At the very moment he was sent flying by the concussive force of the blast, Kashiwagi's right hand had already snapped open a Poké Ball.
In a flash of silver light, a magnificent, towering shadow lunged forward. It caught his body mid-air, swerving past the chaotic arcs of flying lava, and landed with a heavy THOOM against the nearby rock wall.
"Roar~"
Steelix lashed its tail, slowly rotating its horizontal steel girders. Its copper-red eyes scanned the smoke-choked battlefield, taking in the scattered fragments of cooling lava that still flickered with dying sparks.
Wait... Steelix thought, the boss called me out in a panic saying we had to deal with some "powerful wild Pokémon"...
What kind of wild Pokémon is this terrifying?!
"Blow the smoke away! Go Find Mawile!"
Kashiwagi used the momentum of the rotating steel segments to scramble onto Steelix's head, his voice strained.
He took deep, ragged breaths and shed his ruined jacket. Only when Steelix accelerated its rotation—sending a gale-force wind to clear the rolling dust from the gravel path—did his breathing finally stabilize.
The original gravel path was gone.
In its place was a massive, semi-circular crater. Camerupt, returned to its standard form, lay slumped at the center of the pit. Wisps of acrid blue smoke drifted from its body... particularly from its mouth and the twin humps on its back.
Courtney remained standing exactly where she had been. Aside from a thin layer of grey ash, she didn't have a scratch on her.
Apparently, the specialized fabric of her Magma suit had absorbed the brunt of the Explosion. That kind of high-tech gear was truly something to envy.
"You did... well..."
Kashiwagi's heart tightened as he watched Courtney recall Camerupt. Her hand was already reaching for her next ball—Mightyena.
Mawile... found her!
He spotted her behind a fallen, charred tree. Judging by her massive horn-jaw, which was now coated in a dull gray, ash, she had likely used the secondary jaw as a shield at the last second. It was a smart move; better the horn take the hit than her main body.
"Are you okay?!" Kashiwagi yelled out to check her status.
"Ma... Mawile!"
Hearing her trainer's voice, Mawile gave a quick, spirited response.
Fortunately, as a Steel-type, she not only possessed respectable physical defense but also naturally resisted Normal-type moves. The raw power of that Explosion had been significantly dampened before reaching her.
By comparison, the trainer himself looked a bit more pathetic.
Luckily, Kashiwagi's own physical conditioning was top-tier, and his clothing contained shock-absorbing fibers. Despite being so close to the blast, he hadn't sustained any serious injuries.
Still, a thought lingered: Explosion wasn't a Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB) move for Mega Camerupt, yet its destructive force felt even greater than Eruption or Earth Power.
Why? Was it because the energy didn't disperse, but concentrated into a single point of detonation? Thinking about it, other Normal-type ultimates like Hyper Beam often caused similar, logic-defying destruction.
Kashiwagi watched Mightyena hit the field. When no Stealth Rocks triggered to chip its health, a look of disappointment crossed his face.
Figures.
The Stealth Rocks scattered along the path had likely been vaporized by the blast. Since those rocks were merely "invisible" and not phased into another dimension, a blast of that magnitude left them no way to remain on the field.
"Roar..."
Courtney's command made Kashiwagi blink in surprise.
A forced switch? Now? Shouldn't she be trying to finish off a weakened Mawile?
His mind raced, but his reflexes were faster. "Baton Pass!"
"ROAR—!!"
The command coincided with the sonic waves erupting from Mightyena's throat. Mawile reacted instantly, raising her right fist to transfer every ounce of her remaining stat boosts!
In a flash, Mawile turned into a streak of white light.
The Poké Ball in Kashiwagi's other hand clicked open, and Aggron slammed back onto the battlefield. When the red glow of a stat increase shimmered over Aggron's armor, Kashiwagi finally let out a breath of relief.
It connected!
Mawile's Baton Pass had beaten Mightyena's Roar by a hair. From here on, the match was basically decided.
He looked at Mightyena. It was clearly suffering; purple bubbles were already beginning to foam at the corners of its mouth from the Badly Poisoned status.
"Grrr..."
Aggron stared down its twice-faced opponent, white steam venting from its visor.
Despite the poison, Mightyena lowered its head and growled through gritted teeth. It forcibly triggered its Intimidate ability, doing everything it could to suppress Aggron's attack power.
So she couldn't get the Roar off, and she's using Intimidate as a last-ditch debuff?
Kashiwagi hopped onto a nearby rock and recalled Steelix. Courtney's tactical grit was impressive, but it was futile—Mightyena could never truly "intimidate" a behemoth like Aggron. The effect was minimal at best.
Of course, Aggron didn't underestimate its foe.
As a Pokémon that lived for the "clutch comeback," Aggron knew exactly how much power a cornered opponent could muster. Therefore, its strategy was simple: Total Lockdown.
He wouldn't give Mightyena a single opening to flip the script.
"Sand Tomb!"
"Sucker Punch..."
"GROAR!"
Aggron slammed its right claw into the earth, whipping up a violent vortex of grit and sand that lunged toward Mightyena!
"Awoo!"
Mightyena was a split-second late on the start, but its speed was far superior. It moved like a blur, ghosting past the swirling sandstorm. In a heartbeat, it circled behind Aggron and lashed out with its claws.
BANG!
A cloud of dust exploded. The Sucker Punch landed!
But just as Mightyena tried to retreat, Aggron's tail whipped around like a sentient serpent. As if it had eyes in the back of its head, the heavy tail coiled around Mightyena with startling precision.
The wolf-Pokémon was caught completely off guard. It never expected such a massive, heavy tail to be that flexible.
What it didn't know was that Kashiwagi had intentionally told Aggron to leave a "flaw" in its defense. It was bait—a calculated risk to lure the agile Mightyena into grabbing range.
"Whimper!"
Mightyena struggled, but in its poisoned state, it simply lacked the strength to break free.
"Grrr..."
Aggron turned its head. Its fierce metallic visage and glowing blue eyes exerted an invisible pressure that made the weakened Mightyena tremble.
"Iron Tail!"
"ROAR!"
Aggron swung its silver-glowing tail with devastating force. You think I'm letting you walk away after you hit my back twice?
CRASH!
Rock shattered, and Mightyena's body was slammed ruthlessly into the ground!
When the dust finally settled, the wolf was out cold. Its tongue lolled out of its mouth alongside a few stray purple bubbles.
"GROOARR!!"
Aggron threw its head back and let out a triumphant roar that echoed through the woods.
Kashiwagi finally exhaled a long, heavy breath. The 3-on-3 wilderness battle against Team Magma Admin Courtney had ended in his total victory.
She had mastered the power of Mega Evolution, yes, but she hadn't been able to capitalize on it. Her style was too focused on raw power—bigger, louder, stronger—without much synergy between her three Pokémon.
Maybe it was because Crobat was taken out too quickly?
Regardless, while Mega Camerupt was terrifying, Courtney still wasn't capable of drawing out 100% of its true potential.
Kashiwagi looked over at the Magma Admin. He expected to see some sign of frustration or defeat on her face. Instead, not only was she not upset... she was actually smiling?
Kashiwagi: "???"