"Maaa!"
The Galarian Linoone's back slammed violently into a giant boulder. The agonizing pain radiating from its spine nearly made it black out on the spot.
At that same moment, a faint, rhythmic melody began to drift through the air.
Solidified waves of pale pink sound pulsed from a shadowy corner, expanding with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, the sonic ripples were right in front of them.
Not good!
"Quick, use Uproar!" Ken's face twisted in a snarl.
"Awoo—!!"
The Mightyena didn't hesitate. It threw its head back and let out a series of ear-splitting, continuous howls. Visible white ripples vibrated outward, completely shattering the incoming pink waves.
But the white shockwaves didn't stop there. They continued to expand toward both Aron and Galarian Linoone, causing both Pokémon to wince in visible agony.
Sing!
That Chansey actually knows Sing! Ken's expression was grim.
The information gathered on Kashiwagi had contained almost nothing regarding the Chansey because it had never been used in a formal battle. Its moveset was a total mystery until now.
On the surface, Mightyena had countered Sing with Uproar, but in reality, the move locked the user in. Once Uproar started, Mightyena couldn't switch to any other technique for a short duration; it had to keep screaming.
This created a window for Aron to strike. Furthermore, due to the distance and positioning, Ken couldn't reach the Galarian Linoone with a Poké Ball to recall it. If he didn't want to lose it, both he and Mightyena had to physically close the gap to prevent being separated from their partner.
Damn it!
"Iron Head!"
"Get up! Body Press!" Hearing Kashiwagi's command, Ken shouted back, forced to move forward with Mightyena.
Despite the short distance, by the time Ken reached a position where he could recall Linoone, Aron had already lowered its silver-glowing head and charged like a freight train!
Thud!
A dull impact echoed. Smoke billowed and dispersed quickly as both Pokémon were sent flying in opposite directions.
At the final second, the Galarian Linoone had managed to trigger Body Press. However, it wasn't as fast as Aron. Forced to clash defensively, its power was significantly dampened, and it lost the trade.
Fortunately, Linoone crashed into a rock formation directly in front of Ken. Though it rolled in the dirt, kicking up clouds of dust, it had successfully closed the distance to its trainer.
On the other side, Aron was in relatively good shape. Despite its 4x weakness to Fighting-type moves and being in its first evolutionary stage, it held the advantage and didn't look battered. It slid across the dusty ground, leaving a trail, and came to a halt. Its expression was calm, indicating it hadn't expended much stamina. It merely looked slightly annoyed that the collision point allowed the Linoone to "escape."
Undoubtedly, Kashiwagi had won the opening gambit. He needed to capitalize on this immediately to prevent Ken from pulling out a trump card.
However, just as he was about to give an order, a tiny pink egg-like shape in the shadows suddenly expanded, letting out a weak cry.
"Lucky..."
It was Chansey, covered in dust, returning to its original size. It panted heavily; evidently, it had reached the limit of its endurance for the transformation.
The effect of Minimize magically shrinks a large frame, but maintaining that state for an extended period is a heavy mental and physical burden for a Pokémon.
Seeing Chansey reappear, Ken's eyes lit up.
"Uproar!"
"Awoo—!!"
Mightyena's sonic attack shifted from a broad dispersion to a focused cone, concentrating its power. The target was the suddenly revealed Chansey.
"Use Soft-Boiled! Aron, help her!"
"Gron!"
Aron let out a low rumble in response, lunging forward and knocking Chansey behind a large rock. It used its own momentum to slide behind another boulder.
Boom! Boom!
The white sound waves pulverized the rocks into dust and ash. A brilliant, oval light shone from within the dust cloud. When the air cleared, Chansey had recovered from its fatigue, and Aron remained largely unscathed.
But Kashiwagi had missed his best window to finish the fight. Mightyena's Uproar had ended, and the Galarian Linoone was scrambling to regroup.
"Lucky..." Chansey looked on, unable to hide its shame and gloom. If it could have held out just a little longer, Kashiwagi might have already defeated this obviously evil man.
"It's not your fault, don't worry about it!"
Kashiwagi caught the look out of the corner of his eye and immediately offered reassurance. Even though talking too much in battle can be a risk, staying silent now would have a much worse impact. The mistake at the critical moment wasn't Chansey's fault; the failure lay with him as the trainer for miscalculating its limits.
"Hold on! Heal Pulse! Rock Tomb!"
"In your dreams! Taunt! Pin Missile!"
Both trainers gave orders almost simultaneously, but Ken's side showed a superior level of intuition. Vague commands were crystal clear to his long-time partners.
Mightyena let out a chilling bark. The red aura covering its body carried a strange magic, drawing Chansey's gaze just as soft pink light began to gather in its paws.
"Don't look!"
Kashiwagi couldn't warn it in time. Mightyena's action was perfectly synced with Ken's command. Chansey froze as its eyes met the wolf's twisted expression. A sinister red light leapt from the Mightyena and plunged into Chansey's chest. The soft light in its paws immediately flickered out.
"Lucky!" it cried out in distress.
Simultaneously, Aron stomped the ground, launching jagged rocks into the air with Rock energy.
Whish-whish-whish!
"Maaa!!" The Galarian Linoone struggled up, firing thick green needles from the fur on its back with desperate precision.
Like missiles hitting interceptors, the rocks and needles collided mid-air, creating a series of deafening explosions. Dense, acrid smoke filled the air, obscuring both sides.
Taking the chance, Kashiwagi recalled the panicked Chansey. When a Pokémon is under the effect of Taunt and cannot use status moves, they must either wait it out or return to their ball to clear the energy. He chose the latter.
As the smoke began to clear again, Kashiwagi saw something he didn't expect. Ken, with a look of savage desperation, was force-feeding something to his Mightyena and Linoone.
"You low-life, did you really think you had this in the bag?"
"Awoo..."
A web of blood-red veins began to cover the eyes of the Mightyena and the Linoone. They let out low, sobbing growls, and a terrifying, berserk aura radiated from them.
An unexpected trump card! Performance-enhancing drugs!
Kashiwagi's heart hammered. He quickly redeployed Chansey. "Heal Pulse! Rock Tomb!"
"Tear them to pieces!" Ken screamed through gritted teeth. "I paid a fortune for this stuff, now enjoy the taste!"
"Awoo!"
"Maaa!"
The two Pokémon, manic yet still obedient, charged forward. They ignored the incoming rocks entirely, smashing through them with their skulls and continuing forward unharmed. This ferocity visibly terrified Chansey.
Worse yet, as the Galarian Linoone ran, its body began to emit a brilliant, mysterious blue light.
Evolution!
"Hahaha! I actually hit the jackpot! Even the gods want you dead right here!" Ken burst into ecstatic laughter, looking ready to dance.
As Chansey's Heal Pulse bathed Aron, the Mightyena closed in, followed by the now-transformed Obstagoon. The creature had shifted from all-fours to a bipedal stance, its elbows, shoulders, and shins covered in thick grey-white fur. The black stripes running down its back were flared up like a jagged, permed wave.
"Guma!"
Obstagoon swept its crimson eyes over Aron and Chansey. Seeing the lingering energy from Chansey's move, it lunged directly for the healer!
"Gron!"
Aron couldn't worry about the Mightyena targeting it; it scrambled back to block Obstagoon's pounce.
"Use Iron Head to push back! Chansey, use Minimize and hide behind Aron!"
Kashiwagi moved closer to his Pokémon. He couldn't worry about being a target anymore; if he stayed too far away, one of those berserk beasts would snap his throat in seconds.
"Lucky!" Chansey shrank in a flash of blue light, narrowly avoiding the Obstagoon. Aron's support arrived—its silver skull slammed into the Obstagoon with a heavy thud, forcing it back several steps. But the moment Aron landed, the Mightyena struck with a claw wreathed in dark light.
Crash!
Aron was smashed into a small crater.
Thanks to the prior Heal Pulse, Aron managed to roll and scramble back to its feet, its stamina still holding steady. However, Chansey's Minimize only lasted a few seconds before it reverted to its original size. Its mental fortitude had finally cracked.
As Kashiwagi tried to stand with his team, he realized with a jolt that the Mightyena and Obstagoon had silently formed a pincer maneuver.
What the hell did he feed them?
Normally, these two should have collapsed by now. Even with the "revival" of evolution, there was no way they could ignore this much damage. Kashiwagi's heart raced even faster.