The sudden female voice drowned out his commands.
Bang!
The ground not far to the Team Snarl member's left suddenly exploded, and a silver shadow lunged directly from the earth!
"Ambush!"
Panicking, he threw himself to the right and released another Poké Ball hidden in his palm. "Forget me! Just seize her!"
His shout urged the two canine Pokémon to keep charging forward.
Clang!
A flash of white light erupted as a bronze mirror, edged with six copper beads, materialized in front of him. It intercepted the charge, colliding with Aron.
Dong!
An ear-piercing metallic crash echoed through the canyon!
The Snarl member thought this would surely stop the attacker, but to his horror, the Bronzor—despite its Levitate ability—was sent flying by the sheer force of Aron's impact. Aron landed heavily right on his chest.
"Puh!"
Dammit! It couldn't even stop an Aron!
A copper taste filled his mouth as he nearly coughed up blood. He whipped his head around to look at his other two Pokémon. As long as they captured the enemy, he still had a chance to turn the tables—
Wait, what?!
The Snarl member's eyes widened. He watched the scene in front of him in disbelief, struggling and coughing.
The "enemy" had been pinned by the Houndoom, its foul-smelling jaws clamped inches from the neck. The nearby Mightyena was scanning the perimeter, and seeing its trainer in trouble, it prepared to head back as reinforcement.
However, neither had noticed that a Vibrava had appeared atop the rock the "enemy" was leaning against.
"Dragon Breath!"
Boom!
Indigo flames erupted from its mouth, blasting the reinforcing Mightyena backward!
"Awoo!?"
The Houndoom looked up in shock, only to feel its prey being yanked away from under its paws. It turned its head, only to see its "ally" doing the yanking. Wasn't that person wearing a Team Snarl uniform? Right?!
It wavered, confused, looking to its trainer for guidance. But just as it turned its head, the ground began to vibrate with a sudden command!
"Earth Power!"
Vast, orange-red energy surged through the earth, erupting directly beneath the Houndoom's feet!
Rumble—!!
A pillar of volcanic energy sent the Pokémon spiraling into the air!
Mid-air, the Houndoom let out a pained yelp before crashing heavily to the ground. It twitched a few times and then lay still. A total "One-Hit KO."
But it wasn't over.
The Snarl member struggled to push Aron off him, but Aron responded with a Headbutt directly to his forehead, leaving him seeing stars.
Nearby, the Bronzor regained its composure, its eyes glowing blue as it prepared to retaliate with Confusion. The Mightyena, though scorched by Dragon Breath, stumbled to its feet, snarling with bared fangs. But as it tried to step forward, tiny sparks of electricity crackled across its fur.
Paralysis—the secondary effect of Dragon Breath.
Kashiwagi pressed the advantage, throwing a Smoke Ball at the trainer's location.
Puff!
Thick purple smoke billowed out. Losing sight of its master, the Bronzor's eyes flashed blue as it tried to target Kashiwagi's silhouette, only to find he had already dashed into the mist.
The Bronzor hesitated, unsure whether to pursue. Meanwhile, as the Mightyena wheezed and struggled to move, three red beams of light shot out from the smoke. They swept left and right, sucking the startled Pokémon back into their Poké Balls before they could react.
The fainted Houndoom was reclaimed by a final red beam.
"...Whew. It's over."
Kashiwagi emerged from the purple haze with Aron at his side, dragging the Snarl member with one hand and holding the man's backpack with the other.
He turned to the female Snarl grunt, who was rubbing the back of her neck. "Good job. Didn't expect this guy to be such a handful; the ambush almost failed."
"..."
She didn't answer, merely staring at the dazed, defeated grunt.
"—Huowu! You traitor! You betrayed Team Snarl!"
The grunt snapped back to reality, hissing at her. "You mongrel! When I get out of here, I'll make sure the Boss kills you!"
"Back off! I didn't betray anyone! You were too incompetent to see through a trap, so don't blame me!" Huowu snapped back. "Worry about your own life first, idiot!!"
The grunt reached for his wristband to call for rescue, only to find Kashiwagi had already stripped it. He had lost the power to decide his own fate.
"Ugh..."
"Heh, kid, understand your situation."
Kashiwagi pressed a knee into the grunt's back, eliciting a pained groan and stopping any further resistance. "Or do I have to break a leg for you to learn some manners?"
"..."
The man looked up, his eyes darting between Aron and Vibrava. He fell silent.
Kashiwagi tied him up and did a quick pat-down, pocketing a hidden knife and other small items. "You're a bit too sneaky... so we'll do this the easy way."
He recalled Aron and Vibrava with a word of thanks and pulled out a different Poké Ball.
Pop.
"Lucky?"
A Chansey looked around, confused.
Kashiwagi patted its large, soft head. "Be a dear and use Sing. Let's give this guy a good nap."
"Wait! No, wait—!" The Snarl member's face paled as he struggled desperately.
Kashiwagi gagged the man with a cloth and repeated the command.
"Lucky~"
Chansey nodded, closing its eyes and singing with its hands raised. Under the influence of the pale pink sound waves, the Snarl member was soon fast asleep.
Kashiwagi and Huowu lowered the hands they had been using to plug their ears. A normal Sing could be resisted by covering one's ears or dodging the waves. The "Jigglypuff" from the anime was a special case—a legendary-tier entity for comedic effect—and couldn't be used as a standard for battle mechanics.
The dust had settled.
One of the two Drone Rotoms flew off, while the other descended slowly.
"You have received total Donations of 2,400,000."
"—HOW MUCH?!"
Kashiwagi stared at the drone in shock, then at the equally stunned Huowu. "2.4 million?"
The Drone Rotom gave no reply and ascended back into the air.
Huowu nodded slowly, her expression complex. "Yeah. That's the number."
2.4 million.
Kashiwagi fell into thought. This was a massive sum of money for him, but he didn't feel pure joy. He wondered if this money was a "hot potato." Who would tip this much? Did someone lose a bet and pay out through donations?
After considering it, he gave a slight bow to the drone. "Thank you for the donation. I am deeply honored."
Whoever the donor was, they were powerful enough to throw this kind of money around. There was no point in playing the "rebellious loner" now.
Gateon Port Gala.
Kashiwagi's respectful bow was captured clearly on the screens. Guests praised him and clapped. On the second floor, Erkin wore a satisfied smile.
It was no mystery; the old man had initiated the wave with a 1-million-credit donation. The guests followed his lead, resulting in a collective pool of nearly 2 million, while the rest came from other sources. The total was capped to prevent it from becoming truly absurd, keeping the "rewards" within a certain limit.
Outside the Arena.
In the control room, Ayana was radiant. She barely cared about the other matches now. She shot a mocking glance at the dark-faced man, whose expression was a sickly shade of green. He had just lost half a million on the bet—not a fortune, but a massive blow to his pride.
At the Team Snagem camp, almost everyone was cheering. They had bet on Kashiwagi and were making a killing. If they had a way to donate, they likely would have added to the pile.
The rescued Snagem grunt watched the screen, his face a mix of jealousy, envy, and regret. He looked at his bandaged legs and let out a long, helpless sigh.
"Sigh..."