The sudden turn of events terrified Houndoom and Sableye.
They stared blankly at their fallen trainer, Girard, and at the enemy trainer and Pokémon who had dropped from the sky and slammed directly onto Weezing. For a moment, their minds went completely numb.
What's happening? Where did the enemy come from?
"Awoo!"
"Sable!"
Driven by panic, both Pokémon reflexively moved to support their trainer. However, doing so while in a standoff with the enemy was effectively handing their opponents a free opening.
In an instant...
The landed Mawile completely ignored Shiftry, who was slowly expanding its body in an attempt to force open her giant jaws. Instead, she wreathed her small fist in a reddish-brown glow and delivered a savage side-blow to Houndoom!
Power-Up Punch!
Bang!
"Awoo-ooo—!"
Houndoom was snapped back to reality by the pain, screaming as it was sent flying. It tumbled across the ground several times and, for the moment, found itself unable to even stand up.
Mawile let out a small, satisfied smirk. Waves of intense heat billowed from the teeth of her secondary jaws as she doubled down on the Growth-bolstered Shiftry with another heavy strike.
"Shreeee—!!"
Shiftry shrieked in agony.
Mawile remained indifferent, marching straight toward the struggling Houndoom.
She remembered Kashiwagi telling her that canine Pokémon had a specific weakness: "Copper head, iron bones, but a tofu waist." Just like hitting a snake at its seven-inch mark, if you landed a heavy blow on their lumbar joints, an ordinary canine Pokémon simply couldn't handle it.
This was the secret to landing a Critical Hit.
Looking at the result, Kashiwagi's advice was spot on.
On the other side...
Aggron's massive black tail (Iron Tail), as thick as a man's waist and wreathed in a silver halo, tore through the air like a whip. It slammed squarely into Sableye!
BOOM!
The explosion of Steel-type energy sounded like a clap of thunder. There was no way Sableye could withstand such a ferocious assault; it was swatted into a pile of rocks some distance away, where it lay motionless.
"Roar—!!"
Aggron let out a massive roar toward the sky, the frustration of being under the influence of Taunt finally venting out.
Seeing all three of his Pokémon neutralized, Girard—who was pinned under Kashiwagi's knee—finally caught his breath, his face a mask of disbelief.
He never could have imagined he would "capsize in a ditch" like this, taken down by such a green brat.
If only he had not underestimated him...
If only...
"Explosion!"
Girard screamed hysterically. Beside him, Weezing's body suddenly surged with a blinding white light. Terrifying energy pulsated violently, ready to detonate at any microsecond.
But before the Explosion could trigger, a blue light abruptly enveloped Weezing. Like a live grenade, the Pokémon was forcibly hurled into the distance by an invisible force!
It landed exactly where a group of Team Snarl grunts were rushing over to provide backup after hearing the commotion.
KABOOM—!!
A miniature mushroom cloud rose into the air. The Team Snarl members and their Pokémon were sent flying in every direction with wretched screams. Seeing his last-ditch effort fail, Girard's eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out.
The fall from the heights had already left him badly injured; the shock of his defeat was the final straw.
Kashiwagi plucked the Poké Balls from Girard's belt and recalled Houndoom and the others one by one. Under the dark night sky, illuminated by the bright flickers of distant fires, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Finally took him down."
Drenched in sweat, he rolled his shoulders and smiled at the Chansey beside him. "You really are a tank now."
"Lucky~!"
Chansey, transformed into a "Super Hard-Boiled Egg" thanks to her Eviolite, let out a cheerful cry and skipped off to restore the stamina of Mawile and Aggron.
Even with Chansey acting as cushions, the recoil from falling from such a height had left Kashiwagi feeling a bit rattled. Fortunately, his physical condition was excellent, and he felt mostly fine after a brief rest.
In comparison, Girard was in much worse shape.
Broken bones were a certainty, but the extent was unclear. Kashiwagi checked his eyes, mouth, and clothes. After confirming there was no obvious internal hemorrhaging, he nodded in satisfaction.
A living High Executive was always more useful than a dead one—a stark difference from when he was fighting Ken back at the Charity Tournament.
"Good work, everyone."
Kashiwagi looked at his three Pokémon as they gathered around. He handed Girard over to Aggron to carry and prepared to search for Naruhisa and the others.
Team Snarl had brought over two hundred people. While the recent Explosion had thinned their ranks, it had also made a lot of noise. There was no guarantee that another High Executive wasn't already on the way; he had to move fast—
BOOM—!!
An explosion far more terrifying than the previous one erupted on the horizon. A massive mushroom cloud and soaring flames lit up the night as if it were day, leaving Kashiwagi with a look of pure shock.
He remembered that area—it was where the confiscated heavy machinery was stored. Someone had blown it all up?
No.
This should be—
Kashiwagi's brow furrowed. The pungent, acrid smell of gunpowder and the persistent flames, combined with the escalating chaos nearby, made him realize this explosion was caused by actual explosives.
Team Snarl's goal was to destroy the confiscated goods? They were literally breaking the Team Snagem's rice bowl.
What a bunch of lunatics.
He moved quickly toward a nearby guard post, with Aggron following behind like a loyal sentinel, still carrying Girard.
To his surprise...
He had expected to run into a few more Team Snarl grunts and be forced into another fight, but he reached the first guard post without any trouble.
Even better, the post contained the very people he was looking for: Naruhisa and his squad.
As he approached, Naruhisa visibly flinched and ducked his head back inside. It took a good two or three seconds before the man recognized Aggron and realized it was their leader. He came running out, shouting as he ran.
"Kashiwagi! Don't attack! It's me!"
"You idiot—"
Kashiwagi glanced at their surroundings. "Why are you screaming? You trying to invite the enemy over for tea?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Naruhisa apologized immediately, then did a double-take at the body Aggron was carrying. "And this is?"
"A Team Snarl High Executive. I don't know his name, and he's only got half a breath left, but in our current situation, he's perfect for both passing the blame and taking the credit."
He patted Naruhisa on the shoulder. "Is everyone okay?"
"We're fine! Tyra is incredibly strong. Those Team Snarl grunts were no match for her; she took them down one by one," Naruhisa said excitedly.
Then, Kashiwagi noticed over a dozen Team Snarl members tied up inside the post, including two squad leaders.
"Wow."
He raised an eyebrow and looked at the others. Besides his own squad, there were several unfamiliar Team Snagem members. "Where's Tyra?"
"She went to support Lady Ayana. We learned from these prisoners that Team Snarl sent three High Executives this time. Tyra was worried Lady Ayana would be ganked by three... uh, I mean, two Executives."
Naruhisa grinned sheepishly.
"I see."
Kashiwagi nodded. "In that case... you lot come with me. I have an assignment for you."
"...Yes, sir!"
Naruhisa's squad answered in unison, but the other Team Snagem members stepped forward. "Captain Kashiwagi, Captain Tyra ordered us to hold this post. We're afraid we can't go with you."
The other Snagem grunts nodded in agreement.
"...Fine." Kashiwagi didn't press the issue, seeing their resolve.
If possible, he had wanted to save these people too, just as a side benefit. He hadn't expected them to insist on staying... but he couldn't exactly tell them he was planning to make a run for it.
To avoid further complications, Kashiwagi stopped talking. He would get Naruhisa and the others out first before deciding whether to support Ayana or just round up everyone worth saving and abandon the mine entirely.
Just as he was thinking this...
A thick, murderous aura suddenly approached from behind.
Kashiwagi's heart tightened and he spun around. There, standing in the doorway and covered in blood and grime, was Tyra, gasping for breath.
Beside her was a strange-looking Pokémon. It resembled a humanoid shrub trunk that had lost its roots and grown legs, holding three green spheres in each hand—a Sudowoodo.
"Kashiwagi? Why are you back?" Tyra seemed genuinely confused, her tall frame leaning on the Sudowoodo for support.
Through the dim light of the fires, Kashiwagi could see the wounds on the Sudowoodo. It had clearly just come from a brutal battle.
"But you're here at the right time. Kashiwagi, I need you to go check on Lady Ayana's situation for me."
She spoke with a heavy, grim tone.
TN:
铜头铁骨豆腐腰 (Tóngtóu tiěgǔ dòufuyāo): A traditional Chinese martial arts/proverb describing a wolf or dog: "Heads of copper, bones of iron, but waists like tofu." I kept the flavor but clarified it for the Pokémon context.