Trying to switch? Sorry, it won't be that easy.
"Telekinesis!"
"Lucky!"
At Kashiwagi's command, Chansey instinctively poured out her psychic energy. The invisible force locked onto Mightyena, swiftly lifting it off the ground and suspending it in mid-air.
The red beam from Courtney's Poké Ball hit nothing but empty space.
The sudden turn of events left her momentarily stunned.
"Standing so honestly in one spot..." Kashiwagi muttered, confused by Courtney's lack of movement. She hadn't even stepped forward to close the gap when recalling her Pokémon to ensure a quick recall.
In truth, Chansey's Telekinesis had been a bit slow due to the distance from Mightyena. He hadn't expected Courtney—who was even further away—to remain completely rooted to the spot. If she were any further back, the retrieval beam might not have even reached its target.
Is she too used to official league matches where Trainers stay in designated boxes?
On the other hand, mainstream regional battle rules don't forbid trainers from interfering with a recall—provided you affect the Pokémon itself, not the trainer or the ball in their hand.
Realizing the swap had failed, Courtney didn't complain. She simply adapted.
"Dark Pulse!"
She understood now that her current position was suboptimal for recalling her Pokémon; she needed to find a way to get closer.
In the air, Mightyena struggled frantically, trying to break the psychic grip. As a Dark-type, it was used to being immune to direct damaging Psychic moves, but utility effects like Telekinesis were a different story. It felt humiliated, floating like a helpless toy.
Responding to its trainer's command, it opened its jaws and unleashed a beam of overlapping black and purple rings toward Chansey. The unsettling Dark energy tore through the air.
Whoosh!
"Meet it head-on! Light Screen!"
Chansey stepped forward, and raised her small hands. A shimmering, semi-transparent wall of glass manifested before her.
When the Dark Pulse passed through the screen, its power was dampened to the point of being a mere tickle. It felt no stronger than a stream of water from a toy squirt gun hitting her skin.
Truthfully, even without the screen, Chansey wouldn't have blinked. Her outrageous Special Defense and HP had earned her the title of "The Wall of Sighs for Special Attackers". Still, to avoid any unexpected flinching, it was better to be safe.
With the psychic concentration broken, the floating Mightyena regained some freedom of movement, but as a dog, it lacked wings to maneuver in air like Crobat. With no solid ground to push off of, it could only watch in horror as Chansey waddled closer.
Recall me! Get me out of here!
Mightyena threw a pleading look at Courtney.
Courtney didn't disappoint. She sprinted forward alongside the advancing Chansey, raising her Poké Ball again.
In that split second, Kashiwagi's voice rang out: "Toxic! Spit it!"
"Lu... Lucky!"
Chansey's cheeks flushed slightly red as she spat a glob of purple liquid at the hovering wolf. Unable to dodge in the air, Mightyena could only watch as the venom splashed onto its fur, immediately inducing a severe poisoned state.
At that exact moment, the red beam from Courtney's ball finally connected, pulling Mightyena back into safety.
"Success!"
Kashiwagi smiled. Chansey felt a bit embarrassed by the "spitting" tactic, but seeing the plan work made her happy.
Strictly speaking, Toxic was technically a non-contact move, but Chansey had always struggled with a medium for long-range delivery. She had considered using her nutritional eggs as "poison bombs," but she felt that was a waste of food—the other Pokémon on the team barely had enough to eat as it was.!
Upon reflection, spitting was the simplest method. But for a naturally well-mannered Chansey and as a lady, it was just a bit humiliating.
Too wasteful vs. too humiliating.
She decided the latter was better. After all, she was the only one who felt embarrassed; she might get used to it if she did it enough.
...
...
Courtney held the Poké Ball, falling into a brief silence.
Mightyena was badly poisoned, and the condition wouldn't heal just by returning to the ball. It didn't have the Natural Cure ability. With its combat effectiveness neutralized by Chansey's durability, bringing it back out would only result in it being slowly whittled down to zero health.
By now, Kashiwagi's strength was clear. His Pokémon's power, his tactics, and his command ability were top-tier. Even if Leader Maxie heard about this, he wouldn't have any complaints.
But she wanted to finish the battle.
It wasn't that she couldn't handle losing; she simply wanted to see how far Kashiwagi could push his advantage—and how he would handle a true "Walking Volcano."
A narrow victory? A decisive win? Or... defeat?
From this point on, the battle was no longer about her Leader's orders. It was about Courtney's own curiosity.
"Go..."
She threw the ball.
Pop!
"MOOO!"
Mega Camerupt returned to the field, letting out an intimidating roar at Chansey! It expected to scare the soft-looking pink Pokémon, but Chansey's expression didn't change at all.
After spending so much time in Pokémon Centers dealing with patients screaming in pain and madness, a loud cow was nothing. Chansey had grown tough. Her heart was as sturdy as her HP bar.
"Telekinesis!"
Chansey reflexively tried to lift the volcano, but Mega Camerupt didn't even bother struggling. It simply braced its legs and erupted!
BOOM!!
The terrifying rain of fire fell once more.
Courtney knew the strengths and weaknesses of this form; Mega Evolution hadn't made Camerupt faster—it had made it slower. It was a literal fixed turret.
Telekinesis barely had any impact on Mega Camerupt than it did on Mightyena; it could keep firing regardless.
Kashiwagi probably chose this move because he doesn't understand Mega Camerupt, she thought.
"Dodge! Use Minimize for the ones you can't avoid!"
"Eruption..."
Courtney watched as Chansey nimbly dodged falling lava or shrank her size to slip through gaps. The pink nurse was proving to be even more elusive than the flying Mawile. Courtney's estimation of Kashiwagi's "annoyance factor" reached a new high.
BOOM!!
Mega Camerupt continued to fire pillars of flame into the sky. With full health, its Eruption was at maximum power, fueled by the near-limitless energy of Mega Evolution.
The gravel path became a literal oven. The space for Chansey to maneuver was shrinking.
Fortunately, her mission was simple: Toxic.
"Lava Plume!"
Behind the rain of fire, Mega Camerupt once again generated its protective shield of black smoke and flames. Courtney didn't believe Chansey had a way to blow it away like Mawile did.
To her shock, Chansey ignored the fiery smoke entirely and charged straight in!
It wasn't until a lime-green glow lit up that Courtney realized Chansey was using Protect.
At the same time, something even more shocking happened. Ignoring the falling lava globes, Kashiwagi himself came charging in from the side.
What is he doing?!