"Cottonee, keep using Helping Hand, and follow up with Fairy Wind and Nature Power."
Helping Hand had to remain active—Charmeleon's ability to hold its own against Malamar in the intensified sunlight was largely due to the combination of Sunny Day and Cottonee's support.
Using Fairy Wind was intended to enrich the surrounding Fairy-type energy, ensuring that Nature Power would transform into Moonblast upon activation.
Mawile, having leapt from Maki's side, sprang toward Malamar and immediately launched a Play Rough attack. Her goal wasn't to defeat Malamar—that wasn't realistic—but to keep it occupied long enough for Charmeleon to unleash its full potential.
While engaging Malamar, Mawile also integrated a few Power-Up Punches into her assault, steadily increasing her own strength.
Malamar looked visibly irritated. First, it had been scorched by Charmeleon's Flamethrower, and now it was being relentlessly harassed by this opponent. Forced to shift its focus, Malamar redirected the attack originally intended for Charmeleon toward Mawile instead.
A massive tentacle swung forward, the sharp tip slashing toward Mawile.
Night Slash!
However, just as the attack was about to land, Mawile instinctively stepped back, causing Malamar's Night Slash to miss. In that fleeting moment, Charmeleon's Flamethrower and Cottonee's Moonblast arrived simultaneously.
Though Cottonee wasn't nearly as powerful as Charmeleon in its Sunny Day-boosted state, Moonblast was still a super-effective Fairy-type attack, ensuring it packed a punch.
Malamar, now battered and weakened after taking another direct Flamethrower from Charmeleon, was blasted backward by Moonblast, tumbling some distance away.
"Zei!"
Malamar let out a pained cry before seemingly realizing that Maki's Pokémon were no pushovers. Shooting Maki one last glance, it quickly floated away.
"Let it go."
Noticing that Mawile was preparing to pursue, Maki called her back. There was no need to chase down a retreating enemy—especially when doing so might lead to unexpected dangers.
"Mmm..."
With Malamar gone, Charmeleon exhaled deeply, the flame on its tail flickering as it visibly relaxed, showing clear signs of exhaustion.
Though the battle had been brief, facing an opponent like Malamar had forced Charmeleon to go all out, depleting its stamina as if it had been speeding down a highway without brakes.
Similarly, Cottonee also looked fatigued. Ever since the battle started, it had been continuously using its moves without a break.
This was yet another reason why Maki had called off Mawile's pursuit.
Ideally, Maki would have preferred to take Malamar down here and now—letting it escape meant it could return with reinforcements, making things even more dangerous later.
However, despite how smoothly the battle had gone, two of his Pokémon had burned through a significant amount of energy. If Malamar played cautiously, the outcome of a second encounter was uncertain.
"We should get moving."
Wasting no time, Maki took his three Pokémon and left the area.
And just as he had feared, ten minutes later, a group of Malamar silently returned to the spot—including the very one that had fled earlier.
"Zei?"
One of the newcomers turned to the injured Malamar, who simply shook its head. After briefly scanning the area and finding nothing, the group of Malamar eventually left.
Maki had no idea that the Malamar had actually come back seeking revenge, but he was certain that putting distance between himself and that area was the right call.
Once he felt they were far enough, he surveyed his surroundings, ensuring there were no immediate threats before stopping to rest.
Taking out some Pokéblocks, he fed his Pokémon to restore their stamina. Fortunately, thanks to Mohn's help, he had managed to craft a fresh batch using Berries earlier.
After about an hour of rest, once his Pokémon had fully recovered, Maki resumed his journey.
Right now, his priority was figuring out where exactly he was.
Or rather, how this mysterious zone had come to exist and what secrets it held.
One anomaly in particular caught Maki's attention—the environment here was slightly different from that of the Pokémon world. The sunlight was unnaturally intense. He had been in this place for several hours, and midday should have already passed, yet the sun's intensity had not diminished in the slightest.
While this environment was ideal for Charmeleon's combat effectiveness, something was clearly wrong. There was a high chance that this zone had some unnatural properties.
Maki decided to push forward a little further. If he still couldn't find any useful clues, he would consider retracing his steps. Without Dragonite's protection, caution was key.
But it seemed that this place was determined to make things difficult for him. After resting and moving forward for only a short while, he found himself under attack once more.
A blur of white streaked past Maki's side. Mawile immediately sprang into action, intercepting the incoming attack.
The sound of metal clashing filled the air as Mawile's Iron Head collided with the opponent's strike, sending both Pokémon skidding backward. In terms of raw power, the attacker had actually matched Mawile blow for blow.
"Absol!?"
The creature's pristine white fur, along with the signature scythe-like horn on the right side of its head, made its identity unmistakable.
Absol—the Disaster Pokémon. Though a Dark-type, Absol was known for its generally calm and gentle nature. Its horn allowed it to predict impending disasters, a trait long studied by researchers.
According to studies, Absol's ability to foresee calamities stemmed from its acute sensitivity to environmental shifts. By detecting subtle changes in the sky and earth, it could sense natural disasters before they occurred.
This unique power, combined with its benevolent nature, led Absol to warn humans of imminent danger.
However, among the more superstitious, Absol had been misinterpreted as a harbinger of misfortune, earning it the ominous title of "Disaster Beast."
Recognizing the Pokémon before him, Maki hesitated for a moment.
When Malamar had attacked, he hadn't thought twice about retaliating. The same logic applied here—while both were Dark-types, Absol and Malamar were polar opposites.
As far as Maki knew, there had never been a recorded case of an Absol attacking humans unprovoked.
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