Elias silently observed the figure standing atop the Salance in the distance.
Due to the thick armor covering their entire body, it was impossible to determine their age or gender.
But…
Glancing at the cracks on the [Protect] barrier, Elias had a guess.
After all, [Protect] was widely regarded as one of the strongest defensive moves.
For soone to leave cracks on Salance's [Protect] with a single strike—it ant their own Salance was equally powerful.
And for a person with such a strong Salance to appear near the isolated island at this ti, dressed like this…
It was hard for Elias not to think of the infamous Hunter J.
But… why was she here?
Was it because of her vast intelligence network, tracking Latios' presence here?
Or…
Elias considered another possibility.
On the other side, J showed no disappointnt when her sneak attack failed.
Her goal had already been achieved.
All she needed to do now was drive Elias onto the island.
As for defeating him?
That was never part of her plan.
Elias might still be young, limited by his age, but that didn't an he was weak.
Aside from his well-trained Salance, his Milotic was also a formidable force.
And more importantly, as a psychic, Elias was naturally suited for combat in the wild.
J had confidence in her tactical equipnt, but even she knew that under these circumstances, capturing or defeating Elias was beyond her ability.
Though many thoughts passed through her mind, in reality, less than a second had gone by.
Seeing that Elias had steadied himself, J raised her hand and commanded:
"Salance, [Dragon Breath]!"
The chanical voice filtered through her helt, making it impossible to recognize her original voice.
At the order, J's Salance flapped its wings and swiftly ascended, positioning itself above Elias's Salance.
It took a deep breath—
Then exhaled a fierce blast of draconic energy.
"Roar—!"
The [Dragon Breath] attack, carried by a deafening roar, surged down toward Elias.
But faced with the incoming attack, Elias's Salance showed no fear.
Dragon-types were naturally combative, and Salance, in particular, was known for its violent temperant.
At Elias's signal, his Salance unleashed its own [Dragon Breath] to collide with the incoming attack.
Boom!
The two crimson-purple beams clashed in midair, producing an explosive roar.
The sheer force distorted the air, even creating a small waterspout on the ocean's surface.
As soon as the explosion sounded, both Elias and J attacked again in perfect synchronization.
A red beam shot out from J's wrist-mounted cannon, concealed by the lingering smoke, heading straight for Elias's chest.
At the sa ti, Elias's psychic energy surged toward Hunter J, overwhelming her from all directions.
Unlike J's single precision strike, Elias's abilities as a psychic allowed him to lock down her movents completely.
However, just as his telekinetic force was about to reach her—
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted.
BOOM!!
The source of the explosion was the island.
Sothing had detonated amid the chaos, producing a blast far stronger than the previous [Dragon Breath] collision.
Even from this distance, the sheer volu of the explosion made Elias's ears ring.
So Pokémon that had been closer to the blast had already lost consciousness, their limp bodies falling from the sky into the sea.
A number of Wingull and Swellow now floated lifelessly on the water's surface.
The brief mont of distraction caused a crack in Elias's psychic hold, allowing J to break free at the cost of shattering one of her armored gauntlets.
But with the unknown disaster unfolding on the island, Elias had no ti to waste on J any longer.
"Salance, [Stone Edge]! Follow up with [Dragon Pulse]!"
His voice was cold and decisive.
At the command, Salance looped in the air before whipping its tail.
Jagged, shimring stone spikes materialized and shot toward Hunter J like spears.
But then—
Elias's eyes widened in shock.
Instead of dodging or defending against the [Stone Edge], J gave a completely unexpected order.
"Salance, use [Zen Headbutt] with [Fire Fang]!"
As soon as her voice fell, her Salance charged forward without hesitation.
On its path, the sharp stone spikes struck its body, so even embedding themselves into its armored underbelly.
But J's Salance didn't flinch.
Despite its wounds, it continued its reckless charge, streaks of energy trailing behind it from its sheer speed.
Elias hadn't expected such a suicidal tactic.
It was too late to order his Salance to dodge—
So he could only summon a psychic barrier around himself for protection.
Boom—
Crack!
A heavy impact rang out.
Despite the injuries it sustained, J's Salance accomplished nothing—it rely shattered the psychic barrier around Elias.
But—
That was when the [Fire Fang] ca into play.
"Roar—!"
A blazing maw lunged toward Elias.
But his Salance reacted in an instant.
Sensing the danger to its trainer, it unleashed [Dragon Pulse] at point-blank range.
Boom—
Sizzle!
The two attacks landed at nearly the sa mont.
[Fire Fang] managed to reach Elias, and though his uniform was reinforced, it was badly scorched—several burnt holes marred the fabric.
However—
J's situation was far worse.
Taking consecutive super-effective hits from [Stone Edge] and [Dragon Pulse], even her Salance couldn't endure anymore.
With its strength utterly depleted—
It plumted straight down.
Splash—!
J and her Salance crashed into the ocean, vanishing beneath the waves as water splashed several ters high.
With J finally dealt with, Elias exhaled in relief.
Though he didn't understand why she had resorted to such a desperate attack in the end—
The result was clear.
He had won.
Even if J survived, without her Salance as her primary force, she was no longer a significant threat.
But more pressing than J's sudden appearance was Latios' condition.
And whether more poachers like J were lurking on the island.
With these concerns in mind, Elias patted Salance's side.
"Let's move—"
The dragon roared and sped toward the burning island.
anwhile—
Miles away, Latias awoke with a start.
---
T/N: fuck yk what, i love cliffhangers, so... CLIFFHANGER TI look, okay it's not that I hate you guys it's just that im honestly a bitch a bad bitch ahaha plz forgive >.< its a tactic
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this co together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Sa thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the ti.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf
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