"Thanks, Sable. Don't forget to put on the Deep Suit," Alex said before ending the call.
He looked back at the captain, unbothered by the news. Alex was as relaxed as ever.
"You knew," the captain said, narrowing his eyes. "You knew I was stalling to evacuate the base."
"I guess having a daughter has made me soft," Alex replied with a light smile that quickly twisted into a feral grin, hungry for battle. "Besides, I don't need to threaten your family to beat you."
The captain returned a wild grin of his own, eager to start the fight with Alex. They stared each other down with wild eyes, looking for the smallest opportunity to take the advantage.
There was a bar between them, so neither would be able to jump over it before the other could release their Pokémon. This ensured they both had a relatively fair start to the battle.
All that was needed was the trigger.
Just then, the sound of the Leviathan's Maw's horn blasted throughout the cavern, signaling their departure. The captain heaved a sigh of relief that his family was already safe and sound, along with most of the supplies. Now, there was nothing holding him back from fighting at his best.
Suddenly, a glass shattered against the captain's face, liquor and shards blinding him for an instant.
Alex seized the moment, vaulting over the bar in one fluid motion. Sliding across the counter, he hooked his legs around the captain's shoulder and clamped down on his wrist. Twisting hard, he tried to force the arm into a lock and bring the captain down before he could recover.
Unfortunately, the arm refused to budge. The captain's physique wasn't a joke. He wasn't just a Champion ranked trainer but also someone who clearly worked out. Physically, he was an entire rank above Alex, which meant brute force wasn't an option.
If anything, Alex was the one who had to be careful. The captain was stronger, and getting grabbed or overpowered would be the end of him. He was well-trained, but any fighter knows that strength always matters between two skilled opponents, and the captain was no slouch.
Alex realized he was screwed if the captain managed to get his hands on him, so he quickly pulled back to create space. There was no way he'd be able to apprehend the man physically.
He kicked the captain square in the chest and tried to launch himself backward, but the man caught his foot before he could break away. Alex was yanked off balance, swung into the shelves of liquor, then slammed hard onto the counter. He struggled to wrestle his foot free, but the captain, half-blinded and furious, clung to it with a death grip, refusing to let go of the only advantage he'd managed to seize.
Off to the side, Toxicroak and Aegislash clashed. Unfortunately for Toxicroak, all of its STAB moves were useless against the Steel/Ghost type, leaving the fight one-sided as Aegislash struck with Psycho Cut to deal maximum damage.
Two Pokémon and their trainers clashed, trading victories and defeats, while the others remained in their Poké Balls, ready to join at a moment's notice.
Alex, being manhandled by the captain, needed to break free. He reached for the captain mid-swing and drove a punch into his throat. The liquor burning the captain's eyes left him half-blind, and the sudden pain forced him to release Alex to recover.
By the time Alex had kicked himself away, Aegislash had already cut Toxicroak down, forcing the captain to recall his fainted Pokémon.
Now it was the captain against Alex and Aegislash, locked in a standstill, with the only path forward a full-on Pokémon battle.
"Fight!" the captain shouted as he released his team in the room.
Alex, meanwhile, jumped out the window with Aegislash covering his retreat. Behind him, an explosion rocked the room as a Wailord materialized inside, blowing the mansion wide open in a blast of shattered wood and stone. Debris rained down on Alex, who released his team the moment his feet hit the ground.
"There he is!" someone shouted from the docks.
"Get him!"
Alex turned and quickly assessed the situation. The rabble approaching were a mix of Elite and Expert ranked pirates who had stayed behind. The Wailord was right on top of them, getting ready to jump down from the mansion, blocking the captain's way. There was a Champion ranked Gyarados released inside the mansion as well, ready to let loose once the blockage was cleared.
"Send the defense team against the rabble to hold them off. Have the attack team target Blackwake's Pokemon. Raticate with Arcanine, handle Gyarados. And send someone to go pick up Sable and my gear," Alex ordered in quick succession as he leapt onto Steelix, gaining a better vantage point while keeping clear of the battlefield.
Suddenly, a black shadow dived from the cavern's ceiling, aiming straight for Alex. It was Honchkrow, which had been keeping overwatch on the evacuation to ensure it went as ordered. Now that its task was done, it turned on Alex, who seemed the weakest of those present.
Just as it was about to strike with a Night Slash from up close, another pair of shadows darted out to intercept. The Crobat couple. One threw up a Protect to shield Alex, while the other spat Toxic, poisoning Honchkrow and putting a timer on its head.
It retreated from its failed attempt, but the Crobat couple chased after it. They might not have been part of the attack or defense team, but they were trained for aerial combat nonetheless, and they excelled at targeting fleeing prey.
The defense team, having received their orders, formed into a neat formation and began alternating Protect with area-of-effect attacks like Surf, Dazzling Gleam, and Rock Slide against the rabble. To the pirates' credit, they managed to form their own formations to block the incoming strikes while returning fire.
Their special attacks clashed midair, colliding in bursts of light and shockwaves that rippled through the cavern. The impact spawned a storm of raw energy that spun wildly, scattering debris and forcing nearby combatants to brace themselves against the pressure. None were harmed, their rotating defenses absorbing the worst of it, but the air trembled with each exchange. By far, it was the most volatile section of the battlefield, each clash threatening to bring down the cavern that shielded them from the crushing weight of the water outside.
In the meantime, Wailord seemed stuck, so the captain temporarily recalled it and unleashed the rest of his team into the battle. Leading the charge was Gyarados, which let out a mighty Roar aimed at scattering Alex's Pokémon.
Most resisted the urge to flee, but the weaker ones, Weezing, the Maushold, Espeon, Zoroark and Tsareena, couldn't hold their ground. They broke ranks, creating chaos on their side of the battlefield and leaving their section unattended.
Fortunately, the attack team moved in, engaging Gyarados, Sharpedo, and Kingdra as they darted out from the mansion. Rather than form neat lines, however, they rushed into direct melee, fighting their targets two to one.
Raticate unleashed a Thunder at Gyarados, who was hard to miss as it charged straight for them, while riding on Arcanine for mobility. They circled the mansion at top speed while locating a better battleground for an uninterrupted fight.
Kommo-o squared off against Kingdra, driven by draconic pride, while Togekiss supported with Wish. The two dragons traded Dragon Pulses and Outrages in relentless succession, relying on raw power over finesse as they fought to assert dominance.
Dusknoir and Ceruledge, meanwhile, defended themselves against a rabid Sharpedo that darted around, trying to land a vicious Crunch. Given their weakness to Dark type attacks, the two opted to defend and stall, buying time for the rest of the team to finish their battles before moving in to assist.
Out of nowhere, a Wailord materialized midair over Alex as the captain finally joined the battle with a revived and healed Toxicroak, ready for action. In response, Gardevoir unleashed the most powerful Expanding Force she could muster. She aimed to deflect the falling blubber rather than resist its fall. She wasn't confident she could hold Wailord in the air after all.
The Expanding Force exploded in the center of the attack team's area, pushing Wailord away from the captain and the rest of his team, isolating it out of the fight.
"Steelix, delay the Wailord," Alex commanded. "Rotom, go help."
Steelix rushed toward Wailord to serve as a distraction while Alex's phone flew overhead. He, meanwhile, jumped down from Steelix to engage an opponent of his own.
"You've got balls picking a fight with me and my crew on our home turf," the captain boasted.
"What can I say?" Alex replied. "I liked my odds."
The pair looked around, assessing the battle unfolding around them. Overall, Alex and his team were without a doubt showing the strongest results. They either had their opponents locked down or were on the verge of winning, momentum that would eventually cascade into a major advantage, leading to victory.
"You're a strong trainer, I'll give you that," the captain admitted, noting Alex's Pokémon's performance. "Good thing you're fighting me on my home turf."
From the water at the docks, an army of over a hundred Gyarados of all ranks burst forth. They shot through the air, filling nearly the entire cavern as they converged on Alex and his team in a frenzied charge.
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