A massive mushroom cloud surged upward, accompanied by a violent tremor of the earth.
The shockwave swept across the area like a solid wall of air.
The sandstorm that had previously obscured their vision was shredded, and gravel from the ground was sent whistling in every direction like bullets. Stones peppered the surrounding forest and slammed into the sturdy trunks of ancient trees.
Some of the slower-moving spectators were clipped by the debris, letting out yelps of pain as they scrambled for cover.
High above, the Rotom Phone wobbled precariously, fighting with all its might to stay upright in the turbulent winds.
It was starting to have second thoughts. It had wanted to prove to Kashiwagi that Rotoms weren't "troublesome" Pokémon, but it hadn't expected the guy to pull off a move this explosive. It was nearly scared out of its circuits-roto!
Self-Destruct and Explosion were common enough in professional matches, but one with this much raw power was a rare sight.
It was a lucky thing the foundations of Mauville City were incredibly stable and the Central Park battlegrounds had been specially reinforced. Otherwise, between the Earthquake and this Explosion, they might have blasted a hole straight through the drainage system and exposed New Mauville at the very bottom.
Of course, the true destructive force was concentrated within the boundaries of the battlefield. What drifted out was mostly sound, smoke, and dust; the flying pebbles didn't travel far enough to be lethal.
Pokémon moves are generally characterized by a concentration of energy. As long as you aren't at the "ground zero" of the damage core, the secondary blast waves won't do much more than knock the wind out of you.
At least, that's how it worked for the humans of the Pokémon world. Those who turned and ran were mostly just trying to avoid being covered in soot or getting a nasty bruise from a stray rock.
Kashiwagi, clad in his sturdy Magma Suit, stood his ground without flinching. He merely covered his nose and mouth to avoid inhaling too much grit.
He was more concerned about Tyson.
The Trainer was closest to the field and didn't have the protection of a Magma Suit. There was a real chance the shockwave could have sent him tumbling backward—and while the risk of serious injury was low...
What if?
The battle wasn't over yet, and to be honest, this "friendly" match had gotten a bit out of hand. It would be a tragedy to actually hurt his opponent.
The terrain is just too restrictive, Kashiwagi sighed inwardly.
If they were in a League Conference stadium, they wouldn't have to worry about this.
A main stadium's field was over a hundred meters long and nearly ten thousand square meters in total area.
In a space like that, an Ultra-Giant Steelix could truly unleash its full power without holding back.
But this Central Park arena...
It was modest in size, which was why Mauville could fit five or six of them inside the city without encroaching on the lawns, flowerbeds, and streets.
A light breeze blew through. The thick curtains of smoke gradually parted.
What was left was a scene of absolute carnage. Half of the battlefield had caved in, revealing a terrifyingly irregular crater.
Part of it was from Steelix's Dig.
Combined with Metagross's earlier Earthquake, the hollowed-out and fragile layers of soil simply couldn't hold. Under the final stress of the Explosion, the ground had suffered a total structural failure.
No wonder the vibration felt like the end of the world!
Tyson's figure appeared in the distance. He was sitting on the ground, his clothes caked in dust, staring blankly at the giant pit. He looked dazed, but thankfully uninjured.
"Cough, cough..."
Kashiwagi fanned away the drifting smoke and searched the field. He spotted Metagross and Steelix slumped at opposite ends of the crater. Both had the tell-tale "swirly eyes" of a knockout. They were covered in dirt and rubble, having succumbed to the mutual destruction of the blast.
No wonder Tyson was in shock.
Since Steelix was the source of the Explosion, it looked a bit more worse-for-wear than Metagross. It was half-buried in debris, with faint wisps of smoke escaping from its mouth and metal joints.
But if you looked closely at the giant's face, there was an unmistakable look of satisfaction.
It was the expression of a warrior who felt that going down was worth it.
An illusion?
No.
Kashiwagi knew his partner. Steelix hadn't had a proper, high-stakes brawl against a worthy foe in a long time.
Today, she hadn't just fought the main Pokémon of a former Champion; she had stood her ground and taken them both out.
Even Aggron hadn't enjoyed such a glorious outing recently. How could Steelix not be happy?
More than that, it was thrilled that her Trainer had trusted her resolve—allowing her to purposely show a weakness to bait the enemy into an Explosion, spending her last drop of HP to take the pseudo-legendary Metagross with her.
There might have been a "smarter" play involving a tactical switch.
But Steelix didn't want that.
Once she stepped onto the field against a strong opponent, she wanted to fight until the very end—until victory was secured or she could no longer stand.
Kashiwagi had felt that burning will, and that's why he gave the order.
The Rotom Phone, having successfully returned to its post, announced loudly:
"Metagross and Steelix are both unable to battle-roto!"
"You earned this rest, girl."
Kashiwagi and Tyson both recalled their fallen Pokémon.
Steelix might be unconscious, but she deserved nothing but praise for taking down two powerful enemies back-to-back.
To be honest, Kashiwagi felt a slight disconnect.
Tyson was the winner of the Ever Grande Conference, and on paper, his record was better than Wally's (who was the runner-up). Yet, the overall pressure Tyson exerted felt slightly less than what he had experienced against Wally.
Of course, he knew a large part of that was because his own Pokémon had grown exponentially stronger.
Even if high-level Pokémon like Steelix didn't "level up" as fast anymore, their individual stats and "Effort Values" had been honed to a razor's edge. Even if her level hadn't crossed 70 yet, her combat effectiveness was worlds apart from her past self.
But even accounting for that, he still felt Tyson was missing a certain... edge.
Is it because his "Ace" hasn't appeared yet?
He thought of Tyson's Meowth. Don't let its size or lack of evolution fool you; that Meowth was a total "cheat-code" Pokémon, just like Ash's Pikachu, capable of feats that defied logic.
Unfortunately, Meowth had just finished a grueling match against Glacia's Froslass.
Tyson wouldn't force it to fight again so soon.
Kashiwagi couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
The spectators who had fled were now creeping back, eyes wide with awe as they peered into the crater.
They had seen this level of destruction on TV or on their laptops, but seeing it in person was a different beast entirely.
Are Gym Battles even this intense?
Can they even keep playing on a field like that?
The answer, of course, was yes.
....
Kashiwagi pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket.
"You started this, so it's only fitting that you finish it. Let's go!"
Pop!
A flash of light erupted.
Galarian Corsola plummeted into the deep crater, but she didn't float up immediately. Instead, she bounced like a common pebble, tumbling several times before coming to a stop at the very bottom of the pit.
"Cor... sola..."
She shakily extended her smoky tentacles, rolled over, and looked up at Kashiwagi with a gaze of pure, unadulterated resentment.
You couldn't have given me a heads-up before tossing me into a hole?
"Uh, I thought you heard me," Kashiwagi said awkwardly, quickly pivoting to save face.
"Whoops! Don't just stand there! Your opponent is here!"
Across the crater, Tyson sent Sceptile back out. He strategically chose a patch of intact flat ground on the rim, allowing Sceptile to hold the high ground against the Corsola below.
However, the moment Sceptile landed, the scorch marks on its body flared into life!
FWOOSH!
"Scep-tile!"
The Forest Pokémon dropped to one knee, its face contorting in pain.
"Hang in there, Sceptile! Use Synthesis!" Tyson's voice rang out.
Now that the sandstorm had been blown away by the explosion's aftermath, the Trainers' voices were crystal clear again.
Sceptile tilted its head back, the six yellow seeds on its back glowing with a brilliant white light.
A shimmering yellow aura began to envelop its body, and the burn marks on its skin showed signs of fading.
"Disable!"
A sudden flash of blue light ignited around Sceptile. The Synthesis was cut short before it had even been active for a second.
Not only that, but Sceptile's movements were seized by an unseen force, causing it to levitate helplessly a few inches off the ground.
The source of that blue light was none other than the "pebble" at the bottom of the pit.
Tyson's heart sank. "Sceptile!"
Under normal circumstances, a high-speed Pokémon like Sceptile would never be tagged by such a move, but Synthesis isn't exactly a mobile technique.
By ordering a healing move, Tyson had inadvertently handed Kashiwagi a golden opportunity.
Of course, you couldn't blame him.
Sceptile was in critical condition from the burn; if it didn't heal, it was going to faint anyway. Plus, Tyson's knowledge of Galarian Corsola was limited to basic Pokédex entries—and the Dex didn't mention just how fast and oppressive its mental grip could be.
Tyson's reliance on the high-ground advantage had given him a false sense of security... and Kashiwagi, armed with superior information, had successfully suppressed him once again.
With a single move.
Tyson clenched his fists.
"Break free, Sceptile! I know you can do it!"
Inside the crater, Galarian Corsola began to drift upward. She moved slowly, but her steady approach toward Sceptile carried a terrifying weight.
As she drew closer, the struggling Sceptile began to see things.
In its blurred vision, the drifting Corsola seemed to transform into a monstrous shadow of black mist. The shadow loomed over it, baring spectral claws and a gaping maw—
"SCEP-TILE! SCEP-TIIIILE!"
Sceptile's body trembled. A surge of brilliant green energy erupted from its skin, actually beginning to overpower the blue light of the Disable!
POW!
A shockwave rippled through the air as Sceptile shattered the telekinetic shackles. A new power surged through its veins, dulling the pain of its burns.
The green light flared around it like emerald flames; at this moment, Sceptile looked like it had gone Super Saiyan.
It glared at Corsola, its amber eyes sharp with predatory intent.
"The Overgrow ability!"
Tyson went from despair to delight in an instant. This ability was the signature of Grass-type starters; while a bit niche in the games, the anime had shown it could turn a Pokémon into a berserker, much like a Blaze-boosted Infernape.
In all his years of battling, Tyson had rarely seen Overgrow trigger with this much intensity... this was his chance for a comeback!
"Leaf Storm!" he bellowed.
Sceptile lunged into action. But in the very next heartbeat—
"Confuse Ray!"
Floating in mid-air, Corsola suddenly transformed into a massive flashbang. A kaleidoscope of eerie, hypnotic colors swirled around her.
Sceptile, who had just begun to summon a vortex of emerald leaves, froze. Its eyes lost focus, its pupils wandering aimlessly.
The building Leaf Storm lost its target and went spiraling uselessly into the sky.
WHOOOOSH—
The burning green aura of Overgrow only served to make the haywire Leaf Storm more powerful, but it did nothing to clear Sceptile's head.
The smile on Tyson's face vanished.
The only thing more painful than despair is having a brief moment of hope snatched away.
He looked at Kashiwagi, who remained perfectly calm—he hadn't been surprised by the ability trigger at all.
Confusion was the final nail in Sceptile's coffin.
Because Sceptile's Overgrow wasn't a "shonen protagonist" power-up like Ash's Infernape; it boosted power, but it didn't make the user immortal.
Despite Tyson's desperate shouts to wake up, the combination of the burn and the confusion was too much. Before Corsola could even land a Hex, Sceptile "knocked itself out."
With a dull thud, it tumbled into the crater and hit a rock, its eyes rolling back as it fainted.
It was almost comical.
But Confuse Ray is a hell of a drug, especially against a low-HP berserker. Kashiwagi wasn't about to play fair and trade blows; that's just not how you play a Corsola.
Why tank a nuke when you can just make the nuke forget where to aim?
The Rotom Phone descended and declared the verdict:
"Sceptile is unable to battle-roto! Galarian Corsola wins! The victor of the match is Kashiwagi!"
....
A moment later, a few scattered claps began to ring out, eventually growing into a warm round of applause from the crowd.
Several Trainers who had been eyeing the field for a match saw the jagged crater and the smoking ruins of the battlefield and quietly tucked their Poké Balls away.
Nope. Not touching that. Not today.
"Phew..."
Kashiwagi let out a long breath. It was finally over.
Through this battle, he had been able to gauge his current standing.
Steelix, who was effectively the fourth-stringer on his main team, had managed to take down two of Tyson's powerhouses. This proved that Kashiwagi's strength was already well above a standard League winner and far beyond most Gym Leaders.
But how far am I from the Elite Four?
In the eras before the "World Coronation Series," the gap between the Elite Four and regular Trainers was a literal chasm.
Unless you were a "legendary-spammer" like Tobias, a League Champion was usually just an appetizer for an Elite Four member.
I wonder if I could take on Glacia... Kashiwagi mused, feeling a mix of ambition and regret that the World Championships weren't a thing yet.
He recalled his Corsola.
"Great job. You finished what you started. Not bad, right?"
The Poké Ball stayed silent. Inside, Corsola clearly wasn't in the mood for small talk. She's definitely holding a grudge about the pit, he thought.
He looked up as Tyson walked around the edge of the crater toward him. Kashiwagi met him halfway.
"Thank you, Tyson. That was a tough one. Your Pokémon are incredible."
"No, no, I should be thanking you. That was a magnificent battle."
The sting of defeat had already faded from Tyson's face. He smiled and extended a hand.
"Just call me Tyson, Kashiwagi. You and your Pokémon... you've left me in awe."
"You're far too kind."
The two exchanged the usual post-match pleasantries and headed to the Pokémon Center to drop off their teams.
While waiting, Tyson mentioned his regret at not being able to force Kashiwagi to use a third Pokémon and extended an invitation.
"If you're not busy, why don't you come over for dinner tonight? My sister would be thrilled to meet a Trainer like you."
"I'm honored, but I actually have some things to take care of tonight. How about tomorrow instead?"
Kashiwagi had a mission: he needed to buy a phone for Mawile. Plus, he had his heart set on the food court—there was a specific shop he needed to visit.
"The Golduck's Smile," Hoenn Branch.
It was owned by the apprentice of his former simulation subject, the legendary Chef Locomoco.