On the field.
Kashiwagi and Yoshioka stood on opposite sides, Poké Balls in hand, ready for war. The underlings were screaming their lungs out, hoping to lend their leader some morale.
In contrast to Kashiwagi, who stood calmly in place, Yoshioka's expression was as dark as the bottom of a charred pot. His mood was exactly as foul as he looked; he was supposed to be reclaiming territory under Master Chester's orders, yet somehow, he'd ended up wagering his teeth.
What use were teeth? Even if he smashed Kashiwagi's entire mouth, Chester wouldn't be happy. Compared to a high-revenue territory, a few teeth that could be replaced with money weren't worth mentioning.
Damn kid!
Yoshioka's only hope now was to win the battle and hope Kashiwagi valued his teeth enough to be goaded into putting the territory back on the table. Where did a youngster get so many schemes? He refused to admit he had been played; he simply told himself Kashiwagi had a bit of "low-level cunning."
At the edge of the field, a shop owner held a red and a green flag. Trembling, he acted as the referee and raised the green flag.
"Positions—"
"Start!"
The green flag snapped down.
Kashiwagi and Yoshioka released their Pokémon simultaneously.
Pop! Pop!
Two flashes of brilliant white light hit the ground. Mawile stretched as if she'd just finished a long nap, her eyes locking onto the Pokémon across from her—a creature composed of countless boulders with a serpentine head and short, stout limbs.
"Gole-rum!"
The sound was heavy, like the shifting of the earth. Golem, the Megaton Pokémon.
Kashiwagi was no stranger to this species; Otsuka had one. However, different trainers produced subtle differences in their Pokémon. He knew better than to rely solely on past experience.
"I won't say much. I'm giving you full autonomy in this fight, but don't forget to listen for my voice," Kashiwagi whispered to Mawile.
"Ma-wile~"
Mawile agreed readily, though she felt a twinge of annoyance. The way he spoke made it sound like she was some headstrong rogue! She was perfectly sensible and a great listener, thank you very much!
Seeing Mawile puff out her cheeks, Kashiwagi felt a wave of helplessness. They had discussed this several times over the past few days. Each time, she'd claim she was listening and then pout in protest. But some things are impossible to see for oneself—the "onlooker's perspective" was essential.
Across the field, seeing that Mawile hadn't initiated an attack, Yoshioka recalled her explosive speed from the dance hall and barked an order:
"Bulldoze!"
"Gole-rum!"
Golem let out a muffled growl and leaped into the air. Its limbs and head retracted naturally into its torso, transforming it into a massive stone sphere that slammed into the ground!
Thump!
The ground cracked open, sending jagged rocks flying as a yellowish shockwave rippled outward, reaching Mawile in an instant.
Unfortunately for Golem, Mawile had been watching it closely. She hadn't attacked because she was communicating with Kashiwagi—and because she wanted to test the enemy's mettle.
Now, she was genuinely annoyed. She had clearly demonstrated her Magnet Rise ability earlier; did this guy really think a Ground-type move would work? Who was he looking down on?!
Mawile kicked off the ground, easily evading the energy wave. Electricity crackled around her as she hovered in mid-air, leaving Yoshioka staring in shock.
"It... it's flying?"
Yoshioka couldn't believe his eyes. His knowledge of Pokémon was pitifully sparse. Spending his days partying and throwing his weight around, he had no idea there was a move called Magnet Rise that could grant Steel-types flight.
His hesitation caused Golem to freeze as well. With both trainer and Pokémon lacking basic knowledge, they handed the initiative over to Kashiwagi.
"Iron Head!"
"Ma-wile!"
With a cry of "I'm on it," Mawile skillfully manipulated the electromagnetic forces. She kicked off a nearby rock and shot toward Golem like a silver arrow!
"Rock Blast!"
Coming to his senses, Yoshioka screamed his command. Golem extended its limbs to summon stones, but it was a step too late.
In the blink of an eye, Mawile was in its face. Twisting her body like a dancer, she swung the massive black jaws from the back of her head forward—
In that instant, the jaws glowed with a brilliant metallic sheen, appearing as if they had been plated in silver and weighted with ten thousand tons. They slammed into Golem's head like a heavy sledgehammer!
CLANG!
The dull, bone-jarring impact echoed through the street. Amidst the explosion of type-energy, Golem's head was driven straight into the ground, the impact cratering the earth.
As the dust settled, the Crystal Unit members stared at their unconscious Golem in stunned silence. The onlookers' jaws hit the floor.
"You—"
Yoshioka's face turned crimson. He wanted to scream at Kashiwagi, demanding to know how such a Pokémon could one-shot his Golem. Your Mawile is just a Mawile! My Golem is a Golem! How is this possible?!
"Ma-wile!"
Having secured the first knockout, Mawile flew back to Kashiwagi's side happily.
"Amazing, truly amazing. Look, you've scared them speechless," Kashiwagi praised her. Mawile certainly deserved it. In reality, many factors influenced a move's power; smashing Golem's serpentine head was essentially a critical hit.
What Kashiwagi cared about more was his opponent's lack of knowledge. Failing to recognize Magnet Rise meant Yoshioka was uneducated to the extreme. He held his position because of his Pokémon, yet he hadn't bothered to learn a thing? He was likely functionally illiterate when it came to battling.
"Dammit! Don't get cocky just because you got one!" Yoshioka yelled, pulling Golem back into its ball. He figured if he couldn't match her speed, he'd play defense.
He immediately sent out his high-defense Shuckle.
"Go! Withdraw!"
Shuckle pulled its tentacles and head into its hard shell, attempting to bait Mawile into attacking. It knew Power Split, a move that would average its stats with the opponent's. It would compensate for Shuckle's abysmal attack while crippling the enemy's. It was a trick Yoshioka used constantly.
However, Kashiwagi didn't hesitate. He swapped Mawile out for Chansey.
"Sing!"
"What the hell!?" Yoshioka froze, reaching for Shuckle's Poké Ball.
He was too slow. Chansey had already begun her gentle lullaby. Pink light waves and floating musical notes washed over Shuckle, plunging it into a deep slumber.
"La~ lalala~"
With its limbs tucked inside its shell, Shuckle had zero mobility. It was a sitting duck. A move like Sing was bound to hit a stationary target. By the time Yoshioka withdrew Shuckle, it was already snoring.
He was forced to send out his third Pokémon.
"Ni-do!"
A spiked monster threw its head back and roared, its deep purple hide reflecting the sunlight like polished metal. Nidoking, the Drill Pokémon! This was Yoshioka's ace and the primary reason he was a Squad Leader.
Kashiwagi assessed the Nidoking's size and height before quickly switching again, sending the eager Mawile back onto the field.
"He can't touch you. Use Ice Punch and take him down."
"Ma-wile!"
Mawile shouted her affirmation, using Magnet Rise to fly toward the charging Nidoking.
"Don't be afraid! Counter with Fire Punch!" Yoshioka roared to boost his Pokémon's confidence. At least he didn't make the amateur mistake of using Poison moves against a Steel-type; he went for the raw, super-effective power of Fire Punch.
Blazing flames engulfed Nidoking's massive fist, looking like it could punch through the frontal armor of a main battle tank.
On the other side, Mawile responded with an Ice Punch so cold it felt like a descending comet. The mere sight of the frost made the onlookers shiver.
The two collided! Boom! A massive cloud of white steam erupted.
"Don't trade hits directly! It's pointless! Find an opening and strike the jaw joint!"
"Ma-wile!" Mawile shouted back through the mist, acknowledging Kashiwagi's tactical advice.
A Pokémon like Nidoking was covered in hardened purple keratin, its skin as tough as rock. It had very few weak points. Based on his knowledge, Kashiwagi identified the jaw joint as a viable breakthrough.
Yoshioka, hearing the advice, started screaming even louder. "Punch it! Hit it hard with Fire Punch! It's fine if you take a hit! Hit back!"
This "cheerleader-style" commanding made Kashiwagi's lip twitch. This guy was actually worse than Ken. No wonder he'd struggled to get promoted while Ken had been a rising star in Team Snarl.
Suddenly, a loud THWACK rang out.
The mist vanished as everyone stared. A bizarre sight met their eyes: Nidoking's flaming right fist was caught in the iron grip of Mawile's massive rear jaws. Meanwhile, Mawile's own fist was pressed firmly against Nidoking's cheek, which was now covered in bone-white frost.
A moment later, the flames on Nidoking's fist died out. Its eyes rolled back.
In an instant, the massive Nidoking collapsed like a falling mountain.
Yoshioka's excited expression froze. Even though he still had a sleeping Shuckle left, the outcome of the match was no longer in question.
"You're a failure as a student," Kashiwagi sighed for him. "You lose because you didn't do the homework."
Yoshioka had relied on the raw talent of his Pokémon to get this far. But against someone who understood Pokémon mechanics and possessed superior training, his lack of foundation was utterly exposed.