Dozens of Gyarados converged on the surface of the sea. Gyarados were already fearsome creatures on their own — but packed together like this, with every single one of them radiating Intimidate simultaneously, the effect was something else entirely. The combined pressure of that many Intimidate abilities built into something almost physical, a crushing weight that seemed to press down on the entire stretch of water.
Gyarados aren't Dragon-types by classification, but they are considered Dragon Pokémon regardless. And because Intimidate is so prevalent among them, the domineering aura they project can actually surpass that of many true Dragon-types in raw intensity.
Every wild Pokémon in the surrounding waters felt it at once.
Staryu, Goldeen, Krabby, Chinchou, Qwilfish, Remoraid, Tentacruel — and Magikarp, an overwhelming number of Magikarp — all surfaced one after another, driven up by the sheer pressure of the Gyarados pack's presence. Not all of them would be much use in a fight, but that wasn't the point.
Under Janis's direction, the Gyarados began herding the panicked Pokémon, steering the whole mass of them in a single direction — straight toward Belon City.
The sheer concentration of Water-type Pokémon seemed to feed the weather itself. The rain, which had only just begun to ease, came back harder than before. Dark clouds thickened overhead, and the downpour built steadily as the horde of Pokémon surged toward the shore, pushed along by the Gyarados driving them forward.
"This is bad."
Naomi's expression darkened instantly. She understood what was happening. These people from the Supreme Organization were willing to manufacture a Pokémon stampede and send it crashing into a populated city. That was the kind of madness she hadn't expected, even from them.
Most of Belon City's capable trainers were out here on the water. The one left behind to hold the city was an aging trainer, near retirement, barely at quasi-Elite level. A handful of wild Pokémon, he could manage. A stampede of this scale — dozens of Gyarados pushing hundreds of panicked Water-types into the city — was a different matter entirely. That would be a disaster.
Any Magikarp that had already evolved into Gyarados in the wild would not have done so without solid talent and aptitude. Nearly every one of them would be well above the average trainer's Pokémon in strength. If they were simply unleashed inside the city, the damage would be catastrophic.
We have to stop them before they reach the shore.
Naomi bit her lip, made her decision, and threw every remaining Poké Ball she had.
"I'm counting on all of you!"
Five flashes of red light, five Pokémon: Primarina, Milotic, Pelipper, Blastoise, Swampert — alongside the Lapras she was already riding. Her full team, all at once.
"Go! Block those Gyarados!"
Her Pokémon surged forward to intercept. But almost immediately, each of them found themselves matched.
Sharpedo, Drednaw, Dragalge, Samurott, Kingdra — Janis's own Pokémon moved in with clear purpose, engaging Naomi's team one-on-one, holding each of them in place.
Every one of her Pokémon was suddenly tied up.
Should have brought more, Naomi thought, glancing over at Janis, who was watching from nearby with a small, satisfied smile.
She knew perfectly well that six Pokémon was the standard — not an arbitrary rule, but one backed by experience and evidence accumulated over generations of training. Even the most skilled trainers found that commanding more than six Pokémon effectively in a real battle was beyond what most people could manage. Keeping a full team of six coordinated in a group fight was already a significant achievement.
But she hadn't accounted for a situation like this — where her entire team would be locked down simultaneously, leaving nothing free to deal with the stampede.
The warships around them fared no better. Crew members from the Pillar of the Sea's retinue had arrived and engaged the warship personnel, keeping them occupied. To make things worse, several Supreme Organization members who had been brought aboard during the earlier rescue were now revealing themselves, causing confusion from within. One warship was effectively neutralized before it could do anything useful.
The Gyarados pack, driving the horde of panicked marine Pokémon ahead of them, continued toward Belon City unimpeded.
David watched it all quietly, his hand closing around Dragapult's Poké Ball.
This is getting complicated.
"Well?" Janis called out, her voice carrying over the rain. She was still holding her position across from Naomi, but her words were aimed squarely at David. "Are you going to hand over the Breath of the Sea God? If Belon City gets hurt because you refused, that's on you."
Naomi wasn't going to let Janis go unchallenged — but the reality was that two veteran Elite trainers locked in a standoff could go on for a long time without either of them gaining ground.
Then, without warning, the sky changed.
An immense concentration of Dragon-type energy surged high above them — sudden, dense, and overwhelming. Everyone on the water stopped what they were doing. The sheer intensity of the energy fluctuation was impossible to ignore.
A moment later, deep violet meteors came screaming down through the clouds, one after another, like falling stars dragged down to earth. Draco Meteor. Each one struck the Gyarados pack with thunderous force.
In seconds, it was over. The pack collapsed. A few Gyarados on the outer edges struggled briefly before going still. The rest had fainted where they floated, scattered across the surface of the sea, the stampede broken apart before it could reach the shore.
Derren descended from the sky, riding his Dragonite, and let himself be seen.
The reaction was immediate and split cleanly down the middle. On the Alliance side, relief spread visibly across faces. On the Supreme Organization's side, the color drained.
Janis took one look at him and turned to flee.
She was already too late.