Ariel's pupils contracted slightly.
What made his skin crawl even more was that the Skarmory, which had been continuously attacked by Malamar's Dark Pulse, had eyelids that began to flutter after taking several hits; it showed signs of waking up!
"This is troublesome..."
The battle instantly fell into a scorched-earth tug-of-war.
Although Weavile was fast, the damage caused by each of its attacks would soon be offset by Tangrowth's powerful recovery abilities.
And while Tangrowth's attacks were clunky, they were immensely powerful; if Weavile were even grazed once, it might lose its ability to fight immediately.
On the other side, Malamar's Hypnosis couldn't remain effective forever.
Once Skarmory woke up, Gyarados would face a pincer attack from two Gym Leader Level Pokémon simultaneously, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Krookodile, get ready to go!"
Ariel made a decisive move and sent out his trump card.
"Roar!"
Krookodile leaped out of its Poké Ball, brimming with fighting spirit.
"Go help Weavile! Use Stone Edge to restrict Tangrowth's movements!"
Receiving the command, Krookodile exerted force through its limbs, making the ground vibrate slightly as circles of sharp rock spikes rose from the earth, stabbing toward Tangrowth.
But just then, Tangrowth, which had been passively defending, suddenly made a new move.
Its massive body shook violently, and dozens of vines hidden within its main trunk shot out in all directions like arrows from a bow, covering the sky!
One of them was aimed directly at the newly entered Krookodile!
"Not good!"
Ariel's heart skipped a beat.
Krookodile's reaction wasn't slow; it immediately twisted its body to dodge.
However, that vine actually took a bizarre turn in mid-air, as if it had eyes, and lashed out viciously against its back!
Bang!
With a muffled thud, Krookodile let out a grunt of pain and was sent flying by this "Power Whip," rolling several times on the ground before stopping.
Tangrowth's grass-type moves were super effective against Krookodile, not to mention such a massive level suppression!
With just one hit, Krookodile's aura withered significantly.
Ariel's heart sank.
The level suppression was being demonstrated vividly at this moment.
His tactical arrangements had been pushed to the limit—splitting the battlefield, type advantages, control and harassment... he had used almost every means available.
But the opponent, simply by virtue of deeper energy and a tougher body, was crushing all his clever calculations bit by bit.
Inside the cave, the rain was still falling.
Gyarados's Hydro Pump was still roaring, Malamar's Dark Pulse never ceased, and Weavile's figure continued to weave through the vines.
But the scales of victory seemed to be slowly tipping toward those two silent guardians.
But in just an instant, the stalemate of the battle was torn apart by a swift black shadow in the gloom.
That shadow was faster than the naked eye could capture, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, spreading instantly, only to condense into a lethal blade in the next second.
"Gua!"
A low frog-like croak echoed within the grotto, carrying a bone-chilling cold.
It was Greninja!
It had been prowling silently, perfectly merging its presence with the shadows of the cave; even the guardians Skarmory and Tangrowth had failed to notice it.
Not until this moment did it, like a long-dormant assassin, boldly unsheathe its blade!
Quick Attack!
A silver-white water blade traced a poignantly beautiful arc in the air, its edge fully exposed, making a sharp hiss as it sliced through the atmosphere.
The target of this water blade was directed straight at the base of Tangrowth's countless waving vines!
Almost at the same moment, Weavile understood the intent.
It abandoned its struggle with Tangrowth, took a nimble step back, and the cold energy on its claws surged; a frost-blue light condensed, and the piercingly low temperature caused the surrounding air to freeze into fine ice crystals.
Ice Punch!
One blade and one fist, one water and one ice; two completely different energies formed a brilliant cooperation at this moment.
Crack—Crunch—
A series of tooth-aching cracking sounds rang out.
Greninja's Quick Attack precisely sliced open the tough skin of the vines, while Weavile's Ice Punch followed the cut, pouring extreme cold into it.
Under the pincer attack from inside and out, those vines—comparable to steel—instantly became extremely fragile, were frozen, and then crumbled into a sky full of flying blue-green ice shards.
In an instant, seventy to eighty percent of the offensive and defensive means Tangrowth took pride in were neutralized!
It let out a roar of pain, its massive body trembling violently, and its remaining vines hung down limply.
Skarmory let out a startled and furious cry in the air; it had completely failed to expect that this human's hidden card would be so insidious and ruthless.
He actually still had a hidden card!
But Ariel's offensive was far from over.
"Krookodile, now is the time!"
With his command, a bottle of recovery medicine glowing with a life-green light was thrown accurately, tracing an arc in the air and landing steadily into Krookodile's wide-open mouth.
The potion dissolved upon entry, and gentle energy quickly flowed throughout its body, repairing the injuries it had sustained from the "Power Whip."
In just a few short seconds, Krookodile's originally withered aura became fierce once again.
It tossed its head violently, its crimson eyes burning with rage; the frustration of being suppressed earlier erupted entirely at this moment.
"Roar!"
With a roar, crimson flames ignited in Krookodile's mouth, and on its fangs, the fire swirled and coiled as if it had a life of its own.
Fire Fang!
Exerting force with its limbs, its entire body was like a cannonball leaving the chamber, carrying endless fury and high temperatures as it slammed hard into the heavily injured and incapacitated Tangrowth.
Squelch!
When the fire met the vegetation, the sound produced was not that of burning, but the muffled sound of a blade entering flesh.
Tangrowth's defense was non-existent before this strike; Fire Fang left a charred and terrifyingly large wound directly on its massive root-like trunk, with dark green sap mixing with charcoal spewing out.
"Tang..."
Tangrowth let out a mournful cry, its massive body unable to support itself any longer as it crashed down to one side, completely losing its ability to fight.
The entire process happened in a flash; from the moment Greninja appeared to Tangrowth's fall, it took only a dozen or so breaths.
The tide of battle reversed instantly.
Skarmory circled in the air, its sharp eyes staring intently at Ariel, filled with shock and wariness.
It couldn't understand why this human was still hiding such a powerful Pokémon.
Ariel met its gaze, his face showing no sign of triumph, only calmness.