The air seemed to freeze, and even the sea breeze came to a standstill.
The flocks of Pidgey and Spearow nesting in the island's forests suddenly burst out, fleeing in panic in all directions as if a natural predator was approaching.
The sound was distant at first, but within just a few breaths, it rushed from afar, turning into rolling thunder that made chests feel tight and teeth chatter.
The sky darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It wasn't sunset; rather, massive banks of cumulonimbus clouds billowed from the edge of the horizon like spilled ink, arrogantly swallowing the azure sky and the rosy clouds.
The cloud layers were thick and churning restlessly, with a faint red light flickering within them.
"Roar——!!!"
This time, it wasn't just a sound, but a pure shockwave of energy.
The entire Deserted Island shook violently under this roar. The seawater at the shore was whipped up into several-meter-high waves by an invisible force, crashing fiercely against the reefs and shattering into a sky full of white foam.
Ariel's pupils constricted sharply as he looked up toward the source of the sound.
He saw a massive vortex tear through the cloud layer, and a pokémon of unimaginably vast proportions hovered in the air.
It had a ferocious blue body, and every flap of its pair of huge, sharp, blood-red wings kicked up a gale that seemed to tear the air apart.
Salamence!
And on that Salamence's broad back, a figure stood as steady as a mountain.
He wore a cloak that flapped loudly in the gale, his white hair dancing wildly. His eyes were currently bloodshot and terrifying, and his killing intent was almost tangible.
Looking down at the small island below, there wasn't a hint of mercy in his eyes, only a rage that sought to incinerate everything.
"Since the League won't take action here, then this old man will do it personally!"
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried the pressure of an Elite Four Level, turning into a physical soundwave that reached the ears of everyone on the island clearly, like a final judgment upon this land of sin.
"Wooo——! Wooo——!!"
Ear-piercing alarms rang out across the island at the same time; it was the shriek of energy detectors being triggered by energy levels far exceeding their thresholds!
Yuki rushed out of the temporary monitoring room. On the tablet screen in her hand, a massive red light dot occupied almost the entire radar display area. The values next to it jumped frantically before finally going off the charts!
"Ruth... Lord Ruth..."
Yuki's face was deathly pale.
"It's... it's an Elite Four Level! No! It's the Elite Four! Hoenn's Dragon-type Elite, Drake has arrived in person!"
Drake!
These two words were like a heavy hammer, slamming hard against Ariel's heart.
He understood instantly.
The commotion from capturing the Gyarados was too great; they had touched the Outrage of this guardian of the ocean.
Ariel's brain worked at high speed in this moment, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
Fight back?
What a joke!
That was one of the Elite Four who stood at the pinnacle of all Trainers!
Forget the manpower he had on hand now; even if he multiplied it tenfold, it wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between that Salamence's teeth.
That pressure, that energy level—they simply weren't beings of the same dimension.
He could feel that his proud Krookodile and Malamar were currently stiff all over, their will to fight almost crushed by that Dragon-type pressure.
Escape!
They had to escape!
Ariel didn't hesitate for even a single second.
So-called dignity, plans, and ambition were worthless in the face of an absolute threat of death.
Only by staying alive could there be a future.
He turned abruptly, his gaze sharp as a knife. His voice was terrifyingly calm, instantly drowning out everyone's panic and the shrieking alarms.
"Retreat!"
"All members of Team Evil, get to the Speedboats immediately! Activate Plan B's route and evacuate at full speed!"
There was an unquestionable power in his voice that made the members act subconsciously.
Drake didn't waste a single word.
He stood upon Salamence's back, the gale making his cloak flap like a battle flag. In his bloodshot eyes burned a rage sufficient to incinerate this small island.
With no wasted movement of his arm, he swept three red-and-white Poké Balls from his waist and threw them with precision toward three different locations on the island.
The land, the beach, and high altitude.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three flashes of blinding white light exploded, and three Dragon-type Pokémon of varying forms appeared, descending with a kingly sense of oppression.
The first, Haxorus!
The moment it landed, the entire coast shuddered.
With a casual sweep of its thick, powerful tail, the clusters of hard reefs along the shore—each taller than a person—were smashed to pieces like crackers, sending stone fragments flying and dust billowing.
Its two axe-like tusks gleamed with a grim, cold light under the dim sky. It let out a low roar, declaring an absolute blockade of this land.
Any attempt to escape by land would face its merciless slashes.
The second, Flygon!
It appeared above the beach. With a sharp cry, its diamond-shaped wings began to vibrate at an ultra-high frequency.
Instantly, a gale rose, and the sand of the entire beach was swept into the high heavens, forming a wall of sand that blotted out the sun.
Sandstorm!
This wasn't just a visual interference; it was a potent shielding against all electronic signals.
The radar screens on the island were instantly occupied by a chaotic mess of static, emitting a shrill "bzzzt" electrical sound before being completely fried.
"Lord Ruth! The radar signal... it's all gone!"
A team member looked at the static-filled screen, his voice carrying an unmaskable tremor.
The Sandstorm spread rapidly, enveloping the entire Deserted Island. Visibility plummeted to less than three meters.
Dull yellow dust replaced the air. Every breath carried the grit of sand, making throats sting.
The third, Altaria!
It didn't create a massive commotion like the other two Pokémon. Instead, it turned into a streak of cyan light, piercing through the thick cumulonimbus clouds and the top layer of the newly formed Sandstorm the moment it appeared, soaring into the sky.
It circled at high altitude, its cotton-like wings spread wide. Its sharp eyes were like high-precision reconnaissance satellites, taking in the entire Sandstorm-covered island below.
Any aircraft or Pokémon attempting to break through from the air would not escape its Lock-On eyes.
And Drake himself continued to ride his ace, Salamence, patrolling the low-to-mid altitudes above the Sandstorm.
He was like a patient hunter who had laid an inescapable net, simply waiting for the prey to walk into it.
"Three minutes."
Drake's voice cut through the gale and Sandstorm, clearly reaching the ears of every Pokémon, cold and unquestionable.
"Within three minutes, turn this island upside down for me!"
The order was given.