When Team Magma attacked Wattson, weren't you afraid you would never return to the world?" Aoki said.
The woman from Team Magma froze slightly at his words.
"Forget it, I'll capture you first and then ask." Aoki abandoned further questioning and chose direct action.
As for her companion, whether he had fled or hidden, it did not alter Aoki's resolve. She might be stalling for time, and Aoki refused to wait any longer.
He threw out four Poké Balls.
Honchkrow, Blaziken, Politoed, and Swampert appeared together.
Upon their arrival, Aggron and Swampert were the most eager for battle.
The rain did not come—Politoed's control over rainfall had grown stronger.
Seeing Aoki's summoned Pokémon, the woman's expression turned grave. She released three more Poké Balls, bringing her total to four: Pidgeot, Magcargo, Camerupt, and Houndoom.
Aoki's system scanned their data:
Pokémon: Camerupt (Light Cyan)
Gender: Male
Level: 56
Type: Fire/Ground
Ability: Magma Armor
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Heavy Slam, Ancient Power, Heat Wave
Basic Moves: Rock Slide, Fissure, Flamethrower, Screech, Tackle, Ember, Focus Energy, Magnitude, Flame Burst, Amnesia, Smog, Earth Power, Curse, Take Down, Yawn, Earthquake, Fire Blast
Learnt Moves: Iron Head, Earth Power, Stomp, Snore
TM Moves: Rock Tomb, Fire Spin, Rock Blast
This Camerupt was the strongest among her team, a pseudo-Champion-level Pokémon. The others were also pseudo-Champion-tier, though slightly weaker.
Aoki narrowed his eyes. Trainers of this caliber in Team Magma were second only to admins. This confirmed the significance of the incident.
He had to keep her alive.
Facing a pseudo-Champion trainer no longer fazed him—he even saw her as a test for Aggron and the others, especially since Aggron was still relatively weak against Fire-types.
"Aggron, Head Smash!"
"Blaziken, Swords Dance, then High Jump Kick!"
"Politoed, Hydro Pump!"
"Swampert, Hammer Arm!"
Aoki commanded all four Pokémon to unleash their strongest attacks.
Aggron charged fearlessly at Camerupt and Magcargo, undeterred by their Fire typing. Though Steel was weak to Fire, Aggron's diamond-hardened body had developed a non-metallic layer resistant to flames.
Aggron raised one arm defensively, enduring Camerupt's Flamethrower until his limb glowed red-hot, then switched arms. Politoed followed, dousing the flames with Hydro Pump to ease Aggron's assault.
Swampert shattered the ground with a mighty stomp, then swung his fists down upon Magcargo.
Blaziken, boosted by Swords Dance, moved last but struck first—his speed leaving a blur through the smoke.
BOOM—
Hydro Pump clashed with Flamethrower, erupting in steam. Then—
CRASH!!!
The earth beneath Camerupt heaved as Swampert's Hammer Arm split the battlefield.
Blaziken's High Jump Kick struck Camerupt's face mid-Flamethrower, launching it like a cannonball through the smoke. It plowed through trees before collapsing, unable to rise.
With Camerupt down, Aggron became an unstoppable tank. Politoed used him as a springboard, leaping high to slam an Ice Punch into Pidgeot's wings.
CRACK—
The ice shattered, and Pidgeot plummeted.
Still airborne, Politoed fired a Water Gun at Magcargo—Swampert's latest victim—to slow his own descent.
Pidgeot became a makeshift soccer ball.
Aggron, charging at full force, became the striker.
GOAL!
His 150-power Head Smash, combined with Politoed's Ice Punch, left Pidgeot's bones shattered.
As the smoke cleared, the battlefield was in ruins.
Swampert pinned Magcargo in a crater. Aggron's charge had gouged trenches. Blaziken's kick had felled Camerupt.
Only Houndoom remained, surrounded by Aoki's team— trembling, utterly outmatched.
Camerupt, finally rising in the distance, took one look at the devastation, then deliberately collapsed again, shooting Houndoom a glance that said:
You're on your own.