Silas defiantly looked up at the newcomers. There were 5 of them, each riding atop a Fearow and circling above the water like predators that had just discovered wounded prey. Their pokemon were roughly level 39 as well, making them respectable trainers by ordinary standards.
The trainers wasted no time. Each tossed out a pokeball, releasing 2 Poliwrath, a Seadra, a Blastoise, and a Dewgong into the ocean. The water pokemon immediately began swimming aggressively toward the injured group.
Silas gritted his teeth as pain surged throughout his body. His left arm was broken, his left leg was shattered, and several ribs were cracked. Even breathing hurt. Yet he forced himself to focus. They weren't dead yet.
That meant the fight wasn't over.
Drawing upon every remaining scrap of psychic energy and aura available to him, Silas borrowed power from Electabuzz and Monferno while pushing his own reserves beyond their limits. He released Ursaring and Frogadier beside him.
Most people would have questioned releasing a bear pokemon into the middle of the ocean.
Ursaring was actually a capable swimmer.
The massive bear immediately let out a roar and used Belly Drum. The move churned the surrounding seawater and generated waves that spread outward in every direction. The approaching water pokemon accelerated as if they understood the danger, but Frogadier was already moving.
An Ice Beam shot across the ocean's surface. The attack wasn't intended to inflict major damage. Instead, it froze large portions of the water between the groups. The advancing pokemon were forced to slow down as they broke through the newly formed ice sheets.
The delay was exactly what Silas needed.
Ursaring completed its power up.
Green energy gathered in one of its paws as a glowing orb rapidly formed to unleash Seed Bomb.
This was one of Silas' hidden trump cards. Most opponents expected Ursaring to be a close-range monster. Very few expected ranged attacks, and even fewer understood that moves like Seed Bomb scaled with Ursaring's monstrous physical strength.
The first Seed Bomb flew forward like a cannonball.
BOOM!
One of the Poliwrath took the attack head on and was blasted backward through the water. Before it could recover, a second and third Seed Bomb struck.
Ursaring unleashed them continuously.
Each attack carried terrifying force due to Belly Drum.
The advancing pokemon immediately found themselves under immense pressure. The Poliwrath struggled to move forward. Seadra was forced into constant evasive maneuvers. Even Blastoise slowed its advance and focused on defense.
Silas couldn't help but smile despite the pain.
This was exactly why he had invested so heavily into Ursaring.
While Ursaring suppressed the enemy advance, Frogadier attacked. The ninja pokemon moved like a phantom across the battlefield, using the ocean itself as cover.
One moment he was above the surface, the next he had vanished beneath it.
Then he leapt up and used his Acrobatics and Cut combination.
The combination attack flashed through the battlefield. Seadra never even saw it coming.
The water dragon stiffened before collapsing into the ocean. Frogadier immediately redirected his momentum and struck Dewgong moments later.
The attack sequence was clean and efficient.
Frogadier had become increasingly dangerous over the past few months, and the transformation impressed Silas every time he witnessed it.
Blastoise managed to survive by using Withdraw moments before a fatal blow landed. The defensive maneuver saved its life. The 2 Poliwrath were even tougher. Both were level 43 and neither intended to fall easily.
The trainers responded quickly. Each released 2 additional pokemon.
Several appeared above the water while others surfaced nearby, rapidly increasing their numerical advantage. Silas immediately recognized the problem.
There were far too many opponents.
Meanwhile, Ursaring was terrorizing the group of water Pokémon.
The bear had become the centerpiece of the battlefield. Every Seed Bomb threatened to cripple another pokemon. Ursaring's accuracy was deadly.
Every second he remained active increased enemy losses.
They had no way to get close and remove him.
Silas noticed glowing lights forming throughout the battlefield.
Hyper Beam.
Every single pokemon was preparing one. His expression darkened as the attacks converged on him.
Multiple beams merged into a single terrifying bombardment aimed directly at Ursaring.
The bear immediately reacted and used Protect. A shimmering barrier formed around him.
Then the attacks landed and the ocean erupted yet again.
Water shot skyward while shockwaves spread in every direction. The explosion resembled artillery fire striking the surface.
Frogadier escaped underwater moments before impact.
Ursaring wasn't as fortunate. Even though he was a capable swimmer, his mobility couldn't compare to true aquatic pokemon.
The barrage overwhelmed him. Protect wasn't enough to withstand that level of concentrated firepower.
When the water finally settled, Ursaring floated unconscious upon the surface. The massive bear had suffered severe injuries protecting him.
Silas immediately recalled him. Ursaring had done well despite the circumstances.
What truly concerned Silas wasn't Ursaring's defeat. It was what he was hearing through the communications channel.
The mission had failed.
Only 17 Elite Officers remained alive from the original force of 60. Every support squad except theirs had been wiped out. Many survivors had been captured by League forces.
The meteorite had already been secured by the league. However executive Attila did escaped.
The supposed opportunity had been nothing more than a carefully prepared trap. Team Rocket had walked directly into it.
Silas felt his stomach sink. This wasn't a setback. It was a complete loss.
For a brief moment he considered continuing the fight but he knew the truth.
Victory was out of the question but survival was still possible.
Using every remaining ounce of psychic power, Silas gathered the pokeballs belonging to the injured group and returned their pokemon to safety. Then he reached for his secret weapon.
The Beedrill, more than 20 of them.
Fortunately, the enemy pokemon had just used Hyper Beam and were temporarily immobilized. The timing couldn't have been better.
Silas threw every ball. Lights flashed across the battlefield.
A swarm of intermediate and pseudo advanced Beedrill appeared around the enemy formation.
Silas intentionally released them near the opposing trainers and pokemon while keeping the queen Beedrill in reserve.
Chaos erupted instantly.
The Beedrill attacked with Poison Jab the moment they appeared. Fearow scattered. Water pokemon turned to defend their trainers.
The enemy formation collapsed into confusion exactly as Silas intended.
Pure chaos.
The surviving trainers immediately began shouting commands while trying to reorganize their forces. Unfortunately for them,
Beedrill excelled at creating panic. Several trainers were forced to focus on protecting themselves rather than pursuing Silas and the others.
That brief distraction was all he needed.
Silas quickly produced breathing masks and handed one to each survivor.
"Follow me."
Then he activated his psychic power to assist everyone in moving.
The group descended deeper and deeper into the water as fast as Silas could manage.
Frogadier assisted by guiding them through the water while keeping watch for pursuit.
Everyone looked terrible. They all had combination of broken bones, bruises, and exhaustion. They were essentially walking corpses, Silas included.
Every second felt heavier than the last. The exertion all became increasingly difficult to bear. His vision blurred and thoughts slowed.
The psychic energy sustaining them weakened. Silas realized he was losing consciousness.
Before darkness claimed him completely, he activated his communicator and sent out an SOS.
Then everything went black.
Because of Silas' quick thinking, they survived.
The submarine crew had been operating under standing orders to remain nearby in case survivors appeared.
They had already begun preparing to leave when Silas' distress signal arrived. Immediately changing course, they followed the signal and discovered 6 unconscious officers drifting in the depths.
The sight was horrifying.
Every survivor had suffered severe injuries. Multiple pokemon were critically wounded. The crew quickly recovered everyone and rushed back toward Diglett's Cave.
As the submarine disappeared into the darkness of the ocean depths, nobody aboard knew who would wake up first.
Or if some of them would wake up at all.