"ROAR!!"
Magmortar felt its Trainer's pain and crisis, whipping its head around.
When it saw Tabitha's wretched state, its flaming eyes instantly turned blood-red!
It let out a furious roar, aimed the cannons on its arms toward Krokorok, and unleashed a searing white-hot pillar of fire several times thicker than before!
However, Krokorok didn't linger for a moment after landing its strike.
The instant it bit off the arm, it released its grip, pushed off with all four limbs, and shot backward like a black lightning bolt!
BOOM!
The fire pillar missed, exploding on the spot where it had just been, leaving a molten crater several meters in diameter with crimson lava slowly flowing at the bottom.
A dangerously close call!
Ariel's figure emerged from behind a rock and arrived beside Laic.
Laic was holding a bottle of Team Rockets' special Potion spray, vigorously applying it to the wounds on Crobat, Machamp, and Gyarados.
As the purple medicinal liquid contacted the wounds, white smoke rose, and the gruesome burns visibly healed at a remarkable speed.
Seeing Ariel approach, Laic whistled and winked at him:
"Not bad, pulling off another sneak attack—I like it!"
Ariel ignored his teasing, his gaze falling on the distant, tottering Tabitha.
"Ugly bastard, still want to fight?"
After tending to his Pokémon, Laic straightened up and shouted provocatively in Tabitha's direction,
"Your daddy here has energy to spare; I could play with you till dawn! But you, tsk tsk, lost an arm. Keep bleeding a while longer, and you'll be ready for a dirt nap, won't you?"
Tabitha's expression could no longer be described as merely ugly.
It was an ashen, deathly pallor.
He had miscalculated, completely and utterly.
He had anticipated Laic being troublesome, but he hadn't anticipated that the masked youth he'd dismissed as an extra would be the real killing blow.
More importantly, the Dark-type energy inside his body! That sinister force was continuously gnawing away at his vitality. Without professional treatment, he would truly die!
He could feel his consciousness beginning to blur.
The enemy only needed to stall; without even lifting a finger, he would die from blood loss and energy erosion.
But... he couldn't accept it!
He had sacrificed Magmortar's potential, paid such a heavy price, only to end up with such a humiliating outcome!
His chest heaved violently, his venomous gaze fixed on Ariel and Laic, wishing he could devour them alive.
But reason, or rather the instinct to survive, ultimately triumphed over fury.
As long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood!
He would remember this grudge today! As long as he lived, he would definitely have a chance for revenge!
That guy called Ariel! And this little brat who ambushed me!
"Magmortar!"
Using the last of his strength, Tabitha roared out,
"Take me away! Retreat!"
The enraged Magmortar stiffened. Though unwilling, its Trainer's command was absolute.
It roared, its massive hand scooping up the tottering Tabitha. The cannon on its other arm blasted flames at the ground, and using the tremendous recoil, its bulky body shot skyward, transforming into a streak of fire as it fled disgracefully into the horizon.
The battlefield finally fell quiet.
Only the scarred land remained, along with the lingering smells of scorch and blood in the air.
Laic let out a long sigh, plopping down on the ground, muttering curses:
"Damn, finally gone. Fighting that drugged-up bastard is inhuman."
Ariel didn't speak. He silently walked over to the molten crater left when Krokorok dodged the attack.
Inside the pit, lava still slowly churned, emitting astonishing heat.
He reached out, feeling the scorching temperature, his eyes deep and contemplative.
A Gym Leader Level Pokémon, after pushing its potential to the limit, could unleash such terrifying power.
Then, what spectacle must true Elite Four Level, Champion Level power present?
This world was even more dangerous, and... even more interesting than he had imagined.
He had to grow stronger, faster... Tabitha's figure completely vanished from sight, fleeing as disgracefully as a wild dog with a broken spine.
The clamor of battle quickly faded with his escape.
At the Weather Institute, Team Rockets members began cleaning up the battlefield.
They worked efficiently, using special restraint straps to bind the Magma Team members who had lost the ability to fight or were simply terrified out of their wits, stacking them together like cargo.
The remaining twenty-plus Magma Team captives—some wailing, some cursing, some silent—formed a tableau of defeat.
Ariel paid no mind to these trivial matters. His gaze passed over the crowd and settled on the already severely damaged white building.
The Weather Institute now more closely resembled a gnawed-upon skeleton.
The walls were riddled with holes large and small, the biggest one almost piercing through three floors, allowing a direct view of the sky on the other side.
Shattered glass and twisted steel rods jutted out haphazardly. Several broken pipes still spewed water futilely, forming muddy puddles on the ruins.
This place had just experienced a group battle epic enough to be recorded in history; every scar was proof of a Pokémon's formidable power.
Ariel withdrew his gaze and ordered the nearby squad leaders: "Keep watch on the captives, treat the wounded. We withdraw in fifteen minutes."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable chill that clearly reached everyone's ears amidst the background noise.
The team members immediately sprang into action without the slightest hesitation.
Alone, Ariel stepped over the rubble and debris, entering the institute's main entrance.
The scene inside the lobby was even more chaotic than outside.
Half the ceiling had collapsed, remnants of chandeliers hung down, exposed wires occasionally sparking.
The air was thick with the smell of dust and burnt electronic components.
He ignored it all, heading straight deeper into the building.
His target was clear: the control room on the top floor, which also served as the institute's entire data repository.
The stairs were broken, forcing Ariel to climb upward floor by floor using the holes blasted in the walls.
His movements were agile, like a black cat navigating the ruins, landing without a sound.
Finally, he reached the top floor.
The control room's alloy door had been completely torn off and was embedded diagonally in the opposite wall.
Inside was even more shocking.
Countless precision instruments and screens had turned to fragments. The control console was severed at the waist, cables of various colors spilled across the floor like entrails.
In the center of the room, a huge hole over five meters in diameter pierced through the floor, offering a direct view to the floor below, and even the one below that.
Wind howled up through the hole, sending scraps of paper and dust swirling through the air.
Ariel's eyes quickly scanned the devastation, finally settling on a secluded corner.
There, a silver-white upright machine about half a person's height stood quietly.
Its casing bore some scratches and smoke stains, but the main structure was intact, and its indicator light still blinked with a steady green glow.
That's it!