Gast pressed the advantage without letting up.
It turned into a purple blur and streaked around the cavern, unleashing a storm of attacks on Armarouge—ambushes out of shadow, Shadow Balls from impossible angles, and the occasional dazzling Confuse Ray.
Armarouge was driven into a panicked scramble. He had heavy firepower, but he couldn't lock onto a foe that moved like a phantom. His wide-area strikes were dodged each time as the ghost slipped into the shadows, while its own attacks kept tagging him at the worst moments.
After a few exchanges, new gashes marred his armor and its sheen had dulled. He was completely rattled.
"Maniac! Where did this maniac come from?!"
He fended desperately while swearing at the top of his lungs. Now he was truly scared; any thought of grabbing a hostage was gone. He just wanted to shake this nightmare off.
Seizing an opening, he shouted over his shoulder, "What are you standing around for? Help me!"
Then he feinted, turned tail, and ran toward his underlings, retreating step by step until he ducked into the crowd for cover.
He couldn't make sense of the day at all. First Iron Valiant, then that flaming swordsman, now a powerhouse Gengar out of nowhere. Just how many friends did this Tinkaton have—and why were they all so strong?
While Armarouge was still reeling, Gast didn't chase. It stopped, turned, and planted itself in front of Tinkaton in a guarding stance.
"Big Sis, I'll protect you!" it said, voice firm.
Behind it, bound by psychic bands, Tinkaton stared blankly at the Gengar that was much smaller than she was. That back… that voice… The look was different, but the familiar feeling froze her.
A few seconds later she came to, uncertain, and tried a guess. "Are you… Gast?"
Hearing the name, Gast glanced back with its trademark ear-to-ear grin. "Heh-heh-heh, yep! Big Sis, Gast's back to see you!"
It really was Gast.
Warm relief flickered in Tinkaton's eyes. She'd never imagined that the noisy little mischief-maker would grow this far.
"Long time no see, Gast," she said, a touch wistful. "You're so strong now—already a Gengar."
At "Gengar," Gast's smile froze. It looked down at its hands, felt its round belly and the little legs behind—then went blank. "Huh? How did I evolve all of a sudden?"
Clearly, it hadn't realized. It had been too busy raging and rescuing to notice the moment its body changed as it charged in.
Across the battlefield, Jason heard the exchange and sounded a bit exasperated. Crossing both flaming swords to force Iron Crown back, he called over, "Just now—when you rushed out, you evolved. You didn't feel it at all?"
Prompted, Gast thought back. Right—there'd been a flash of white as it charged. So it evolved then.
"Hee-hee." Understanding dawned, it scratched the back of its head and then beamed. Evolving and getting stronger—great news!
Their chatter made Tinkaton notice the violet-flamed Ceruledge. The voice from earlier… She hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Are you… Jason?"
Jason flicked a flaming blade in greeting. "Hey, Big Sis. Long time. Didn't expect you to have evolved into Tinkaton too."
The confirmation sent a warm rush through her. In her most desperate moment, it was Jason and Gast—the two friends who'd left the mine long ago—who returned to save her.
"How… how are you two here?" Her voice thickened.
"Gast wanted to come see you," Jason said, parrying another strike from Iron Crown. "We got to the mine and everyone was gone, so we asked around and tracked you here."
As he spoke, Gast drifted to Tinkaton's side. It slashed a claw at the psychic bands, and—snap—cut through them with ease. Then it zipped to the telekinetic cage holding the Tinkatink and tore it open in a few swift strikes.
"Big Sis!"
"Big Sis, are you okay?!"
The little smiths swarmed out, crowding around Tinkaton, all of them in tears.
Freed, Tinkaton flexed feeling back into her numb limbs. She grabbed her massive hammer—but instead of jumping into the fight, she shouted anxiously to Jason, "Jason, you have to go! We can't beat them—those two are really strong!"
She'd felt Iron Crown and Iron Leaves' power firsthand; that wasn't something numbers could fix.
Gast hurried back to calm her. "Don't worry, Big Sis. Jason's a monster now!"
Tinkaton wanted to say more, but the battle shifted again. Jason and Iron Valiant caught an opening and struck together from left and right. Jason's Bitter Blade and Iron Valiant's Psycho Cut crossed toward Iron Crown, forcing it to retreat and slip their pincer for the moment.
Seizing the respite, Jason glanced back. "Big Sis, you helped me and Gast before. There's no way we're leaving you now."
Tinkaton was moved, but still afraid. "Really, Jason—this isn't like last time! These two are seriously strong!"
Jason just gave his flaming sword a casual flick. "If they didn't have the nerve to keep living in Area Zero, how strong can they be?"
There was a barely-there disdain in his tone. Iron Valiant paused, thoughtful, then nodded—sharing the sentiment.
Neither of them expected the collateral damage. In the dark tunnel, Miraidon—about to burst in with a grand entrance—suddenly stopped. Its eyes flickered. That line… did that include me? After all, it was… the one who bolted from Area Zero.
A little sulk bubbled up. Hmph. Not happy. Not going out. It canceled its support and stayed hidden in the shadows to "observe" a while longer.
While Miraidon pouted, Jason's jab thoroughly enraged the two Paradox Pokémon opposite. Iron Leaves, who had yet to lift a finger, finally stepped forward. In a blur it appeared before Iron Crown, crossing twin emerald energy blades to catch both Bitter Blade and Psycho Cut.
Clang!
Three immense forces crashed with an ear-splitting ring. Iron Leaves took the combined hit and only swayed slightly. Then its body shook—and a savage arc swept out.
Sacred Sword!
Jason and Iron Valiant both blanched and sprang back to evade. The slash bit only air, but carved a groove half a foot deep in the stone.
After the single exchange, Iron Leaves stood composed, eyes taunting the two who had retreated. "You'll know soon enough how 'strong' we are," it said, icy and absolutely sure.
Behind it, Iron Crown let out a delighted laugh. "Hahaha! Finally—some decent opponents! I've been bored to death here!" It rolled its shoulders with a crackle, eyes locked on Jason and Iron Valiant, battle hunger burning. "In a minute I'm going to beat the both of you senseless! Hahaha!"
They moved in the next heartbeat—two streaks of different colors flaring out, one left, one right, diving at Jason and Iron Valiant.
The two allies traded a glance and met them head-on. Ceruledge (Jason) took the faster Iron Leaves; Iron Valiant stepped to block the sturdier Iron Crown. The cavern's heart became a battlefield for four heavy hitters.
"Gast, let's go help!" Tinkaton hefted her hammer, ready to charge—only for Gast to block her.
"Don't," it said, face serious. "We'd just get in the way."
Tinkaton froze, bristling. "But—"
"No buts," Gast cut in. "Look at the intensity out there. Is that something we can jump into? You're still hurt, and the little ones need you. What we can do now is trust Jason."
Tinkaton glanced at the dizzying clash—energy beams and sword-light crisscrossed, every collision kicking up gales that stung the skin. Stone split, stalactites shook loose and fell. This really wasn't a fight she could wade into.
She looked at her wounds, then at the shivering Tinkatink huddled together, and gave up on charging in. Gripping her hammer, she muttered, unwilling, "Damn it… we just have to watch?"
"Relax, Big Sis," Gast said, reading her worry and trying to pump her up. "You don't even know—Jason is busted strong now."
Watching the fight, Gast started hyping Jason's feats. "You have no idea how many monsters we've run into on the way."
It spoke with such flourish it sounded like it had fought each battle itself. Tinkaton listened, eyes widening—she'd known Jason was special, but hadn't expected him to have grown this much.
While they talked, the battle reached a boil. Iron Valiant vs. Iron Crown was raw power. Iron Crown whirled into a giant metal top and slammed in with crushing force. Iron Valiant stood its ground, crossing blades over its chest to catch the high-speed spin.
Screech! Sparks flew. The floor plowed into twin trenches under the sheer pressure.
"Hah!" Iron Valiant grunted, torqued its waist, and heaved—hurling the spinning Iron Crown away.
On the other side, Jason vs. Iron Leaves was all about speed and technique. Iron Leaves struck like lightning, every blow for a vital point. Jason's Bitter Blade gave no ground, purple fire parrying precisely while sniping chances to counter.
The two figures crossed and re-crossed, so fast they blurred into afterimages. This one's strong, Jason judged. Ceruledge didn't have the speed edge. Keep this up and it'd turn against him.
Catching a clash, he kicked back to open space. Midair, white light wrapped him—and when he landed, he was no longer Ceruledge.
In his place stood a towering Tinkaton, wind whipping around its bulk. The blades in his hands were gone—replaced by a hammer sized to match his frame.
"Hm?" Iron Leaves paused, surprised.
Jason ignored it and looked past—at Iron Crown grappling with Iron Valiant. He bent his knees, power coiling, then launched high. Raising the massive hammer overhead, he came crashing down toward Iron Crown.
Gigaton Hammer!
~~~
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