The Kind That Warmed the Heart

Feeling the tremors coming through the ground, the referee twitched his mouth, wondering whether he should simply declare Tsubaki Chidori the loser.

Couldn't he understand human speech? Did he, as a Trainer, have no idea how much an Aggron weighed?

Meanwhile, Sato stared expressionlessly at the dust billowing across the field and the excited look on Chidori's face. In a deep voice, he said, "Zoroark, Nasty Plot!"

"Kusuo!"

Zoroark's voice came from behind Aggron. Chidori jolted in alarm and looked around the entire field, but he could not see Zoroark anywhere.

"Aggron, Uproar!" Chishima shouted, trying to force Zoroark out.

"Focus Blast!"

Before Uproar could even be unleashed, a basketball-sized sphere of white energy abruptly appeared against Aggron's comparatively soft abdomen.

Duang!

Focus Blast struck Aggron in the stomach. The collision was not especially loud, but its thick, hard armor instantly caved in over a wide area.

Aggron's sky-blue eyes widened sharply. Feeling the severe pain in its abdomen, it did not even have the strength to scream. It could only lie on the ground and twitch slowly.

"Aggron has lost consciousness in battle! Zoroark wins!"

The referee's voice spread throughout the field through the loudspeakers, yet no one applauded for a long while.

Aggron had not fainted, yet it could not even stand. Combined with Sato's expressionless face and Zoroark's gradual appearance, the atmosphere on the field was equally silent.

Gulp. Chidori swallowed, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. Trembling, he took out a Poké Ball and recalled Aggron.

At that moment, Chidori just wanted to hurry to the School Infirmary and have a doctor treat Aggron.

Watching the other party leave in a panic, Sato did not question him further.

The referee had already said that moves capable of damaging the venue could not be used, yet