Aoki and Steven stood at the tunnel entrance, facing a Pokémon neither of them had ever seen before. Drake's Salamence bristled, its scales standing on end, sensing a profound threat from the unfamiliar Kommo-o. Aoki and his Slowking's psychic abilities had long since pinpointed Drake's location, and now it was time to reveal their hand. Not showing off when you have the chance is like wearing fine clothes in the dark; it defeats the purpose of having them.
"Kommo-o, hit them with a big move as a farewell gift," Aoki commanded the scaly Pokémon.
Kommo-o had been holding back its anger; retreating all this way was not its preferred fighting style. It stood firm, glaring fiercely first at the collapsed tunnel and then at Aoki. It clearly realized now that it had been tricked and fooled into this situation. But now that it was on the proverbial pirate ship, there was no getting off. Its pent-up fury could only be vented on the figures of Maxie and Archie and their teams. Its scales rubbed together with intense, silent friction, forming rings of concentrated sound wave energy that condensed without dispersing. The energy rings grew denser and larger, swirling around its body.
Signature move — Clanging Scales!
Soon, the sound-dampening effect reached its limit, and the energy became incredibly dense, culminating in a pale white energy sphere that materialized directly in front of Kommo-o. Its gaze sharpened abruptly.
"Ting—screech—"
A piercing, high-frequency sound instantly erupted, spreading throughout the entire tunnel network and echoing deep into the connecting caves. Aoki, who had anticipated the attack, had already enveloped himself and Steven in a protective psychic energy shield the moment Kommo-o began to exert its power. They were positioned behind Kommo-o, not directly in the path of the main force of the attack, so the noise they experienced was not at its most severe. Even so, Aoki's psychic shield showed numerous vibrating ripples, trembling violently from the residual force.
Drake and Norman, who were further away, also heard the piercing sound clearly. Even from that distance, they felt their ears being tormented; the grating, teeth-clenching noise made the two experienced Trainers instinctively cover their ears, which helped mitigate the discomfort significantly.
If Aoki and his companion, and Drake and Norman, were only affected by the aftermath, the situation was far worse for Maxie's and Archie's teams, who faced the Clanging Scales head-on, with the tunnel walls amplifying and focusing the sound waves. Maxie and Archie reacted quickly enough, immediately summoning additional Pokémon to protect themselves and their subordinates.
"Boom!!!"
The entire section of tunnel began to collapse inwards; the destructive power of the Clanging Scales was even more terrifying than a Self-Destruct move, instantly pulverizing the rocks in the direct path into fine dust that scattered everywhere. Maxie's and Archie's shielding Pokémon were all sent flying as if hit by a giant cannon, and some of the weaker Pokémon could be seen bleeding from various pores on their bodies. As for Maxie and Archie themselves, it was even worse; although they didn't directly faint, blood seeped from both of their ears. Tabitha and Shelly, whose ears had already been affected by the previous loud noises during the chase, now suffered injury upon injury, their conditions deteriorating further.
"Hmph—"
Kommo-o snorted with clear satisfaction, seeing the devastating effect of its ultimate move, and exhaled two streams of air from its nostrils in a huff. It then turned its head and glared unhappily at Aoki once more.
Aoki chuckled awkwardly, not bothering to explain further, and simply returned the powerful Pokémon to its Poké Ball after receiving its grumbling consent via their mental link.
Still four more chances for forced labor... he thought silently to himself, contemplating the limited number of times he could call upon the recalcitrant Pokémon.
Steven looked at Aoki in surprise, wondering why he would recall such a formidable Pokémon just as a big battle was about to begin.
Aoki shook his head helplessly, "It's throwing a tantrum; it won't fight anymore unless it absolutely has to."
"..."
Steven was speechless, not knowing what to say to that.
However, Drake and Norman, who were in the distance, had already rushed over; they too had been startled by the sheer power of Kommo-o's final attack. Only after getting closer did they fully realize the extent of the damage. The tunnel was completely blocked, a testament to the raw power that had been unleashed.
"Aoki… was that just…?" Drake asked, his voice a mixture of awe and curiosity.
He had seen Aoki recall that strange and powerful Pokémon.
When Aoki heard Drake's question, he knew that his little display had been successful once again; if used properly, such demonstrations of strength often led to benefits following one after another.
He scratched the back of his head in a somewhat embarrassed gesture, "This is a Pokémon I encountered while training in the Ho-Oh space. It seems to have developed a special obsession with my Shelgon, so I got to know it, and then, through a series of coincidences and negotiations, I managed to bring it out. However… its temper isn't very good, as you saw; it just saved our lives, and now it's throwing a tantrum and went back to its Poké Ball to rest."
"..."
Hearing Aoki's explanation, Drake was speechless for a moment.
What a temper indeed... he thought.
"What kind of Pokémon is that? I've never seen it before," Norman inquired, his curiosity piqued.
Aoki nodded, "This is a Pokémon that hasn't been registered in the Pokédex yet, and it may never have been discovered by anyone else, but I know its name… Kommo-o!"
"Kommo-o…" Drake murmured, repeating the name, committing it to memory.
His Salamence had just communicated to him that it was a Dragon-type Pokémon, and a purebred Dragon-type at that, which explained the immediate sense of rivalry.
"Yes, it's a Dragon- and Fighting-type Pokémon, and not just an ordinary Dragon-type; it's a… Pseudo-legendary!" Aoki revealed, dropping another bombshell.
Pseudo-legendary!
Drake and Norman's expressions changed dramatically. Another new Pseudo-legendary Pokémon discovered! This was a monumental discovery for the Pokémon League and for the entire Pokémon world. The appearance of a new Pseudo-legendary Pokémon, especially one with a unique dual-typing like Dragon/Fighting, would have significant repercussions for all the various Trainer families, large and small, and all the major forces across the regions.
Drake patted Aoki's shoulder with deep satisfaction. As a Dragon-type specialist in the Elite Four, Drake was genuinely happy to see a new and powerful Dragon-type Pokémon be discovered.
"Its strength is probably a bit stronger than my own Salamence, isn't it?" Drake sighed, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.
Aoki showed a helpless expression, "That… I don't know for sure either, but the point is I can't properly command it. Unless it encounters some life-threatening danger, or decides it wants to fight, it doesn't pay much attention to my orders."
Aoki had also laid some groundwork for Kommo-o's future, less cooperative, appearances.
"It's fine; since you have such a powerful trump card, I can rest much easier regarding your safety in the future. You two did very well this time; leave the rest to me and Norman." Drake patted Aoki's shoulder again, then gave a firm, approving pat to Steven's shoulder as well. These two, the most talented individuals to come out of the Hoenn region in recent years, had finally grown into formidable Trainers in their own right.
Getting old— Drake thought with a mix of pride and resignation.
The entire tunnel had collapsed, and with Maxie and Archie having already rushed to the tunnel entrance before the cave-in, there was no more talk of blocking their way. They would have to confront them directly now.
Boom—
A section of the crushed rock pile exploded outwards!
From the collapsed mound of stones and dust, Maxie and Archie forcefully emerged. They looked somewhat disheveled. Their custom-tailored team uniforms were covered in grime and dust. However, thanks to the quick protection of their Pokémon, there were no immediately obvious, major injuries on their bodies. Then Tabitha and Shelly also clambered out from the rubble, looking even more battered and worse for wear. They, who had originally been leading the charge with full momentum, were now in a sorry state solely because of Aoki's interference. The entire vanguard force had suffered heavy losses; when this incident was over, if they were all still alive, Maxie and Archie probably wouldn't be giving their lieutenants any more favors.
"Maxie, Archie, you two really have a lot of nerve!" Drake's expression instantly turned cold and stern when he finally laid eyes on the two crime bosses.
"Huh??"