As the head of the League's Ultra Beast Countermeasure Headquarters, Battle Tower Overlord Anabel was the epitome of a Champion-tier leader, commanding at least six King-level Pokémon.
Such overwhelming strength placed her at the pinnacle of the world's trainers.
"Magneton, use Magnet Rise on Steelix," Lucius ordered.
Electromagnetic energy flickered as the Steelix, which had been confined to the last remaining foothold, lifted off the ground.
"You're still resisting? At this stage, what difference does it make to summon a mere Leader-level Pokémon?" Anabel said coldly.
"Heh, of course, it makes a difference." Lucius chuckled, his gaze turning icy. "Steelix, use Explosion."
Anabel's pupils constricted violently. She didn't even have time to speak before instinctively issuing a command via telepathy.
Although time was tight, her six King Pokémon reacted instantly, erecting a Reflect barrier together—an almost transparent dome spanning the sky.
At the same time, Steelix's body erupted with a terrifying energy that seemed capable of obliterating the skies and earth.
Goodbye, Gardevoir.
Steelix cast one last glance at the black Mega Gardevoir before its already fractured body detonated with a deafening roar.
BOOM—
The Explosion unleashed by a peak Leader-level Pokémon was akin to an atomic blast, igniting a massive crimson fireball in the sky. The sheer destructive energy evaporated a massive section of the ocean, leaving a crater hundreds of meters wide.
Metagross's Electric Net was instantly shredded, and the Reflect barriers of Anabel's six King Pokémon shattered simultaneously, hurling them thousands of meters away by the force of the blast.
"He's insane—he sacrificed a peak Leader-level Pokémon so decisively..."
The psychic shield Anabel had activated was utterly obliterated. Blood gushed from her nose, her vision blurred, and only the protective energy of her Espeon kept her from being reduced to ashes—though the shockwave still sent her flying a thousand meters.
In this world, there were two moves that trainers almost never used.
One was Self-Destruct. A Pokémon would release all its energy in an instant, attacking everything indiscriminately. Afterward, the Pokémon would be left in a near-death state. The side effects were immense—draining much of the Pokémon's life force and potential. Even if revived, it would be permanently crippled, its former strength lost.
The other was Explosion—a move used at the cost of a Pokémon's life. It ignited every atom within the body, unleashing unparalleled destructive power. Once activated, the Pokémon would die instantly, leaving not even a corpse.
Even an ordinary Pokémon using Explosion could level a building—let alone a peak Leader-level Pokémon. Its power was enough to obliterate half a city in an instant...
Even though Anabel's six Pokémon were all King-level, the hastily raised Reflect barriers couldn't fully withstand the blast. While they survived, they all bore visible wounds.
That was a peak Leader-level Pokémon—and Archer had sacrificed it so ruthlessly.
"It's not over yet." Lucius's figure suddenly appeared in the air, barely two meters from Anabel.
If she wanted to escape now, she could do so with repeated uses of Teleport. Moreover, Lucius could sense the immense sorrow welling up in Gardevoir's emotions.
But Anabel's six Pokémon had been blown in different directions, leaving only Espeon by her side—the perfect moment to strike.
For King-level Pokémon, two to three thousand meters was a mere ten-second sprint. Lucius had to seize this rare opportunity and kill Anabel before her Pokémon returned.
Accompanying Lucius in his sudden approach were Weezing and Celebi.
"Weezing, use Self-Destruct." Lucius issued his next command.
"Wee... zing..." Weezing hesitated for no more than a moment before its body gleamed with a dazzling light, a terrifying power surging within.
"Are you insane?!" Anabel, unable to maintain her usual composure, immediately attempted to Teleport.
But she was stunned to find herself unable to move.
"How..." Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw Celebi, its face expressionless, its gaze hollow, pointing at her and Espeon with its Disable ability.
"No...!" Anabel's beautiful eyes blazed with unwillingness and fury. Her Psychic energy erupted violently, breaking the hair tie securing her long locks, sending them whipping wildly in the air.
With an overwhelming surge of Psychic power, Archer's head exploded like a watermelon, shattered into countless pieces.
But that didn't stop Weezing's Self-Destruct.
BOOM—
Another earth-shattering explosion followed, tearing apart the sea's yet-to-heal wounds with black smoke and raging energy. It was as if another sun, wreathed in dark mist, had appeared above the ocean.
The approaching King Pokémon were once again blasted away. Anabel's tall, elegant figure was engulfed by the blinding explosion...
As the light faded, five Pokémon hovered above the water in solemn silence. Weavile and Alakazam even had tears welling in their eyes.
Anabel had completely vanished in the explosion. Floating on the water's surface were the severely wounded Weezing, Celebi, and the half-destroyed corpse of Espeon.
"It's done."
Two thousand meters beneath the ocean's surface, where the undercurrents churned from the force of the explosion above, a Gyarados swam, watching the battle unfold from below.
This was Archer's Gyarados—now the host of the Emperor Strain.
When Steelix used Explosion earlier, Lucius had commanded Gardevoir to Teleport himself and Silver into the sea, erecting a protective barrier. Then, he released Gyarados and transferred the Emperor Strain into its body.
Finally, he had Celebi Teleport them both back to Anabel.
Because the Emperor Strain had already been transferred, Lucius had dared to remotely control Archer's body to approach Anabel and have Weezing Self-Destruct at point-blank range.
The reason he had Weezing use Self-Destruct instead of Explosion wasn't because he was reluctant to sacrifice a Leader-level Pokémon. Rather, Explosion drained every last bit of a Pokémon's energy, converting it entirely into destructive force—whereas Self-Destruct left some residual energy behind.
In other words, within Weezing's Self-Destruct explosion, there were vast amounts of Veronica Virus.
While most of the virus had been incinerated by the heat of the blast, a small portion still lingered, carried by the lingering shockwaves and the spreading black mist, contaminating six King-tier Pokémon.
This battle had come at a heavy cost—Steelix and Archer had perished, Weezing and Celebi were gravely wounded, and both Anabel and Espeon had been slain. Meanwhile, three other King-tier Pokémon—Raikou, Weavile, and Alakazam—had succumbed to infection.
All things considered, the results were substantial.
Metagross's eyes glowed with a blue light as it used its Psychic powers to lift the fallen Pokémon from the water, suspending them midair. It was ready to turn and leave.
Anabel's last command had been clear—capture the human known as Archer and bring him back.
Now that the human was dead, bringing back his Pokémon instead could still be considered fulfilling Anabel's orders.
"Wait…"
Suddenly, Metagross halted.
A voice echoed in its mind—a voice it had heard every day, one it knew better than any other. A woman's voice, unmistakably familiar.