Golbat, as a Poison and Flying-type Pokémon, is vulnerable to Slowpoke's Psychic-type attacks, which counter its Poison typing, and Sneasel's Ice-type attacks, which counter its Flying typing.
However, Slowpoke couldn't be shown openly at the moment, making Sneasel the best choice.
Even though that middle-aged man said Cain wasn't limited in the number of Pokémon he could use, Gastly's level was only 19, making it unfit to face a level 32 Golbat, and Miltank wasn't suitable to bring out at this moment either.
Cain threw a Pokéball, and after a flash of red light, Sneasel appeared on the field with its arms crossed and a cold expression.
Milan and the middle-aged man showed slight surprise at seeing Sneasel. With their experience, they could discern something; at least by its appearance, it was clear Sneasel had extraordinary potential.
"Murkrow, Sneasel, this time, both of you will participate," Cain said.
Cain had full confidence in Murkrow, but with Sneasel, who had just been captured and hadn't yet developed strong synchronization, the outcome of this battle largely depended on its performance.
"Golbat, use Confuse Ray on Murkrow," Milan ordered calmly, initiating the attack.
As Milan's voice fell, a small glowing orb appeared in Golbat's mouth.
"Murkrow, use Tailwind to increase speed. Sneasel, use Agility."
Although Golbat was strong, at least with Tailwind and Agility, Murkrow and Sneasel would not be slower than it.
The Tailwind move sped up the entire team, allowing both Sneasel and Murkrow to increase their speed. In addition, Sneasel used Agility to further boost its speed, making it, at its peak, faster than Golbat.
Before Murkrow entered the field, Cain had removed its weights, so now Murkrow was at its limit.
The speed of Golbat's Confuse Ray was fast, but since this move was Ghost-type, it had little effect on Murkrow and Sneasel, both Dark-types. Although Murkrow didn't manage to completely dodge, the move didn't have its intended impact.
Milan wasn't surprised. He had ordered the use of Confuse Ray only to probe the situation.
"Sneasel, use Taunt, then Quick Attack. Murkrow, engage closely with Wing Attack."
Sneasel extended a hand, pointing at Golbat. A dark aura emanated from its body, causing Golbat's eyes to turn red and its desire to attack to increase.
"In that case, we'll use Wing Attack as well," Milan responded.
Taunt is a move that forces the opponent to use only offensive moves for a period, preventing it from using status moves.
Golbat lunged at Murkrow, its wings charged with Flying-type energy clashing violently.
The power difference was evident after the clash. Murkrow was sent flying back, while Golbat barely wobbled and stepped back slightly.
After Murkrow was knocked away, Sneasel, having used Quick Attack, launched itself at Golbat with its sharp claws.
"Sneasel, use Ice Punch," Cain ordered.
Right on cue, Cain gave the command, and Sneasel charged its attack with Ice-type energy as it swung its fist.
"Boom!"
The Ice Punch connected, and the Ice-type attack's effectiveness against Flying-types inflicted much greater damage than Golbat had sustained when clashing with Murkrow.
"Golbat, use Swift," Milan ordered, unfazed by the damage his Pokémon had received.
Golbat had several Ghost-type moves, which were ineffective against Dark-type Pokémon, making this battle difficult for it.
Sneasel, unable to dodge in time, was grazed by the Swift attack. Before it could launch another attack, it had to pull back to dodge.
Cain watched the battle intently, his eyes glinting with thought.
The middle-aged man had said there were no rules, but Cain knew it wouldn't be that simple. If the battle continued like this, he wasn't sure he could win.
Had he had more time to train Sneasel, it might have been different, but there was still something missing.
During the previous attack, when Cain ordered Sneasel to use Ice Punch, although Sneasel reacted quickly, there was still a slight lack of synchronization.
If the synchronization were perfect, Sneasel would have anticipated the attack and started preparing even before receiving the command. That way, the Ice Punch would have been ready at the exact moment Cain gave the order, not when it began preparing. Golbat would have taken much more damage.
Seeming to understand something, Cain made a decision and said coldly, "Murkrow, use Hidden Power. Sneasel, use Icicle Spear, and attack the human."
Were there no mentioned rules? Then, was attacking a human also fair game?
Attacking the trainer—would Golbat continue attacking or retreat to defend?
Either way, it would be difficult for him, as Cain had two Pokémon.
The middle-aged man, who had been watching the battle from the side, stopped rubbing his mustache for a moment and then smiled.
Murkrow began to focus its Electric-type Hidden Power in the air, while Sneasel, upon hearing Cain's command, also started to surround itself with a white cold current.
Milan heard Cain's command and, after a brief pause, did not get angry but instead cracked a smile.
As a member of Team Rocket, one had to be like this, willing to do anything to achieve their goal. Fighting honorably like an Alliance trainer would be like playing house, wouldn't it?
Quickly, Murkrow's energy orb and Sneasel's massive ice pillar formed and passed in front of Golbat, heading straight for Milan.
"Boom!"
The explosion kicked up a cloud of dust. Cain frowned as he watched Murkrow and Sneasel complete their attack.
He noticed Golbat hadn't returned to defend or launched a counterattack; it had simply stood there on the field.
"Clap, clap, clap...!"
The middle-aged man, who had been sitting in an executive chair, stood up, smiling as he applauded.
"I thought after being off the island for a while, you might have forgotten how to fight. But your instincts aren't bad; it's no wonder Umbra chose you," said the man.
Hearing his words, Cain raised an eyebrow.
Were they testing if he had the cold-bloodedness to kill?
As the dust settled, Milan also approached, accompanied by a Weezing. Clearly, Milan had called out Weezing to block Murkrow and Sneasel's attacks.
Seeing Weezing, Cain's pupils contracted.
According to the data scanned by the system, Weezing's level was 39, and its dark green potential made it far stronger than Golbat. Neither Murkrow nor Sneasel could defeat it, even working together.
"Let me introduce your 'predecessor,' a member of the previous generation of the Trial Island, and currently a Team Rocket Captain, Milan," the middle-aged man said, patting Milan on the shoulder.
(End of chapter)