December Double Drop!
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As Luo Yuan made his way to Three Island...On the battlefield, Sird and Orm, who had been struggling under Lance's relentless assault, finally saw reinforcements arrive.
Matori entered the fray alongside her Roserade and Xatu. Carr, still smarting from his prior defeat by Lorelei and the loss of his Steelix, joined in as well with his Skarmory and a small squad of remaining Forretress.
Together, they managed to ease some of the pressure on Team Rocket.
"Is this all we've got for reinforcements?" Orm asked, glancing around, his words laced with an unspoken question about Luo Yuan's absence.
On Seven Island, it was an unspoken fact that Luo Yuan was their strongest fighter.
"Just wait a little longer; he'll be here soon," Matori replied while directing Roserade to intercept Dragonair and having Xatu distract Lorelei's Slowking.
But Carr, overhearing this, couldn't help feeling irritated.
His main Pokémon, Steelix, was still in critical condition, and he'd taken a risk coming here to help. Yet, Orm's first thought was to question Luo Yuan's absence.
Was he really that much weaker than Luo Yuan?
Sure, his defeat to Lorelei had been humiliating, but there were extenuating circumstances.
Determined to prove his worth, Carr grinned to himself, ready to make an impact.
Releasing a Forretress into the heart of the battlefield, he ordered, "Watch this—Forretress, Explosion!"
Forretress began to tremble, its entire body radiating a dangerous light. Seeing this, both League trainers and Team Rocket members alike paled.
Carr's Forretress squad was trained to execute these self-destruct moves with precision, and with no Damp-ability Pokémon around, the explosion was inevitable.
A flash of light erupted.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the battlefield.
A blast of fire and wind tore through the air, scattering debris in all directions.
At the center, a Blastoise was sent flying, its shell charred and cracked, and several other trainers, caught off guard, were hurled back by the shockwave.
Luckily, Lorelei had her Jynx deploy Light Screen in time, mitigating some of the damage—otherwise, multiple League members could have been seriously injured.
For Team Rocket, though, it was a different story.
Sird and Orm, both preoccupied with Lance, couldn't intervene, leaving their side even more exposed to the blast.
The result? Though fewer Rocket members had been in range, the damage they sustained was comparable to that of the League trainers.
Sird nearly lost her composure at the sight, inwardly seething. How did I get saddled with this fool Carr?
"Carr, you idiot! Stop hitting our own side!" she yelled.
Carr knew he'd messed up, but under Sird's glare, he shrank back, mumbling apologies.
Matori stepped in, her expression darkening.
"Carr, go hold off Lorelei," she commanded.
Deflated and knowing he had no choice, Carr obeyed, focusing his attacks on Lorelei.
A fragile balance seemed to have formed once more.
Seeing this, Matori exhaled, her spirits lifting slightly.
If they could hold out just a bit longer, Luo Yuan's arrival might tip the scales in their favor.
But battles rarely go according to plan.
Carr, determined to make a difference, spotted an opening in Lapras's defenses and his eyes lit up with excitement.
"Skarmory, Steel Wing!"
At his command, Skarmory's wings glowed, and it slashed toward Lapras with blinding speed.
Lorelei's expression flickered with mock concern.
"Lapras, Ice Beam!"
A beam of icy energy shot toward Skarmory.
Though Skarmory was clad in steel armor, it was surprisingly swift, evading the Ice Beam and closing in on Lapras.
Its sharp gaze locked onto Lapras, wings poised to strike.
Just as it seemed Lapras was in danger, Lorelei's lips curved into a subtle, triumphant smile.
"Lapras, use Protect."
A shimmering blue barrier materialized around Lapras, blocking Skarmory's attack.
Meanwhile, Jynx, having shaken off a minor Rocket grunt, turned its focus toward Skarmory, its mouth puffing up to exhale a chilling breath.
"Icy Wind!"
Caught off guard, Skarmory was struck by the Icy Wind, its metallic surface frosting over. Although the damage wasn't critical, its mobility took a serious hit.
But that was all Lorelei needed.
With Skarmory slowed, Lapras seized the moment to fire a close-range Ice Beam.
Lorelei's mastery of Ice-type moves was well known. At this range, Lapras wouldn't miss.
Wham!
The Ice Beam struck home, freezing one of Skarmory's wings.
The bone-chilling cold forced a pained screech from Skarmory.
Realizing he'd fallen into a trap, Carr swore under his breath.
That manipulative Lorelei had taken advantage of his impatience.
"Steelix, use…"
He began to call out, then stopped, remembering too late that his Steelix was still laid up in the medical bay.
Frustrated, he fell back on his tried-and-true tactic.
"Forretress, Explosion!"
Yet another Forretress flew into the fray.
BOOM!
The blast freed Skarmory, but it also meant Carr was down to his last few Forretress.
Sird, watching nearby, muttered to herself, exasperated. This fool's going to get us all killed at this rate.
At the rate things were going, they might not survive long enough for Luo Yuan to arrive.
Sird's mind churned. Perhaps it was time to shed her Three Beasts identity.
After all, no mission was worth sacrificing her life.
But leaving might mean having to evade Matori...
Sird glanced toward her, contemplating an escape strategy.
"Lost in thought, are we?"
There was no margin for distraction in a high-stakes battle, especially against someone as powerful and experienced as Lance.
The instant he sensed her momentary lapse, he seized the opportunity.
"Dragonite, Mega Punch!"
"Grahh!"
Dragonite's wings beat furiously, whipping up a gust as it rocketed toward Sird's Persian with unexpected speed.
BAM!
Dragonite's punch landed squarely on Persian, sending it crashing into a nearby tree.
The punch struck Persian's soft belly.
Already fatigued from battling Lance's Aerodactyl, the weakened Persian couldn't withstand a direct hit from a Champion-level Dragonite.
Persian was instantly knocked out.
With that, the fragile balance they had fought to maintain crumbled.
"Magical Leaf!"
Matori quickly commanded Roserade to unleash a storm of glowing leaves, creating a momentary barrier that held Dragonite at bay and prevented a complete rout.
But it was clear the battle was slipping out of their control.
As the situation continued to deteriorate, Matori couldn't help but feel the weight of it all bearing down on her.
"This is impossible! Luo Yuan, hurry up already!"
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