A double-headed Dragon Rush.
Kashiwagi didn't recall any Pokémon in the anime ever using it that way; even the Dragon Rush used by Hydreigon was single-headed.
Judging by the results, this variation yielded benefits.
Though it happened in a mere instant, Kashiwagi saw exactly what occurred during the clash.
Roughly speaking, Zweilous's left head bit down on the Crabhammer swung with full force by Crawdaunt, while the right head took the opportunity to strike the opening, settling the match then and there.
A post-Dragon Dance Crabhammer was no joke, but the newly evolved Zweilous was still riding that "evolution high"—it wasn't going to be taken down easily.
If problems arise with the double-headed attack form later, we'll just adjust them in time...
Kashiwagi made a mental note.
But why use two heads? He certainly hadn't taught it that.
Kashiwagi, who could not yet share a mental link with Zweilous, had no way of knowing that this fellow had its own set of simple yet "rigorous" logic—since it had two heads, the Dragon Rush, which originally formed a single energy dragon head, should naturally form two.
Otherwise, would the two heads have to share one energy head? How weird would that be!
"Zwei-lous!" "Zwei-lous!"
Zweilous nipped at the trainer's left and right hands respectively, wagging its thick, short tail with satisfaction.
"Are you a dog? Even your tail is wagging so fast."
Kashiwagi laughed.
Like Deino, Zweilous had a pitifully short tail—just a little sprout—and when it shook, it had the frantic energy of a happy puppy.
Nearby, the fisherman breathed a sigh of relief after confirming his Crawdaunt was okay. He recalled it to its Poké Ball and walked over, full of praise.
"What an impressive Dragon Rush! And that Dragon Pulse earlier, both were very powerful! Could it be that you're a Gym Leader or something?"
"No, just an ordinary passing trainer..."
Kashiwagi shook his head.
"An Ordinary trainer?"
The fisherman blinked, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. "Are young people this strong nowadays? I guess I've spent so many years fishing that the world's moved on without me!"
He slowly began packing up his fishing gear.
Kashiwagi didn't mind. He motioned for Zweilous to head toward the water. "Only for a little bit, okay? We've barely covered ten kilometers."
"Zwe-ii!" "Zwe-ii!"
Zweilous let out a sharp cry and dove into the stream like a hound pouncing on its prey.
SPLASH!
"See ya around, young man! Oh, wait—since you beat me, I'll share some info with you."
The fisherman, now carrying his gear box, pointed toward a high mountain to the north. "See that tallest peak? There are plenty of powerful wild Pokémon in those mountains. If you're interested, you should check it out."
"The mountains to the north..."
Kashiwagi gazed in that direction and nodded. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
A typical trainer might have been unable to contain their excitement upon hearing such news, but he understood the principle of "the mountain looks close but is far enough to kill a horse". It looked nearby, but there was no telling how far it actually was.
One step at a time.
Still, the mention of "powerful wild Pokémon" piqued his curiosity. If one of them hit his "cuteness" requirements, he might catch it...
No, no, no.
He still had plenty of Pokémon that needed training.
He thought of the two members of his team hovering in the level 30-40 range and felt a headache coming on.
It was understandable that Porygon was progressing slowly since it just joined; more than just leveling up, interacting with the trainer and teammates was crucial. But as for Galarian Corsola...
This one was truly difficult to handle.
She was the definition of "slacking off." She wouldn't even move during battles, forcing opponents to come to her. Yet, she didn't skip practice; she "punched in" on time for training, but her progress was simply underwhelming.
It was a matter of willpower; without an emotional spark, Despite both being "Excellent" potential Pokémon, her growth was sluggish compared to the high-energy Zweilous.
Honestly, Galarian Corsola had only been on the team for a month, and nothing particularly life-changing had happened. Expecting her to quickly build an unforgettable bond with him wasn't realistic.
Slow and steady, he reminded himself. Bonding takes time.
"Zwei-lous!" "Zwei-lous!"
The dragon's loud cry snapped him back to reality. It was holding a colorful pebble in its mouth, wagging its tail as it spat the "treasure" onto the shore.
"Thanks... but that's not a gemstone." He sighed, ruffling the dragon's wet fur.
Ever since this fellow discovered Kashiwagi "liked" gems while he was chatting with Lyra yesterday, it had been trying to scavenge all sorts of strange stones for him.
Even when it asked him things, most of the questions were about various rocks.
"Zwe-ii..." "Zwe-ii..."
Hearing its trainer say that, Zweilous regretfully picked up the pebble, spat it back into the water, and dove back down to find more beautiful-looking stones.
Instead of a stone, it spotted a mean-looking fish.
The creature was hiding in a rocky crevice, and when their eyes met, it instinctively bared a ferocious expression.
Zweilous: "!"
Hey!
You think you're tough?
Feeling provoked, Zweilous charged straight over, bit down on it, and flung it upward with all its might.
Swish!
The fish burst out of the water.
Kashiwagi, who was still thinking about how to motivate the Slacker, heard the splash. He looked up just in time to see a Carvanha falling from the sky, its tail flapping as it flew straight toward his head.
Fortunately, he was fast enough and dodged it instantly.
Flap.
The Carvanha landed on the stone beach. Amidst its struggling, it flipped itself over, its fierce eyes suddenly looking very confused and innocent.
Kashiwagi: "..."
Carvanha: "..."
"Zwei-lous!" "Zwei-lous!"
The culprit emerged from the stream, tail wagging proudly, clearly expecting a reward.
Instead, all it got were two light flicks to its foreheads.
"Put it back!" Kashiwagi glared. The dragon whimpered pitifully before reluctantly grabbing the Carvanha by the tail and tossing it back into the water.
Meanwhile, few hundred meters away, on a hillside.
The fisherman, after confirming Kashiwagi wasn't following, pulled out his phone and typed a message.
「The message has been delivered. It's definitely the person from the photo.」
Sent.
Buzz-buzz~
The reply was instant.
「Received.」
Followed by a notification of a bank transfer.
Looking at the digits on the screen, the fisherman couldn't help but whistle. "So generous. Young girls these days, going to such lengths just to chase a boy. Is that kid really that handsome?"
He rubbed his chin. "Maybe about half as handsome as I was in my prime?"
Then.
He shook his head and sighed, feeling that public morals were declining and people's hearts weren't what they used to be.
At the same moment.
The wild trainers scattered across Route 110 waiting for someone to "take the bait" all received messages that the bounty had been cancelled. They sighed at their bad luck and left dejectedly.
That morning, a user claiming to be a "cute girl" had posted a task on a secret forum, asking people to guide the person in the photo to a specific location. No combat, no confrontation—just point the way.
Many trainers had come to Route 110 to try their luck since the reward was very tempting and it wasn't anything illegal.
Who would have thought it would be claimed and settled so quickly?
A wasted trip! What a pain!
On a certain mountain shrouded in mist, a purple-haired girl leaned against a Camerupt, looking bored at her surroundings.
"Will he... come...?"