Stopping a Rollout is difficult.
In that regard, it's much like the games.
Kashiwagi could tell that Otsuka desperately wanted Graveler to stop, but it wasn't happening anytime soon. The two of them were forced to play a high-stakes game of dodgeball, diving away from the hurtling giant boulder.
Graveler hadn't actually been targeting him on purpose earlier. Seeing Otsuka scrambling just as frantically to avoid his own Pokémon's path, Kashiwagi truly believed it now.
Initially, only Kashiwagi was dodging. But as Graveler's speed continued to accelerate, the situation spiraled out of control. Momentum had stripped the Pokémon of almost all steering ability, and Otsuka, as the Trainer, had no choice but to join Kashiwagi in his desperate maneuvers.
"Bring your Aron out!"
"Make your Graveler stop!"
Faced with Otsuka's lung-bursting screams, Kashiwagi ruthlessly rejected the suggestion. At this point, the power of Rollout had surely reached its peak; even a glancing blow might result in an instant knockout.
"I—"
THOOM!
Before Otsuka could finish his sentence, Graveler slammed violently into the chain-link fence. The massive force caused it to become wedged directly into the mesh, snapping several iron wires. The thunderous impact drew even more onlookers.
"Now's the chance! Iron Head!"
Kashiwagi shouted the command. Aron, who had been lurking underground the entire time, burst forth and slammed into the already half-dazed Graveler.
The iron mesh, already strained to its limit by metal fatigue, finally exploded. Graveler tumbled back onto the court, belly-up with its eyes spinning in circles.
"Looks like I win." Kashiwagi announced the result to a trembling, furious Otsuka. He ran to the edge of the court, crouched down, and gave Aron a high-five. "Yeah! Victory!"
"Ku!" Aron's eyes curved into happy crescents.
"I have to ask—my Pokémon is clearly weak to Ground moves. Why did you use Rollout?" Kashiwagi looked at Otsuka curiously.
Otsuka snapped indignantly, "How was I supposed to know your Pokémon knew Dig?! And it just stayed down there and wouldn't come up! Have you no shame?!"
"No. Is that a problem?"
"...One more round!" Otsuka gritted his teeth and recalled Graveler into its Poké Ball. "I don't believe this!"
"Do you have the energy?" Kashiwagi didn't agree immediately, instead turning to ask Aron.
Having spent almost the entire match chilling underground, Aron was bursting with energy and eagerly leaped at the chance for another fight. Otsuka, meanwhile, was mentally tearing Kashiwagi into a thousand pieces, swearing he had never met someone so thick-skinned and shameless.
How could it NOT have energy!
"Sandshrew! Prepare for battle!" He had to win at least once, or he was going to faint right here from sheer frustration.
Noon.
Three battles had concluded. Aron had fought against all of Otsuka's Pokémon. There were wins and losses; in the final loss, Aron had fought until it reached its limit and fell fast asleep mid-battle.
Kashiwagi glanced at the countdown in the corner of his eye and noticed it had shortened slightly—by about half an hour.
Could it be...
Battles could reduce the simulator's loading time? Three matches equaled nearly thirty minutes! This was fantastic! The only downside was that Aron's stamina wasn't enough to support more rounds. Still, even a small reduction was a blessing—the simulator was his greatest trump card, after all.
Kashiwagi's mood brightened considerably. Even Otsuka started looking a bit more tolerable to him.
"You really love using Rollout, don't you? Is that move really that good?" Kashiwagi remarked. Out of three Pokémon—Donphan, Graveler, and Sandshrew—Otsuka had used Rollout with every single one.
The only difference was that Donphan and Sandshrew had better control than Graveler; they could stop on command. Graveler couldn't, which was how Aron had snatched the win.
"None of your busi—"
"Hmm?"
"...Because if you master Rollout to a high enough level, it can deflect a lot of other moves."
"Oh? Really?"
"Of course! I saw it with my own eyes. Using nothing but Rollout to ignore Water Gun, Flamethrower, a whole bunch of moves. That kind of power is true strength!" Otsuka's face was full of longing, like a die-hard fan of a celebrity—only his "idols" were powerful Trainers.
"I see." Kashiwagi nodded and prepared to leave.
Until he figured out the layout of the Underdome and who the important people were, he didn't plan on staying too long. He didn't even want to stick around to find food or treat Aron's injuries here. He had offended too many people earlier; someone might try to trip him up.
However, he hadn't walked far before a conflicted Otsuka chased after him.
"Wait!"
"What's up?" Kashiwagi tilted his head.
"That 'Trade Evolution' you mentioned... I want to know more about it." Otsuka seemed to find it difficult to speak, his words stumbling. "I'll... I'll pay for the info."
Kashiwagi studied his expression, pondered for a moment, and said, "Keep your money. Just buy me lunch. If you treat me, I'll tell you."
The guy was a bit brainless, but not entirely hateable. It was a perfect chance to put Soshiro's "art of social engineering" into practice. Otherwise, this week would be miserable. Being an outcast only fuels the subconscious exclusion from the group; it's better to blend in and work quietly.
"Ah? Really?" Otsuka was surprised, but then quickly turned his head away. "I'd rather pay. I don't want to owe you a favor."
"I'm too lazy to think of a price. Treat me or don't, I'm leaving." Kashiwagi didn't want to argue. He bought a drink from a vending machine and walked away without looking back.
Seeing this, Otsuka quickly caught up. "I know a decent little shop nearby!"
"We're eating on the surface."
"What's good on the surface? Let me tell you..."
"Quit yapping. I said the surface, so we're going to the surface."
The two walked further away. The people left on the court stared at each other in bewilderment. They were just at each other's throats, and now they're going to lunch like buddies? What the hell?
Back on the surface.
Kashiwagi first looked for Naruhisa and the others. After learning from a Snagem member that they had already left, he took Otsuka to the Pokémon Center near the Sand Unit headquarters to drop off the sleeping Aron.
Then, he brought Otsuka to Iridium Street and had lunch at a familiar shop. Otsuka was initially resistant, complaining about everything, but he was soon eating ravenously. He was clearly starving.
As they ate, Kashiwagi explained.
"Trade Evolution is using a specific machine to exchange Pokémon. During the exchange, they undergo a phenomenon that triggers evolution. You've been a Trainer for a while, right? How did you not know this?" He was genuinely surprised. "This is basic stuff—like type advantages. You could have found out by asking anyone. Did no one tell you?"
Hearing this, Otsuka's excited demeanor instantly dimmed. "...No."
"Hmm... did you go to school?"
"...No. Is there a point? What does school do? Does it fill your stomach? Does it stop people from bullying you?"
"So you're an illiterate just like me." Kashiwagi wasn't bothered by Otsuka's defensiveness. "Did your family stop you from going?"
"What's it to you!"
"Nothing, just asking. It's just me at my place. Is your dad a Snagem member too? A Squad Leader?"
"...No. He was regular. And he's already 'retired'." Otsuka's tone shifted from sharp to quiet.
Retired? Ah... I see. Kashiwagi understood. The boy was only fifteen or sixteen; his father couldn't be that old. Given his somber look, it wasn't a "normal" retirement. A forced retirement due to injury. This was common in Team Snagem. They lived for conflict with no safety net; the risk was sky-high.
Kashiwagi asked again, "Who are you under?"
"I'm in the Junior Squad because of my dad's recommendation. Having a Pokémon doesn't make me an official member yet. I have to wait until after the match to pick a 'Big Brother' to follow."
"Do you have siblings?"
"...A sister." Otsuka kept his head down.
"I see. You're the pillar of the family now." Kashiwagi suddenly understood why Otsuka had folded so quickly. He had thought the boy was just a weak-willed bully. Earlier, Otsuka had knelt without a moment's hesitation. It turned out he was just a realist whose spirit had been crushed by the weight of life.
Another pitiable, hateful soul dyed black by the sludge of this town. Perhaps he was worth bringing over to his side.
Kashiwagi tapped the table, causing Otsuka to look up. "Since you're basically backed into a corner, why did you come after me? To blow off steam?"
People crushed by stress often develop toxic hobbies—trolling online, making trouble for others, or even stealing—as a way to decompress. It's hard for normal people to understand. In a place like Pyrite Town, bullying the weak and watching them suffer was a popular choice.
Otsuka: "..."
He couldn't give a reason. This behavior was common here, as ubiquitous as breathing; it didn't need a reason. But hearing Kashiwagi say it, he felt a faint sense that it was wrong.
"...Forget it. I'm not trying to interrogate you. Your environment had a big impact on you. Without books or other ways to gain knowledge, you can only judge right from wrong by mimicking those around you. Your thinking gets stuck in a loop."
Kashiwagi finished his last bite. "Your world and mine are both too small. I hope one day we can break free from the shackles of Pyrite Town and see what the real world actually looks like."
He stood up and walked out. Otsuka startled, calling out, "Where are you going?"
"To pick up my Pokémon, and then to find a way to get an education."
"An education..."
The boy stood there dazed, his expression a complicated blur of emotions.