Archie and Maxie, with hands cupped to their ears, looked as if they hadn't heard clearly what was said to them. They stood in a stunned silence for a moment, during which Drake found himself at a loss for words, unsure how to proceed with the two team leaders who seemed to be having auditory difficulties.
"Elite Four Drake! What did you say?!" Maxie's mouth gaped open as he shouted loudly, his voice booming across the space between them. It was as if he wouldn't be able to comprehend what was being said unless he spoke in that exaggerated manner. After bellowing his question, he subconsciously dug a finger into his ear, as if to clear it. On the other side, Archie was even more exaggerated in his response. He strode to the very front of his group and roared, "Elite Four Drake! Our Team Aqua has no intention of being enemies with the League! It's just that what we're looking for is here, and we hope you'll consider the bigger picture and not bring unnecessary casualties to the League!"
Drake and Norman instinctively took a step back, put off by the volume and intensity of the shouts. They did not wish to engage with fools. The voices of the two leaders were far too loud, and both League members also found themselves digging into their own ears in response. It seemed… both of them had experienced a temporary onset of hard hearing from the sheer force of the shouting. Seeing Drake and Norman's actions, and the disgusted expressions that flashed across their faces, Archie and Maxie also reacted, realizing the effect their deafening shouts had caused. They wondered what to do about this temporary hard hearing.
Drake didn't want to waste any more words with them. He had been in a tense standoff with them for so long, without ever having a real chance to make a decisive move. He had been obligated to oversee the League camp, but seeing wounded soldiers being sent back one by one from the front lines, and watching the League's elite trainers getting injured one after another, was for him even more painful than being injured himself. Now that he finally saw the two culprits responsible for this conflict, how could he endure any further delay? And they were, to his mounting frustration, two deaf idiots with whom there was no opportunity or ability to communicate effectively.
He unfastened several Poké Balls from his belt, and with a series of bright flashes, one by one, majestic and powerful Dragon-type Pokémon appeared on the field, forming Drake's formidable Dragon-type army! The true strength of a Dragon-type Elite Four member was now being fully displayed, the air crackling with latent power. Seeing Drake ready to fight without another word, Archie and Maxie, of course, could not back down. However, in terms of pure individual strength, Drake was recognized as being slightly stronger than either of them alone. Both of the team leaders also unfastened their own Poké Balls and threw them all out, a swarm of Pokémon materializing around them.
League trainers highly advocate for the practice of carrying six Pokémon, but Archie and Maxie clearly would not follow the League's rules and conventions. The Pokémon they summoned might not be as strong individually as Drake's, but there were many of them, a small army in their own right. Look at the Pokémon around Maxie; he actually summoned three Camerupts at once, utilizing Team Magma's signature Pokémon to the extreme, the ground trembling slightly under their collective weight. As for Archie, he summoned three Sharpedo alone, their fierce forms cutting through the air beside him. Of course, the strength of these Pokémon varied considerably from one another.
For instance, when Aoki was still relatively weak, traveling on the St. Anne, during his first encounter with Go Matsuda, he had witnessed an attack from Team Aqua. At that time, Archie had commanded his Pokémon to battle Go Matsuda, but at that time, Go Matsuda could still fight him to a draw, precisely because the Pokémon Archie carried at that time were not his strongest, most seasoned fighters. Whether it was Maxie or Archie, their ideas were very simple and pragmatic. Since the cost of training one single Pokémon all the way to Champion-level is much higher than simultaneously training several Pokémon to a quasi-Champion peak, why spend so many resources to train one Pokémon to barely break through to Champion-level? Wouldn't it be far more efficient and effective to train several quasi-Champion peak-level Pokémon rather than to pour everything into one Pokémon that only just reaches Champion-level?
To train a Pokémon to the vaunted Champion-level, exceptional talent, vast resources, and proven training methods are all absolutely indispensable. And at this stage, innate talent might be the single biggest constraint. A Pokémon with a light blue aptitude is inherently worth many, many Pokémon with only dark green aptitude. Their Team Magma and Team Aqua are not the League, which follows the strict rule of six Pokémon per Trainer, focusing intensely on quality over quantity. How should I put it… their idea cannot be said to be entirely wrong. After all, they did successfully train them, and the collective strength they showed was certainly not weak. Of course, it's not that they don't possess any Champion-level Pokémon at all, just not very many. Besides, no matter how many powerful Pokémon they train, in their ultimate vision, it's all just a transition. In the future, they are utterly convinced they will control two legendary Pokémon! What ordinary Pokémon can possibly compare to the two major first-tier gods? It is a very unique philosophy.
Maxie alone summoned nine Pokémon onto the field. Archie was no less than him, also summoning nine, creating a significant numerical advantage. "Although I'm not very conspicuous, don't ignore me," Norman, standing calmly beside Drake, said in a level tone. Then he slowly, deliberately, threw out his own Poké Balls one by one, striking a ready pose. Two Slaking emerged from the flashes of light! As soon as they appeared, they lazily lay down on the ground, looking utterly disinterested. But upon seeing these two particular Slaking, both Archie and Maxie frowned deeply, recognizing the threat they posed.
"Petalburg Gym, Norman?" Maxie said, his voice tight. Team Magma had done its homework and had some understanding of Norman's unique strength. His instant burst of combat power was known to be fearsome, potentially even slightly stronger than Drake's in a short, intense engagement. Aoki's eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned Norman's strongest, and most terrifying in terms of raw burst power, Slaking.
Pokémon: Slaking (Light Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 80
Type: Normal
Ability: Truant
Held Item: Choice Band
Egg Moves: Body Slam, Slash, Night Slash, Tickle
Basic Moves: Swagger, Hammer Arm, Punishment, Fling, Scratch, Yawn, Encore, Slack Off, Feint Attack, Amnesia, Covet, Breaking Swipe, Counter, Thrash
Move Tutor Moves: Thunder Punch, Focus Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Snore, Stomping Tantrum, Covet, Low Kick
TM/HM Moves: Protect, Bulk Up, Taunt, Hyper Beam, Sky Drop, Thunderbolt, Earthquake, Shadow Ball, Double Team, Flamethrower, Rock Tomb, Aerial Ace, Low Sweep, Focus Blast, Shadow Claw, Rock Slide
Norman's Slaking was truly, profoundly strong. If it really was as he had once explained, that the more severe and prolonged its period of laziness, the stronger its subsequent burst of power and the longer that terrifying burst would last, then this particular Slaking would be an absolutely terrifying opponent on the battlefield. Drake's own Salamence, even when it burst forth with its full power, would probably only be suppressed by such a force. Normal-type Pokémon, while not having many type advantages or disadvantages to exploit, possess the distinct advantage of being able to learn a vast array of moves of various types, making them unpredictably versatile. Norman's Slaking had far more moves listed in its TM/HM section than in its roster of basic moves, a testament to the extensive training it had undergone.
"Your Slaking seems to have gotten even stronger," Drake said with a slight smile, looking at Norman's seemingly lazy Slaking with an appreciative eye. Norman also allowed himself a small smile, replying, "I accidentally broke through a while ago during a particularly intense training session." "Good!" Drake nodded in genuine satisfaction. It was excellent news that he had broken through; this development made him feel even more confident about the impending confrontation. "How about it? Pick one?" Drake asked, gesturing towards the two opposing leaders.
"Since I've been properly recognized, I'll choose Leader Maxie," Norman said nonchalantly, as if choosing between Maxie and Archie made little difference to him and was a matter of minimal consequence. "Hahaha, good!" Drake laughed heartily, then jumped onto the back of his Salamence, and with a commanding cry, urged his entire team of Pokémon to charge directly at Archie. Archie's face turned ugly, a scowl deepening his features. If he had been given the choice, he would definitely have chosen Norman as his opponent, believing that to be the more manageable fight, but Drake had left him with no say in the matter.