Weavile crossed its arms in front of its chest, and a green energy shield enveloped it.
Meanwhile, Frogadier used Bounce to land accurately into a damaged fire water tank in the corner of the rooftop that still contained half a pool of water, sending up a large splash.
Crack—
The Mental Barrier shattered at the sound.
Countless molten fire sparks fell, and the rooftop instantly turned into a sea of fire.
Weavile's Protect blocked the fatal damage, but the moment the energy shield vanished, the surrounding high temperatures still caused it to cry out in distress, with the edges of its fur even showing signs of charring.
Malamar slowly descended from the air due to excessive mental energy consumption, its aura becoming somewhat listless.
Only Frogadier poked half its head out of the water tank, looking completely unharmed.
On Ariel's side, two of his three Pokémon's conditions were declining.
As for Camerupt, although it was also caught in its own fire rain, its Fire and Ground-type attributes made it nearly immune to the damage from this Attack; it had only consumed a large amount of stamina, panting heavily, and the humps on its back had dimmed considerably.
But its ferocity had been completely ignited.
Taking heavy steps, it ignored Weavile and Frogadier, walking step by step toward the mentally exhausted Malamar. It wanted to deal with this most troublesome crowd-control unit first.
"In your dreams!" Ariel's gaze turned cold.
"Frogadier, come out and use a stream of water to cool Weavile down! Then prepare Double Team!"
"Weavile, can you still move? If you can, use Slash to cut its hamstrings!"
"Malamar, hang in there! Use Psycho Cut and don't let it get close!"
The orders were concise and powerful, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.
Frogadier leapt out of the water tank, pouring a cool pillar of water onto Weavile, alleviating its burning sensation.
Weavile let out a low Growl, its eyes becoming sharp once more as it endured the pain, its figure turning into a phantom again.
Malamar forced its body to hold up, aiming its tentacles forward as visible ripples of mental energy spread out, constantly battering Camerupt's advance.
"Now's the time!"
In the instant Camerupt's movements slowed due to the Mental shockwaves, Weavile's claws glowed with a white light as it slashed fiercely at its ankle!
Pfft!
The tough skin was sliced open, and though the wound wasn't deep, it was enough to hinder Camerupt's movement.
"Roar!"
The intense pain drove Camerupt completely mad. It stomped its foot violently, and a shockwave sent Weavile flying back, crashing into a distant wall and sliding to the ground. After struggling for a bit, it stood up with difficulty.
The battle took a turn for the worse! Weavile was seriously injured by that blow!
Weavile was already a fragile assassin, and it was being suppressed by both the Fire-type disadvantage and the level gap.
Ariel's heart sank.
Camerupt didn't stop, turning its head to unleash a highly concentrated Flamethrower, aimed directly at the now-immobile Weavile! It was going for the kill!
"Frogadier!" Ariel's voice rang across the rooftop.
At the critical moment, several figures of Frogadier appeared simultaneously—it was Double Team!
One of the real bodies lunged out, condensing a Water Pulse in mid-air, not seeking to harm the enemy but only to alter the trajectory of the flames.
Boom!
The water sphere and the flames collided in mid-air, erupting into a cloud of steam that successfully diverted the fire pillar, which grazed Weavile's body and blasted into the wall, leaving a massive molten crater.
But the aftershock of the explosion still sent Frogadier flying.
The level gap was fully displayed at this moment.
As the smoke cleared, the rooftop was a mess.
Weavile was heavily injured, Frogadier lay nearby panting heavily, Malamar's mental energy was depleted, and as for Ariel, his bangs were slightly curled from the Heat Wave, and his face was stained with dust.
The opposing Camerupt wasn't doing well either; one of its legs was injured, and its body was covered in marks from Ice Shard and water Attacks. Its stamina was heavily depleted, and the magma in its humps was no longer boiling, only flowing slowly.
Both sides were battered.
But Ariel's goal had been achieved.
He had successfully used his less-than-perfect team to stall a peak Superior-level behemoth until it was exhausted.
He recalled Weavile and Malamar into their Poké Balls, leaving only Frogadier on the field to face the equally exhausted Camerupt from a distance.
The Heat Wave swirled with ash and sparks, brushing against Ariel's cheeks.
The air was filled with a strange burnt smell, mixed with the unpleasant odor of molten stone walls.
Opposite him, the behemoth-like Camerupt was in an equally dire state.
It panted heavily, each breath puffing out two streams of white vapor mixed with black smoke from its nostrils.
Frogadier's stamina was also heavily depleted; its Frubbles scarf had shriveled significantly, and while its body was tense in a defensive stance, its bright yellow eyes couldn't hide its fatigue.
Camerupt's single eye glared fixedly at Ariel and Frogadier; though exhausted, it remained conscious.
From its perspective, the opponent's two strongest fighters had exited, and this remaining little frog was merely making a final struggle.
A victor's cruelty and arrogance reconsolidated in its gaze.
It let out a low Growl, as if pronouncing the final judgment.
Ariel's bangs were slightly curled from the high heat, and the dust on his cheeks made him look as if he had just crawled out of the ruins.
He ignored Camerupt's provocation, simply looking at the ground calmly.
Frogadier was the last line of defense, but not his final trump card.
He was waiting.
Camerupt misunderstood this calmness, viewing it as a surrender.
It began to take heavy steps, preparing to crush this tiny opponent before it with one last blow.
Just then.
"Boom!"
A muffled thud, distinct from the surrounding explosions, came from the rooftop floor beneath their feet.
It wasn't a bomb, but more like an impact from some creature deep underground.
Camerupt's steps paused as it looked down at the ground in confusion. Fine cracks originated from a single point, spreading rapidly like a spiderweb.
The next second, the concrete floor suddenly exploded!
Debris of stone and rebar flew in all directions as a dark red figure, carrying an unparalleled aura of ferocity, burst out from the ground!
It was Krokorok!
It landed steadily on the ground, its limbs sinking into the edges of the pit it had created, its eyes flashing with a crimson light.
Its body was covered in a dark red viscous liquid, some of which had already dried into clumps, while some still slowly dripped from the gaps in its scales.
That wasn't its blood.
The thick scent of blood, mixed with the smell of dust, instantly overwhelmed the original burnt odor in the air.
"Roar—!"
A tyrannical roar erupted from deep within Krokorok's throat.
This wasn't an ordinary intimidation, but a pure release of power. An invisible pressure radiated outward with it as the center.
That was the nearly materialized pressure emanating from within after the Moxie ability had been stacked to its limit!
The small fry downstairs had all been dealt with by it.
Ariel didn't even need to ask; just looking at Krokorok's current state, he could imagine what kind of hearty slaughter it had undergone below.
With every opponent knocked down, its Attack power climbed another step. Now, its physical Attack had reached a terrifying peak.
Six-stage Attack boost!