After lunch.
The energy levels of Courtney and her Pokémon had recovered at a visible rate.
"Cooking... excellent..."
She seemed to want to offer more praise, but Kashiwagi wasn't really focused on her review. He was warming up, stretching his limbs. "How are we doing this? Any specific rules? Or is it a free-for-all?"
Zweilous watched the Camerupt and the others with burning intensity. Having just evolved, it was itching for a real showdown!
"The decision... is yours..."
Courtney said with an air of quiet confidence.
"Then let's do a 3-vs-3 Single Battle. Swapping is allowed, and the match ends when one side's Pokémon are all unable to battle. And—no attacking the Trainers."
Seeing she had no objections, Kashiwagi reached down and patted Zweilous's two eager heads. "I'm going to leave this to your seniors first."
"Zwei-lous?" "Zwei-lous?"
The dragon turned its heads, feeling a bit dejected at not being the first choice. But it understood. Even though it had evolved, its combat experience was still far below the veterans on the team.
Must get stronger!
So strong that when the Trainer faces a powerful enemy, I'm the first one he thinks of!
A humiliated dragon made a silent vow.
Kashiwagi knew the big guy was a little bummed, but Courtney was likely an opponent who required his absolute best. She was not to be underestimated.
Before the battle officially commenced, they recalled their Pokémon and moved to a more suitable location.
The vegetation at the summit was too dense; with Camerupt's firepower, they risked starting a massive forest fire—something Kashiwagi definitely didn't want on his conscience.
Fortunately, they found a relatively flat gravel path nearby. The ground was only covered in damp grass soaked by the mist; battling there would be safe.
The two took their positions, creating a fair distance between them.
"Begin..."
Courtney tossed a Poké Ball with a practiced flick.
Pop!
A flash of white light.
"MOOO!"
Camerupt took the field first, letting out a braying cry like a mix between a horse and a donkey. With a full stomach, its condition was peak.
Simultaneously, Kashiwagi released his Pokémon.
Pop!
Amidst a flurry of cherry blossom petals, Mawile appeared.
"Mawile!"
She stared at the Camerupt with intense focus. She knew instinctively that this was not an opponent to take lightly.
"Hee..hee..."
A faint smile appeared on Courtney's face as she raised her right hand. "Analyze... reconstruct... Only Team Magma can create a better tomorrow. Mega Evolve!"
"MOOOO—!!"
Camerupt roared at the sky, the Cameruptite hidden beneath its thick mane beginning to glow.
An invisible mental wave began to bridge the gap between Trainer and Pokémon. And a latent, explosive power was preparing to erupt—
"Wait a second!"
Kashiwagi suddenly raised his hand.
The girl and two Pokémon on the field all froze, looking at him in confusion.
"Uh, cough... Since I didn't know what your intentions were earlier, I 'borrowed' something from you and haven't returned it yet." Embarrassed, he walked over and returned the Key Stone from his pocket to Courtney's hand.
As he'd said before, caution was key.
To prevent any "unpleasantness" after she lured him up here, he had quietly swiped the Key Stone from her earlier and completely forgot about it in the heat of the moment until now.
He only realized it when she started her dramatic transformation speech and the stone in her hand didn't light up.
"..."
Courtney stared at the Key Stone in her palm, then looked up at Kashiwagi as he retreated to his spot. She didn't say a word.
"MOOO!"
Camerupt glared at him, its expression clearly saying: Are you kidding me? The mood was finally set, and you pull this?
"Mawile~"
Mawile giggled behind her hand her eyes curved into crescent moons as she secretly giving her Trainer a thumb's up. She hated it when other people tried to act cooler than her.
Kashiwagi returned to his position and called out, "Try that again! We'll pretend nothing happened!"
"...Mega Evolve!"
There was no way Courtney was going to shout those lines again; she wasn't insane. She simply activated the Key Stone in her hand.
"MOOO!"
Camerupt channeled its irritation into power. Its body began to shift and grow.
Its coat deepened from orange-yellow to a rich, molten red. Its fur grew long and shaggy, completely obscuring its legs. The two miniature volcanoes on its back merged into one, becoming massive and terrifying. Uncontrollable Mega energy, looking like liquid magma, began to leak from the crater, only held back by a ring of dark, jagged rocks.
Rumble, rumble—
The air hummed with a heavy, muffled sound, as if something buried deep for eons was about to explode.
Mawile, who had already initiated Magnet Rise and was mid-Swords Dance, looked at Mega Camerupt with narrowed eyes. She was certain: this was the strongest opponent she had ever faced.
"Eruption..."
"MOOOO—!!"
Like the whistle of a steam engine, a massive plume of white amoke erupted from Mega Camerupt's nostrils. The ring of black rocks on its back suddenly flared with blinding white light!
BOOM!!
A terrifying pillar of lava shot into the sky. A dark cloud of soot and smoke blotted out the sun, and countless balls of molten rock began to rain down upon the battlefield like a doomsday meteor shower!
What terrifying power!
Even though Kashiwagi was mentally prepared, seeing it in person made his heart skip a beat. He shouted, diving for cover, "Dodge it!".
"Mawile!"
Mawile knew how lethal those lava globs were. Using the agility granted by Magnet Rise, she zig-zagged through the air, trying to close the distance to the stationary Mega Camerupt.
The meteor like falling lave globes slammed into the ground with heavy thuds, creating scorched craters while the lava began to flow slowly across the ground.
"MOOO!"
Seeing Mawile move so swiftly, Mega Camerupt unleashed another Eruption without hesitation, summoning even more falling meteors.
What Mega Evolution provided was a seemingly inexhaustible supply of elemental energy for a short duration. Usually, a Pokémon wouldn't dare spam such high-output moves for fear of exhaustion.
Now? Mega Camerupt was firing them off like it didn't care!
Yet, Mawile's evasion was masterful. She danced through the rain of fire, not letting a single drop of magma touch her.
As she drew closer, a faint smile crossed the faces of both Courtney and Mega Camerupt.
"Lava Plume..."
Whoosh!
A thick, black smoke mixed with intense flames billowed from Mega Camerupt's mouth, instantly surrounding its body. It created a barrier that obscured Mawile's vision and made a physical approach impossible!
"Blow it away with Fairy Wind!"
Kashiwagi commanded, keeping his cool.
"Mawile!"
Mawile spun rapidly, creating a pink vortex of wind that slammed into the wall of somke and fire, tearing it apart.
Simultaneously, she dodged another falling meteor.
CRASH!
The globe splashed like molten lead upon hitting the ground. The gravel path was now almost entirely covered in flowing magma, and the high temerature was making Kashiwagi drench in sweat.
Yet Courtney, standing even closer, seemed completely unfazed.
Kashiwagi realized her clothes—the hood and skirt—weren't just for show. They looked flashy, but they were designed with Team Magma's goal of walking through lava in mind.
At the very least, their heat resistance was top-tier.