Slack Off.
A recovery move.
If Slowbro pulled this off successfully, all of Mawile's hard work wouldn't be entirely in vain, but at least half of it would be erased.
However, Kashiwagi and his team had predicted this scenario during their strategy session yesterday. The final twisting strike Mawile delivered wasn't just a "dying breath" as the commentator suggested—it was a meticulously planned setup!
The moment Mawile struck, Kashiwagi had already sprinted forward to a position as close to the action as possible. By the time the dust settled and the AI officially ruled Mawile unable to battle, Slowbro was already attempting to "Slack Off" on Yamamino's command. Kashiwagi recalled Mawile with lightning speed.
A flash of white light hit the muddy ground.
Lairon's massive form appeared.
Yamamino froze for a split second. He glanced at the ground beneath his Pokémon's feet, and as if suddenly realizing the trap, he gripped a Poké Ball and roared, "Slowbro! Use your psychic power to fly!"
Unfortunately, it was too late.
"Sand Tomb!"
Kashiwagi and Lairon—who let out a thunderous roar as it slammed its weight into the earth—pronounced Slowbro's death sentence.
Thoom!
The ground, already weakened by the repeated impacts of Mawile and Slowbro's clash, disintegrated instantly under Lairon's stomp. Slowbro, still in the middle of its recovery animation, wobbled as its balance vanished. It tumbled straight into the collapsing earth!
Violently swirling sand and mud swallowed it whole. In its panic, it found itself unable to focus enough mental energy to break free from the Sand Tomb's crushing grip. Lairon was not about to let this golden opportunity slip away.
"Rock Blast!"
"Lai-ron!"
It gave a muffled shout. The scattered yellow sand gathered into jagged boulders that launched like artillery shells toward the spinning Slowbro. At this moment, Lairon seemed possessed by the spirit of a master marksman; every single rock slammed directly into Slowbro's head.
Even with its impressive defense, Slowbro couldn't withstand such a relentless barrage. Its eyes rolled back, and it fainted on the spot. Yamamino's hope of recalling Slowbro once it escaped the sand was completely dashed.
He looked at Lairon and Kashiwagi, his expression more serious than ever before.
If the initial loss of Meowstic was due to his own overconfidence and underestimating the opponent, then Slowbro's defeat was a failure of his own ability. To have Pokémon significantly stronger than his opponent and still end up in a one-for-one trade was a clear indictment of his skill as a Trainer.
Yamamino took a deep breath and recalled Slowbro. "You did great. Rest well."
With that, another Luxury Ball was thrown.
Pop!
The white light materialized and immediately began to hover. This Pokémon had six crimson eyes; some were narrowed into slits while others were wide like tiny black dots. Its body was dark and clay-like, with a white, magnifying-glass-like pattern on its torso.
The Clay Doll Pokémon: Ground/Psychic-type, Claydol!
With its Levitate ability, it completely ignored the swirling sand pit Lairon had created, rendering Lairon's signature Sand Tomb useless. Jagged Stealth Rocks manifested in the air and detonated like grenades around Claydol, causing its body to shudder slightly.
However, by then, Kashiwagi had already swapped Lairon out.
Chansey took the field.
She stared up at the hovering Claydol. There wasn't a trace of fear on her cute face; it was as if she understood her mission perfectly. She stood her ground with unshakable resolve.
"Telekinesis!" Kashiwagi's voice reached her ears.
Blue light flared in her eyes, but the target wasn't Claydol—it was herself.
An invisible hand seemed to lift her up, launching her toward Claydol like a pink cannonball!
"Dodge it!"
Yamamino waved his hand calmly. Claydol, having recovered from the Stealth Rock damage, twisted its body and easily evaded the lunging Chansey.
The announcer shouted, "Chansey's ambush misses! What a shame! If only she could have changed direction in mid-air!"
"That's easier said than death," one of the guests cut in. "Telekinesis is different from Magnet Rise. Normally, it only allows a Pokémon to levitate; it doesn't provide the agility for complex maneuvers. To change direction mid-flight, she would need to massively increase her mental output."
The second guest added, "Exactly. For a non-Psychic type who has already engaged in two mental clashes with a Meowstic, that is a significant mental burden. Usually, non-Psychic Pokémon aren't as fluid with mental energy. Redirecting it takes time, and one slip-up leads to a total failure."
While the commentary box analyzed the technicalities, Chansey hit the ground, rolled twice, and used another burst of Telekinesis to propel herself backward, launching at Claydol again.
Yamamino: "Smack Down!"
Claydol raised its teardrop-shaped arms. A brownish glow gathered at the tips, ignoring the sand as it condensed into a golden, shimmering rock. It whistled through the air to intercept the flying Chansey.
"Minimize!"
The moment the shout rang out, just as the golden rock was about to crush her, Chansey's body shrunk and then expanded, successfully weaving through the projectiles.
Yamamino's face showed no frustration. "Rapid Spin! Knock her away!"
"Dolu!"
Claydol began to spin violently. The speed of the rotation created a whistling wind. Its arms became like baseball bats, aiming to swat the incoming Chansey out of the sky.
"Protect!"
In the nick of time, a green barrier flickered into existence around Chansey. She slammed into the high-speed Claydol, the barrier absorbing the centrifugal force like it was nothing more than a gentle breeze. As the green shield shattered, Chansey successfully grabbed onto Claydol's body.
"Sing—"
"Slam into the ground! Stone Edge!"
Before Chansey could even open her mouth to sing, Claydol dove straight down. A jagged, glowing blue pillar of rock burst from the earth, slamming directly into Chansey's back!
BOOM!
The rock shattered. Chansey's face twisted in pain, but she refused to let go of Claydol. She swayed her body, her face tensed as she tried to force the song out.
But Yamamino wouldn't give her another chance.
"Body Press!"
Claydol rose slightly and then slammed down again with all its weight!
BOOM!
Dust billowed!
It was already a miracle that Chansey had survived the first Stone Edge given her physical defense and level. She had no way of surviving a second impact. When the smoke cleared, Chansey lay there with dizzy spirals in her eyes.
"Chansey is unable to battle! Now it's down to Lairon and Claydol for the final showdown! But Ground-type moves are super-effective against Lairon. Against a Claydol this powerful, does Kashiwagi still have a chance to win!?"
As the announcer's passionate voice faded, Yamamino frowned slightly. He felt like something was wrong with Claydol's state...
"Tail Whip, huh."
When he saw Chansey's tiny tail, still twitching rhythmically even though she was unconscious, he finally understood. She knew she would be defeated by Claydol, yet she had staked everything just to give her teammate that one, thin thread of a chance to win.
"Who exactly are you, Kashiwagi?"