When Julian and Dragonite arrived at the banquet site in northern part of Haitian City, the scene before them left him momentarily stunned.
From above, the northern coastline stretched endlessly, filled with Water-type Pokémon emerging from the sea—easily numbering thirty to forty thousand.
On the shore, piles of Magikarp stranded themselves after leaping ashore with Splash.
Max, Thea, and the Imperial University team, along with students from other Universities, had formed a defensive line to fend off the approaching Pokémon.
Fortunately, most of these Water-types were below Advanced-level and lacked any semblance of coordination. For now, the line held.
"Dragonite, use Thunder on the sea!"
Dragonite summoned a dark cloud, and within seconds, a thunderbolt as thick as a barrel struck down, ripping through the ocean below. The seawater churned violently as the attack's power spread.
Thunder's effectiveness was amplified by the water, stunning at least three to four thousand Water-type Pokémon.
Weaker ones, especially those directly under the bolt, were killed outright.
He showed no hesitation or intention to weaken Dragonite's attack because of the Pokémon deaths.
He understood all too well the devastation these Pokémon could wreak if they breached Haitian City.
Once inside the city, battling amidst buildings and panicked civilians would severely hinder the Trainers' ability to respond effectively.
Thea shouted, noticing the sheer spectacle of the Thunder strike.
When facing Water-types, the best counter was, of course, Electric Pokémon. Moves like Thunderbolt could clear large groups of opponents in one go.
Electric-type Pokémon played a crucial role in the defense, not by holding the line directly but by using their moves to strike the sea itself, reducing the number of Pokémon making it ashore.
Suddenly, a Hyper Beam shot toward Dragonite from the distance. With Julian still on its back, Dragonite avoided any abrupt maneuvers and instead used Protect to block the attack.
"A pseudo-Elite level Kingler"
Julian noted, spotting the massive crab floating on the sea, its enormous claws raised menacingly.
A single pseudo-Elite Kingler was not much of an issue, but it was accompanied by over a dozen others of similar rank. Behind them, the incoming Pokémon were now stronger, rising from below-Advanced to proper Advanced levels.
The Pokémon coming ashore were growing increasingly powerful.
Julian instructed Dragonite to let him down. After landing, he said firmly, "Go deal with those pseudo-Elite ones first."
Dragonite nodded and immediately flew toward the Kingler and its companions.
Julian approached Wade, his expression grim.
"Teacher, their target is likely something in Haitian City"
He said, sharing the details of the Slowpoke's unusual behavior in the city earlier.
Wade nodded, unsurprised. "I suspected as much."
"But what could be so important that it draws this many Water-type Pokémon?"
The fact that only Water-types were being drawn suggested that whatever it was held immense significance for them.
"Reinforcements are on the way," Wade said. "Our priority is to stop them from entering the city."
The best solution would undoubtedly be to locate whatever was attracting the Pokémon, but this was easier said than done.
Firstly, they were already short on manpower—just maintaining the defensive line was an enormous challenge.
Secondly, Haitian City was vast, and without a single clue, finding the object was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Meanwhile, the city authorities were working to evacuate the residents.
For now, their task was clear: hold the line until reinforcements arrived. Once they had enough people, they could begin searching for the source of the crisis.
Explosions roared across the battlefield. One by one, the University teams unleashed their Pokémon to reinforce the line.
However, as the battle dragged on, their Pokémon grew weaker while the Water-types coming from the sea grew stronger.
This imbalance took its toll—some third-tier University teams saw their defensive lines collapse entirely.
Within moments, nearly a thousand Water-types surged through the gap. Some Trainers, unable to evade in time, were killed, and their Pokémon also suffered casualties.
"Steelix, Iron Tail!"
Steelix descended from above, its massive, whip-like tail slicing through the horde like a scythe, clearing a large area. But more Water-types immediately surged forward to fill the gap.
Julian released all his Pokémon except for Gastly, whose level was too low to contribute effectively. Metagross stayed by his side as his last line of defense.
The pressure on the defensive line mounted as the incoming Pokémon were now consistently Advanced-level. Even pseudo-Elite Pokémon were beginning to appear onshore.
The sheer abundance of marine Pokémon in the sea made it inevitable—let alone pseudo-Elites even higher level Pokémon, were not out of the question.
Melmetal's twin arms extended and slammed down repeatedly, knocking out a bunch of Pokémon with each strike.
Lucario, fists crackling with electricity, worked at a steady rhythm. Although its efficiency couldn't match Melmetal's, it was still holding its own.
Slowking, while not a natural battler, had reached level 40 and was well-supported with resources by Julian. It had no trouble handling some Advanced-level Pokémon.
Lairon, with its massive build, resembled a moving fortress. If not for the urgency of the current situation, its imposing size would have drawn a crowd of onlookers.
Perhaps spurred by the intense combat, Lairon appeared to be nearing a breakthrough. After a brief skirmish, its level increased from 40 to 41.
Growlithe, despite its disadvantage against Water-types, was undeterred. Empowered by the Fire Crystal, its Flamethrower made even Water Pokémon howl in pain.
With Julian's Pokémon reinforcing the breached line, the defense was restored—for now. But the respite was fleeting. As stronger and more numerous Water-types continued to arrive, the entire defensive line was on the verge of collapse.
A deep, resonant roar suddenly echoed from the ocean, carrying a palpable aura of intimidation. The roar instilled fear in countless Pokémon, even affecting those still out at sea.
"An Elite-level Pokémon!"
The overwhelming pressure was unmistakable—this was no ordinary Pokémon.
Julian's sharp eyes, aided by the bright moonlight, quickly spotted the source. Emerging from the waves was a Crawdaunt with a golden star crest on its head, holding up two massive pincers.
An Elite-level Crawdaunt.
Another roar followed, just as imposing as the first.
Next to the Crawdaunt, a Feraligatr surfaced.
Both were Elite-level Pokémon, albeit at the initial stage.