Together, the two of them hauled their unconscious colleagues away, one by one.
Only after they had put a safe distance between themselves and the jade deposit did Kashiwagi learn the full story of what had happened in his absence from Naruhisa.
"I see."
"Those bastards got what they deserved. I hope they rot in there!" Naruhisa spat venomously as he tied a bandage around his leg and shook some medicinal powder over the wound. Looking at the three companions the Aron had worked so hard to save, his eyes were so bloodshot they looked ready to leak.
"Forget about them for now. What matters is that we pass this exam. We can't let all this suffering be for nothing."
Kashiwagi shook his head. Revenge was a dish best served later; right now, the results were everything.
When they had started the day, there were eight of them in their group. Including the five present, three were still missing. If they could all pass and become official members, they wouldn't have to fear Shibata—or even his squad leader uncle.
After all, the younger generation of official Team Snagem members was small. Strength in numbers was their only play.
"Ku."
The Aron's cry rang out.
Kashiwagi turned to see the little Pokémon spit out several thumb-sized pieces of jade.
"Thank you. You've worked hard."
He whispered his thanks and pushed the iron ingot toward the Pokémon. "It might not be much, but I hope you'll accept it. If I get the chance, I'll get you more."
The Aron glanced at him, lowered its head, and with two loud crunches, swallowed the iron whole. The solid metal was as brittle as a cracker in its jaws.
Naruhisa watched with curiosity. "Kashiwagi, it really seems to listen to you, doesn't it?"
"It's not 'listening' to me; it's mutual aid." Kashiwagi waved him off. He hesitated for a moment, then finally pulled out a Poké Ball. "Excuse me, but do you already have a Trainer—"
Before he could finish, the Aron scrambled back several steps, its posture defensive.
It stared at the Poké Ball with intense wariness, as if it were looking at something loathsome. It even let out a short, sharp cry of alarm.
"Ku-doh!"
Kashiwagi froze, the air turning awkward. "S-sorry."
He quickly tucked the ball away, intending to apologize, but the Aron turned and bolted into the shadows. Within seconds, it had vanished.
"Ah... dammit..."
Kashiwagi sighed, not expecting such a visceral reaction. It confirmed his suspicion: this was likely an abandoned Pokémon. Those types often had specific triggers regarding Trainers—lines that could never be crossed.
I moved too fast.
He rubbed his face. The pressure of getting three severely injured people out had made him rush, forgetting that trust takes time.
"Looks like you got rejected, Kashiwagi," Naruhisa chuckled weakly, only to earn a sharp tap on the head from Kashiwagi.
"Shut it."
He picked up the jade pieces and tucked one into the clothing of each unconscious man. "Let's move. We need to get them out now."
Waiting for rescue was the same as forfeiting. He wouldn't move the injured unless it was absolutely necessary, but here, staying still was a death sentence.
"Right." Naruhisa nodded. He was bleeding, but after bandaging himself up, he felt a bit steadier. He could manage to carry one person.
Kashiwagi took the other two. Using some rope he'd prepared beforehand, he strapped one to his back and carried the other in his arms. With his physical conditioning, it was a heavy load, but manageable.
"Let's go."
He exhaled a long breath and began retracing his memory toward the exit. "With any luck, we'll find the other three on the way."
"...Yeah." Naruhisa followed, his steps heavy.
Not long after they left, the Aron, which was supposed to have run away, poked its head out and began following them once more.
Once the Aron was out of sight, a Galarian Yamask drifted into the open. As a monitor for the exam, it meticulously recorded the footage and prepared to follow them.
Suddenly, a piercing, angry screech erupted from the jade cavern behind them. The sheer fury in the sound made the Yamask pause.
It hesitated for a second, but just as it prepared to fly back toward the cavern to investigate, a massive explosion rocked the tunnel!
BOOM!
The sounds of screams were swallowed by the blast, but they were still faintly audible.
The mine groaned and shuddered. Large chunks of the ceiling began to rain down as if the entire mountain were collapsing.
Terrified Pokémon surged out of the cavern, fleeing as if they'd seen a demon. Two that were slower than the rest were suddenly snatched by a massive, shadowy black arm and dragged back into the dark.
More roars and explosions followed.
The Yamask, startled, dove for cover. Its gaze panned across the stampede of fleeing Pokémon. Among them was a Rhyhorn carrying a terrified youth on its back. The youth was covered in blood, one arm bent at a sickening, unnatural angle.
Deep in the dark tunnels.
Kashiwagi turned to see Naruhisa panting, drenched in sweat. "Can you keep going?"
"I'm fine! Just keep moving!" Naruhisa growled. It wasn't out of anger; he simply had so little energy left that he had to force the words out.
If he hadn't been injured, a hundred-odd pounds of dead weight wouldn't have been a problem. But now, every step was a battle.
Kashiwagi saw Naruhisa swaying and pushed himself to go even faster. Thank goodness his memory was sharp; if he had to stop to find the path or check for traps now, they'd never make it.
Rumble!
The mine gave a violent lurch.
Kashiwagi didn't stop. The fight at the jade deposit must have reached its peak. Wild Pokémon were like predators in the wild; they would spend hours intimidating each other with noise, but once the first blow was struck, all hell broke loose.
"Ah! My head!"
Naruhisa cried out in pain. Kashiwagi looked up to see a rain of debris and dust falling from above. The sound of cracking rock was becoming a continuous roar.
Dammit! It's a cave-in!
"Run! Don't look back, just run!" Kashiwagi roared, his eyes wide with adrenaline as he accelerated with the two men.
Naruhisa's face went white. The rumbling at his heels sounded like a hungry beast. He ran like his life depended on it—because it did.
A massive cloud of dust swallowed them both like a dragon. Their weak headlamps vanished in the gloom, leaving nothing but the sound of the world falling apart.
But a moment later, they burst through the wall of dust, refusing to stop for even a second.
They only slowed down once the tremors began to subside. When they finally turned around, the path they had just taken was completely gone. Boulders and dirt had sealed the tunnel so tightly not even a Combee could squeeze through.
"I..."
Naruhisa's legs began to shake uncontrollably. Being at the back, he had been inches from being buried alive. The smell of death had been clinging to his neck.
Several times, he had wanted to drop the weight on his back and save himself, but Kashiwagi's constant shouting from up ahead had kept him moving.
After a few moments of heavy breathing, Kashiwagi spoke.
"Relax. We're safe... lucky us."
He had initially thought about moving people in shifts, but the fear of a collapse during the Pokémon brawl had forced his hand. It was a good thing he hadn't waited.
"We're almost there. Just a little further," Kashiwagi encouraged Naruhisa in a low voice. "Once we're out, we're official members! Money! Pokémon! It's all waiting for us. Think of your parents. They're waiting for you to come home."
"—Right!" Naruhisa gritted his teeth and nodded.