potency. Slowking expertly combined its formidable psychic power with a swirling Water Pulse, creating a powerful, multi-layered barrier of energy and water that, for a brief moment, stopped Homura and his Pokémon from advancing any further. Just as the two thought they had managed to solidify their defensive ground once more—the tunnel still stretched a long way behind them, offering plenty of room to maneuver—another sudden and dangerous change occurred.
Two powerful Pokémon rushed out from behind Izumi and Homura with startling speed. One was a Crobat with cold, ruthless eyes, and the other was a Sharpedo enveloped in a torrential Water Spout. Seeing these two specific Pokémon join the fray, Aokii's expression changed drastically. "We must retreat again, and quickly. Maxie and Archie have made their move directly," he said urgently. Hearing Aoki's words, Steven's face also became intensely solemn. The sheer strength of Maxie and Archie was on a level that the two of them simply couldn't handle head-on.
Seeing the appearance of the Crobat and Sharpedo, Homura and Izumi were not happy, but their expressions instead became even uglier, etched with tension. Their leaders personally making a move meant that the leaders were already deeply dissatisfied with the speed of the unit's advance. Thus, regardless of any potential Pokémon damage that a forced, all-out charge might cause, Homura and Izumi almost simultaneously shouted commands for their Pokémon to launch another desperate, powerful assault on Aokii and Steven's position. This time, with the added help of the formidable Crobat and Sharpedo, the assault was devastating. Tyranitar and the other Pokémon sustained considerable injuries from the coordinated onslaught. Their retreat speed also became faster and faster, becoming less of a tactical withdrawal and more of a rout.
"This won't do! That Crobat and Sharpedo are far too strong; our Pokémon can't withstand their combined power for long!" Steven's voice echoed frantically in Aoki's mind through their telepathic link. Aoki, of course, also knew that they were starting to struggle critically. But the League's main force still hadn't arrived. If they retreated any further, they would be forced into the open cave chamber, which was destined to become the main battlefield for the League, Team Magma, and Team Aqua. However, they absolutely could not let Team Magma and Team Aqua reach that cave first. Otherwise, if the enemy sent a small team to block the tunnel entrance, just like Aoki and Steven were doing now, the League would have no possibility of breaking through later. At that point, the League would be in an absolutely passive and disastrous position.
The options would be grim: either sacrifice a large number of trainers and Pokémon to force a bloody breakthrough, losses that would be completely unacceptable to the current League, or concede that large cave to Team Magma and Team Aqua, forcing the League's entire defensive line to retreat further. But what if the Indigo Orb and Red Orb were actually located in that very cave? Then the League's entire presence and efforts here would be rendered meaningless; they would have done all this for nothing. Therefore, the most extreme, acceptable outcome was for the League to also reach that cave at the exact same moment Team Magma and Team Aqua entered it, forcing an immediate, chaotic all-out battle. The best outcome would be for Aoki and Steven to hold them off here long enough, allowing the League to arrive and deploy before Team Magma and Team Aqua could even enter the cave, setting up a series of strong defensive lines. At that point, Team Magma and Team Aqua would be the ones forced onto the defensive. With Elite Four members like Wallace, Norman, and Olivia standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the tunnel entrance, they could handle almost any number of opponents; even if Maxie and Archie attacked together, they couldn't easily break through a defensive line formed by three Elite Four-level powerhouses.
"We can't hold on any longer like this. Recall your Pokémon now; they cannot fall here. We will need every one of them for the big battle later," Aoki said decisively to Steven. Steven was momentarily stunned upon hearing this. "Are we giving up the tunnel just like that? If they get through first, the League will be in monumental trouble," he argued. Aoki offered a mysterious, knowing smile. "Don't worry, I still have one more method. Judging by the speed Elite Four and the others were moving, they should be arriving very soon." Even with Aoki's reassurance, Steven still felt uncertain. However, in that very instant, his Aggron cried out and lost its battle capability after taking a direct, vicious hit from Maxie's Crobat.
Aokii also knew that Steven wouldn't fully commit to the retreat unless he saw the trump card himself. He solemnly reached for and took down the distinctive Friend Ball that had been hanging on his waist for some time. Through the translucent surface of the Friend Ball, he could see the powerful Pokémon inside lounging lazily. He softly whispered to it, "This will be your first true battle. I'll have to trouble you to give it your all." As if it had heard Aoki's words clearly, the Pokémon within the Poké Ball slowly stood up, its previously relaxed eyes becoming sharp and focused, glowing with anticipation. Aoki smiled and hurled the Poké Ball forward with a powerful throw. "Go, Kommo-o! Hit them with everything you have!"
As the Poké Ball opened, a magnificent Pokémon radiating with a subtle golden light, looking immensely strong and supremely imposing, materialized in the center of the tunnel, its scales gleaming. "Roar — — — —" it bellowed, a challenge that echoed off the walls. Clang — — Clang — — Clang — — The distinct, metallic sound immediately followed. After appearing, Kommo-o first roared defiantly at the massed people of Team Magma and Team Aqua, then immediately began its own ritualistic Battle Dance right there in the face of the enemy! It hadn't fought properly for so long that its body felt almost rusty. The scales of various sizes on its body collided and rubbed against each other rhythmically, emitting Kommo-o's unique, intimidating battle song melody that resonated down the corridor. Seeing Kommo-o's dramatic appearance, Tyranitar and the others immediately understood Aoki's intention perfectly. They reluctantly glanced back at the powerful Pokémon they had just been battling, knowing it was hard to find such worthy opponents. However, they still obediently and quickly returned to Aoki's side, making room for the new combatant. But upon seeing Kommo-o appear, Steven was utterly stunned, and even Homura and Izumi, standing confidently on the opposite side, were completely stunned, their jaws slack. What… what kind of Pokémon is this?