"Lord Wallace, it's confirmed. That small vessel ahead is packed with Team Aqua operatives."
"Relay the order—prepare for assault. I'll launch a frontal offensive. You lot surround the other three sides. Don't let a single enemy escape!"
"Yes, sir!"
A rare high-value combat asset, Wallace played a similar strategic role to Ron, leading elite squads in surgical strikes to dismantle Team Aqua's remaining power.
The key difference lay in their targets. Ron often faced opponents on a quasi-Elite Four level, with a few reaching low-tier Elite Four status.
Wallace, however, faced no such limitation.
Once the command was given, Wallace's team mobilized.
Several speedboats fanned out, surrounding the ship in a loose formation.
"Milotic, use Aqua Tail to halt that vessel!"
With a flash of white light, Milotic surged into the sea.
Its Aqua Tail whipped up the surrounding water, forming a massive, coiling torrent that rushed toward the ship like a serpent of vengeance.
Even at a glance, the power behind the strike could easily split the vessel in two.
"Sharpedo, use Crunch Frenzy!"
A familiar voice rang out. In the next instant, a prehistoric Sharpedo burst from beneath the ship, sinking its fangs into Milotic's aquatic strike.
The torrent exploded into spray—Milotic's attack had been stopped.
Torpedoes launched from below, smashing directly into the alliance's speedboats. One by one, they exploded, taking out entire squads.
Only Wallace, shielded by Milotic's power, managed to intercept the barrage.
"Sharpedo—Crunch Frenzy, twice!"
Two voices rang out simultaneously. A moment later, two more massive Sharpedo, one larger than the other, emerged on the sea's surface, moving to flank Wallace from both sides.
There was no time for words. Whether it was Archie lurking beneath the waves or Shelly commanding from the ship, both acted without hesitation. Their goal was clear: take out Wallace as swiftly as possible.
"We've been ambushed by Team Aqua. Executive Shelly is confirmed. Archie may be present."
Wallace quickly transmitted the report to Drake, one of the Elite Four.
Thanks to a specialized communicator, Drake could pinpoint his location. Whether Wallace could hold out until backup arrived—now that was entirely on him.
"All units, move to Wallace's position immediately! The enemy is Shelly and potentially Archie. Extreme caution is advised!"
A crimson-colored alert pulsed across every League operative's device. Just seeing the font's hue was enough to spike anxiety.
"We're moving out!"
Upon receiving the message, Ron didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately mobilized his team.
He knew full well that against two foes with Champion-level strength, his own power might not be enough to turn the tide. But doing nothing? That wasn't an option.
Ron was among the closest to Wallace's location. No matter the odds, he had to try.
He wasn't alone. Other League squads also rushed to reinforce at maximum speed.
Even Drake, the acting commander, took to the skies on the back of his Salamence, racing ahead of the others.
A single tug on this conflict's thread sent ripples throughout the entire warfront. Wallace was the kind of Trainer the League would never abandon—so long as he still had a fighting chance.
Likewise, for Team Aqua, eliminating Wallace meant crippling the League's tactical backbone. It was a gamble they had to take.
When the rescue forces collided with the ambushers, no words were needed. It became a clash of fate, where both sides had accepted death.
The originally balanced stalemate was shattered. Archie's ambush ignited chaos like a battlefield storm.
"Milotic!"
"Gyarados!"
"Hydro Dragon Surge!"
With a pair of roars, two aquatic dragons flanked Wallace, unleashing furious torrents toward Shelly and Archie's Pokémon.
Two versus four. The outcome was inevitable.
Within seconds, Milotic and Gyarados were pushed back to Wallace's side, clearly wounded.
From the start of battle, mere minutes had passed—yet Wallace had already begun retreating tactically just to survive.
Even so, both of his Pokémon were rapidly burning through their stamina reserves.
Wallace still had one final ace: a Champion-tier Pokémon. But that was his trump card.
If he played it now, it would only provoke Archie to respond with his full might. That would only hasten his downfall.
After a brief hesitation, Wallace chose to hold back.
But Archie had no such reservation—he deployed another Champion-level Pokémon.
Now, Wallace was facing five Champions at once.
Such a stacked lineup made him feel the shadow of death creeping closer.
But the feeling lasted only a moment.
Wallace had never been one to give up before the final blow landed.
"Go, Swampert! Use Draco Absorption in tandem!"
Following Wallace's command, Milotic and the others coordinated instantly. Within moments, a swirling waterspout rose like a pillar from the sea's surface.
"Unleash full power—create a tsunami and block their advance!"
Driven to the brink, Wallace shed all restraint, commanding his team to summon the strength of the ocean itself in a final, all-out offensive.
Three Champion-tier Pokémon combined their efforts, and in mere seconds, the battlefield resembled the end of days—chaotic waves, swirling winds, and the roar of water dominating the horizon.
Unfortunately for Wallace, he was up against the combined forces of Archie and Shelly. Even with three Champion-level Pokémon, he couldn't reverse the tide of battle.
"Shelly, go all in! Let's finish Wallace quickly!"
"Understood!"
As he issued the command, Archie released his final Champion-tier Pokémon.
With Shelly's partners joining in, a total of six Champion-level Pokémon launched a synchronized assault.
Six versus three—the advantage shifted decisively to Archie and Shelly. Now, it was only a matter of time before Milotic and the others fell.
If the opportunity presented itself, Archie wouldn't mind taking Wallace alive.
"Captain, that should be the conflict zone up ahead. What are your orders?"
Gasping for breath, Nera turned to Ron and asked.
Even from this distance, the sheer force of the ongoing battle left Nera shaken. A deep-rooted fear welled up inside her, and she couldn't help but hope Ron would say the words: "Hold your position."
"You all stay here. I'll go take a look."
With that, Ron gave a nod to his Gardevoir, who immediately used Teleport to vanish with him from the scene.
Nera hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she didn't have the courage to follow.
"Ron, should we get closer?"
Staring ahead at the battlefield where even the sky had dimmed under the ferocity of the battle, Gardevoir asked in a concerned tone. The apocalyptic sight ahead left no doubt—a titanic clash was underway.
"Let's give it a shot. Gardevoir, use your Psychic powers to locate Wallace's exact position. Once you've pinpointed it, Teleport me directly behind him."
"Lucario, unleash your Aura and scan everything around us. I want you to be aware of every person and Pokémon nearby—no surprises."
Issuing his instructions through telepathy, Ron finalized his plan. With Gardevoir, a High Elite with exceptional psychic prowess, and Lucario's acute Aura sense, he was ready to attempt a high-risk maneuver:
Rescue Wallace, who was being overwhelmed by Champion-tier Pokémon from both sides.
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/Madbot635 [remove the parentheses ( )]