Their fight was nothing like the scuffles around them—no holding back, no pulled punches.
The Armarouge brought both arms together; immense psychic power and flame converged on a single point. A perfectly condensed Armor Cannon ripped the air like a fired shell straight at its foe.
The Ceruledge didn't dodge. Its form blurred into a purple afterimage; twin blades crossed—
A Bitter Blade slash cleaved head-on into the cannon fire.
BOOM!
Flame and rancor collided in a shocking blast. The shockwave rolled outward, shattering nearby boulders to gravel. Even the surrounding Pokémon instinctively backed off, leaving the two bosses space.
From the scattered aftershocks alone it was clear how fierce this duel was. This Armarouge and Ceruledge weren't holding anything back—every strike meant to devastate. In fact, among all combatants, theirs was the only battle being fought in earnest; they just happened to be buried in the center, so Jason's group hadn't noticed at first.
Jason pulled his gaze back to the two Charcadet in front of him.
"So you don't actually want to fight each other—you're just putting on a show because your bosses ordered you to?"
Both Charcadet bobbed their heads like pecking chicks.
The more lively one blurted first: "Yeah! You don't know—our two clans used to get along great!"
The other rushed to add, afraid of missing its turn: "Right! We even swap members! If someone on our side really admires Armarouge's cool armor and big cannon, we send them to live and train with that tribe. And if someone on their side thinks Ceruledge is cooler, they come to our tribe!"
"We'd meet up often to share tasty berries we found, explore caves together, and hunt for special armor shards for evolution!"
"If not for the bosses being evenly matched, we probably would've merged already."
"But… we don't know when it changed. Our bosses suddenly turned on each other—called the other side heretics to be driven out—and ordered us to war."
"We've been taught since we were small to obey the boss, so we gritted our teeth and swung. But we all hold back—never lethal hits! It's just for show so the bosses see. One side is the boss; the other is our friends. It's really hard."
They tripped over each other explaining.
Jason chuckled. "No wonder you're all throwing fake fights—though your two performances might be the worst on the field."
Thunderstruck, both Charcadet froze; the little flames on their heads flickered wildly, nearly snuffing out.
"N-no way!" squeaked the lively one, voice cracking. "I swear our acting is on point! That big backward sway—I practiced that for days! You have no idea how long it took to learn!"
The other panicked too, clutching its head with both mitts as if the sky were falling. "We're done for! The boss must've spotted it already! Will it think I'm slacking and kick me out? I don't want to wander outside—I heard it's dangerous out there, with scary human Trainers!"
Jason found them hilarious, but didn't chase the spiral. He asked what he cared about most, face turning serious.
"Last question. Have you seen a Pokémon with a metal body and glowing horns on its head?"
They blinked, stunned again, trading confused looks. Then, after a beat:
"Yes! I once saw our boss secretly meet with a weird Pokémon like that!"
"I saw it too! Our boss talked with it!"
They stared at each other, shocked—why would that mysterious Pokémon meet both bosses?
It didn't make sense.
The air turned taut.
Suddenly, the lively one smacked its head like it remembered something crucial. "Now that you say it… not long after that weird Pokémon showed up, our boss called a meeting—said those Ceruledge were sneaky snakes and we had to unite to seize their territory and drive the heretics out!"
The other Charcadet's eyes went wide; the flame on its head flared. "Same with our boss! After that, it said Armarouge were a bunch of brainless bomb-throwers who didn't deserve this turf—and ordered us to 'teach them a lesson'!"
Sharing that key detail, the pair gaped, mouths hanging open. It felt like they'd stumbled onto a big secret—one they'd have missed without the Ditto's prompt. Hardly their fault; since the bosses' order to become enemies, they'd hardly met outside of "battle," and you can't trade intel under a boss's nose in the middle of a staged brawl.
So… all of this traced back to that strange Pokémon.
Anger rose in both of them. All that idiot fighting—no more playing together—because of it.
Seeing their shock, Jason knew he wouldn't get more from them. He turned from the whispering duo to Cynthia and Iono, who'd been listening; he'd been translating live the whole time.
"That's probably all we can get for now."
He paused, then, firmer: "We can basically confirm Iron Boulder approached both clan leaders and—who knows what sweet talk it used—sowed discord until they turned their clans against each other."
"As for the details—why Iron Boulder did it, what deals it made with the bosses—these two have no clue."
He looked back to the blazing center of the field.
"To learn the truth, we'll have to ask the two bosses. And most importantly, we can't let Iron Boulder keep playing them."
After his summary, even Iono's ever-cheery face showed dawning realization. She clapped. "So we just need to find Iron Boulder and beat it—and Chairwoman Geeta's request is done!"
Then she glanced around the vast, twisting cavern—so many tunnels, so much dark—and frowned. "But… every passage here is huge, and there are a million forks. If Iron Boulder just hides in a corner, what do we do?"
She'd nailed the headache: enemy hidden, us exposed. If it stayed out of sight, they'd be on the back foot.
Jason only chuckled. "Won't come out? That's fine—we'll force it out."
He laid out the plan. "It hid in the dark and worked so hard to stir them up. Let's ruin its scheme—I don't believe it'll stay hiding then."
He turned to the calm Sinnoh Champion. "So, sis—this next part's on you."
He wasn't about to kidnap two bosses himself. Only Cynthia had the clout to pin Armarouge and Ceruledge.
Iono was a streaming queen, but when it came to fighting—it had to be Cabbage Lady.
Cynthia listened quietly, appreciation bright in her eyes, and smiled with quiet confidence.
"Just what I was thinking."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it landed like a gavel. She stepped forward; tall and poised, she became the brightest point in the cavern. Without hesitation, she took a Poké Ball from her customized belt and tossed it lightly.
A slim, elegant Pokémon bloomed in red light—ocean-blue scales, a rainbow tail tracing dreamy arcs, gentle red eyes like cut rubies.
Milotic.
It trilled, clear and pure; Water-type energy calmed the air.
In a breath, Milotic was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Garchomp, sheltering Jason and the others behind.
Iono—and tens of thousands in chat—stared, awestruck.
[Whoa whoa WHOA—Cynthia needs just two Pokémon to end this?—absolute queen!]
[That Milotic looks so strong—it feels like its aura alone could crush my whole team!]
What happened next blindsided both Jason and Cynthia.
As Milotic arrived, the two bosses—after another violent clash—suddenly broke off, each leaping back to make space. Their eyes, locked on each other moments ago, swivelled toward Jason's group. They'd clearly sensed Milotic—and Garchomp, no longer suppressing its aura.
Confusion flickered across their faces.
More human Trainers?
Drive them off like before.
If that Pokémon finds out, it'll make us do things we don't want to do—again.
A voice whispered in both their ears—the hidden Iron Boulder:
"You two—get rid of those human Trainers."
They glanced at each other—and, being bosses, weren't stupid. They'd been used. The voice had said you two, which meant the same puppeteer had them fighting each other. And yet, even knowing it, there was no anger—just dread. The memory of Iron Boulder's overwhelming power made them tremble. Disobey, and your clan gets wiped out.
From the start, neither had fully believed the "other branch is heretical" line. Fear had kept them in line; their tribes staged the war, and they'd let it slide.
Now—same thing. They'd seen Iron Boulder's terror; for their clans' safety, they obeyed.
They felt ridiculous. Days of "infighting" with their other half—for what? To feed Iron Boulder's twisted whims?
They turned and shouted to their clans:
"Stand down!"
"Everyone, stop!"
Then—another order, in unison:
"Deal with the intruders first!"
Every Armarouge, Ceruledge, and Charcadet locked in their "fierce battle" halted.
No need to swing at the other branch? Great.
As one, they turned, eyes narrowing on Jason's team.
Cynthia blinked—surprised for an instant—then the surprise washed into excitement. Not a hint of fear; a Champion's heart beat for such challenges.
"Jason," she quipped, tone almost playful, "think they're about to team up on us?"
Jason looked at the dark mass of hostile Pokémon… then at the woman beside him—more thrilled than worried—and sighed inwardly.
So much for farming Dex.
He glanced at his newly completed Charcadet entry and the 20% chunks on Armarouge and Ceruledge, then faced the army.
"Yeah… looks like this one's on you, sis."
"Mhm. Leave it to me."
~~~
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