In a wild battle, even when rules strictly forbid attacking Trainers, the sheer scale of the battlefield can occasionally turn the environment itself against them.
Kashiwagi found himself in exactly such a predicament. The path directly ahead was choked with sluggish, glowing rivers of uncooled lava. Amidst the crimson glare, he couldn't find a single solid foothold to step forward and get a better look at his opponent's movements.
Choosing to move away from the forest was definitely the right call, he thought.
With this kind of destructive power, starting a wildfire is practically a given.
Fortunately, Mawile possessed excellent control over Magnet Rise. Combined with the dynamic vision she had cultivated to add flair to her moves, she had managed to avoid every single lava orb thrown her way.
She had successfully closed the distance, standing right in front of Mega Camerupt.
The dark clouds of smoke in the sky had ceased their bombardment. The sustained assault from the second Eruption had finally come to an end.
"So... agile..."
Mawile's performance caught Courtney completely off guard. Eruption was not an easy move to dodge, especially when two of them overlapped to create a dense, lethal rain. She hadn't expected her ultimate moves to be either dodged or neutralized so cleanly.
Influenced by Mega Camerupt's volatile energy, Courtney felt a flicker of irritability in her chest.
If the trainer felt it, the Pokémon felt it tenfold.
As a Fire-type, Camerupt's temperament wasn't great to begin with, and the massive influx of Mega energy made it like the volcano on its back—perpetually on the verge of exploding. Facing a flexible, persistent opponent like Mawile...
It was losing its patience.
"MOOO!"
Mega Camerupt threw its head back to roar, ready to lash out, but Courtney—still retaining a shred of her cold logic—suddenly recalled it into its Poké Ball.
Realizing that her heavy-hitter's moves weren't landing, she chose to switch out before Mawile could launch a counter-attack.
With the ground covered in lava, there was nowhere to stand. What Pokémon could Courtney possibly use?
There was only one obvious choice—Crobat!
Pop!
A flash of white light revealed Crobat hovering in mid-air. With its two pairs of wings and rounded body, it looked more like a rabbit plushie than a bat.
"I was waiting for you! Taunt!"
"Mawile~"
At Kashiwagi's command, Mawile shot a look of pure, unadulterated contempt at the newly arrived Crobat. A blood-red aura pulsed from her body, projecting a psychological pressure that was infuriating to behold.
"CROO-BAT!"
Caught off guard, Crobat fell for it instantly. Rage flared in its eyes as its wings flapped violently, a red glow flickering across its body. It was now Taunted.
Courtney froze for a split second but didn't hesitate. "Heat Wave...!"
"CROO!"
Crobat beat its four wings furiously, sending a massive tide of fiery wind surging toward Mawile!
In an instant, the sky turned a brilliant, searing red. Sparks of fire danced in the gale, turning the Heat Wave into a literal wall of hot air pressure. Even though it wasn't a Flying-type move, the sheer force generated by Crobat's wings made the wind speed terrifyingly high.
One look told Kashiwagi that Mawile's Fairy Wind wouldn't be able to block this. With such a wide area of effect, there was no room to dodge either.
"Baton Pass!"
"Mawile!"
Facing the searing current, Mawile raised her right hand. A hazy white light enveloped her, creating a powerful spatial pull.
Kashiwagi's prepared Poké Ball clicked open as a red beam recalled Mawile—who was starting to to show signs of pain from the heat—back into safety.
"ROAARR!"
Taking her place was Aggron. He emerged directly into the path of the residual Heat Wave, taking the hit full-on, his ferocious expression showed no sign of pain.
"Rock Tomb!"
"Dodge..."
The commands came in rapid succession. But Crobat was too fast. Even though Aggron summoned and hurled massive boulders with startling speed, the agile bat darted through the gaps with ease. The rocks slammed into the nearby mountainside, shattering into a countless fragments.
"Air Slash..."
"Get to the ground! Sand Tomb!"
This time, Courtney was the first to give out the command. Aggron lunged without hesitation toward the lava-covered ground, slamming a claw into the earth!
THUD!
The gravel path buried under the lava was partially revealed as a cyclonic sandstorm whipped up by Aggron tore into the sky. It even gathered the remaining lava, forming a molten shield that blocked the pale-white blades of wind fired by Crobat!
"Expand it!" Kashiwagi shouted.
At the center of the sandstorm, Aggron roared, pushing the vortex outward.
While the Ground-type Sand Tomb couldn't hurt the Flying-type Crobat directly, the scalding lava and blinding sand weren't restricted by type matchups.
"Heat Wave..."
Courtney gave the command, her voice tinged with a rare note of frustration. Crobat had other moves that could have easily dispersed the sandstorm, but it was unable to use them because of the Taunt.
Should I bring Mega Camerupt back? she thought.
No. There was still a chance.
Seeing the Sand Tomb being suppressed by the Heat Wave, Courtney decided to let Crobat endure a little longer. Taunt has a time limit. As long as they kept their distance and used Crobat's superior speed to reclaim the initiative, they would win.
As she calculated, she felt a slight tremor beneath her feet.
The small stones on the ground were vibrating, dancing in place. She felt a rhythmic thrumming through her boots. Initially, she thought it was just the aftermath of the sandstorm, but the intensity was rising.
"Watch the ground!" she shouted to the Crobat in the air.
In her urgency, Courtney's speech pattern had completely returned to normal.
But before Crobat could react, Aggron—who had used the cover of the sandstorm to Dig underground—burst through the surface directly beneath the bat, sending rocks and dust flying everywhere!
Crobat screeched in shock, as it saw Aggron lunging toward it, pale-blue electricity flickering between his horns. In a falsh, several rings of Thunder Wave expanded, paralyzing the bat's body before it could bank away!
As fast as Crobat was, it couldn't dodge lightning that had already been unleashed at point-blank range.
"CROO...!"
Paralyzed, its wings locked up as the current surged through its nervous system. Crobat plummeted straight down—right into Aggron's waiting claws.
Aggron didn't show any mercy. He spun his massive frame mid-air, pinning Crobat against his head, and dove head-first toward the lava-stained ground!
A brilliant white light erupted from his head—Iron Head!
BOOM!!
The ground shattered, sending fragments of stone everywhere.
Courtney shielded her face from the flying debris. When the dust settled, she saw Aggron standing tall, holding a fainted Crobat in one claw. He looked at her wearing a look of pure provocation.
"ROO-AARR~"
That's a bit irritating.
Courtney felt a spark of genuine anger.
She silently recalled Crobat. She hadn't expected such a small lapse in judgement, to be exploited so ruthlessly, leading to Crobat's immediate defeat.
"I need to... be a bit... more serious..."
She pulled out her next Poké Ball, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous light as she stared at Kashiwagi and Aggron.