Lucario channeled his strength mixed with anger wholeheartedly, transforming it into a Thunder Punch that surged into the water.
This time, the creatures lurking closer in the water couldn't withstand it any longer. They thrashed violently in the water before retreating to deeper, more distant areas.
Judging by the sounds, Roy estimated there were only three or four of them nearby.
It seemed there were many more creatures in these waters.
Lucario suddenly felt a sharp pain in his fist and quickly pulled it back out.
Roy could see two neat rows of blood spots arranged on Lucario's hand.
They were unmistakably tooth marks—specifically, fang marks.
"Do you recognize what made these?" Lucario looked at Roy with trusting eyes.
Roy scratched his head, thinking to himself: We're not biologists here.
So he raised his head to try to locate Caroline's position, but the heavy fog completely obscured his vision.
"I'm not entirely sure either."
Lucario looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of something.
But whatever was in the water moved incredibly fast, disappearing in an instant. The water's surface became so calm it was as if they'd imagined the entire encounter.
Roy frowned, silently considering how to deal with Pokemon attacking from underwater.
These Pokemon seemed highly aggressive and operated in groups. Even now, they had no idea how many were lurking beneath the surface.
Under such circumstances, Roy absolutely couldn't allow Blastoise to rush into the water.
Moreover, the fog had obstructed their line of sight. Without knowing Caroline's exact location, he couldn't risk wading through for the time being.
Roy had no choice but to keep calling out, checking on Caroline's condition.
He genuinely couldn't comprehend what kind of Pokemon was capable of defeating an Elite-level trainer and her Pokemon, then kidnapping the trainer herself.
And this wasn't just any trainer—this was an urban legend, the Queen of Psychic herself.
This was the kind of story that would get you laughed at if you told anyone, honestly.
With such powerful strength, why not go out to battle, gain experience, and become famous? Why stay here doing this petty work?
Actually, why lurk here at all?
"Caroline, how are you holding up?"
For some reason, Roy felt that Caroline's voice sounded slightly stronger than before.
"I'm alright."
"I just... don't have much strength left."
When Caroline spoke again, this time Roy truly sensed a change in distance.
Because the speaking duration was so brief, the change was more noticeable.
But hadn't Caroline felt it herself?
"Do you feel like you're moving?"
"Where exactly are you?"
Roy thought he'd asked a foolish question and was mentally kicking himself when he heard news he hadn't expected.
"I can see Ms. Caroline," Lucario's steady voice sounded beside Roy.
"What? That's excellent news!"
Lucario nodded and continued.
"She's on the water, tied to a rock."
"The rock... is moving?"
Lucario looked back and blinked his strained eyes.
Lucario's words completely baffled Roy.
"What do you mean 'the rock is moving'?"
Lucario shook his head, indicating he didn't know either.
"What about Gardevoir? Isn't she by Caroline's side?"
Lucario thought for a moment, and after confirming he hadn't seen Gardevoir anywhere, he shook his head with a negative response.
"I didn't see any sign of Gardevoir."
Time suddenly became critical. It was obvious the creatures in the water realized they'd been exposed and wanted to transfer Caroline to another location.
The water at Roy's feet had begun rising slowly without them noticing.
Suddenly, a black figure burst from the water with its mouth wide open, revealing a well-armed body with white fangs and razor-sharp teeth as it lunged toward Lucario.
That menacing appearance suggested it intended to bite Lucario, then drag him to the bottom of the sea.
Roy was the first to sense the overwhelming malice through his Aura power, which he'd been maintaining for vigilance.
Roy shouted, "Get out of the way!"
In order to see Caroline's position clearly, Lucario had waded into the water, though he'd only stepped on the edge.
However, the black shadow was extremely fast, as if it had been lurking in the water for a long time, waiting to target Lucario.
The moment it broke the surface, a huge splash of water struck Lucario.
Lucario was startled and quickly retreated, but it was still a moment too late. A long gash was torn across his right arm by the shadow's fangs.
Roy looked on with concern—it was truly a case of an old wound not yet healed before a new one appeared.
Fortunately, Lucario's reflexes were sharp; otherwise, he might have been caught off guard and dragged into the water by the shadow.
Roy rushed forward to examine the wound and found no traces of venom around it, which brought him considerable relief.
Lucario's defensive power was quite strong now, and for him to be injured by teeth alone meant this Pokemon shouldn't be underestimated.
Roy recalled the very distinctive yellow scar he'd just glimpsed, and a shadow of a particular Pokemon species was slowly forming in his mind.
"We need to hurry and chase after Ms. Caroline. They're getting farther and farther away," Lucario urged.
Roy nodded and took out Salamence's Poke Ball.
Blastoise seemed to communicate from his ball: Really not going to consider me?
Perhaps Roy sensed the disappointment emanating from Blastoise.
Roy lightly touched Blastoise's Poke Ball with one hand.
"Don't worry, it'll be your turn to shine soon enough."
Blastoise perked up immediately, even shaking the Poke Ball slightly twice.
Anyone who lies is a puppy!
Roy smiled and threw out Salamence's Poke Ball.
After Salamence emerged from the Poke Ball, he spread his massive blood-red wings and performed a stretching motion.
Then he shook his enormous head, displaying his excitement.
"Roar!"
We're going to chase them down? Leave it to me!
Roy directed Lucario to climb onto Salamence's back first.
This way, Lucario could also serve as Salamence's eyes to guide their way.
After several days of practice, Salamence had greatly improved his mastery of air currents.
The question was whether he could utilize this skill effectively in actual combat.
Salamence seemed to have guessed Roy's concern and flapped his wings, dispersing the thick fog around them slightly.
He was eager to show off his new abilities.
When Roy climbed onto Salamence's back, the dense fog that had been scattered moments ago instantly gathered again, enveloping the space they'd just occupied.
"It seems the fog is getting thicker," Lucario observed.
Roy nodded—he'd noticed this as well.
"This fog... it seems to be controlled by something. How strange."
But time was running out.