The tide of the battle had turned decisively. Tyranitar's Stone Edge attack, its power and form evolving with each use, was becoming increasingly reminiscent of the legendary Groudon's Precipice Blades. This relentless assault did not directly defeat the Walrein, but it successfully disrupted its control over the towering pillars of ice, forcing them to crumble and shatter upon the ground in a cascade of frozen crystals. This intervention provided the beleaguered Slowking with a critical and much-needed moment to catch its breath and regroup.
Drawing upon its deep reserves of psychic power, Slowking gathered scattered energy from the surrounding space, manifesting three ominous, pitch-black blades of concentrated mental force. These blades shot unerringly towards the attention-grabbing Crawdaunt. The effect of Miracle Eye allowed Slowking to peer past the innate defenses of Dark-type Pokémon, striking at their core essence. The Crawdaunt endured three of these powerful blows, a resilience that, in turn, created a perfect opening for Drapion and Swampert to capitalize upon.
The technique of Triple Thunder Fang was unleashed once more. Drapion's two massive pincers clamped down with immense force, securely gripping Crawdaunt's own claws and immobilizing them. Then, Drapion's fangs, wreathed in a scorching, snapping yellow current of electricity, bit down savagely upon Crawdaunt's hard carapace. A sickening series of cracks echoed through the area as fissures spiderwebbed across the shell. The paralyzing electric current surged from Drapion's teeth directly into Crawdaunt's body, causing it to seize and convulse.
Seizing this exact moment of vulnerability, Swampert sprang from the earth with the raw power of a gorilla. Its hands were clasped tightly together above its head, enveloped in a faint, rippling aura of ground-type energy. Every ounce of its considerable strength was channeled into its bulging arms, the muscles and sinews coiling and shifting its center of gravity to deliver a devastating, all-or-nothing strike. With a thunderous boom, a Hammer Arm, amplified and fused with the subterranean force of Earth Power, created a colossal Ground Hammer that slammed the paralyzed Crawdaunt directly into the earth, embedding it deeply within the cratered ground. The electric current still crackled over its form. Crawdaunt's eyes rolled back into its head, and it lost all ability to battle.
A triumphant roar erupted from Drapion as it raised its arms in victory. Its aura swelled visibly, its power cresting as its level increased, finally breaking through into the coveted tier of a Veteran Elite Trainer.
With the second Pokémon defeated, Izumi was left with only her Walrein. The strategic advantage had completely shifted. Her initial, desperate gambit—where Aoki had commanded his Pokémon to besiege the trainer directly, a classic "besiege Wei to save Zhao" tactic, forcing the Walrein to break off its assault to protect her—had been expertly countered and ultimately thwarted. The remaining ice pillars, now devoid of their controller's will, lost their structural integrity and collapsed, crashing to the ground and sending plumes of ice crystals and snowflakes into the air.
The Walrein lay heavily on the torn-up ground, its normally smooth hide now marred with breaks and a multitude of scorch marks from the relentless barrage of Stone Edge and Rock Slide. In the chaotic fray, Gengar's cunning ability to transfer Drapion's Sniper trait to multiple allies had paid dividends; even a single triggered critical hit proved to be a devastating blow. The Walrein struggled valiantly, heaving its massive body in an attempt to rise, but it could not find the footing or strength to stand again.
Aoki, of course, had no intention of giving it another opportunity to recover. It was clear that today, Walrein was not fighting at its absolute peak condition; otherwise, the confrontation would not have concluded so decisively. Furthermore, Izumi's other three Pokémon were also sidelined with significant injuries, preventing her from deploying a full team. Had she been at full strength, Aoki would have found it far more difficult to achieve this level of success in a direct confrontation. A tangible gap in power still existed between the two trainers. Yet, in the present circumstances, such reflections were moot.
The lurking Gengar chose this moment to emerge from the shadows cast by the fallen Walrein. Their eyes met, and the utterly exhausted Walrein possessed no mental fortitude to resist Gengar's Hypnosis. A deep, rumbling snore soon emanated from the ice-type, and Gengar promptly began to feed, using Dream Eater to drain its energy and officially render it unable to battle.
At this point, all three of Izumi's Pokémon had been defeated. Izumi herself remained standing in place, her expression stoic. She had begun to prepare herself for this outcome the moment her Walrein was sent flying and her Crawdaunt fell, but the speed at which her defeat was finalized was still a shock. Although Aoki had utilized a total of eight different Pokémon throughout the battle, Izumi felt no bitterness or sense of unfairness. This was not a regulated gym challenge or a friendly match; this was a life-and-death struggle, a reality as stark as when Archie himself would use nine Pokémon to battle Drake. Defeat here carried the ultimate price. Her opponent clearly understood the brutal pragmatism required in a real battle, a fact further underscored by his final, effective tactic of targeting the trainer to break the Pokémon's assault. She could only blame her own lack of sufficient strength.
Aoki, with his Pokémon falling into step around him, slowly closed the distance to Izumi, a faint, unreadable smile playing on his lips. Izumi watched his approach without fear, her gaze cold. When she had chosen to join Team Aqua, she had long since prepared herself for the possibility of such an end. "I admit defeat," her voice was icy, cutting through the tense silence. "Falling into your hands is my failure."
Aoki simply continued to smile, offering no verbal response. His silence was more disconcerting than any gloating words.
Izumi's expression stiffened slightly. "Do what you want with me!" she demanded sharply, bracing herself.
Aoki still did not speak, his gaze fixed on her, a strange, calculating glint in his eyes. The longer he remained silent, the more Izumi's composure cracked, her mind conjuring unpleasant possibilities. She instinctively pulled her clothes tighter, taking two hurried steps backward. "What do you want to do?" she asked, her voice sharp with a sudden spike of anxiety.
Seeing her reaction and correctly interpreting her expression, Aoki was momentarily taken aback, then quickly realized her misunderstanding. "I'm merely considering the most appropriate way to handle your situation," he clarified calmly. Before she could interject, he continued, almost musing to himself, "In truth, you are not an utterly irredeemable or evil person. You have demonstrated that you still possess certain... bottom lines."
As he spoke, he took two more deliberate steps forward, closing the distance between them until they were standing quite close. Izumi's body went rigid, but she found herself unable to speak or move, an unseen force holding her in place. It was then that another Pokémon emerged smoothly from the shadows at Aoki's feet.
A soft, gentle murmur, a sound that seemed to carry a profoundly soothing and calming effect, washed over Izumi. The frantic anxiety in her heart gradually began to subside, replaced by a strange, placid acceptance. Aoki raised his hand slowly. "Do not resist," he instructed, his voice soft but firm.
With those words, he placed his palm against her forehead. With a soft thud, Izumi's body stiffened completely before falling straight backward. Yet, under the precise control of Aoki's psychic power, she did not hit the ground but instead floated suspended in the air. A sensation of everything spinning wildly overtook her senses.
When Izumi's eyes fluttered open once more, the world had completely transformed. An incredulous expression settled on her face as she raised her hands, examining them and finding nothing out of the ordinary. A reflexive motion brought a Poké Ball from her waist to her hand; the sight of her Walrein resting safely and healthily within brought a palpable sigh of relief. Only then could she properly calm down and take in her new surroundings.
The lighting was dim, emanating from an unseen source, and all around her were rough, natural rock walls that formed a cavern. Water droplets beaded and trickled down the stone surfaces—a sign of excessive humidity and water vapor that, as a longtime member of Team Aqua who worked intimately with water, she recognized immediately. Her attention was then drawn to the center of the cavern, where a small, placid pool of water lay. This pool was the primary source of the cavern's light. She could not tell if it was the water itself or something lying within its depths, but the water emitted a soft, pulsating, light-blue radiance, the halos of light shimmering and dancing with the gentle movement of the water.
This is... she thought, her mind racing to comprehend.
Before she could form a coherent thought, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind her. Instantly wary, Izumi spun around, her hand tightening around Walrein's Poké Ball. It was only when she saw the identities of the newcomers that she allowed herself to relax slightly.
It was Archie. And with him were Shelly and Matt, fellow top executives of Team Aqua. They were all dressed in their standard Team Aqua attire, a familiar sight that provided a small measure of comfort and normalcy. Yet, a nagging feeling persisted at the edge of her consciousness, a sense that something was fundamentally wrong, that she was forgetting something crucial. Her mind reached for the memory, but found only a blank, frustrating emptiness.
Archie's voice boomed through the cavern, effectively shattering her reverie. "Izumi! Well done! Your efforts have been instrumental! We have finally found it—the legendary god we have sought for so long!"