Izumi and Himura felt extremely bitter.
But they couldn't retreat now.
It wasn't that retreating would cause any harm to the unconscious members of Team Magma and Team Aqua behind them.
It was just that if they retreated now, the distance they had finally managed to cover would be lost again.
Every minute that dragged on would increase the danger to Team Magma and Team Aqua.
Bang bang—the two lost two more Pokémon.
This had already had a significant impact on them.
They would definitely have to fight the League later, and if all their Pokémon lost their fighting ability, they wouldn't even be able to protect themselves, let alone fight.
Who knew if they would fall into the hands of the League or be seized by the cadres behind them who had been eyeing their positions for so long.
The thought of retreating arose again.
But just as they were about to take out their Poké Balls and recall their Pokémon, two voices sounded from behind them.
Hearing these two voices, the two stopped what they were doing and felt a little relieved.
"Mightyena! Dark Pulse! Camerupt, Flamethrower! Crobat, Air Slash!"
"Sharnax, Ice Fang! Crawdex, Crab Hammer! Deino, Aurora Beam!"
Maxie and Archie, each leading two Pokémon, charged forward.
They had finally reached the front from the back.
They had initially thought it would be a simple surprise attack, rushing into the cave before the League could react. They figured that if they held their positions, the League, given their nature, wouldn't dare risk heavy losses to force a breakthrough.
Sending Himura and Izumi to the advance team was a cautious decision by Maxie's.
Otherwise, given Archie's personality, a reckless charge would have been his choice.
But they hadn't expected an unexpected situation.
Seeing the unknown Pokémon that was overwhelming Himura and Izumi,
the two of them, with their keen eyesight, recognized Kommo-o's strength.
Champion-level!
And not just a beginner Champion-level!
None of their Pokémon were stronger than Kommo-o.
Only by relying on their numerical advantage could they barely manage to repel Kommo-o little by little.
Kommo-o was also feeling the pinch.
There was nothing they could do; although their individual strength was inferior, their opponents had a numerical advantage, and their teamwork was excellent.
This was the disadvantage of wild Pokémon fighting against Pokémon with trainers.
Although Kommo-o had been captured by Aoki, it hadn't received any training from him, or rather, Aoki's current abilities weren't sufficient to train it or improve its strength.
Without training, there was no understanding or ability to command it in battle. Fortunately, Kommo-o was already very strong, and its battle awareness had been honed through countless battles. Even under Aoki's command, it was uncertain how much of its power it could unleash.
However, Maxie and Archie's expressions were rather grim. They hadn't even started the war with the League yet, and they had already suffered such a heavy loss.
And seeing that the opposing side consisted of only two people, and two boys at that, their expressions became even more unpleasant.
They thought they'd encountered Drake and his group, and been stopped, but it turned out to be just two little guys, two familiar little guys at that. Even though they were relying on a Champion-level Pokémon, it was still incredibly embarrassing.
"Leave them here," Maxie hissed. He remembered who they were: Aoki and Steven, whose potential he had always been wary of.
Archie's eyes narrowed; he understood Maxie's meaning.
Although attacking the little guys was very unlike his personality, he wasn't one to compromise his principles.
Izumi and Himura immediately understood and, with the remaining Pokémon, prepared to attack them.
"Roar!!!"
Kommo-o roared. "
Damn it, I've been ignored!"
A deep yellow energy ball shot into the air, scattering into a shower of fireballs like meteors at its peak!
A meteor shower!
Izumi and Himura, who had just been about to attack, immediately paled. They retreated again.
However, this made them realize that Kommo-o was protecting Aoki and the others, making them hesitant to attack.
They could only fight while slowly retreating!
That was enough; the large forces of Team Magma and Team Aqua were held back by Aoki and Steven.
Just as Aoki and Steven slowly retreated, using Kommo-o to hold off the enemy, Drake and the others, having received the message, were already on their way.
Bringing a large force would slow them down considerably.
However, they encountered the sentries who had been sent away by Slowking halfway there and learned from them the message left by Aoki and Steven.
"Nonsense!" Drake's expression was grim.
However, he still said to Bonnie, "Bonnie, you lead the main force forward, I'll go first!"
Bonnie knew the seriousness of the situation and nodded without speaking.
"I'll come too," Norman said from the side.
Drake glanced at him and didn't refuse; Norman's strength was undeniable.
Having received the emergency order, Phoebe and Wallace didn't rush to the alert post but returned to rejoin the main force of the Alliance.
Now, they played a very important role in the Alliance's internal conflict,
leading a certain number of troops .
They no longer shouted that they wanted to go together like before.
Although they were anxious, they had to be responsible for their subordinates and bear the responsibilities that needed to be borne, which finally made them look like strong individuals.
Drake summoned Salamence and rushed towards Aoki's direction with Norman.
Kommo-o, although strong, was ultimately just a Pokémon, and having to protect Aoki and Steven, it fought hesitantly and found it somewhat difficult.
"Kommo-o, let's retreat!"
Suddenly, Aoki shouted to Kommo-o.
"Roar!!!" The Kommo-o roared, somewhat unwilling, but still quickly retreated as ordered by Aoki.
"What's wrong?" Steven asked as he retreated with Aoki.
Aoki's lips curled up, "Reinforcements have arrived."
Hearing this, Steven's eyes lit up.
Finally!
"Later, the Alliance might not be able to gain the upper hand in high-end combat. The two of them, Himura and Izumi, suffered heavy losses. How about we each take charge of one to help Drake and the others share the pressure?" Aoki asked.
Steven hesitated for a second and said, "I choose the guy!"
Although they were both enemies, if Daigo had to choose, he would definitely choose to bully the guy.
Aoki didn't argue, "Okay!"
The two retreated to the tunnel entrance, behind which was the large cave.
Drake and Norman rushed out of the tunnel on the Alliance side.
They saw Aoki and Daigo retreating to the edge of the tunnel.
Immediately, the two relaxed. As long as they were safe, any other losses could be made up for.
But what happened next left the two dumbfounded.
(End of Chapter)