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"GRAAAH!"
Seeing Onix still moving despite the powerful attack, Charizard growled challengingly, assuming that Onix was refusing to accept defeat and preparing to continue the battle.
"ROOOAAR!"
Onix roared in response. To Brock and Misty's ears, this sounded like an aggressive battle cry from the massive Rock Snake.
However, Ash could sense something different—a tone of pain and helplessness in Onix's voice. Just as Charizard was preparing to launch another attack...
"Wait, Charizard!" Ash suddenly called out, stopping his Pokémon.
Charizard looked slightly surprised by Ash's command but still obediently followed its Trainer's order and held back. Seeing this compliance, Ash slowly began walking forward.
Bruno watching from behind was genuinely surprised by this development, but he didn't intervene. He was secretly amazed—could Ash actually sense Onix's pain as well?
With doubtful eyes, Bruno watched as Ash approached Onix step by step. Brock and Misty were shocked when they witnessed this scene unfolding.
"Ash, it's dangerous!" Misty couldn't help but call out in warning.
"It's okay, don't worry!" Ash responded without looking back, then continued walking toward the massive Pokémon.
Onix also noticed Ash approaching. The pain coursing through its body made it frantic and agitated. When it saw someone drawing near, it instinctively prepared to attack defensively.
"Please calm down! I just want to help you!" Ash looked up at the twisting, writhing Onix and shouted reassuringly.
Onix heard Ash's voice, and its originally agitated mood seemed to gradually settle. It released a low rumbling growl from deep in its throat while trembling slightly, clearly in pain.
Its body bent slightly downward. Though it appeared to be a frightening giant, at this moment when it made those soft sounds, it resembled a well-behaved but distressed child confiding its suffering to Ash.
"I know, I know! Let me help relieve your pain right now!" Ash responded gently, placing his hand on Onix's rocky surface and slowly closing his eyes.
Just like when he'd been captured by Team Rocket and had used his power then, Ash focused his abilities. In his mind, Onix's entire body glowed red against the darkness.
Within Onix's body, Ash detected another cluster of red light—one that didn't belong to Onix itself.
I knew it!
Ash thought to himself. He'd suspected this possibility, but because Onix's body was so tremendously large, locating the source had been difficult. That's why Ash was using his own power to conduct a thorough search.
"Just wait a moment—this will be over soon!" Ash walked toward the position he'd sensed and looked up at Onix reassuringly.
Under the confused and concerned gazes of Brock and Misty, Ash approached a specific section of Onix's body—the middle portion, which was the thickest part.
That segment was the largest around. Ash walked alongside it, placed his arm against the rocky surface, and peered into the gaps between Onix's body segments.
Without hesitation, he reached his hand into the gap in Onix's rocky body. In the darkness within, he seemed to touch something. Gritting his teeth, Ash pulled hard.
However, whatever was lodged inside seemed to be very firmly stuck, and couldn't be completely extracted in one attempt. Seeing Ash struggling, Pikachu and Togepi jumped down and grabbed onto Ash's pant legs, pulling to help.
"What's happening? Is there something stuck in there?" Watching this scene unfold, Misty and Brock exchanged surprised glances.
"ROOOAAR!"
Onix's body began trembling more intensely. Simultaneously, it closed its eyes and released a low moan of agony.
"Onix looks like it's in terrible pain! Let me help you!"
Brock looked up at Onix's pained expression and understood that something must be causing the Rock Snake tremendous suffering.
He called out to Ash, then ran behind him and grabbed Ash's body to pull backward together.
"Just bear with it a little longer!" Ash called up encouragingly after hearing Onix's distressed sounds.
Onix looked down at Ash. Their eyes met, and somehow Onix's heart gradually calmed despite the ongoing pain. Although it still hurt considerably, the onix no longer felt so anxious and frightened.
Not far away, Bruno observed the interaction between Ash and Onix, an unconscious smile forming on his weathered face.
WHOOSH!
After another moment of sustained pulling, Ash and Brock suddenly stumbled backward. Ash withdrew his hands from the gap in Onix's body, holding something. Misty, standing nearby, also displayed a surprised expression.
It was obvious that something had been successfully extracted, and Ash was gripping it firmly with both hands.
"Ah, so that's what it was!" Bruno commented from a distance, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he observed the scene.
He could sense Onix's pain, but since he hadn't communicated directly with the Rock Snake yet, he hadn't known what was causing such distress. Now, seeing the source, he finally understood completely.
At that moment, Onix was finally freed from its torment and released a cheerful, relieved growl.
"Wait... is this a Sandslash?"
Looking at what Ash held in his hands, they could see a creature whose back was covered with spikes resembling rocky protrusions. It looked like a yellow, mouse-like Pokémon with a pair of sharp, hook-like claws on its forepaws. This was Sandslash, the evolved form of Sandshrew.
"So it was Sandslash that made Onix so miserable?" Brock also released his grip. After seeing the Ground-type Pokémon, he understood what had happened.
Sandslash's body was covered with dust and dirt, and it was breathing heavily. Clearly, being trapped inside Onix's body hadn't been comfortable for it either.
After Onix had begun experiencing pain, its movements had become increasingly frantic. Sandslash had inadvertently gotten wedged into a gap in Onix's body segments. As Onix twisted and writhed in distress, the spaces between its body sections had compressed and narrowed, trapping Sandslash firmly inside.
Over time, this situation would have caused problems not just for Onix, but Sandslash itself might have suffocated. Even if it didn't suffocate, being stuck there without food or water would inevitably lead to serious consequences eventually.
"Alright, you can go now! Be more careful when looking for shelter in the future!" Ash said gently, setting Sandslash down on the ground.
Sandslash glanced up at Ash with clear gratitude and responded with a tired but appreciative sound. Then it burrowed into the ground and disappeared into the night.
"WOOOOO!"
At that moment, Onix's expression transformed completely. Its eyes narrowed with contentment like a thoroughly satisfied creature, and it lowered its enormous head directly in front of Ash.
Perhaps others couldn't fully comprehend it, but Onix itself could clearly feel the difference. Although Sandslash wasn't particularly large, only Onix truly understood how excruciating that pain had been.
Ash felt he could somewhat understand Onix's experience. The sensation was probably similar to a severe toothache—it might not seem like a life-threatening problem to outsiders, but it could cause such intense pain that you'd be thrashing around helplessly.
Ash looked at the Onix before him, smiled warmly, and reached out to gently touch its massive head.