As expected.
Exactly as Galarian Corsola had anticipated.
"Odor Sleuth!"
"Meow!"
Delcatty's eyes erupted with a brilliant blue radiance, sending a ripple of pale azure light expanding outward at high speed.
Even without knowing exactly what it was, instinct told Galarian Corsola that if this light touched her, it was game over—in more ways than one.
"Sola—"
She subconsciously shifted her focus toward her Trainer, confused as to why she hadn't received the next command.
But she quickly discovered...
Kashiwagi was smiling.
"Confuse Ray! Release it from every single pore!"
The order finally came. Galarian Corsola immediately unleashed an eerie, ghostly purple glow from every hole in her body.
One look at this psychedelic, sinister light was enough to make anyone dizzy and faint; it was utterly terrifying!
At the same moment, the pale blue light reached her. The two glows didn't cancel each other out or explode; instead, they merged into a twisted, hallucinogenic display.
Delcatty, who had been trying to see through Galarian Corsola's true form, was instantly blinded by the light. Her pupils lost focus, and she began to panic as if she had lost her sight.
"Meow-ow! Meow-ow!"
"Delcatty! Calm down!"
Wally gasped, suddenly realizing that Kashiwagi had been baiting him into using Odor Sleuth.
At that moment, Delcatty had been fully committed to the detection, spreading her consciousness into every corner, leaving her mind completely unguarded against the "flashbang" that was Confuse Ray.
As a result, the move that was supposed to see through Galarian Corsola's tricks ended up throwing her into confusion instead.
Have my instincts dulled because I haven't battled in so long...?
He couldn't help but clench his fists.
The watching tenants were stunned on the sidelines all showed expressions of surprise. You can counter Odor Sleuth like that?
It seemed a bit ridiculous at first, but logically, it made sense—it just required perfect timing. If the opponent saw it coming, it would never work.
This guy is actually pretty good!
Seeing Wally fall into a disadvantage, his cousin, Wanda, subconsciously grew nervous, covering her mouth and not daring to make a sound to disturb them.
"Curse!"
Kashiwagi didn't care about the storm brewing in Wally's head; he struck while the iron was hot.
He wasn't about to waste the opening he'd worked so hard for.
Galarian Corsola's crimson eyes flared. Dark purple smoke billowed from her body, transforming into a shrieking phantom that lunged forward with incredible speed!
However, Wally was one step ahead and recalled Delcatty.
In her place, a small green figure appeared. It held red and blue flowers in its hands, had hair like white rose petals, and wore a mask-like pattern on its face.
"I'm counting on you! Roserade! Petal Blizzard!"
"Roserade~"
The newly entered Roserade's eyes burned with intensity. She completely ignored the hideous, shrieking ghost shadow pouncing toward her and raised her arms, releasing a storm of thousands of pink petals that looked like flying snow toward Galarian Corsola!
Whoosh!
Having just finished the Curse, Galarian Corsola had no time to dodge or block. She was hit head-on by the floral vortex, and her small body was sent flying clean off the field!
Kashiwagi saw the danger, but the red recall beam from his Poké Ball missed.
The phantom sank into Roserade's body. Her head throbbed with a sudden, twitching pain, but she endured it without a word, acting as if nothing had happened.
The ghostly shadow, took up residence in her shadow, waiting to sap her life.
"What a fast reaction speed... and that power."
Kashiwagi's smile froze as his gaze followed the flying Galarian Corsola. She had almost fallen into the pond surrounded by pebbles; it was clear how powerful Roserade's move was.
And that wasn't even Leaf Storm; it was just Petal Blizzard.
Choosing that move suggested Roserade might not have the Technician ability. Poison Point? Natural Cure?
He looked toward Galarian Corsola with hope, only to find to his frustration that she already had a pair of dizzy swirls for eyes.
Not even the Eviolite could save her...
The level gap was simply too large.
It was likely even wider than the gap between the Porygon and Breloom from previous battle. Plus, having just used Curse, her HP was halved, and without a recovery move like Strength Sap, getting one-shotted was inevitable.
The fact that she had stalled Delcatty for so long was mainly due to type advantage and Wally's lack of familiarity with her Galarian form.
Once Wally went on the offensive, the jig was up.
"In one hit..."
"Is the guy at the front desk really that strong?"
"I'm more impressed by the reaction speed. He didn't even hesitate a second to swap Pokémon. Does he have the whole strategy mapped out already?"
"Wally is amazing! Go Wally!"
The tenants whispered among themselves while Wanda cheered loudly, her excitement overriding her composure. The tide had turned in an instant.
Galarian Corsola, who had the upper hand just a moment ago, was taken down in the blink of an eye.
And this kind of instantaneous shift was exactly where the charm of a Pokémon battle lay.
After a brief moment of being stunned, Wally and Roserade both broke into smiles. Regardless of the opponent's skill level, the joy brought by victory remained constant.
For Wally, this was a long-lost feeling of exhilaration.
Not far away.
Kashiwagi first let out a helpless sigh, then grew somewhat excited.
Judging solely by attack power, timely judgment, and reaction speed, Wally's strength was definitely the real deal. Such a powerful sparring partner was a rare find.
He just hoped the boy wouldn't leave Verdanturf Town anytime soon—and that he'd be willing to accept frequent rematches.
He'd like to experience absorbing the nutrients of growth from a powerful opponent to make himself grow strong.
Kashiwagi knew very well that he didn't want to be like Leon—undefeated since his debut. He just wanted to have the absolute strength to win the battles that mattered.
Even if he could only win one out of ten battles, he had to make sure he won the most important one.
He quickly recalled the fainted Galarian Corsola. "You worked hard. Let's call it a day for you."
Then, he clicked his second Poké Ball.
Pop!
"Zwei-lous!" "Zwei-lous!"
Zweilous landed, barking at the Roserade across the field.
Seeing another Pokémon he was unfamiliar with, Wally felt that familiar itch again. A complex, indescribable emotion was brewing in his chest.
But he knew that the priority was the battle.
"Leech Seed!"
"Roserade!"
Roserade raised the flower bouquets in her hands and sprayed several brown seeds at Zweilous, but to her surprise, the seeds were scorched to ash by a blast of indigo flames halfway there.
Zweilous's left head was spitting Dragon Breath, while the right head barked loudly to distract Roserade and watch her movements.
Two heads doing two different things—this was a technique Zweilous had been practicing under Kashiwagi's guidance.
Multitasking, dual-wielding style.
They weren't perfect at it yet and occasionally tripped over each other, but in the heat of battle, they were improving rapidly.
"Status moves won't work, huh..."
Wally realized that Kashiwagi and his Pokémon were extremely wary of status moves and always found ways to neutralize them, forcing him into a head-on clash of pure power.
"..."
A bead of sweat rolled down Roserade's forehead. The Curse was silently tearing at her spirit, causing a continuous drain on her stamina.
Only a Pokémon with her endurance could handle it; any other teammate would have folded by now.
While the Trainer and Pokémon were thinking, Zweilous had already spat out crimson and indigo dragon flames under Kashiwagi's command!
"Dragon Pulse!"
ROAR!
The contrasting colors mixed into a ferocious energy dragon, rubbing against the air and making a roar-like sound as it charged towards Roserade, its fangs bared and claws outstretched, looking quite eerie.
"Hidden Power!"
"Roserade!"
Roserade raised her flower bouquets high. Countless shimmering, ice-blue orbs gathered and fired at the energy dragon like a barrage of flashbangs!
Bang!
The two moves collided, exploding into a massive cloud of smoke.
They actually cancelled each other out.
However, Roserade's recovery speed was significantly faster than Zweilous's. The moment she finished casting Hidden Power, she lunged through the smoke towards opponent.
"Get close! Pin Missile!" Wally shouted.
Realizing that status moves were a waste of time and seeing Zweilous's relative "weakness" in the power struggle, he abandoned the stall tactics.
"Roserade!"
Roserade raised her arms as she dashed, firing countless emerald needles!
Pew-pew-pew!
They acted like homing missiles, sticking closely to the retreating Zweilous, who had realized things were bad and started moving, relentlessly pursuing his figure.
The ground constantly exploded with smoke as the Pin Missiles crashed down, veiling the area in dust.
Fortunately, Zweilous had two heads. One head controlled the body to dodge, while the other tracked Roserade's position to maintain a safe distance.
He had to watch out for Dazzling Gleam, but from the looks of it, a good opportunity for an attack had appeared instead.
"Zwei-lous!" "Zwei-lous!"
He let out a loud shout to alert his Trainer. Rather than passively dodging to bait out the opponent's key move, it was better to just go for a reckless charge!
Attack! Attack!
"Dragon Rush!"
"ROAR!"
The moment Kashiwagi responded to the decision, Zweilous's two heads turned into glowing orbs of light. The shrieks turned into low growls, and the hideous two-headed energy dragon reappeared, charging toward the Roserade who was actively closing in!
The overwhelming aura accompanied this move as he broke through the smoke and descended upon Roserade's heart, but not a trace of panic could be seen on her face.
"Now! He can't dodge! Pin Missile!"
She held her arms high, like she had set up a machine gun, continuously firing emerald-green needles of light at the pouncing Zweilous!
Because the distance between the two had closed, the space to dodge was forced to shrink significantly. Coupled with being in the middle of an offensive, the charging two-headed energy dragon had no choice but to tank these Pin Missiles head-on.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thick smoke billowed.
The explosive flames mixed with indigo light let Wally know that the Dragon Rush had successfully been interrupted by the Pin Missile.
"Now, finish—"
Before he could finish his sentence.
A black shadow suddenly burst through the smoke—it was Zweilous, having shed the energy dragon's outer membrane!
Although he didn't make any sound, his entire body was wrapped in an extremely terrifying aura. The two pairs of eyes hidden by jet-black fur emitted a daunting light. Even Roserade couldn't help but be startled by this fellow.
"Hi-Hidden Power!"
"Fire Fang!"
Wally and Kashiwagi shouted simultaneously.
But this time, Zweilous's attack speed was clearly faster. Both heads lunged forward at the same time, and raging flames ignited rapidly between his teeth as he opened his mouths!
In an instant,
Two phantom flaming fangs materialized in the air and snapped shut just as the ice-blue Hidden Power orbs finished forming around Roserade!
BOOM! BOOM!
Two flowers of flame erupted!
In the violent explosion, both Zweilous and Roserade were sent tumbling backward.
As the smoke cleared, Kashiwagi looked at Zweilous, who had fallen at his feet. He saw frost covering his wings and limbs—the Hidden Power had definitely been Ice-type.
And surprisingly, Roserade didn't know Dazzling Gleam... He had been trying to guard against that move, which could take Zweilous out in one hit.
He was shocked when he saw Roserade charging over, but who would have thought that after all that guarding, it was all for nothing? The opponent didn't know it at all, so he might as well go all out.
From the current situation, the gamble paid off.
Fire Fang had dealt massive damage. Given the level difference and Zweilous's Hustle ability, he had performed perfectly.
"Zwei..." "Zwei..."
Zweilous tried to stand, but the power of Hidden Power (Ice) had made his limbs quite stiff. After struggling for a moment, purple bubbles suddenly started coming from the corners of his mouths.
He was poisoned.
This status condition was the final straw that broke the Camerupt's back, causing Zweilous to completely lose consciousness.
As expected, it was the Poison Point Ability. When using contact moves to attack such an opponent, there is a certain chance of being poisoned—simply put, Zweilous had touched the poisonous thorns on Roserade's body when he went in for the bite.
Every rose has its thorns...
Kashiwagi quickly recalled him. "Great job. Leave the rest to the last one".
Across the field, Roserade struggled to her knees. Suddenly, she stumbled again when a red light flashed in her shadow, and flames suddenly rose to cover her body!
The former was the Curse, the latter was Burn.
There was no doubt that while Zweilous was poisoned, Fire Fang had also left Roserade with a burn.
Because the gap between Zweilous and Roserade wasn't as massive as the one with Galarian Corsola and Roserade, the Hustle-boosted Zweilous was extremely powerful.
Wally felt the pressure. Seeing Kashiwagi release his third Pokémon, he quickly pulled out a Poké Ball keeping it ready while also shouting, "Synthesis!"
"Not a chance! Heavy Slam!"
"ROAR!"
A colossal Steelix appeared. His massive, silver-scaled body was enveloped in a ring of Steel-type energy. To the shock of the crowd and Wally, the giant roared and lunged at Roserade!
Rumble—
The air thundered with the force of the impact. The exhausted Roserade had no way to dodge!
BOOM!!
The earth shook violently as a massive cloud of dust erupted.
"Is that a Steelix?! How is it that big?"
"So fierce!"
"This guy had a Pokémon like this? I thought he was getting steamrolled the whole time!"
The tenants chatted incessantly. Cousin Wanda's pupils trembled, and she covered her mouth, not daring to speak.
A short while later.
The dust on the field slowly cleared.
Roserade lay in a small crater with swirls in her eyes. She had been taken out instantly by "giant" Steelix's slam.
Heavy Slam deals more damage the more the user outweighs the target. At over 1.5 tons, Steelix was guaranteed maximum power against almost anything.
Furthermore, Steelix's level wasn't low. His time working the mines in Pyrite Town had leveled him up to 67—he wasn't far behind Wally's team anymore.
"S-so strong. I didn't know Pokémon could grow to such an exaggerated size."
Wally was stunned. Even when Kashiwagi used a Pokémon he recognized, it could still deliver such a visual and mental shock.
But
that "itch" in his chest was was becoming more and more obvious.
Perhaps Wally didn't know what this was before, but now he finally understood: it was the hunger for victory, the joy of being immersed in a Pokémon battle.
Even if he didn't know his path or the "meaning" of being a Trainer yet, he knew one thing.
Even if he didn't know how to move forward, this emotion was not faked.
Even if he couldn't find a goal or the meaning of being a Trainer, he still wanted to battle more Trainers, and he still wanted to keep winning.
He absolutely refused to lose!
Wally took a deep breath and pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket.
"Let's show them! Gallade!"
Pop!
A flash of light.
Gallade appeared, looking like a gladiator. He half-kneeling with his head bowed and eyes closed.
"Sand Tomb!"
Kashiwagi gave the command immediately. Steelix also showed no mercy, launching a fierce attack on the appearing Gallade. As his four horizontal steel ribs rotated, a visible sandstorm tornado rolled toward Gallade!
"Dodge it!"
At Wally's cry, Gallade's eyes snapped open and he leapt into the air!
Crack!
The ground beneath him shattered from the force of his jump.
His incredible leaping ability allowed him to soar like a hawk, completely bypassing the sandstorm tornado.
Then, to Kashiwagi's surprise, Wally pulled out a Key Stone pendant from his shirt.
"Let's become even stronger! Gallade! Mega Evolve!"
Wally's voice rang out as the Key Stone erupted in a brilliant, blinding light!
Mid-air, Gallade's body was also shrouded in the light of Mega Evolution. As he free-falled, his body underwent an astonishing transformation visible to the naked eye.
The blades on his arms lengthened, a stylish cape-like structure extended from his back, and the single horn on his head curved like a silver moon.
In the blink of an eye, the transformation was complete!
As the evolution light faded.
A holy White Knight appeared, diving straight at Steelix from the sky!
"Close Combat!"
"Heavy Slam!"
Both Trainers roared their commands.
Steelix looked up at the transformed Mega Gallade. Even without Kashiwagi's warning, he knew this was a dangerous foe. He poured every ounce of his strength into his counter.
"ROOAAARRR!!"
Even if you're a mountain, I'll knock you down!
Shrouded in a silver ring of light, he roared and charged toward the sky with all his might!
However...
The collision never happened.
Despite not having wings, Mega Gallade used his cape to catch the air, pivoting his body mid-fall and narrowly sliding past Steelix's massive head!
Furthermore, he raised his right arm-blade. As it glowed with a brownish-red light, he sliced downward along Steelix's jaw, sliding all the way down his body as if he were cutting through butter!
Rumble—BOOM!!
A series of explosions and clouds of smoke erupted along Steelix's frame!
"Steeel..."
Steelix let out a pained howl. His massive body stiffened and began to tilt backward. Like a mountain collapsing, he crashed to the earth right next to Kashiwagi, sending up a wall of dust.
Kashiwagi stared at Mega Gallade, his expression a mix of awe and frustration.
As a Trainer, he knew exactly what had happened. That single strike had bypassed Steelix's near-limitless physical defense and brought him down to his Sturdy threshold in one go.
A single hit!
Wally's ace, after Mega Evolving, was on an entirely different level.
"Seriously... he's way too strong!"
Kashiwagi cursed under his breath, though he couldn't help but admire the sheer power of Mega Evolution.
Tap.
Mega Gallade landed gracefully. Both he and Wally let out a long, synchronized breath of relief.
"Phew~"