The plan to take away two-thirds of the unit's combat force was easier said than done.
Team Snagem was not a disciplined military with strict adherence to orders. The organization was held together by a shaky balance of money and "brotherhood." Convincing them to abandon everything they had just gained to rescue a Boss far away in Phenac City wasn't something that could be achieved with just a few sentences.
Fortunately, the upper management was resolute. Having just witnessed the collapse of a rival organization that lacked its leader, no one wanted to share the Jackal Gang's fate.
Thus, while the leadership withheld certain critical intelligence, an operation titled "Return of the Sand King" was launched.
High-ranking officers, led by Soshiro, ceded a portion of their profits. The redistributed rewards successfully stimulated the mid-to-lower-level members, and a massive recruitment drive began.
The Snagem members signed up in droves, and the former Jackal Gang members, eager to secure their standing in the new organization, responded with equal fervor.
Kashiwagi, not being on the pre-selection list, watched the proceedings with a detached gaze.
"Team Snagem's actions will delay the arrival of the Phenac City secret units. This will buy us more time—precious survival opportunities in the midst of this revolution."
Yamamino's tone was no longer as lighthearted as it used to be. Clearly, he had seen everything happening in Pyrite Town, and while he had played his own hand in the layout, certain developments were still far from what he had hoped for.
"You need to continue growing. This mission is simple yet arduous. You must understand that while Chester is participating in the rescue of the Boss, he will undoubtedly do the bare minimum while letting others do the heavy lifting."
Yamamino lowered his voice: "If Chester uses this as an opportunity to return and seize control, you will need the strength to counter him."
Strength to counter him.
As he heard those words, Kashiwagi's gaze instinctively drifted to the Pokémon Soshiro had given him—
Steelix.
From the perspective of building a competitive team, Steelix and Aggron shared many similarities: extreme physical defense, low speed, and several overlapping elemental weaknesses. Even their movesets and abilities had much in common.
However, the two Pokémon were fundamentally different. In reality, one had to consider factors beyond base game data: size, personality, intelligence, preferred moves, skeletal structure, and attack habits.
Since Kashiwagi hadn't refused the gift from Soshiro, he felt a duty to uncover Steelix's unique potential. Of course, that was all contingent on being able to tame her first.
The information from the Pokémon Center and the Pokédex proved that this individual was a handful—it was no wonder Soshiro had set her aside after getting injured.
-----
Pokémon: Steelix
Type: Steel / Ground
Gender: Female
Height: 1835 cm (approx. 60 ft) / Weight: 1531 kg (approx. 3375 lbs)
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 60
Moves: Tackle, Bind, Smack Down, Dragon Breath, Curse, Rock Slide, Sand Tomb, Gyro Ball, Slam, Sandstorm, Dig, Iron Tail, Stone Edge, Heavy Slam, Rototiller.
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The moves were numerous, but clearly lacked a trainer's refinement; otherwise, a Pokémon of this level should have far more than twenty moves. She likely belonged to the category of a wild Steelix that had grown to this point naturally.
But more than the moves, Kashiwagi was focused on the staggering size.
Eighteen meters...
He had checked the average length of a Steelix, which was just over nine meters. Eighteen meters meant she was twice the size of her peers. Even considering that only about two-third body of a Steelix stands vertically, she would still be nearly twelve meters tall.
A standard building floor is about three meters. In other words, this Steelix was as tall as a four-story building!
Though the weight was only about three to four times the average, Kashiwagi didn't dwell on it. Steelix's weight in the Pokédex was always nonsensical—given their density, they should be much heavier, so the discrepancy was likely due to a hollow-like specialized internal structure.
The Pokédex stated its body was harder than any metal, comparable to diamond. She was essentially a special light metal with diamond-grade hardness.
In short, she was an Alpha Pokémon in all but name. No wonder Soshiro had prized her—and what a stroke of luck that she ended up with Kashiwagi, the "double agent" subordinate.
It was a twist of fate.
"Level 60."
Kashiwagi looked at the level, feeling a slight hesitation. This level was to him what Mawile had once been.
With his team's current strength, taming a Level 60 Steelix would be incredibly difficult. Aggron and Mawile were at Level 50 and 51 respectively—a gap of nearly ten levels. Given Steelix's overwhelming weight, a one-on-one victory was virtually impossible.
A team effort might bring her down, but whether she would truly submit in her heart was a major question mark.
However, he had accumulated over ten levels worth of rewards from the Simulator. If he applied them to Aggron, his partner would instantly reach Steelix's level. This would be a massive help for surviving the coming chaos and taming the new giant.
What made him hesitate was that Level 60 was uncharted territory for him. Would such a sudden jump in power have negative effects on Aggron? For example, would the massive influx of energy cause him to go berserk?
As for Aggron "disobeying" him, Kashiwagi didn't even consider it. Aggron was his first-ever catch; he was his "Pikachu."
Aside from Ash's Pikachu being prickly at the very beginning, the bond between them had always been unbreakable. Aggron had no reason to turn on him. And once Soshiro and the others left, Snagem's territory would undoubtedly be targeted by surrounding factions. If he didn't use these stored levels now, when would he?
The time for a breakthrough was today!
Decision made, Kashiwagi took action.
-----
Backyard Battleground.
Kashiwagi stood before Aggron, who was sitting on the ground. He spoke in a low, focused voice.
"The situation is volatile. We finally have a place to call home, and I won't let anyone take it from us."
"Agg-rron!"
"Just as I said once before, Aggron... we will support each other. We will work toward our dreams and goals together. Right now, I desperately need your strength, and I hope more than anything that you will stand by my side."
"Agg-ron!"
Aggron didn't quite understand why his trainer was suddenly being so sentimental, but he knew that a firm, affirmative roar was the only response needed. He would always stand in front of Kashiwagi, no matter the enemy or the desperation of the situation.
Not even death could part them.
Feeling Aggron's resolve, Kashiwagi opened the Simulator interface. Through physical contact, he began to slowly inject the reward levels into his partner's body.
Level 51... 52... 53...
He watched Aggron's form intently. At the first sign of a rampage, he would stop.
But throughout the process, Aggron remained calm and steady. His deep blue eyes were like a still lake, reflecting his unwavering personality.
There was noise, however. It came from Aggron's physical growth.
While the energy levels primarily boosted elemental power, they also reflected on the physical body—specifically Aggron's base stats, from durability to speed. Ten levels was a terrifyingly large jump.
Before long, the accumulated levels had fully integrated into Aggron's power.
As he slowly stood up, his original height of 2.3 meters had visibly increased once again!