The two rested for a moment before stepping back onto their surfboards and continuing their journey into the distance.
The sunlight spilled over the sea, making it shimmer. The sea breeze, carrying a salty and damp scent, brushed gently against their cheeks.
The surfboards carved white lines across the ocean surface, and the waves rhythmically slapped against the boards.
As they gradually ventured deeper into a deep-water area far from the shore, the originally peaceful waters suddenly showed signs of abnormality.
The sea surface began to churn irregularly, and a massive whirlpool slowly but steadily formed ahead, as if a giant beast of the deep sea was about to awaken.
Almost simultaneously, three pitch-black speedboats with prominent Team Aqua markings on their hulls came crashing through the waves.
They were incredibly fast, the roar of their engines tearing through the tranquility of the sea. Dragging behind the speedboats were large, menacing high-pressure fishing nets with fine mesh and sharp edges—clearly not intended for benevolent fishing.
"Team Aqua?"
Brawly's brows furrowed, and his gaze instantly became sharp. As the Gym Leader of the Wudou Gym, he felt duty-bound to protect these waters.
Ariel's eyes immediately locked onto the figures on the speedboats.
This group of Team Aqua members wore uniform blue outfits, their faces bearing arrogant and numb expressions.
They were clearly a low-level search squad of Team Aqua, using Ultrasonic Devices installed on the front of the speedboats to recklessly drive and harvest the Carvanha and Wailmer in this area.
Ariel was all too familiar with such behavior. Team Rockets had done similar things; only the targets were different, while the methods were identical.
The leader on one of the speedboats, a Scarred Burly Man, gestured toward them and shouted foul language:
"Hey! You two getting in the way! If you know what's good for you, get out of here! Don't be busybodies!"
His voice was scattered by the sea breeze, but his arrogant and overbearing attitude was clearly conveyed.
"Busybodies?"
Brawly gave a cold laugh. His surfboard suddenly pivoted, heading straight for the speedboat.
"In these waters, I, Brawly, call the shots!"
As a Fighting-type Gym Leader, he was not just a Trainer, but also the protector of Dewford Town.
He would never sit idly by while Team Aqua engaged in such actions that destroyed the ecology and endangered pokémon.
A cold light flashed in Ariel's eyes.
As a member of Team Rockets himself—another evil organization—he wasn't about to let anyone push him around.
Furthermore, his gaze landed on an exquisite waterproof package hanging from the Scarred Burly Man's waist.
The material and design of that package suggested it was extraordinary; it likely contained some important resources for Team Aqua, or perhaps even some special items.
This was an unexpected windfall that could not be missed.
On the sea, the only footing was the surfboards beneath their feet.
This was undoubtedly a massive test for Ariel's pokémon.
They needed to maintain their balance on unstable surfboards while simultaneously launching precise attacks in the churning seawater.
This tested not only their combat power but also their adaptability and control over the environment.
The Team Aqua speedboats clearly noticed Ariel and Brawly's movements. They stopped driving the pokémon and turned their targets toward these two meddling guys.
The engines of the three speedboats roared, their bows lifting like three sharp arrows as they quickly charged at the two, determined to crush them beneath the waves.
"They're coming for us!"
Ariel quickly shouted to Brawly, his voice steady without a hint of panic.
"I'll take the one on the left; the two on the right are yours!" The one on the left he pointed to was exactly the speedboat where the Scarred Burly Man was.
Brawly glanced at Ariel, a hearty smile curling at the corner of his mouth:
"Alright! Watch me take these guys down!"
The battle lines were instantly drawn.
Ariel's surfboard was like an arrow released from a bow, charging straight at the speedboat on the left. He held nothing back, directly releasing Krokorok and Sneasel.
"Krokorok, Sand Attack!" Ariel barked in a low voice.
Krokorok, lying flat on the surfboard, almost merged with it.
It suddenly raised its head and spat out a large amount of fine sand and dust.
Carried by the sea breeze, the dust instantly spread, blanketing the cockpit of the left speedboat.
The Team Aqua members were caught off guard. Their vision was instantly blurred, and the speedboat's course began to deviate.
Following that, Ariel's voice rang out again: "Sneasel, Icy Wind!"
Sneasel's figure leaped nimbly on the surfboard, its claws condensing a bone-chilling cold air.
This was a new skill Sneasel had mastered during special training—Icy Wind!
A visible ice-blue chilling air, carrying a piercing coldness, whistled toward the speedboat's hull and propeller.
Where the cold air touched, the hull was immediately covered in a thin layer of frost, and the propeller's rotation speed visibly slowed, making a "creak-creak" grinding sound. The speedboat's speed dropped abruptly, making it appear clumsy on the sea.
Just as Krokorok and Sneasel completed their coordination, an azure figure, like a released arrow, zipped through the seawater.
It was Froakie! It was like a fish in water, its movements incredibly agile.
Froakie suddenly accelerated, its body leaving a blurred afterimage underwater.
It precisely bypassed the turbulence created by the speedboat's propeller and reached the engine nozzle at the stern.
The long-charged Water Pulse condensed into an expanding blue Energy Ball in its mouth, and with a powerful hydraulic impact, it slammed into the speedboat's engine nozzle.
"Boom!"
A dull explosion erupted underwater. The Energy Ball burst instantly, and the vast flow of water, carrying the impact force, poured directly into the engine's interior.
The speedboat's hull shook violently, and the engine let out a piercing wail before coming to a dead stop.
A strong smell of burning accompanied by black smoke rose from the nozzle. The speedboat, like a giant beast whose backbone had been removed, instantly lost power and sat paralyzed, spinning in the water.
"What happened?!"
The Scarred Burly Man cursed loudly inside the cockpit. He hammered the steering wheel, only to find that the speedboat was completely out of control.
With his vision blurred by Sand Attack and the engine suddenly stalling, this unexpected turn of events threw him into total disarray.
Ariel's surfboard didn't slow down at all, charging right up to the side of the paralyzed speedboat.
With a light tap of his toes, he jumped steadily onto the speedboat's deck. Krokorok and Sneasel followed closely behind, leaping up and scanning the surroundings warily.
"You bastard!" The Scarred Burly Man rushed out of the cockpit, holding a Fishing Spear with a tip that glinted coldly. Behind him followed two Team Aqua members holding Electric Batons.
Ariel ignored the man's cursing. His gaze only lingered on the package for a split second before sweeping over the man's pokémon. Two Poké Balls hung from the man's waist, clearly his main force.
"Want to steal my stuff? You're dead!" The burly man roared, being the first to throw a Poké Ball.
A red light flashed, and a Sharpedo appeared on the deck, its sharp teeth glinting with a cold light and its eyes fierce.
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