The only thing keeping the bone-weary Naruhisa moving was a singular thought.
The promise of a better life.
Kashiwagi knew that in a place like this, anything other than immediate, tangible profit was just a hollow dream. So, every time Naruhisa's pace lagged, Kashiwagi spurred him on with visions of the rewards awaiting them.
As the reminders grew more frequent, Naruhisa's expression shifted from exhaustion to visible irritation—but his steps grew firmer.
And yet.
As if fate itself were playing a cruel joke, their journey remained fraught with hardship.
Just as they reached the junction where they had first encountered the rolling Graveler, crisis struck again!
From the left tunnel, a dusty-grey, tank-like quadrupedal Pokémon charged out. It looked panicked, and on its back sat a man howling in agony, his right arm twisted at a sickening angle.
Their eyes met. Kashiwagi's brow furrowed instantly; Naruhisa's eyes filled with despair. On Shibata's face, however, panic and pain rapidly morphed into a twisted glee.
"Hahaha! You think wearing a mask means I won't recognize you? Rhyhorn! Kill him!"
His roar echoed through the entire cavern.
"Run! Keep moving forward!"
Kashiwagi managed to free one hand and slammed a small purple sphere onto the ground.
Pop!
The sphere exploded, and a thick purple fog instantly blanketed the junction.
A Smoke Ball—an expensive item designed to baffle a Pokémon's sight and scent.
The fleeing Rhyhorn already had zero interest in a fight, and finding itself blinded, it grew even more lethargic. Shibata, sensing the hesitation, screamed at the beast to move.
Inside the fog.
Naruhisa, despite having been on the verge of collapse, suddenly found a second wind. He surged past Kashiwagi, sprinting with a desperate speed that surpassed even his earlier efforts.
"Save your own skin! Drop the guy!" Kashiwagi hissed. In a moment like this, altruism was a luxury they couldn't afford. If they died here, no one would be saved anyway.
"You drop yours first! If you drop, I drop!" Naruhisa shot back, refusing to look back but certain that Kashiwagi was still hauling two people.
You idiot!
Is now really the time for this? Know when to cut your losses!
Kashiwagi's teeth ground together. He felt the vibrations behind them; the Rhyhorn had found their trail. Between the heavy scent of sweat and the iron tang of blood, they were like beacons in the dark.
A Rhyhorn in a straight sprint was terrifyingly fast. Even at his peak, Kashiwagi wasn't sure he could outrun one—let alone while carrying two grown men.
"Run! Go ahead and run! Let's see how far you get!"
Shibata's venomous voice drifted through the tunnel. He had channeled all his agony into pure, concentrated spite. To be the target of such a man's obsession was truly bad luck.
What a shame.
Kashiwagi sighed inwardly. He made a split-second decision and dropped the man he was carrying in his arms by the side of the tunnel. They were barely five hundred meters from the exit. Even with the steep incline, he could have made it in a minute.
Truly a shame.
I hope the two of you have some luck left.
Perhaps Shibata would be so focused on his prey that he'd pass them by. That was their only hope for survival.
"I did it! Now don't you hesitate either!" Kashiwagi roared at Naruhisa, his other hand reaching to undo the rope binding the second man to his back.
Suddenly, a scream of pure terror erupted from behind.
"AAAGH! What is that?! Where did this thing come from?!"
Kashiwagi dropped the man from his back, but instead of accelerating, he stole a glance behind him. He saw a flash of silver—brilliant and exploding with light!
A familiar, metallic cry followed.
"KU!!"
"HOOOON!!"
Aron!
Kashiwagi would never forget that sound; after all, it had nearly given him a heart attack twice already.
It followed him? And now it was engaging both Shibata and the Rhyhorn?
Aron...
RUMBLE—!!
A massive tremor and a rain of falling rock cut off his thoughts. He turned to see a section of the ceiling collapse, completely sealing the path behind them.
Shibata's screams and the cries of the Pokémon were cut off instantly, buried under tons of earth. It was like a gate slamming shut.
A gate named "Safety."
Kashiwagi stood frozen for a beat.
Then, with lightning speed, he spun around. He sprinted back to the first man he'd dropped, scooped him up, and grabbed the second man by the collar, dragging him back toward the exit.
Up ahead, Naruhisa had been about to drop his own burden. He looked back, saw Kashiwagi's maneuvers, and gaped.
"You actually dropped them? Wait—if you dropped them, why are you picking them back up?!"
"Shut up. Run."
Kashiwagi didn't say another word, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. Naruhisa wanted to ask more, but seeing the grim determination on Kashiwagi's face, he kept his mouth shut and followed.
To his shock, Kashiwagi began to move even faster. Despite the heavy incline, he pulled away from Naruhisa, opening a gap of ten meters that only continued to grow.
"Wait... what??"
Only then did Naruhisa realize: if Kashiwagi hadn't been slowing down to wait for him, he would have been out of this mine long ago.
"Gah! Where did this thing come from?! Kill it!"
The screams of human rage echoed through the sealed-off section of the mine.
Aron looked up at the Rhyhorn, which was snorting steam from its nostrils, clearly enraged. The little Pokémon was wary, but its mind was drifting elsewhere.
Did that boy make it out?
I hope so.
When it had first seen him, it had been stunned. It never expected to see those eyes again. It eventually realized that the boy's face was different, even if the eyes and hair were similar.
But of course.
It had been abandoned. Left behind in this desolate, unfamiliar land. That was the reality.
There would be no reunion.
It had fantasized about its former Trainer coming back to find it, but those were just fragments of a dream. In the end, the clearest memory it possessed was the sight of a back—turning and running away without a second thought.
Hatred? Perhaps a little.
But mostly, it just didn't understand. Why?
What reason was there to throw it away? Was it too weak? Too slow? Too stubborn?
No. It didn't remember ever being called any of those things.
Besides... "It's a Trainer's responsibility to make weak Pokémon strong." You were the one who said that!
So why?
It just... didn't understand!
"KU!"
A fire ignited in Aron's chest. It stopped the standoff. A silver ring of light enveloped its head, and it charged!
But the Rhyhorn was ready. Malice flared in its eyes as it reared up on its hind legs and brought its weight crashing down.
"HOOOON!"
SLAM!
The powerful Stomp hit Aron square in the face, pinning it to the ground like a hammer to an anvil. The silver light of its Iron Head flickered and died as dust billowed around them.
"Is it dead? Waste of my time! Break through those rocks!" the twisted Shibata screamed. "I won't let Kashiwagi get away! I'm going to kill him!"
The Rhyhorn ignored him. It stared down at the Aron under its hoof. The little thing was trying to push itself up, but it was no match for the Rhyhorn's raw strength.
Where did this little brat come from? Trying to take me on solo... did it think I was some pushover?
The Rhyhorn prepared to crush the life out of the intruder, but suddenly, the weight beneath its hoof vanished.
Looking down, it saw a small hole in the ground where the Aron had been. The Pokémon was gone.
Playing tricks on me!?
"HOOON!"
Fury exploded in the Rhyhorn's heart. Its legs glowed with a brownish-red energy. Ignoring Shibata's startled yelp, it jumped and slammed into the earth with everything it had.
BOOM!
The sound was like a thunderclap!
The floor of the mine and the old tracks shattered, forming a jagged, yawning chasm. Rocks rained from the ceiling, and the shockwave exposed the Aron hidden beneath the surface.
Aron's expression shifted from shock to pure terror in an instant.
Then—
CRASH!!
The fissure snapped shut, and a burst of earthen energy erupted from the ground like a volcano, blasting the subterranean Aron into the air.
Thud.
Aron hit the ground hard. Its armor was dented in several places, half its face was scorched black, and its eyes were glazed over.
It looked up at the approaching Rhyhorn. With its strength failing, its consciousness began to drift. Its thoughts flickered like a dying candle.
How long did I hold out? Was it a minute? Did the boy get away? I really hope he's safe.
After this...
If I survive, I'll finally say goodbye to the past. For real.
Through the haze, Aron's eyes moved past the Rhyhorn. In the darkness beyond, it saw a blurry silhouette.
The figure seemed to be waving.
But as its mind grew duller, the figure became fainter and fainter...
"ARON!! WHERE ARE YOU!!"
A blinding light suddenly cut through the darkness. A roar of a voice echoed in its ears. The silhouette transformed from a fading memory into a solid, living reality. In front of the wall of collapsed debris, a bright headlamp shone like a star.
And beneath that light, a face—vivid and clear.
Ah.
Why... why did you come back?
Aron's eyes snapped wide. Its limbs flailed weakly, and a burst of strength from some unknown source allowed it to cry out.
"KU—!!"
Run! Why are you back?! Get out of here!
It watched as the Rhyhorn slowly turned its massive body. It saw the face of the man on its back—distorted with a mixture of predatory glee and malice. Aron struggled to stand.
But having been hit by a Magnitude, it simply didn't have the strength.
The boy and the Pokémon locked eyes across the distance, their gazes a mix of a thousand unspoken things. Pain, clarity, defiance... and a tiny, flickering spark of relief.
And then, a single sentence.
"Don't worry. I came back for you."
Kashiwagi ignored the Rhyhorn. He ignored Shibata. He gripped his pickaxe, a brilliant, defiant smile breaking across his face.
"Let's get out of here together."
I came back for you.
Such a simple thing to say.
But the battered, broken Aron could only stare, frozen in shock. It couldn't make a sound.
In those glowing blue eyes, there was now only one figure left in the world.