"Dewgong, Starmie, use Blizzard together!"
Nori's voice rang out, and Dewgong and Starmie launched their combined attack.
An icy, biting wind rose, mixed with falling snowflakes. In the wake of the blizzard, even the sea began to freeze. Not only that, but other Pokémon who knew Ice-type Moves also attacked simultaneously under the command of the First Mate and the crew members, further intensifying the Blizzard's power.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The three leading Gyarados roared in unison, then opened their gaping maws, and energy began to condense. In an instant, three Hyper Beams shot out simultaneously. The remaining Gyarados were not idle, releasing Moves like Hydro Pump and Brine.
The next second, the two sides' attacks collided. The Water-type Moves were quickly defeated by the freezing cold of the blizzard. Only the three Hyper Beams proved too strong; they forcefully shattered Nori's combined attack, and the residual power forced Dewgong and Starmie to attack again to finally neutralize the threat.
"I will try my best to tie up those three Gyarados. You all quickly defeat as many of the other Gyarados as possible and then come help."
"As long as we can maintain the situation, victory will definitely be ours once the reinforcements arrive!"
As Nori's voice echoed, everyone split up and began to act. Continuing a head-on assault like this would only allow the Gyarados to gain the advantage.
"Ditto, transform into Eevee and use Swift on Annihilape, it's time to battle."
"Alakazam, pay attention to Annihilape's attack rhythm, and gradually gnaw away at the strength of the Gyarados swarm from the outside. Remember not to go too deep."
"Charizard, increase your flight altitude, and use Hurricane to assist others in their attack!"
Charizard's power was weakened to the extreme on the sea, and Sylveon had no room to operate. Fortunately, Annihilape and Alakazam could still battle using their elusive abilities.
Under the continuous impact of Swift, Annihilape's Rage Fist quickly reached its maximum power. Annihilape then used Phantom Force and approached the outer Gyarados.
Alakazam used Teleport to arrive first and released Psyshock, instantly defeating two Junior Rank Gyarados. Unfortunately, Junior Rank Pokémon accounted for only a very small part of the Gyarados swarm; Intermediate Rank was the most numerous, followed by Senior Rank Gyarados.
By the time Annihilape attacked, it was only left with Intermediate Rank opponents.
It threw a punch, and the enormous Gyarados was immediately sent flying backward. Combined with Annihilape's relatively small physique, this created a strong sense of impact. The instant it vanished from its original spot, Alakazam reappeared, releasing Psychic while using Psyshock again. Through this series of attacks, two more Gyarados fell at Alakazam's hand.
In the air, Charizard's Hurricane continuously descended. The moment it reached the sea surface, it swept up seawater and turned into waterspouts, trapping several Senior Rank Gyarados inside and providing opportunities for others to attack. Charizard's quasi-Ace Rank strength was substantial, and the Hurricane alone was enough to cause significant trouble for these Gyarados.
After helping Annihilape maximize the power of Rage Fist, Gu Yuan had Ditto transform into Sylveon to continuously use Helping Hand to boost Charizard's attacks. Furthermore, Ditto would leap off Charizard, transform into Raichu to use Thunder, and then transform back into Sylveon to land back on Charizard.
Compared to the elusive Annihilape and Alakazam, the performance of Charizard and Ditto was undoubtedly more eye-catching. In a short amount of time, several Senior Rank Gyarados were defeated under Charizard's containment. Moreover, many Intermediate Rank Pokémon fell due to Ditto's Thunder.
This outstanding performance quickly drew the hostility of the Gyarados swarm. Roars sounded, and several Senior Rank Gyarados charged forward, sequentially using Hurricane to attack Charizard in the sky.
"Charizard, use Flame Charge to evade! Then Air Slash!"
"Ditto, immediately use Helping Hand on Charizard after it uses Flame Charge to boost the power of Air Slash."
Seeing that he had successfully lured a number of Gyarados, Gu Yuan directed Charizard to lead them away.
"All together! Take this opportunity to defeat more Gyarados!"
Thanks to Gu Yuan's diversion, the First Mate quickly organized an offensive. Led by his quasi-Ace Rank Crawdaunt, he directed the other Trainers' Pokémon to launch a unified attack. Nearly ten Senior Rank Gyarados had been defeated or drawn away, meaning the Gyarados side no longer had enough power to resist Crawdaunt's charge in the short term.
"Roar!"
The Gyarados contained by Nori roared repeatedly in anger. Consequently, the three Gyarados intensified their attacks, attempting to defeat Nori as quickly as possible. Nori opened several more Poké Balls, releasing all his Pokémon at once, struggling with all his might to resist the attacks of the three Gyarados.
On the periphery, no one noticed that Annihilape and Alakazam had quietly ripped open a hole in their flank and were continuing to widen it.
"Alakazam, Annihilape, return and support."
"Charizard, prepare to counterattack."
Noticing that Senior Rank Gyarados were attempting to surround and capture Annihilape and Alakazam, Gu Yuan ordered them to return.
Facing the massive Gyarados swarm, Gu Yuan did not aim to defeat too many of the Senior Rank Gyarados, but only to tie up more of them. By doing so, when their Intermediate Rank combat power was severely depleted, Nori's side could initiate a chain reaction, using more Intermediate Rank combatants to tie up the Senior Rank Gyarados. The remaining Senior Rank combat power could then coordinate with Nori to attack the Ace Rank Gyarados.
With Phantom Force and Teleport, Annihilape and Alakazam quickly appeared behind the Gyarados who were pursuing Gu Yuan.
"You've chased us for long enough. Allow me to give you a proper greeting."
"Ditto, use Helping Hand on Charizard."
"Charizard, continuous Hurricane attack!"
Gu Yuan's command sounded. Charizard, leveraging the speed boost from Flame Charge, used Hurricane twice in a very short time. Sweeping up seawater, the two waterspouts converged to sandwich the five Gyarados.
"Roar!" x5
Roars sounded in unison, and the five Gyarados cooperated flawlessly.
Three Gyarados used Hurricane to resist Charizard's attack, while the remaining two used Hydro Pump to attack Gu Yuan and Charizard in the air.
What the five Gyarados failed to notice was that Alakazam and Annihilape had quietly appeared behind them.
Alakazam struck first, using Teleport combined with Ally Switch to instantly move one Gyarados in front of the Hydro Pump, blocking the attack for Charizard.
Annihilape's attack was even simpler: a single punch destroyed the Hydro Pump instantly, and the Gyarados that launched the Hydro Pump was also defeated!
In a single confrontation, the five Gyarados had already lost one.