"Krokorok, Stomping Tantrum!" Ariel ordered decisively.
Krokorok's massive body stomped heavily onto the deck.
The wild Ground-type energy instantly spread along the hull, causing the entire Speedboat to shake violently, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
Sharpedo's attack rhythm was disrupted.
The members of Team Aqua were stumbling and unable to stand steady.
"Sneasel, Night Slash!" Ariel seized the opportunity.
Sneasel moved like lightning, navigating the shaking deck with ease.
It dodged Sharpedo's lunge, its claw blades flashing with dark energy as they precisely targeted Sharpedo's weak points.
Sharpedo let out a painful howl, its body knocked back several steps, clearly having sustained significant damage.
The Scarred Burly Man's face was ashen; he hadn't expected the opponents' coordination to be so flawless and their strength so formidable.
He glanced into the distance. Where Brawly was, the other two Speedboats were also locked in fierce combat, with roars of pokémon and flashes of energy moves constantly erupting.
Brawly's Machoke was fiercely punishing the insolent Team Aqua members with its powerful fists.
"Don't think you can beat me just like that!" The burly man gritted his teeth and threw out a second Poké Ball.
"Wailmer, use Hydro Pump!"
A gigantic Wailmer appeared on the deck. Its body took up almost half the space on the Speedboat, and the deck groaned under its weight.
Wailmer opened its mouth wide, and a thick Hydro Pump condensed, charging straight toward Krokorok and Sneasel with astonishing power.
The air current stirred up by the Hydro Pump caused the air on the deck to momentarily stagnate, and the Team Aqua members instinctively closed their eyes.
"Inkay, Protect!" Ariel's voice was steady, without a hint of panic.
A flash of light appeared in front of Ariel, and Inkay materialized. Almost immediately upon landing, it quickly retracted its tentacles, and a transparent barrier lit up around its body.
The Hydro Pump slammed into the barrier with a dull "bang." The powerful impact caused the entire Speedboat to shake violently again, and ripples spread across Inkay's barrier, but ultimately, the water column—strong enough to flip the boat—was completely nullified, sending water spraying everywhere.
The Scarred Burly Man's expression changed completely. He had thought this Hydro Pump would sweep the opponent's two pokémon right into the sea, but he hadn't expected them to have another pokémon, one that could so easily block Wailmer's move.
Ariel looked at Inkay: "I'm leaving this to you. Can you handle it?"
Inkay adjusted its flashy black eyes with a tentacle. The suction cups at the end of the tentacle trembled slightly, as if nodding, signaling to Ariel that he had nothing to worry about.
That confidence was almost palpable.
Ariel knew that Inkay was just one step away from evolution. Its internal energy reserves were almost saturated; it needed an opportunity—a battle to truly unleash its power and complete its transformation.
"Krokorok, Sneasel, Froakie, retreat." Ariel ordered, his tone calm.
Krokorok and Sneasel immediately jumped back to Ariel's side upon hearing the command.
The Froakie lurking underwater in the distance also quietly withdrew from the battlefield.
On the deck, only Inkay remained, facing off against Sharpedo and Wailmer.
Seeing this, the Scarred Burly Man was stunned for a moment, then burst into mocking laughter: "What? Know you can't win and want to use this little squid as cannon fodder? You truly are an arrogant brat who doesn't know his place!"
Ariel ignored the burly man's shouting, keeping his gaze fixed on Inkay.
"Inkay, Psycho Cut!"
Sharp purple light flashed from the tips of Inkay's tentacles. Streams of energy, solidified like blades, whistled through the air as they shot toward Wailmer.
Wailmer was massive and struggled to move on the narrow deck. Although it tried hard to twist its body, the Psycho Cut blades still struck it accurately.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The continuous barrage caused Wailmer to howl in pain. Each hit was accompanied by a burst of immense Psychic energy.
The deck groaned under the impact. Purple marks appeared across Wailmer's body, and its breathing became rapid.
"Psybeam!" Ariel continued to command.
Two distorted purple beams shot out from Inkay's eyes, striking Wailmer fiercely like whips.
The Psyshock contained within the Psybeam made Wailmer feel dizzy, completely disrupting its attack rhythm, leaving it only able to take hits.
Seeing Wailmer suppressed, the Scarred Burly Man's face turned livid.
He roared: "Sharpedo, stop standing around! Charge and use Crunch on it!"
Startled by the burly man's roar, the injured Sharpedo's ferocity was ignited. It suddenly accelerated, turning into an afterimage, and lunged toward Inkay, its sharp teeth glinting coldly.
Inkay instinctively used Psycho Cut. The purple blades sliced through the air, accurately slashing toward Sharpedo.
However, the moment Psycho Cut hit Sharpedo, it was like a clay ox entering the sea—it vanished without causing the slightest ripple.
Sharpedo is a Dark-type pokémon, completely immune to Psychic-type attacks!
"This is bad!" Ariel's heart sank.
Sharpedo's attack didn't pause for a second. It opened its massive jaws and bit toward Inkay.
Inkay reacted extremely fast, its tentacles rapidly condensing a Dark Pulse. A black energy sphere quickly swelled at the tips of its tentacles.
But before it could unleash the attack, Sharpedo was already close, its hard head slamming violently into Inkay.
"Bang!"
With a muffled sound, Inkay was violently knocked away by Sharpedo, tumbling several times across the deck before crashing heavily into the Ship's Railing.
"Krok!"
Seeing its partner injured, Krokorok's eyes flashed with anger, wanting to rush forward.
"Wait!"
Ariel reached out and stopped Krokorok.
His gaze was fixed on Inkay. Although there was a hint of worry in his eyes, there was predominantly a nearly obsessive calm.
He had been observing Inkay's condition.
It was perfectly normal for Inkay to be at a disadvantage, as both of the opponent's pokémon, Wailmer and Sharpedo, were slightly higher level than it, and Sharpedo's Dark-type completely nullified Psychic attacks.
But Ariel had a faint feeling that Inkay's evolution was about to happen—right now.
"Hahahaha! How about that? Do you know the difference now?" The Scarred Burly Man laughed triumphantly when he saw Inkay knocked away. "I told you, you're just an arrogant brat who doesn't know his place! And you think..."
Before the burly man could finish speaking, his laughter abruptly stopped, like a duck being strangled.
The knocked-away Inkay struggled up from the Ship's Railing. Its injuries were clearly visible, but what was more striking was that its entire body began to emit a dazzling white light!
The light grew brighter and brighter, almost enveloping the entire deck. A surge of immense energy pulsed violently from Inkay's body, filling every corner of the Speedboat.
"Evolution!?"
The Scarred Burly Man gasped in surprise, his eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of fear.
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