Torrential Clash

[Third POV]

Gyarados made sure to stop at a distance away from where the Elite Gyarados was sleeping coiled around the uncut Gyaradosite. At Kingdra's signal, every single one of the seven water pokemon accompanying him began executing status moves to buff up their stats. 

Kingdra used Dragon Dance and Agility which was followed by Laser Focus. Gyarados executed Dragon Dance while Vaporeon used Acid Armor to bolster his defenses. Blastoise increased his attack power with Work Up which was followed by Iron Defence. Milotic, Starmie, and Lanturn followed suit and similarly increased their respective stats. Every single one of Alex's Pokemon had been drilled on the importance of exploiting any advantage they could in a fight.

Kingdra took this opportunity to reiterate the role each team member would play in the plan. After checking their surroundings one last time, they started circling the sleeping Gyarados from various heights to prevent any chance of its escape in addition to scattering the available targets when the inevitable retaliation from the theft came. 

Vaporeon melted into water and began approaching the sleeping target to fulfill his central role in the theft. His role required him to not harbor any intention of directly harming the opposing Gyarados. This was mainly done to prevent the instincts of an Elite Pokemon from potentially warning it before the uncut Gyaradosite could be retrieved from its possession. With everyone in position, Vaporeon in his liquid form started to carefully envelope the uncut rock inside a cocoon of water. 

The main reason for this careful handling and retrieval of the Gyaradosite before attacking was to protect the mega stone. The strength and resilience of the mega stone is currently unknown and no one wanted to come this close to acquiring a mega stone only for it to be damaged or even destroyed.

However, plans rarely survive contact with the enemy. This was all too literal in this case. As soon as Vaporeon began pulling the uncut Gyaradosite free from the sleeping Elite Gyarados's grip, its eyes shot open and water enveloped his tail as it retaliated with an Aqua tail. Its instincts were well honed and the devastating move connected with the near invisible water form of Vaporeon.

The impact caused Vaporeon to rematerialise from his water form and the uncut rock to fly away from its grip towards Blastoise's position. The acid armor along with his Water Absorb ability may have prevented the majority of damage but the physical impact from the tail of an experienced Elite pokemon had hurt him and sent him hurling in the opposite direction. 

Seeing that Vaporeon was far away enough and trusting Blastoise to protect the mega stone, the remaining pokemon did not allow the awakened Gyarados any more time to gain his bearing and retaliate further. 

Lanturn, Starmie, and Gyarados each sent an overpowered bolt of Lightning to its position. Kingdra sent a continuous barrage of Dragon Pulses. Milotic followed suit by releasing an already prepared Hyper Beam. Blastoise, on the other hand, abandoned his post and used Aqua Jet to quickly reach the floating mega stone.

The newly awakened Gyarados was faced with powerful attacks from all directions. Understanding his position, it started building up a Whirlpool around himself to act as a makeshift defense. However, these were not attacks from run of the mill pokemon which could have been blocked. 

The Dragon Pulse was the fastest move to reach his position and simply tore through the whirlpool and landed a critical hit. The three back to back lightning bolts were next in line. The agony and pain could easily be seen on its face as it endured through three super effective attacks consecutively in addition to the repeated Dragon Pulses.

Still, determined to at least not go down alone, it powered through the pain, quickly built up and released a Hydro Pump towards Starmie, the first Pokemon to enter his line of sight. However, Milotic's Hyper Beam proved to be the last straw for the unfortunate pokemon.

As it fell to the ocean bed in a limp state, Starmie simply rapid spun away from the hastily formed Hydro Pump showcasing the ultimate futility of its resistance. Blastoise, having secured the uncut Gyaradosite, sent two jets of pressurized water towards the already fallen pokemon.

At the questioning look of the others, he simply shrugged and pointed towards Vaporeon who was using Aqua Ring to heal the damage he had taken from tanking the neutralized hit and crashing onto the ocean floor. Nevertheless, it did not hurt to confirm that the enemy was actually down for the count.

Quite a few of the lake dwellers watched this commotion from a distance. They were witness to the undisputed 'leader' of the Gyarados being ganged upon and beat down mercilessly by the fearsome group who had been traversing the lake this past week.

No one attempted to even come close as the group took the prized possession of the unconscious Gyarados and swam back towards their campsite. When all's said and done, was the result of seven buffed up pokemon ambushing a completely unprepared pokemon ever in doubt? 

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[POV: Alex]

I was sitting by the lake shore accompanied by Gardevior as we waited for the others to come back from the retrieval mission. While stealing may be morally incorrect, this was simply the transfer of ownership of a valuable resource to an individual best suited to make use of it. It was not like Gyarados could ever use the mega stone, especially in its current uncut state. The fact that even I could not currently make use of the Gyaradosite without obtaining a key stone first is not relevant at all.

All this waiting around was really annoying. As much as I wanted to be there when my Pokemon retrieved the mega stone from the Elite Gyarados, I knew I would at best be a liability to them. After I unlock Aura, I may not be as big of a burden in an underwater battle and be in a better condition to dodge attacks aimed at me. However, even then I would need one of my pokemon to act as my defender. I would still be the weak link our opponents would try to exploit.

I did not like feeling this useless. However over the years, I had learnt to accept this and let go. As a Water type specialist, I understood that we can not control everything. After all, the sea does not like to be restrained. Going with the flow and being adaptable were required traits. In any case, I trusted Kingdra to lead them in my absence and my pokemon would never let me down.

Still it was hard to contain my anticipation and I had to stop myself from rushing over when my pokemon broke through the surface. None of them were sporting any visible injuries and from their overall demeanor, there was a very high chance that the mission was a success. 

Vaporeon was the first to reach me and jumped into my arms. He immediately started detailing his heroic actions in a rapid fire manner. He did amazing in removing the mega stone from the line of fire. I couldn't help but smile at his excitable retelling. Blastoise visibly puffed up when he got to the part of Blastoise further punishing the evil Gyarados for daring to hurt his little brother.

I could hardly wait to finally get my hands on a Water type mega stone. I took the amber rock from Blastoise and handled it as delicately as possible. However there was something wrong. 

As soon as the uncut rock entered my palm, a solid black double helix symbol began glowing. The size of the DNA pattern was much smaller than the one in Beedrillite. Was the Gyarados guarding a key stone?! But this amber rock looked exactly like one where Gyaradosite was supposed to be found.

My Pokemon became alert at my slightly panicked expression and came closer to see what was wrong. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. While this Key Stone was not what I had been hoping for, it was still extremely valuable and necessary for mega evolution.

But it did not make sense? Why would Gyarados feel pulled towards a Key Stone? One distinct possibility entered my mind. But that was just wishful thinking, right? There is no way we were so lucky. Still, it was not like I had anything to lose by testing it out.

"Bring your head closer to the rock, Gyarados"

Gyarados eagerly complied with my request. As soon as he neared the uncut rock, the red and blue double helix of Gyaradosite glowed brightly alongside the small black symbol. I heard an intake of breath from my pokemon as the amber rock glowed.

After years of searching, I finally had both the Key Stone and Mega Stone required to Mega Evolve one of my pokemon. I literally jumped up in joy and whooped. This was it. My pokemon chuckled at my childish display. But I didn't care. As I kept jumping, my sheer joy seemed contagious as my pokemon joined in my child-like celebration.

I came down from what was essentially a sugar rush. The fact that I could not immediately try to mega evolve Gyarados to test this phenomenon out did contribute to sobering up the jubilant mood. I still had to have a skilled professional extract the Key Stone and Mega Stone from the amber. Maybe a jeweler would be the appropriate choice. 

Those were all thoughts for later. My pokemon deserved treats and all the praise and pampering they wanted for getting the job done so well. This trip had already produced results beyond my wildest expectations. Maybe we should return to Cerulean City and celebrate. We could all just return here tomorrow to continue the training excursion.

"Do you want to go home and celebrate today or wait till we finish this trip to celebrate?"

"Blast! Blastoise" "Lanturn! Turn!" "Milo! Milotic"

"Kingdra. King. Kingdra!" " Gyarados. Dos." "Star! Starmie"

My pokemon seemed to have differing opinions. I should have expected this. Still, after facing similar situations numerous times, I had become quite the mediator. Kingdra, Gyarados, Gardevoir, and Starmie wanted to remain here till we finish this training excursion and then celebrate while the rest wanted to take a break and enjoy themselves before returning to the grind.

Before we could reach a consensus, the choice was taken from us. At Gardevoir's prompting, we all turned to find a huge horde of Gyarados at a distance advancing to our position. 

On closer inspection, around twenty five Gyarados were being led by a familiar Gyarados, who's scared visage showcased bloodshot eyes and crazed determination. They were still quite far from our location. How did it even recover so quickly? Well, this only made my decision easier.

"Gardevior get ready to Teleport. I am recalling the rest of you. We will have a celebration when we get back today."

Even as Gardevior gave a mental acknowledgement, the rest of my Pokemon protested in unison. Apparently, they wanted to stay here and fight the incoming army of Gyarados even with the numerical disadvantage. However, my reluctance to acquiescence to their wishes stemmed from a single reason.

"But why? There is nothing to gain by fighting them on their terms. Let us just return and we will come back tomorrow and crush them on our terms."

"Lan. Lanturn. Turn!"

Lanturn took the lead in explaining their perspective on the issue and I couldn't stop myself from facepalming. They wanted a challenge. Don't get me wrong. I can understand how they may get bored of steamrolling weaker pokemon. The numerical disparity would indeed even up the odds.

But come on.​​ There was absolutely no sense in confronting pokemon of relatively unknown strength when their group had over three times our number. I could have just disregarded their opinion and taken the safe route. But if they wanted a challenge, well there wasn't that much risk in facing them head on. 

With the right tactics, we could trim their numbers and concentrate fire on the stronger opponents. We could even use moves to turn them against each other. Maybe, Gyarados could benefit a lot more from fighting a stronger member of his species head on in a riskier scenario than just fighting my father's Gyarados in a relatively safe and controlled environment. Maybe, this danger and uncertainty could be the final push he needed.

Ok, so maybe there were some advantages to this fight. My mind made up, I started issuing commands for this battle. I mentally asked Gardevior to stop preparing for long distance teleportation and instead be ready to fight. 

"Seeing all of you want to fight, we will crush them." A unanimous cheer emanated from my pokemon. "But we will fight smart. Our first priority will be reducing their numbers. Concentrate on using AOE moves and moves like Confuse Ray to turn them against each other. Focus on long range special attacks. They will mainly use water type moves so no Rain Dance. Crush anyone who prepares to use Outrage or Hyper Beam as soon as possible."

The concentration on their faces and their nods signified that they were taking this fight seriously.

"Only Lanturn and Gyarados will close the distance. The rest will remain at a distance and focus on exploiting any openings. Gardevoir will stay close to me and be in charge of my protection. Gyarados will take point in this fight and fight the leader."

"Milotic! Milo" "Gyarados!! Gyarados!"

"No Milotic, Gyarados will be fighting the leader. And the previous attack has undoubtedly weakened the Elite Gyarados. There is no way he is back to hundred percent so fast. You have a better move pool and training. You will be able to fight and defeat him, Gyarados"

"Gyara" Gyarados made another weak protest. 

"What do you mean you have never taken the lead in such a battle?" He only nodded and nervousness could easily be seen on his face. A look around confirmed most of my pokemon had similarly never taken centerstage. Did I rely too much on some of my Pokemon and neglect others? I shook my head. Now was not the time for these kinds of thoughts. 

"You will take center stage and you will defeat the Elite Gyarados. I believe in you, Gyarados. Just follow your instincts and training and I have complete faith that you will be the victor. Now everyone scatter and take your positions and keep using buff moves till they reach close. Most importantly, do not underestimate any of your opponents. Strike hard, Strike first, and No Mercy."

As my pokemon started spreading out and using buff moves, I took the opportunity to take out the specially prepared container for any valuable resources I may come across in my travels. Made from the strongest materials with the most secure biometric authentication, I had this commissioned primarily for any mega stone I may find. I gently deposited the uncut Gyaradosite and Key Stone into the box and returned it to my backpack. 

Gardevoir gave me a mental nudge when the horde had come close enough. Soon, one Gyarados stopped and started Rain Dance while the rest kept advancing. Apparently, the small army did have some cohesion and planning. The Rain Dance would normally give the unit a huge advantage against any other opponent. However, most of my pokemon also benefited largely from this.

I could instruct one of mine to take it out and prevent the weather change. But with boost this would provide Thunder in addition to boosting water type moves in general, maybe interrupting it was not in my best interest. 

I pictured the scene of huge arcs of electricity flashing in the rain and instructed Gardevior to communicate this picture to Starmie, Lanturn, and Gyarados.

"Gardevoir" As she confirmed receipt of the image, I told her to send the image of a raining sky to the rest as I could see Kingdra was on the verge of sending a Hydro Pump to interrupt the dancing Gyarados. At the next instant, Kingdra held the Hydro Pump back and kept building it up. This almost instant mental communication was a huge boon in relaying instructions during such battles.

As soon as the clouds formed and huge droplets started pouring down from the now darkened sky, he sent a huge deluge of water to the pokemon in question. The Sniper ability of Kingdra activated as the previously dancing Gyarados fell unconscious from the overpowered critical attack. My Kingdra understood perfectly that while we may be allowing the Rain Dance, that didn't mean that he wouldn't take out the opponent as soon as he had outlasted his usefulness. 

I could see that four of the enemy Gyarados were in the process of building up Hyper Beams and were waiting on coming closer before unleashing them. I would not allow that.

On my prompting, Gardevior sent the feeling of urgency to Starmie, Lanturn, and Gyarados. They wasted no time in unleashing the powerful bursts of Thunder they had been building up. As I watched the huge arcs of electricity impacting the advancing army of Gyarados, I knew that this was it. The battle had begun in earnest.

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This was a slightly shorter chapter than I would have liked. Delving into the battle and the aftermath would have increased the length to six or seven thousand words. However, I wanted to release a chapter today.

I had no clue where Alex could find a Key Stone so I took this easy way out. Do any of you know where he could find a Key Stone in the anime version?

I also delved a little into his personality. This is mainly done to highlight any changes to his personality after he unlocks Aura. For his personality after unlocking Aura, I will mainly take inspiration from Posiedon from the Percy Jackson series. "The sea doesn't like to be restrained" should have been a pretty big clue.