Guzzlord could also see in the dark—perhaps a small advantage gained from dwelling in this lightless cave for so long.
Besides, it knew the terrain here intimately.
Lucario's charged punch carried tremendous force, and its momentum was so overwhelming that even Guzzlord seemed momentarily stunned.
Clearly, the previous exchange had been nothing more than a warm-up.
In the next second, Guzzlord let out a cold snort and shifted its massive body backward.
Realizing it was too late to fully evade, Guzzlord opened its enormous maw once more.
Its huge body brought an indescribable sense of oppression, but at the same time, that very size reduced its movement speed considerably.
Though its mobility was hindered, Guzzlord's reaction time remained sharp.
From Guzzlord's perspective, it could clearly track Lucario's movements.
However, the power behind that small fist was not to be underestimated.
Guzzlord raised one pincer high, positioning it directly where Lucario would arrive to strike.
Guzzlord felt disdainful—surely Lucario's attack wouldn't be able to harm it.
Moreover, Guzzlord could simply devour Lucario once the Fighting-type got close enough.
Mimikyu watched nervously, but quickly understood Guzzlord's strategy.
"Mimi!"
The Ghost-type had now positioned itself atop Guzzlord's head, giving Lucario a clearer target to aim for.
Simultaneously, following Mimikyu's command, Shadow Claws emerged from the darkness, repeatedly striking Guzzlord's pincer.
The powerful Ghost-type attack left scar after scar on the appendage.
Yet Guzzlord's pincer remained steady and unwavering.
Its defensive capabilities made Mimikyu's assault feel like nothing more than a minor irritation.
Lucario sensed trouble when it heard Mimikyu's cry.
But this was the inherent drawback of Quick Attack—while it provided incredible speed, it only allowed movement in a straight line.
Guzzlord had correctly predicted that Lucario couldn't change direction mid-attack, and chose this tactic specifically to counter it.
It was too late for Lucario to stop now.
Anxiety gripped Lucario, but it remembered Roy's teaching: stay calm and think clearly.
Lucario's eyes rapidly scanned the area around the pincer, searching desperately for an opening that could turn the situation around.
At that moment, Mimikyu also understood Lucario's predicament through their battle synergy.
The little Ghost-type's mind raced for a solution, and suddenly, a plan formed.
Just then, Lucario's heavy fist collided with the pincer.
In that head-on clash, a deafening sound erupted.
CLANG!
The metallic ring made Roy's mind go blank for a moment.
But before he could recover, Roy suddenly noticed the faintest glimmer of light emerging in this cramped space.
"What's that?"
Roy forced his dust-irritated eyes open. The burning sensation was intense, but he could still make out the flickering light coming from Mimikyu's position.
For some reason, an unusual flame had suddenly engulfed Mimikyu.
The flame wasn't particularly large—outside, in daylight, no one would likely notice it.
But in this pitch-black environment, even this small light was enough to draw everyone's attention.
The color of the flames looked different from ordinary fire.
It was a blue flame tinged with cyan.
If one needed a comparison, it resembled the ghostly lights from scary stories, or the so-called "Will-O-Wisp" from horror movies.
Mimikyu was originally a Ghost-type Pokémon, usually concealed beneath its peculiar Pikachu disguise.
Now, surrounded by a ring of Will-O-Wisp, it looked even more eerie and supernatural.
But this terrifying atmosphere didn't last long. In the blink of an eye, Roy could no longer see any trace of the Will-O-Wisp.
Instead, Guzzlord released a pained, agonized cry.
"AAAHHH—!"
Mimikyu had burned Will-O-Wisp directly into Guzzlord's eyes before Lucario could reach the Ultra Beast's mouth.
The searing pain of Will-O-Wisp in the eyes was naturally far more intense than any head-on injury from Lucario's punch.
What's more, Guzzlord had already adapted to the darkness it had specifically cultivated within this cave.
Just as it was about to swallow Lucario whole, its body couldn't help but tremble violently.
After all, for virtually all creatures, the eyes are the most vulnerable part of their body.
Even though Guzzlord was originally a creature from another world, this universal truth still applied.
As Guzzlord wailed in agony, its body shook uncontrollably.
Mimikyu, who had been perched on Guzzlord's head, now had to watch for attacks from Guzzlord's other pincer while maintaining balance.
And now, with unstable footing and the Will-O-Wisp having already taken effect, Mimikyu had no time to escape from Guzzlord's body.
As Guzzlord swayed violently back and forth, its long tail repeatedly slammed into the surrounding rock walls.
Accompanied by thunderous rumbling sounds, stones from the ceiling began to loosen and fall.
Before Mimikyu could stabilize itself, it noticed a large boulder falling from directly overhead.
Mimikyu's eyes widened in shock. For a moment, panic froze the Ghost-type in place.
"Let's go!" A familiar voice called out with slight urgency as Lucario grabbed Mimikyu.
Mimikyu squirmed uncomfortably for a moment, but recognizing both Lucario's presence and the critical danger, it stopped resisting and settled peacefully into Lucario's grasp.
Feeling its partner stop struggling, Lucario felt a moment of surprise.
Originally, it had planned to hand Mimikyu over to Roy once they reached safety.
It seemed that wouldn't be necessary after all.
Good—that left them with more time.
While Lucario continuously gathered energy within its body, it quickly converted that power into another Quick Attack.
BOOM!
Mimikyu glanced behind them. The stone had somehow bypassed Guzzlord's head entirely and crashed into the ground instead.