Drake vs. Archie! Maxie vs. Norman!
Two major battles are about to erupt with incredible intensity!
Beside them, Courtney and Shelly exchanged a brief glance, their hands moving to command their own Pokémon to intervene.
Their assistance could still have a tangible effect on the outcome.
But just as they were about to launch their attacks, two figures confidently stepped before them, blocking their path.
"Excuse me, but your opponents are probably us!" Aoki stated calmly.
Aoki and Steven's Pokémon had been summoned once again, though no one had noticed exactly when they had been called forth.
However, Courtney and Shelly had suffered heavy losses to their teams due to Kommo-o's earlier rampage across the battlefield.
Courtney and Shelly had originally held an advantage in raw strength, but that advantage had now been significantly eroded.
Moreover, they could not cultivate multiple powerful Pokémon at great cost in the same way that Maxie and Archie could, as their resources and focus were different.
Their most relied-upon Pokémon had not even been trained to their absolute limits yet, leaving them at a slight disadvantage.
According to the prior arrangement made between Aoki and Steven during their strategy session:
Steven would directly confront Courtney, while Aoki would directly confront Shelly.
Aoki understood both of them quite well from previous encounters and intelligence reports.
It was just that the last time a major fight occurred, it was Drake who faced them, and this time, it was him personally.
This shift was a clear sign of Aoki's growth and increasing responsibility.
At this moment, Shelly's remaining Pokémon were a Sharpedo, a Crawdaunt, and a Walrein.
These three Water-type Pokémon represented her remaining fighting force, with her strongest being the formidable Walrein.
This Walrein had already broken through the Senior Elite Four level and entered the prestigious Quasi-Champion rank, making it a significant threat.
Pokémon: Walrein (Light Blue)
Gender: Female
Level: 76
Type: Ice + Water
Ability: Thick Fat
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Aqua Ring, Yawn, Water Pulse, Belly Drum
Basic Moves: Ice Fang, Swagger, Crunch, Defense Curl, Powder Snow, Growl, Water Gun, Rollout, Encore, Ice Ball, Brine, Aurora Beam, Body Slam, Rest, Snore, Hail, Blizzard, Sheer Cold
Tutor Moves: Water Pulse, Block, Stomping Tantrum, Iron Tail, Icy Wind
TM/HM Moves: Ice Beam, Protect, Earthquake, Rock Tomb, Echoed Voice, Ice Breath, Sleep Talk, Surf, Waterfall
However, this powerful Walrein had also sustained significant injuries during its recent intense battle with Kommo-o, leaving it weakened.
It could now only unleash about seventy percent of its full strength at most, which was a considerable reduction in its combat effectiveness.
Nevertheless, three powerful Water-type Pokémon still posed a significant threat to the Pokémon Aoki had sent out for this engagement.
His team consisted of Slowking, Florges, Tyranitar, Aggron, Blaziken, and Swampert!
Steven and Courtney's battle had already begun in earnest; between two sworn enemies, there wasn't much to say beyond the clash of their Pokémon.
Drake and Wallace's battle had also entered a fiercely competitive stage, with powerful attacks being exchanged rapidly.
Drake was aggressively pressuring Archie, leaving him breathless and on the defensive, struggling to find an opening.
Meanwhile, Norman and Maxie were trading powerful blows in a relentless exchange, making it hard for an observer to tell who currently held the upper hand in their struggle.
Norman's Slaking hadn't unleashed its full devastating power yet, but it was likely that Maxie also had trump cards he hadn't used, waiting for the right moment.
Aoki looked at Shelly and suddenly smiled a calm and collected smile, "Officer Shelly, this isn't our first meeting, is it? We have encountered each other before."
Shelly glanced at Aoki and saw that he wasn't in a particular hurry to start the fight, so she was naturally happy to let her Pokémon recover their stamina for a while longer, as every second counted.
She casually brushed her striking blue hair away from her face, "Little brother Aoki, are you that interested in me? You want to chat with big sister before our serious battle begins?" she asked with a hint of playful teasing.
Shelly herself was a beautiful woman, so when she spoke like this, there was a distinct hint of charm and coquettishness in her tone.
Inside Team Aqua, countless members coveted her beauty and found themselves drawn to her.
It was only because of her high status and formidable strength that they dared not express these feelings openly, knowing the consequences.
"Nothing much, I just wanted to ask Officer Shelly to move to a different location to conduct our battle. It's… too cramped here, and our Pokémon need space to fight properly." Aoki didn't mind Shelly addressing him in that way; he was focused on the battle.
He was indeed much younger than her, so her form of address was technically accurate.
"Oh? Where does little brother Aoki want to have our battle then?" Shelly's expression became very ambiguous and somewhat suggestive, a sly look in her eyes.
But behind that playful exterior, a hint of deep disgust and annoyance appeared within her gaze.
She had clearly misunderstood his intentions, thinking his motives were less than honorable.
However, there was no helping it. Living in such a male-dominated environment every day, and having climbed from the very bottom to her current high position, and still being able to maintain her true self and principles, showed that she not only had immense strength but also a strong moral core.
She was very similar to Roserade, one of Aoki's current subordinates, in terms of their shared characteristics.
Both of them appeared to be frivolous and playful on the surface, but deep down, they were more fastidious and principled than anyone else might assume.
"Then please follow me, Officer Shelly." Aoki said with a simple smile, not elaborating further.
He couldn't be bothered to explain anything at that moment, as actions would speak louder than words.
He immediately turned and rushed towards a nearby side tunnel, his Pokémon following closely behind him.
Fighting in the main chamber, he felt he couldn't unleash his full power properly, and he didn't care what the other party thought; he would just lead her away first to a more suitable location.
A subtle hint of killing intent flashed within Shelly's eyes, her expression darkening momentarily.
The Pokémon League truly had few good people in her experience; someone so young already had such filthy thoughts, she assumed to herself.
However, Shelly still followed him with her Pokémon in tow, confident in her own abilities.
She was confident in her own strength, especially after seeing the lineup of Aoki's current Pokémon, which had confirmed her assessment of his power level.
Even if he had more field experience than some, her Pokémon were individually stronger in terms of raw power and level.
Everyone else was completely busy with their own intense battles and didn't notice Aoki and Shelly's disappearance from the main chamber, their attention fully occupied.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, quickly arrived in a separate tunnel away from the main fray.
Here, no one could interfere with their battle, and they would have the space they needed.
"Alright, since that's the case, let's begin our battle in earnest." Aoki said, turning to face her, his expression now serious and focused.
"I want to see what you're truly up to, little brother." Shelly brushed her hair again, her expression turning stern and battle-ready, all playfulness gone.
Her current appearance was somewhat similar to Lorelei, the Elite Four member, in its intensity and focus.
Aoki smiled and said nothing further, simply readying himself for the fight.
This place appeared to be a simple tunnel, but it was actually an alternate dimension that Aoki had set up beforehand using his resources and planning.
The two had seemingly just walked into an ordinary tunnel, but they had actually passed through the subtle spatial barrier of the alternate dimension, entering a pocket space.
It was just that Aoki had arranged this alternate dimension to look very similar to a real tunnel to avoid immediate suspicion and to control the environment.
The Unown under his command had this unique ability, but Aoki rarely used it openly to maintain an element of surprise.
"I heard… that your Team Aqua believes in and worships the Sea God, the great Kyogre?" Aoki asked, making conversation even as they prepared to fight.
Shelly, who was ready for battle, was momentarily stunned by the unexpected question.
She didn't understand what Aoki was trying to accomplish with this line of questioning, but she still nodded slowly, a hint of reverence appearing in her eyes, "The Sea God Kyogre is the greatest existence among all legendary Pokémon. In the entire Pokémon world, although the land is not small, the vast majority of the planet is the endless ocean. Isn't that great enough to command respect and worship?"
Aoki didn't refute her statement immediately; instead, he nodded empathetically, as if considering her words, "Indeed, on this planet, the largest area by far is the ocean, that is an undeniable geographical fact."
Then, he changed the subject subtly, steering the conversation, "But what does the Sea God truly have to do with you and your goals personally?
The ocean is always the ocean, vast and powerful. Besides a relatively small number of sailors and your own Team Aqua members, how many humans can truly survive and thrive exclusively in the ocean for long periods?"
Upon hearing this pointed question, Shelly frowned deeply, her brow furrowing in thought and a hint of irritation.
"What do you want to say, Aoki? Get to the point," she demanded, her voice sharp.
Aoki grinned, a knowing look in his eyes, "As one of Team Aqua's top executives, as Archie's most capable and trusted subordinate, how much do you truly understand about Archie himself, and how much do you genuinely comprehend about his ultimate goals and deeper objectives for the world?"
Unlike Team Magma, where nearly everyone understood Maxie's goal and his specific purpose in seeking the power of Groudon for land expansion,
Team Aqua was not like that in its internal communications, because Archie's personal ambition and ultimate goal actually somewhat violated the basic survival laws of humans and the current balance of the Pokémon world, making them harder to explain.
"What exactly do you want to say?!" Shelly asked sharply again, her voice rising with frustration and a touch of defensive anger, her patience wearing thin.