A Dark-type Mightyena, frozen by what appeared to be a Psychic-type move?
A miracle?
No.
Kashiwagi knew that Chansey hadn't reached a level where it could defy the laws of nature—that was the domain of Legendary Pokémon. What it was using now was either Disable (the move Misty's Psyduck was so fond of in the anime) or a specific Psychic status move that ignored type immunities.
Telekinesis!
Yes, that had to be it.
Clutching the wound on his arm, Kashiwagi scrambled out from under the Mightyena and stood up, checking on Chansey. The Pokémon's eyes were shrouded in blue light. Its cute face was a mask of pain mixed with fierce determination, looking as though its mental energy had reached its limit, yet it refused to break.
Even if it wasn't dealing damage to the Mightyena, keeping it immobilized was enough.
"Thank god..."
Kashiwagi exhaled sharply and turned his gaze toward Ken, who was still standing dazed. Ignoring the blood streaming down his arm, Kashiwagi sprinted toward him. Because of the distance, Ken hadn't been caught in Chansey's mental grip.
He needed to end this now.
"You! Stay back!"
Seeing Kashiwagi closing in, Ken shrieked and turned to run, his voice cracking with terror. Despite being roughly the same size as Kashiwagi—who was currently nursing a wounded arm—Ken couldn't stop the primal fear rising in his chest. It felt as if a predator was hunting him down.
Even now, he couldn't fathom why Kashiwagi was so difficult to handle. The brat had only been training for a week; his levels were far lower, and even after Ken had used his "trump card" drugs on his Pokémon, he still couldn't win.
"Stay right there!"
A flash of desperation crossed Ken's face. He roared and pulled a small knife from his pocket, though his eyes betrayed his cowardice.
Suddenly, he yelled out with renewed hope, "Obstagoon! Kill that Chansey!"
Kashiwagi glanced back. The Obstagoon, which should have been asleep, had miraculously "sit-up" and forced itself awake, shaking off the slumber. Simultaneously, the Aron in front of it began to stir from its own haze.
For a moment, it looked like the tide might turn again. But in his excitement, Ken had slowed his pace, allowing Kashiwagi to close the gap instantly. By the time Ken realized they were too far away for Obstagoon to protect him, Kashiwagi was already there.
"Drop it!"
Kashiwagi threw his own dagger with a sudden, violent snap. Driven by sheer force, the blade became a silver blur, piercing directly into Ken's wrist.
"AH!"
He let out a scream, and his knife clattered to the ground. In his panic, Ken clutched his bleeding wrist, trying to pull the blade out, but the delay allowed Kashiwagi to reach him. A flying kick sent Ken crashing to the dirt.
"Oof!"
Pinned to the ground, Ken let out a muffled grunt that quickly turned into a high-pitched wail. Kashiwagi dropped onto his back without a second's hesitation, grabbing Ken's arms and wrenching them upward. Like dismantling a plastic model, he pulled until two sickening cracks echoed—Ken's shoulders had been wrenched from their sockets.
But Kashiwagi wasn't finished. He pulled the dagger from Ken's wrist and stabbed it into the back of both of Ken's knees. Dark red blood quickly soaked the grey Snarl uniform.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH—!"
Ken's screams shook the air, his face instantly covered in tears and snot.
"Shut up!"
Kashiwagi slapped him across the face, leaving a red welt. "Crying over a few scratches... all that size for nothing!"
Technically, with Ken's build, he should have been able to put up a fight for at least a few rounds. Instead, he was worse than a pig at the slaughter; at least a pig's struggle is a challenge. Ken's resistance was pathetic. Had he spent so much time acting like a big shot that he'd forgotten how to actually fight?
Kashiwagi grabbed Ken by the hair, forcing him to watch the battle between the Pokémon. "You wanted a savior? Fine. Open your eyes and watch!"
In the distance, the awakened Obstagoon shook its head, trying to clear the cobwebs, and lunged toward the Chansey that was still holding Mightyena in place.
"Guma!"
But just as it leaped, a silver flash struck it like a sledgehammer, sending it tumbling across the ground. It scrambled to its feet, wheezing.
"Ugh..."
It looked up at the attacker: Aron. The Pokémon's face showed that it, too, was at the very end of its stamina.
But... why were its eyes still so bright?
Obstagoon's drug-addled brain couldn't understand. After such a brutal slaughter, when pain and exhaustion should have made them both want to sleep forever, Aron's gaze was as vibrant as if the day had just begun.
It was as if all the pain was irrelevant because Aron knew victory was certain—as if a beautiful tomorrow was waiting just for it. Obstagoon hated that look.
"GUMA!"
It let out a hysterical roar, using every ounce of its strength to charge. Like a black wall, it tried to crush Aron, intending to lift the small Pokémon and slam it into the earth.
It failed.
As Obstagoon made its move, a brilliant, pale blue light—the miracle of life—erupted from beneath it.
Countless glowing motes swirled around Aron. Its small body expanded rapidly; its rounded head grew into a ridged, mountain-like peak, and the spikes along its back multiplied, merging with segmented steel plates.
In an instant, a fierce, ankylosaurus-like beast appeared beneath Obstagoon. Its light-blue eyes were filled with joy and absolute confidence! Aron evolved into Lairon!
"Guma!?"
Obstagoon froze in shock, but before it could act, a colossal force bucked it into the air!
As it fell, the newly evolved Lairon slammed its front paws into the ground. The sand beneath Obstagoon collapsed, forming a deep, spinning vortex of earth!
Sand Tomb!
"Guma!"
Obstagoon slid into the pit. The more it struggled, the deeper it sank. Soon, half its body was buried. It tried to retaliate with an Ice Beam, but its internal energy was spent; it couldn't even spark a move. It could only watch as the sand swallowed it whole.
A moment later, Lairon dragged the immobilized Mightyena over and tossed it into the same terrifying sand-trap. The two Pokémon looked at each other and promptly lost consciousness, completely defeated.
In the distance, Ken watched this scene in total despair, his mouth leaking nothing but involuntary groans of agony.
"Thank you. My Aron found the spark it needed to evolve."
Kashiwagi's words were polite, but his face was as cold as ice. He dragged Ken by the hair, ignoring the screams, and walked back toward Chansey and Lairon. The two Pokémon rushed to meet him.
"Lucky...!"
"Lai!"
Chansey looked at Kashiwagi's bloody arm in a panic, and Lairon's expression was full of worry.
"I'm fine. Just a flesh wound."
Kashiwagi smiled at them. He used his teeth to tear his sleeve, showing them the reinforced bracer beneath the fabric—the one with several teeth marks but no deep punctures. "I came prepared."
Though it looked like a lot of blood, he hadn't suffered any permanent damage. Chansey and Lairon finally relaxed.