Drake slowly opened his eyes, noticing someone had arrived.
His thick white mustache twitched slightly as Drake raised a hand to straighten his captain's hat.
He wore a black high-collared long coat, left wide open at the chest to reveal his muscular physique.
"Steven," Drake began slowly, his voice deep and measured.
"I knew this day would come sooner or later once you embarked on your journey. But I didn't expect it to arrive so soon."
"After this battle, please give my regards to Joseph."
"Elite Drake, I will convey your words to my father," Steven replied, nodding respectfully.
Drake held a Poké Ball in one hand while keeping the other in his pocket. He asked in a resonant voice:
"I am Drake, the final Elite Four member of the Hoenn League. In natural environments, Pokémon exist unrestrained—sometimes they present obstacles, and sometimes they offer assistance."
"For Trainers like us who consider Pokémon as battle companions, do you know what it takes to achieve victory?"
"Do you understand the conditions required for winning?"
"If you don't know, then you will never be able to defeat me."
"Come on, Steven!"
After Drake finished speaking, he threw out a Poké Ball without waiting for Steven's response.
Battle itself was Steven's best answer.
Bang!
A flash of white light appeared, and Drake's first Pokémon was the Dragon/Flying-type Altaria!
"Altaria, huh... Go, Empoleon!"
Steven didn't send out Skarmory as he had in previous battles.
Instead, he chose to lead with Empoleon.
If Altaria employed moves like Heat Wave or Flamethrower, it would prove extremely disadvantageous for his Steel/Flying-type.
"Flamethrower!"
Neither Dragon-type nor Flying-type moves were particularly effective against Empoleon's Steel-typing.
Altaria expelled a scorching flame that resembled a swift, venomous serpent striking toward Empoleon.
"Surf!"
As soon as Empoleon materialized on the battlefield, it sensed the overwhelming pressure radiating from Altaria.
At the very least, it had to secure this victory!
Torrent... full power!!!
A turbulent surge of water rose around Empoleon's body.
With a commanding wave of its flippers, a massive tidal wave instantly erupted from beneath Empoleon's feet.
The towering wave obscured the room's lights, casting an ominous shadow upon the airborne Altaria.
Bang!
The Flamethrower was extinguished by Surf's overwhelming tidal force, which then crashed into Altaria with tremendous power.
"Break through the waves!" Drake commanded in a deep, authoritative voice.
What he feared least were waves!
He had weathered countless harsh storms while sailing the open seas.
Altaria became enveloped in brilliant blue light, charging through the cascading water and ascending above Empoleon.
"Ice Beam!"
Empoleon dared not let its guard down. It raised both flippers, condensing an ice-blue sphere of energy.
The orb discharged several zigzagging beams of light that struck directly at Altaria in the sky.
"Sky Attack!" Drake shouted with force.
The blue light surrounding Altaria intensified dramatically, forming the phantom image of a massive bird.
It resembled Brave Bird but manifested differently.
Sky Attack wouldn't inflict recoil damage on the user.
However, Sky Attack required the user to first charge power.
The phantom of the large blue bird raised its head, releasing a silent but powerful cry.
Then it plunged downward ferociously!
Its speed was extraordinary, though Altaria refused to directly tank Empoleon's Ice Beam, choosing instead to weave through the ice-blue beams as it dove!
Ice Beam struck the ceiling, forming a thick layer of ice that blocked some of the overhead lighting.
"Aim for its beak!"
Empoleon watched as Altaria closed in for collision and quickly adjusted its aim.
It targeted Altaria just as the Humming Pokémon's Sky Attack was about to connect.
Boom!
Altaria's attack landed, instantly raising a cloud of thick black smoke across the battlefield.
Empoleon's figure slid out from the smoke, looking visibly disheveled.
However, Altaria's condition wasn't much better than Empoleon's.
Having faced Empoleon at full Torrent-boosted power and taken a super-effective Ice Beam, Altaria was suffering considerably.
Even though it was an Ice Beam significantly weakened by Sky Attack's momentum.
Parts of Altaria's cotton-like wings were frozen solid, severely hampering its aerial mobility.
Steven couldn't afford to be distracted by Empoleon's injuries and immediately commanded:
"Ice Spinner!"
Empoleon stepped onto a conjured block of ice and slid rapidly toward Altaria.
"Heat Wave!"
Altaria flapped its cloud-like wings, and the battlefield's temperature rose sharply. The ice on the ceiling and coating Altaria's body quickly melted away.
As the Heat Wave swept across the field, the ice beneath Empoleon's feet also began melting rapidly.
"Icy Wind!"
Empoleon steadied itself, waving both flippers in alternating motions.
An Icy Wind carrying countless ice particles blew in opposition to the Heat Wave.
The oppressive heat made Empoleon extremely uncomfortable, and similarly, the Icy Wind caused Altaria to suffer tremendously.
"Ice Beam!"
"Overheat!"
Empoleon fired several zigzagging ice-blue beams of light.
Altaria expelled a rapidly rotating fireball of intense flames.
Wherever Ice Beam passed, scattered ice crystals fell like frozen rain.
The fireball swept past, leaving a blazing trail through the air!
Whoosh!
The fireball bloomed outward, forming a character resembling the kanji for "great"—a massive explosion of flame.
Boom!
Both attacks brushed past each other, striking their respective targets with devastating force.
Altaria transformed into an ice sculpture, its eyes spinning dazedly.
As the black smoke dispersed, Empoleon collapsed weakly onto the ground.
In its fading vision, the water dripping from the melting ceiling became increasingly blurred.
"Emp... poleon..."
Damn it...
Steven and Drake simultaneously raised their hands, recalling Empoleon and Altaria to their Poké Balls.
Then, with perfectly synchronized movements, they retrieved their next Poké Balls.
The difference was that Steven held his Poké Ball carefully before releasing his Pokémon.
Drake, conversely, simply and unceremoniously tossed his Poké Ball high into the sky.
Bang! Bang—
Two flashes of white light materialized on the battlefield.
Steven sent out Lucario.
Drake, meanwhile, deployed a Pokémon with a predominantly purple body.
It was adorned with a collar of dried kelp, possessing a seahorse-like shape. Above its head grew a reddish cross-shaped leaf, from which two horn-like dried kelp strands extended.
Two tentacle-like kelp fronds grew behind its head, and two leaf-like appendages protruded from each side of its body.
It was the Poison/Dragon-type Dragalge!
Dragalge supported its body with its tail. On land, it lacked the fluid agility it possessed in water.
Its abilities—Poison Point or Poison Touch—proved ineffective against Steel-type Lucario.
However, its Hidden Ability, Adaptability, made it a truly formidable opponent, doubling the power of its STAB moves.
Lucario's expression grew solemn.
It didn't possess Empoleon's Torrent ability to boost its offensive output dramatically.
But in this battle, it had to give everything it had!
If raw strength wasn't sufficient, then it would need to surpass its limits!
"Bone Rush!"
Lucario struck the ground forcefully, and a translucent bone materialized from the earth, which Lucario grasped firmly.
"Mud Shot!"
Dragalge's body glowed with an earthy yellow luster before it expelled an earthy yellow energy projectile from its snout.
Lucario burst forward with explosive speed, becoming a white streak across the battlefield.
Smack!
Mud Shot struck the ground where Lucario had been standing—the Aura Pokémon had already reached Dragalge's side.
It swung the bone weapon in its paws, sending Dragalge tumbling backward a short distance.
"Hydro Pump!"
While airborne, Dragalge took a deep breath and expelled a swift, thick column of pressurized water.
Pshhhh—
Lucario, preparing to follow up with a combination attack, stopped abruptly. It quickly rotated the bone in its paws to deflect some of Hydro Pump's tremendous force.
However, the bone couldn't withstand the assault for long—it dissipated shortly under Hydro Pump's relentless pressure.
"Lucario!"
Lucario howled in pain as it was forced backward more than ten meters by the Hydro Pump.
Its left leg buckled, and Lucario suddenly dropped to one knee.
It was stronger than a typical Empoleon, but not as powerful as an Empoleon with Torrent fully activated.
Not to mention the difference in their physical builds.
This Hydro Pump had severely injured Lucario.
Lucario gritted its teeth and rose to its feet, glancing down at its trembling left leg.
It suddenly raised its paw and struck its own left knee sharply. The sharp pain temporarily allowed it to ignore the weakness in that leg.
"Lucario!"
Lucario roared toward the ceiling, its eyes blazing with determination.
Steven witnessed everything.
"Lucario—"
"Ice Punch!"