In its Meditate, Medicham moved like a phantom.
Not only did it take to the air like a soaring hawk, but it also left behind a trail of shimmering blue afterimages as it retreated, looking incredibly mystical.
"Don't let it get away! Disable!"
Kashiwagi wasn't about to let his prey escape so easily.
Galarian Corsola, eager to finish her "shift" early, was equally determined.
Her eyes glowed with an eerie blue light, sending a wave of psychic suppression toward Medicham.
The pink humanoid instantly froze in mid-air, looking as if someone had pressed a pause button on reality.
"Break free! Don't let the tide pull you under!"
Brawly shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Go with the flow! Rise and fall—rise and fall—!"
Under his guidance, Medicham's body began to vibrate violently, fighting against Corsola's mental shackles.
Meanwhile, the power of Curse surged from its shadow, continuously seeping into its body and draining its stamina.
Its aura seemed to be flickering, growing weaker by the second.
Everything looked like it was going Kashiwagi's way, yet he felt a prickle of unease. Why is that light getting brighter?
He quickly looked down at Galarian Corsola. The slight trembling of her body told him exactly how fierce Medicham's resistance was.
Something was wrong!
"—Hide inside the Whirlpool!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Medicham erupted with a blinding radiance.
Its body became a brilliant beacon, making it impossible to look at directly. Hovering in the air with its legs crossed in a meditative trance, it looked like a deity in Zen state.
With a single breath, a terrifying surge of psychic power washed over Galarian Corsola, who was currently half-submerged in her own vortex.
Whoosh—
The azure Whirlpool quietly vanished, erased as if by a pair of invisible giant hands.
It left Galarian Corsola exposed and round, her usually listless and "depressed" expression replaced by a flash of genuine panic as she stared at the glowing Medicham.
Kashiwagi felt a surge of panic too. Since when does the Gym Leader's Pokémon trigger a "limit break" before the Challenger's?
But then he remembered how Brawly's Makuhita had evolved mid-battle against Ash.
Considering his own past encounters, wasn't he used to opponents suddenly finding their "Protagonist energy"?
Kashiwagi's mind stabilized instantly. He knew that no matter how strong Medicham became, he just had to take it move by move.
"Don't panic! It can't break through your defense!"
The priority was stabilizing Corsola. She didn't have much experience with sudden "power-ups" from opponents; if she lost her nerve, it was over.
"Whether we can break the wave or not—we won't know until we try!" Brawly grinned. "Zen Headbutt!"
"Medi!"
Glowing like a high-wattage light bulb, Medicham pressed its palms together. Its head and hands swayed rhythmically as it charged toward Corsola. The psychic energy gathered on its forehead formed a blue vortex that seemed to warp the very space around it.
"Solaaaa..."
The overwhelming pressure made Galarian Corsola flinch instinctively.
"Don't be afraid! You can do this! Show it the same endurance you use against Aggron!"
Kashiwagi shouted again.
"Believe in me!! Strength Sap!!"
The Trainer's shout echoed in Corsola's ears. The sheer will carried in his voice felt like a flickering flame that ignited her courage.
Her downturned mouth tightened into a firm line. Her eyes turned sharp and resolute.
"Solaaa!"
She thrust out her smoke-like branches. The four tentacles on her back suddenly shattered, transforming into a thick fog that enveloped the incoming Medicham!
Fwoosh!
Medicham plunged into the mist without hesitation. It flipped upside down with extreme agility, slamming down toward Corsola like a heavy sledgehammer.
The massive force of the impact drove her straight into the ground!
THOOM!
The floor shook violently.
Debris flew everywhere, and thick smoke billowed from the impact zone. A deathly silence fell over the field; not a single sound could be heard.
Brawly folded his arms confidently, looking as if victory were already his.
"No matter how stubborn the reef is, there comes a day when the waves finally crack it!"
"...You're right about that," Kashiwagi said, his voice calm and powerful.
"But Galarian Corsola isn't a wave. She's a reef—an immovable reef at the bottom of the sea! Hex!"
As the words fell, a pair of glowing red eyes suddenly lit up within the smoke.
Countless deep-blue rings of energy expanded outward, blowing away the smoke and sending Medicham flying backward!
"She still has energy left? Did I miscalculate?" Brawly gasped.
"Psychic!"
"Medi!"
Medicham, its glow now dimming, pressed its palms together once more to unleash invisible waves of energy.
But to everyone's surprise, the half-buried Galarian Corsola suddenly tilted her head back.
A massive orb of deep purple energy—larger than her own body—condensed rapidly. The compressed energy throbbed with a volatile pulse before launching at Medicham at high speed!
Whistle—
The wind howled. Medicham's face shifted in horror; its Psychic energy was being torn apart like paper by the Shadow Ball!
"Did you just learn a new move? I knew you could do it if you tried!" Kashiwagi exclaimed in surprise.
Brawly yelled, "Get out of the way!"
But it was too late. Medicham was struck head-on by the Shadow Ball.
BOOM!
Ghostly energy erupted, swirling in the smoke. When Medicham finally emerged, it appeared to have survived the hit, but after wobbling in a circle, it collapsed, unconscious.
The referee, Shauna, immediately raised her flag.
"Medicham is unable to battle! Cor... uh, Galarian Corsola wins!"
As she shouted the announcement, she noticed that the half-buried Corsola had also developed swirly eyes.
"...And Galarian Corsola is unable to battle!"
It was a double knockout.
Kashiwagi walked onto the field with a sigh and gently patted the unconscious coral.
"You worked hard. Thank you."
As he prepared to recall her, he caught sight of tiny cracks on her outer shell.
He realized what had happened.
So that's it.
Medicham's Zen Headbutt had been a Critical Hit!
All of Corsola's stat buffs—the Defense from Iron Defense and Ancient Power, and the Attack debuff from Strength Sap—had been bypassed by that final blow.
Pure Power... that ability is truly terrifying.
-----
On the other side of the field, Brawly recalled Medicham. Seeing Kashiwagi return to his box, he began to clap.
"Brilliant! Your Galarian Corsola proved with her actions that she is indeed a reef, not a wave.
"Now then... does your remaining 'reef' have what it takes to stop my last one?"
He threw his Poké Ball with a flourish.
THUD!
The ground trembled slightly as the two-meter-tall Hariyama landed.
"Ha-ri-ya!"
Hariyama let out a low, resonant cry that sounded like the roar of a distant mountain.
Kashiwagi took a deep breath and threw his own ball.
CRASH!
"AGG-RRON!!"
A thunderous roar erupted as the silver titan slammed into the earth. As the dust settled, Aggron's ferocious, battle-hungry gaze met his opponent's.
Brawly was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.
"I didn't expect you to choose Aggron."
"He's my ace," Kashiwagi replied with a confident smile.
"In a final showdown like this, I have to put my trust in the one I rely on most."
A 4x weakness to Fighting-types was indeed terrifying, but through countless battles, Kashiwagi had learned one thing:
Aggron would never let him down.