Farigiraf's two heads—one large, one small—opened their mouths at the same time.
From the main head, a pink Psychic beam lanced out; from the tail's small head, a black Dark beam fired. One shot for the already-burned Iron Valiant, the other for Gast beside him.
An indiscriminate area blast!
"Dodge!" was all Jason could order.
Forcing their exhausted bodies to move, Gast and Iron Valiant dove to opposite sides. Even so, they were a beat too slow. The pink beam skimmed Iron Valiant's shoulder; scorching power left the armor smelling singed. Gast avoided a direct hit from the black beam, but its edge still clipped her, drawing a pained grunt.
Not ten seconds into the round, Jason's main physical attacker was crippled, and both Pokémon had taken damage.
The tide swung instantly to the opponents.
"Well, kid?" Ryme's voice rose again. "That's our rhythm. Can you keep up?"
Tulip added coolly, "Your Iron Valiant is no longer a threat. Your Gengar must face the attacks of two Pokémon alone. You have no chance."
They weren't wrong. Burned, Iron Valiant's proud physical power was slashed in half. Standing there, he was more decoy than decider.
All the pressure fell on Gast.
"Heh—" She blew out a muddy breath, eyes still fierce. She knew how bad it was—but "give up" wasn't in her lexicon.
"Don't trade blows!" Jason shifted tactics instantly. "Use the field—kite them!"
He knew their only hope was to stall—until Iron Valiant's burn faded, or until the opponents slipped.
Gast understood, blurred, and melted back into the floor's shadow. Iron Valiant fired his boosters to open distance, juking at high speed to evade.
Ryme and Tulip wouldn't allow it.
"Run? Too naïve," Tulip said with a trace of mockery. "Espathra—Psychic, sweep the field!"
Blue light flared in Espathra's main eyes; an invisible wave of mind-force exploded outward, blanketing half the stage. The stone tiles tore up and disintegrated midair. Gast's fresh shadow lay squarely inside the zone. The crushing force hit her mind and wrenched her out of the darkness.
"Pff!"
She reappeared, spitting a little shadow energy—clearly hurt.
"Found you, little one," Ryme grinned. "Banette—Sucker Punch!"
The instant Gast popped back, Banette's form blinked out—and appeared behind her a heartbeat later. It yanked a nail from its body, malice flooding it, and drove for Gast's back.
Sucker Punch—priority, but only if the foe is about to attack. Ryme's read was frightening—counting on the reflex to counter when forced out.
"Not good!" Jason's heart jumped. At that range and timing, there was no escape—
"Heh-heh!"
On a knife edge, Gast's combat instincts snapped into place. She hard-canceled the Shadow Ball about to leave her claws, twisted in midair, and threw her arm into the lethal stab.
Shhk!
The nail sank into her forearm; Dark energy blossomed, leaving a wound that smoked black.
One exchange—and Gast was hurt again.
Jason frowned. Their coordination was seamless: Tulip's Farigiraf controlled space with big-area pressure, herding position; Ryme's Banette, a lurking assassin, struck from the least expected angle at the worst possible moment.
Gast and Iron Valiant were like a skiff in a storm—one bad wave from capsizing.
"Iron Valiant—Psycho Cut, cover Gast!" Jason kept calling, clawing for any thread. Iron Valiant, enduring burn's steady pain, swept out pale-violet slashes to drive back the pressing Banette. The cuts lacked bite now—enough to stagger it a few paces, not to wound.
"Useless," Tulip said flatly. "Burned like that, your Iron Valiant isn't even scratching me. Farigiraf—keep up the Twin Beam!"
Two more beams of different colors screamed in. Gast and Iron Valiant could only scramble again. The tempo belonged wholly to the leaders; every call from Jason seemed predicted, every counter neatly unraveled.
Time bled away. Burn gnawed Iron Valiant's stamina and will like maggots on bone. Gast, under focused fire, was cut to ribbons—energy nearly tapped.
A hard fight? This wasn't even—this was a one-sided hunt.
Jason's mind spun, sifting for any crack. Against bare power and perfect synergy, tricks felt paper-thin.
Bang!
Dodging Twin Beam, Gast took a rake of Shadow Claw across her back and crashed, rolling before she forced herself aloft again.
"Will you continue?" Tulip's voice held no emotion. "Concede. Your Pokémon are at their limit. Any further and you'll cause irreparable harm."
"Concede?" Jason lifted his head—bloodshot eyes steady as ever. He looked at his two partners—battered but unbowed—and smiled. "Those words aren't in my dictionary, either."
The air itself felt thicker. Iron Valiant's every movement lagged half a beat; burn chewed the little endurance he had left. Gast was just as bad—cuts everywhere, the Dark energy in her pierced arm still fouling her focus, even floating took effort.
"Still struggling?" Tulip's cool voice echoed. "The outcome is clear. Both your Pokémon have reached the end."
"Lips is right, kid," Ryme said, less playful, more advising. "Save their last dignity. This battle—we've won."
They were right. From any angle, Jason had already lost. Normal tactics offered no path. Gast and Iron Valiant's stubborn stand looked like a drowning person's flailing—each thrash only sinking faster.
He stared at those two wavering silhouettes—too spent even to retort—yet refusing to fall. Really… is there no way?
His gaze dropped to Iron Valiant's eyes—dim but steadfast; to Gast's grin—pained but still there. They hadn't given up.
A thought—a mad, all-in thought—took shape.
He didn't order at once; he asked softly, "Can you hold on? One last time."
Iron Valiant's heavy frame straightened a touch. The optics flickered—yes. Gast bared her teeth in a weak but clear laugh. "Heh!"
No hesitation.
Their eyes fixed on him—full trust, without reserve.
Enough. That was enough.
"Good."
The calculations and doubts vanished from Jason's eyes, replaced by a hard, final light. He lifted his head to the leaders again.
"This fight isn't over."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a force that made both Ryme and Tulip start.
"Iron Valiant!" He raised it then. "No more defense! Close Combat on Farigiraf!"
"Gast! Prep Destiny Bond!"
Both faces changed at once. Close Combat—burned, spent, DEF/Sp. DEF dropping on use? Suicide. A brush from anything afterward would topple him. And Destiny Bond sent an icy jolt—if the user falls next turn, the foe that felled it falls too. A one-for-one, everything-on-the-line move.
Jason would abandon all cover, all retreat—trade two bleeding Pokémon for two fresh ones.
"Stop him!" Tulip reacted immediately. "Farigiraf—strongest Psychic—block it!"
"Banette—Shadow Claw—keep it out!" Ryme's command landed too.
Too late.
On Jason's word, Iron Valiant moved.
"Rrr!"
The long-suppressed growl tore free. He ignored the burn's sear, ignored Banette's claw from the flank, and poured every drop of energy into his legs and blades. Fighting power burst around him brighter than ever. He charged—no dodge, no guard—the purest, rawest line straight at Farigiraf. Only one target—only one path. A death-run turned toward life.
Farigiraf balked at the killing intent; both heads cried out. Under Tulip's order it threw everything into a heavy psychic barrier. Banette's Shadow Claw ripped down Iron Valiant's back—armor split, three gouges to the bone. He jolted, slowed a hair—didn't stop. He didn't even look back—eyes only on the enemy. He shouldered the blow and drove on.
Across the floor, the keystone piece moved.
"Now, Gast!" Jason called.
In the instant Ryme sent Banette to strike Iron Valiant, she'd made a fatal mistake—eyes all on the charge, forgetting the Gengar who'd been pressured into a flicker of life.
"Banette—Sucker Punch, finish it!"
She saw it—Iron Valiant at his limit; the perfect head to take. Banette vanished to strike—
—and Gast's eyes flared ghost-purple.
"Destiny Bond."
A thin thread of violet-black power, barely visible, snapped from her—one end tied to her heart, the other latching to Banette just as it emerged behind Iron Valiant to strike.
It happened in a blink. The instant Ryme saw the thread, her pupils pinholed.
"No!"
She tried to cancel—too late. Banette's claw, carrying the end-all weight, thrust through Gast's already tenuous body from behind. She froze. Her smile hardened; her glow dimmed fast.
She looked one last time at Jason and Iron Valiant—then, soundlessly, all strength left her, and she fell toward the floor.
Gast—unable to battle.
~~~
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