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Shelly and Matt looked at each other in bewilderment.
Civilians?
Although Team Aqua usually acted perversely and plundered resources, they weren't brainless.
It wasn't that they wouldn't target civilians, but they knew where they could and couldn't do it.
This was Sootopolis City, the territory of the former Water-type Elite Juan. Stirring up trouble here was no different from pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth.
Unless Team Aqua intended to go to war directly with the Sootopolis Gym, they wouldn't do something so unintelligent.
Juan gave them no room for explanation whatsoever.
The night wind whipped up the salty seawater, crashing against the distant reefs.
The atmosphere on the sea surface dropped to freezing point.
Receiving its master's command, Milotic's slender tail fin lightly tapped the water's surface.
The currents converged.
With no wasted movement, the high-pressure water flow transformed into sharp blades, heading straight for the Shark Submarine.
The hull, forged from specialized steel, was fragile and pathetic before the attack of an Elite Four Level Water-type.
The piercing sound of metal grinding tore through the night sky, setting teeth on edge.
The hatch dented, rivets popped off, and the bulletproof glass filled with spiderweb-like cracks before shattering.
Seawater poured in.
Water pressure inside the narrow cabin rose sharply.
Shelly was a woman who had experienced countless life-and-death situations.
Faced with the sudden turn of events, she did not panic.
Instead, she leaped directly off the submarine.
In the murky depths, the pull of the current was immense; relying on muscle memory, she reached for the Poké Ball at her waist.
She pressed the switch.
A red light flared in the seawater.
Sharpedo's massive body burst forth from the water.
Its rough skin displayed excellent hydrodynamic characteristics in the current. Looking closely, one could see several newly healed scars on its back scales.
Those were proof of its previous defeat at the hands of Ariel's Mega Gyarados.
Its injuries had healed, and its ferocity remained undiminished, yet in front of Milotic, it instinctively felt suppressed.
The pressure from a high-tier Water-type Pokémon forced even this deep-sea overlord to restrain its edge.
Shelly surfaced and grabbed onto Sharpedo's hard dorsal fin.
"Go," she uttered a single word.
Sharpedo understood immediately; its tail fin swayed, it used Slash against the waves, and it quickly carried Shelly away from Juan.
She knew Juan's background all too well.
This top figure of the Pokémon Contest also possessed terrifying combat capabilities.
Staying behind for a head-on confrontation wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
Pulling away, observing the situation, and searching for a chance to survive—that was the smart person's way.
As the brains of Team Aqua, she never made meaningless sacrifices.
After retreating to a safe distance, Shelly watched everything with a cold eye.
Her brain was working rapidly.
Juan's strength exceeded the intelligence reports' assessment.
Milotic's strike seemed casual, but it actually contained the ultimate control over Water-type energy.
Forcibly compressing the water flow and changing the pressure caused the lethality to multiply at the moment of contact.
There were only a handful of people in the entire Hoenn region who could perform such a technique.
The League didn't intend to play by the rules this time.
In the past, League actions always emphasized solid evidence and procedural justice.
Juan's approach today—striking to kill without distinguishing right from wrong—completely overturned her understanding.
Could it be that one of Boss Shelly's secret plans had leaked, touching the League's bottom line?
No, impossible.
If that were the case, Juan wouldn't have come alone.
This was simply a personal venting of rage.
Civilians? Just who had used Team Aqua's name to cause trouble in Sootopolis City and enraged this god of slaughter?
In comparison, Matt appeared much more disheveled.
He was swept away by the violent currents, tumbling several times underwater and swallowing several mouthfuls of bitter, salty seawater.
His lungs burned with pain. Using both hands and feet, he paddled desperately and finally poked his head above the surface.
He didn't release his Pokémon immediately.
Fury had incinerated his reason.
He clearly hadn't recognized who the person in front of him was.
He wiped the water droplets from his face, shook his wet hair, and looked up to glare at the high-and-mighty Juan.
The pride of a Team Aqua Executive made it impossible for him to endure this unprovoked crushing defeat.
He, Matt, had run rampant in the Hoenn region for so many years; when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
"Are you League people all mad dogs?!"
Matt roared at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the sea.
"You strike to kill right from the start! Civilians? When has our Team Aqua ever touched those useless civilians! Stop making false accusations!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and he slammed his fist heavily onto the water, sending up a spray.
"Framed! This is a baseless framing! You're just looking for an excuse to suppress us! Do you really think our Team Aqua is a soft persimmon you can just squeeze? I'm telling you, old man, you've messed with the wrong person! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you hold the title of Gym Leader. If Boss Archie finds out, he'll flip this Sootopolis City upside down!"
Juan listened quietly to Matt's verbal abuse.
Night fell low, and the starlight was dim.
The waters surrounding Sootopolis City were known for being riddled with hidden reefs.
Waves wove through the reefs, making a sound like sobbing.
The distant lighthouse emitted a faint beam of light, sweeping across the sea, yet unable to pierce through the chilling atmosphere of these waters.
Juan's cape snapped in the sea breeze, and the metal buckles on his collar clinked crisply. He stood in an excellent position, silhouetted against the light, his entire being merging into the night, with only the soft halo emitted by Milotic beside him outlining his upright figure.
Quibbling? Misunderstandings?
In the face of absolute force and established positions, these words were meaningless.
The League and Team Aqua were inherently like fire and water.
Tonight, he only intended to do one thing: clean up!
Juan spoke slowly; his voice wasn't loud, yet it penetrated the clamor of the waves, falling clearly into everyone's ears.
"Not admitting it?"
Juan's tone was flat, without anger or mockery, only a high-and-mighty indifference.
"Very well."
He didn't even bother to distinguish the truth in Matt's words.
"Your Team Aqua has been causing chaos in Hoenn for many years. Do I really need a reason to deal with you?"
"I don't need your testimony. For trash that destroys the peace of the ocean, cleaning up is the only way to handle it. Reasons? Those are just things the weak need. Facing you, I only need results."
Hiding in the distance, Shelly's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
She saw the killing intent in Juan's eyes; he wasn't joking, he truly intended to leave them at the bottom of the sea.
Juan was playing for keeps; tonight's matter could not be settled peacefully.
Matt, that idiot, was used to crashing through everything with his Red Gyarados and simply couldn't see the situation clearly.
Now look at what happened—he had completely infuriated the opponent.
"Matt! Shut up! Get back here!" Shelly shouted loudly.
But Matt had been thoroughly provoked.
He was a straightforward person and couldn't stand such contempt.
"Retreat? Retreat my ass!" Matt's eyes were bloodshot as he snatched a Poké Ball from his waist. "Old man, today I'll show you the strength of a Team Aqua Executive!"
The Poké Ball was thrown.
A dazzling red light illuminated the sea surface.
Accompanied by an earth-shaking roar, the Red Gyarados made its grand entrance.
Its massive body coiled on the sea, its crimson scales appearing exceptionally ferocious in the night.
Its terrifying head reared high, a pair of malevolent eyes staring fixedly at Milotic.
Water churned around it, its aura impressive.
The surrounding seawater surged violently due to its appearance, forming small whirlpools.
Usually, as soon as this shiny Gyarados appeared, enemies would often lose their nerve before the battle even began.
The violent nature of the Gyarados Family was perfectly embodied in it, and that wild destructive power was the trump card Matt was most proud of.
However, tonight its opponent was Milotic.
Facing the Red Gyarados's roar, Milotic didn't even give it a direct look.
It coiled its body elegantly, its beautiful scales shimmering with a charming luster.
In its eyes, this bared-teeth-and-claws Gyarados was nothing more than a slightly larger loach.
The class suppression between Water-type Pokémon was perfectly demonstrated at this moment.
The originally overbearing Red Gyarados's roar came to an abrupt halt after it felt the invisible pressure emitted by Milotic.
It twisted its body uneasily, instinctively feeling fear.