Faced with Stephen's question, Altair paused briefly in silence before responding.
"The gym's security team is equipped with special alarm remotes. They have to press the remote every 10 minutes, or an alarm will be triggered automatically."
"My god, that's so cautious?"
Will was stunned.
No wonder the alarm went off even though they hadn't touched anything.
So that's how it works.
"Does a normal gym need this level of security? Turns out your family is hiding some shady secrets!"
Rihua scoffed coldly.
Altair turned his gaze toward Rihua and, after a few seconds, said:
"Rihua, it's still not too late to turn around..."
As someone who personally experienced the villa incident, Altair, like Goodshow, could easily guess the identity of the masked girl standing before them.
"Shut up!"
Altair hadn't finished speaking when Rihua rudely cut him off.
"Arf!"
Houndoom impatiently leaped out of its Pokéball.
"Have you heard about this child from your brother? We came back from hell to take revenge on him!"
Rihua's expression turned slightly deranged. "Houndoom! Flamethrower!"
Houndoom planted its front paws firmly on the ground, deep crimson flames already surging between its fangs.
In the instant, all four paws touched the ground, a blazing fiery column burst forth.
"It doesn't matter if we've been found out. If soft methods don't work, we'll resort to force. Tell me where your brother is!"
Rihua's shout caught Altair off guard.
He knew his father and brother's methods all too well.
From Rihua's words and Houndoom's attitude—seemingly ready to burn everything to ashes—Altair didn't know the full story, but he could guess most of it.
As Altair pondered, the Flamethrower attack surged toward him.
But Marowak had already stepped in.
The bone club in Marowak's hand spun faster than a helicopter's rotor, scattering the incoming Flamethrower into harmless embers.
"Stephen, look at this situation..."
Will turned to glance at Stephen.
"Rihua's even more riled up than I expected, but she's right—at this point, force is our only option."
Hearing Stephen's decision, Will no longer hesitated.
"Jynx, Water Pulse!"
Just like two months ago, Jynx faced Marowak, pressing her palms together to form a high-density water sphere the size of a tennis ball. In the next moment, she slammed it to the ground.
The water sphere detonated, sending a wave of water several meters high surging toward Marowak.
Houndoom swiftly retreated, avoiding the area of effect of the Water Pulse attack.
"Stone Edge."
Altair responded calmly.
Marowak, having deflected the Flamethrower, struck the ground with its bone club.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jagged, spear-like rocks erupted from the ground, clustering together to form a shield that blocked most of the incoming water wave.
"Arf—"
Meanwhile, on the other side, Houndoom, seeing that even the water-based move designed to counter it had been neutralized, charged forward, baring its fangs at its target.
Bite!
"Earthquake!"
Marowak didn't even turn around. Still, with its back to Houndoom, it lifted its bone club slightly and, in the next instant, brought it crashing down with even greater force.
Rumble—
A full-area Earthquake attack!
The ground of the gym cracked under the shockwaves from below, and the walls began to collapse.
The violent tremors from the ground disrupted Houndoom's balance, causing it to stumble before steadying itself, enduring the pain as it glared at Marowak, ready to attack again.
But... Marowak had already regained its composure!
The bone club spun through the air, whistling as it slashed toward Houndoom.
Bonemerang!
With the aftershocks of the Earthquake still lingering, jumping to dodge was limited. Given the situation...
Rihua acted quickly.
"Houndoom! Use Flamethrower on the ground!"
Houndoom suddenly lowered its head, releasing a full-force Flamethrower that acted like a pillar, thrusting its own body high into the air, narrowly avoiding the Bonemerang.
"Oh-ho! Rihua's even picked up Stephen's move!"
Will exclaimed in surprise.
But... battling an opponent of Elite Four caliber isn't that simple.
Marowak sprinted forward, seemingly to catch its returning bone club.
But within moments, everyone realized something was off!
The bone club was about to land back in Marowak's hand, but instead of catching it, Marowak twisted its short legs into an overhead kick and struck the club hard!
The trajectory of the bone club instantly changed, hurtling toward the airborne Houndoom.
It was about to be hit!
At the last second—
A dark shadow darted between Houndoom and the bone club.
It was Umbreon!
In mid-air, Umbreon crossed her front paws over her chest in an "X" shape.
Though Umbreon's slender arms appeared delicate, a closer look revealed bulging veins and tightly packed muscles, as if she had stepped out of a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure episode.
Bang!
The Elite Four-level Bonemerang struck Umbreon, yet she didn't flinch in the slightest.
Instead, Umbreon broke into a sinister grin.
"This time it's not an act. Its progress is remarkable."
Altair stated bluntly.
The last time Joker's Umbreon had fooled him with her acting skills and secured victory through a surprise attack.
But this time, Altair could tell.
Umbreon hadn't been acting. Her defense had been trained to the point where she could withstand a direct blow from Marowak!
"Surprise Attack!"
"Thrash!"
Stephen and Altair issued their commands simultaneously.
Umbreon, still in midair, spread her claws wide as Marowak swung its bone club upward, both striking at each other with immense force!
The resulting shockwave rippled outward, hitting the already cracked walls of the gym.
The walls, which had been weakened by the Earthquake, crumbled completely under the strain, collapsing with a thunderous crash.
During the clash, Marowak ultimately gained the upper hand. Gripping its bone club with both hands, it swung in a baseball-like motion, attempting to send Umbreon flying.
But Umbreon wasn't about to give in so easily.
She clung tightly to the bone club with her left paw, preventing Marowak from flinging it away.
Umbreon raised her right paw, revealing a sly grin as her fur bristled.
Upon closer inspection, faint streams of dark purple fluid glistened on her right paw.
Altair immediately sensed something amiss. "Marowak, stop the attack!"
But it was too late!
Umbreon swung her right paw in a motion resembling an elbow strike.
Though she didn't physically strike Marowak, the toxic fluid splattered into Marowak's eyes.
With a pained cry, Marowak fell from midair.
Fortunately, it managed to twist its body at the last moment, landing on its feet to minimize damage.
But when Altair looked closer, he noticed a faint purple tint on Marowak's face.
It was poisoned!?
"When Umbreon gets excited, its pores secrete a toxin-laced sweat."
Stephen strolled leisurely toward Umbreon, smiling faintly.
"Even though it's not a Poison type, it's quite adept at using poison."
After a brief moment of silence, Altair spoke:
"...You've gotten stronger."