"Amethio, did something happen on your end?"
Out of instinct, Onnis subconsciously felt something was off about Amethio's state.
Even the last time, when Amethio failed to awaken the Treasures of Ruin and escaped from Axel's hands, he hadn't been this abnormal.
"I…", Amethio paused, then suddenly sped up, his voice filled with fear.
"I saw Axel. He's the one beside Iono and Elesa!"
"Cancel the entire plan. Retreat immediately!"
"Axel?", Onnis's mouth twitched, then he immediately realized who Amethio meant.
The one who easily defeated Coral and Amethio, and without even making a move himself, let his Pokémon snatch away all the Treasures of Ruin.
Not only that, even Spinel, the most cunning member of the Explorers, had suffered at his hands, not only failing to retrieve the Wellspring Mask, but also being sent to Officer Jenny.
It could be said that half of the Explorers had been ruined by this man named Axel.
A man's name casts a shadow like a tree.
Onnis made a decisive decision to abandon the plan. Otherwise, not only would they fail to capture Iono, the two of them might get captured by Axel as well.
"David! David!", Onnis picked up the communicator. Since he was the temporary commander today, he had already handed his main Pokémon to a trusted subordinate in advance, letting him ambush Iono at the right moment.
Now that he had decided to abandon the plan, Onnis contacted David immediately, telling him not to attack.
"David, did you hear that? Abort the plan. Don't continue the attack."
At the same time, David, who was waiting at the entrance of Film City for Iono, had already seen Axel's carriage approaching. He immediately lowered the volume to the minimum to avoid being discovered in advance.
Hearing the faint sound from the communicator, David's lips curled upward.
Although he couldn't hear exactly what was being said, he and Onnis had already agreed beforehand.
Once he heard a sound, he would attack immediately.
"As expected of the boss who oversees everything, the timing is exactly the same as what I thought."
"Now! Move!", Hidden in the shadows of the temple, Onnis let out a low roar and suddenly threw a Poké Ball!.
"Garganacl!"
At the same time, on the other side, Amethio also gritted his teeth and stepped out. Though alarm bells rang wildly in his mind, the arrow was already on the string.
Garganacl had already made a move. How could he run now?
Abandoning teammates when there was still a chance to fight wasn't Amethio's style.
"Ceruledge, stop them!"
Boom!
The massive Garganacl crashed down in front of the carriage like a fortress, shaking the ground. It slammed both arms into the earth, and dazzling white salt particles surged out like living things, instantly covering a large area.
"Salt Cure!"
Terrifying, highly corrosive and destructive sharp salt crystals grew wildly, spreading like a thorny hell, about to swallow the carriage whole! Iono and Elesa's cries were cut off by the sudden attack.
"Ah!"
But Axel reacted even faster! Almost the instant Garganacl appeared, he was already on his feet, and a Poké Ball flew from his hand.
"Got some nerve… perfect time to test my new Pokémon."
"Chien-Pao, freeze them!"
"Rooaaar!"
Along with a bone-chilling roar, Chien-Pao's agile figure shot out like a streak of blue lightning, and a biting cold burst outward with it as the center.
It didn't even attack Garganacl directly. Instead, it slammed its front paw down.
Crack! Crack!
A power of extreme frost instantly swept across the area. The wildly spreading, dangerously gleaming Salt Cure field was covered, at a visible speed, by a thick, unbreakable layer of ice.
The sharp salt crystals froze in place, like a grotesque forest of ice sculptures, no longer able to advance even an inch.
Extreme cold clashed with corrosive salt, letting out a grating sizzling sound. In the end, the freezing energy completely suppressed the salt particles, and the battlefield instantly turned from a deadly salt marsh into a slick ice field.
"What?", Onnis, rushing over, widened his eyes. Garganacl's most troublesome field-control move had been neutralized so effortlessly?
"Ceruledge, use Bitter Blade to break the ice," Amethio reacted extremely quickly, knowing they had to break Chien-Pao's ice field first.
Ceruledge crossed its twin blades, ghostly purple flames and resentful energy burning fiercely. Its figure flashed, dashing toward the frozen ground like a phantom, intending to cleave open the ice in one strike and create an opening for its allies.
But Chien-Pao's speed was beyond imagination.
It didn't give the opponent any chance. The moment Ceruledge moved, it had already turned into a blue afterimage, carrying a biting gale as it lunged forward.
Ceruledge only felt a vicious wind rushing at its face. Its vision blurred, and Chien-Pao's claw, gleaming with cold light, was already striking straight for its chest core with a sinister, ruthless aura.
Dark-type, Sucker Punch!
Clang! Sparks flew!
Ceruledge hastily raised its blade to block. The energy of Bitter Blade collided violently with the Dark-type energy of Sucker Punch.
But how could its rushed defense withstand Chien-Pao's fully prepared strike?
A huge force transmitted through the blade. Ceruledge let out a muffled grunt as it was forced back several meters, its feet carving two deep tracks across the ice. Even its ghostly purple flames dimmed somewhat, clearly taking heavy damage.
After landing the hit, Chien-Pao didn't pause at all. Its cold eyes locked onto its opponent, and the frigid aura around it gathered again, clearly ready to launch the next attack at any moment.
"How is that possible? This Chien-Pao's power and speed… it actually rivals a god?"
Amethio's heart shook violently. From just that brief exchange, he already understood that his Ceruledge was completely suppressed.
Seeing this, cold sweat broke out on Onnis's forehead as he roared, "Garganacl, use Heavy Slam!"
Garganacl stepped forward with heavy strides, its body gleaming with a metallic sheen as it charged toward Chien-Pao like a war chariot, trying to rely on its weight advantage to crush it.
But Chien-Pao merely gave a disdainful glance. Its figure leapt lightly like a phantom, easily dodging the powerful yet clumsy attack. It even used Garganacl's shoulder as a foothold to kick off, leaving several deep icy claw marks behind.
Garganacl staggered, nearly falling, barely managing to steady itself awkwardly on the ice.
Completely outmatched! It couldn't even hold it back!
"Damn it! The plan's failed! Retreat! Everyone retreat!", Amethio made a decisive call without hesitation, immediately recalling the injured Ceruledge, shouting into the earpiece as he turned and ran.
Onnis also hurriedly recalled the staggering Garganacl. His massive body now looked extremely clumsy as he practically scrambled after Amethio toward the prearranged escape route.
"Trying to run?", Axel's eyes turned cold, "Chien-Pao, freeze them!"
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