But Haze is an Ice-type move—wild Sharpedo shouldn't have any way to learn it.
Besides, this phenomenon had lasted for several days, and there was a growing mist that seemed intent on enveloping the entire Alola region, which really wasn't something that could be produced by just a few Sharpedo.
Yes, after Roy's general analysis based on the available information, he'd concluded there were probably only a few Sharpedo involved.
It wasn't nearly as many as the dozen or twenty creatures that the initial commotion had suggested.
In this regard, Roy had to admit they'd really fallen for the empty fort strategy.
One was carrying Caroline, one was carrying Gardevoir, one had attacked Lucario, and Lucario's Thunder Punch had probably hit two of them.
And there was a good chance those two were actually the same one that had attacked Lucario.
That meant, if it really was the same group of Sharpedo that had fought against Blastoise before, there were five at most.
That said, it still couldn't be ruled out that there was a larger community of Sharpedo lurking in the ocean.
Roy thought to himself that if they could reach the shore of Poni Island, he absolutely needed to find Tapu Fini and get some clear answers.
But it was definitely impossible to get Tapu Fini to help in the actual fight.
They couldn't be too demanding, could they?
"He's heading toward... the geyser?"
When Lucario saw that Sharpedo's speed had begun to gradually slow down, he knew the Pokemon's destination might be approaching.
So he was quite excited at first.
But when he saw Sharpedo heading straight for the geyser without looking back, Lucario was thoroughly puzzled.
Not just Lucario—when Salamence heard Lucario's words, he wasn't only puzzled but also suddenly enlightened.
No wonder the flight felt smoother and smoother here.
Salamence, who had been practicing near the geyser, had long since become familiar with the air currents around Poni Island.
Wasn't it perfectly natural for him to find the airflow leading to the geyser now?
Salamence also had doubts in his mind, but he still keenly grasped the direction of the airflow heading toward the geyser.
His blood-red wings changed direction slightly, feeling the cool air current passing between his wings as he locked onto the clearest directional target.
"The geyser?"
"..."
Roy rubbed his chin, gradually forming an answer in his mind.
Although Lucario's eyes remained fixed on the movement of the Sharpedo in the sea below, his ears had already perked up attentively.
He was obviously very curious.
Seeing Lucario's behavior, Roy internally exclaimed how adorable it was and resisted the urge to pet the canine Pokemon's head.
The most valuable feature of Poni Island was the path through Vast Poni Canyon, which led to the Altar of the Sunne.
But the Altar of the Sunne had been there for such a long time without Sharpedo showing any unusual behavior, yet after the Altar of the Sunne became ruins—
No, more precisely, after the black tower came to Poni Island.
In Roy's recollection, Poni Island also had a place called Terminus Cave, which contained a Pokemon from another world.
It was said that this being used to live in the Ultra Megalopolis.
Speaking of these matters, one had to consider the Pokemon in that tower—Necrozma.
Could it be him?
Roy's eyebrows furrowed. This theory would completely overturn his previous idea that Sharpedo was simply seeking revenge.
Given a choice, Roy would much prefer the possibility of Sharpedo seeking revenge.
But all the facts proved that this wasn't the case at all.
"When Sharpedo comes ashore, keep watch for any other Pokemon nearby."
Both Lucario and Salamence nodded in unison.
Salamence took another dive, heading straight for Sharpedo.
The Sharpedo who had been following Salamence was also surprised when he saw the Dragon-type suddenly accelerate. He tried to speed up as well, but could only watch as Salamence forcefully kicked his partner out of the sea.
"What should we do?"
The two Sharpedo looked at each other, especially the one carrying Gardevoir, uncertain whether to advance or retreat.
Roy quickly jumped off Salamence's back.
"I'll handle things here—go save Gardevoir!"
So Lucario, serving as Salamence's eyes, called out directions to him one by one.
"Go forward."
"Attack!"
Lucario's directions were very brief, but every single one was perfectly timed.
Salamence also reacted very quickly. When Lucario gave the attack command, he instantly condensed his claws with the most primal dragon energy and struck forward fiercely.
Dragon Claw.
However, although the two Sharpedo didn't know what to do initially, they snapped back to their senses when they saw the massive claws descending toward them.
In the water, this was naturally Sharpedo's domain—they were kings of the sea.
The two Sharpedo quickly separated, one after the other. Although the advancing Sharpedo took some damage from the Dragon Claw, it disappeared the moment it dove into the water.
Naturally, Salamence couldn't smell blood in the air and couldn't judge its direction.
Sharpedo moved too fast, and Lucario lost sight of Gardevoir.
"Roar!"
Don't worry, we can find her!
Lucario closed his eyes to sense the changes around them, even utilizing his Aura power.
On the beach next to the geyser, a Sharpedo was struggling on the shore, trying to get Caroline back onto its back.
But without the help of other companions, it was difficult for the handless Sharpedo to accomplish this.
And Roy took this opportunity to scoop up Caroline and run toward the geyser.
Sharpedo had known something was wrong the moment Salamence had slapped him before reaching shore.
He'd already been using his highest speed—so how had they still managed to catch up with him?
This was one thing Sharpedo truly couldn't understand.
In the water, his speed should have been unrivaled.
But the human in front of him had taken away what the boss had ordered him to secure, so he had to get it back!
The massive mouth that seemed capable of swallowing everything quickly flashed through Sharpedo's mind, and he couldn't help but shiver. Wagging his tail frantically, he immediately went after Roy.
Roy could naturally sense that Sharpedo was chasing him through the emotions transmitted by his Aura power.
But right now, he was holding Caroline with both hands and had no way to retrieve a Poke Ball from his pocket.
Roy looked at the entrance to Vast Poni Canyon not far ahead, gritted his teeth, and continued running toward it.
When Sharpedo saw this, he realized—wasn't this the direction he was supposed to be going anyway?
"The heavens are helping me!"
While thinking this, Sharpedo chased after him, keeping pace with Roy.