Slowpoke froze.
Although he was the one who hit the most, is it really fair to blame him alone? Didn't you all hit hard too?!
The Pokémon exchanged glances quickly, and in the end, they all turned their attention to Miltank.
Miltank, who was enjoying the show, noticed that everyone else had shifted their attention to her, and her joyful expression froze immediately.
Just from the looks of Murkrow and the others, Miltank instantly understood what they were thinking.
After hitting Dustox so many times, leaving her half-dead and the ground cracked, now it's my fault?
Is it my fault for being too heavy?
Miltank was furious!
As a girl, she couldn't let herself be called heavy, so she got angry.
Suddenly, she gave a strong stomp on the ground.
Crack!
The gazes of all the Pokémon focused on her foot, as if to say:
"See, you don't even deny it, you've cracked the ground again with a single stomp."
Miltank was stunned. She looked at her foot, then at the cracks in the ground, and realized they had indeed been caused by her.
However, even though she stomped hard, she didn't use any move. Is it really because I'm too heavy?
Miltank began to doubt her own weight.
As if to confirm it, she gave another stomp, this time softer, using only the inertia of her foot.
Crack!
Crack, crack!
The cracks under her foot spread even further, more than the last time when she had stomped harder.
Slowpoke and the others were also stunned. They had only been joking with Miltank, but they didn't expect her to actually create cracks with every stomp!
Miltank despaired. Am I really that heavy? Have I been eating too much?
Cain observed the interaction between his Pokémon, not interrupting their play.
However, he couldn't hide the smile forming on his lips.
Taking out a Poké Ball, he threw it into the crater, capturing the Dustox leader inside. Then, he patted Miltank's head, feeling the little horns sticking out gently from her head.
"It's okay, enough joking. Miltank, you're not heavy at all. Your weight is perfect just as it is," he said with a smile.
Miltank, as if her soul had returned to her body, clung to this last hope like a lifeline, looking at Cain with tears in her eyes, hoping for further reassurance.
Seeing Miltank's expression, Cain couldn't help himself and burst out laughing: "Ha, ha, ha! Miltank, don't worry, Slowpoke and the others were just joking with you."
Then, Cain gave the confused Miltank a few pats and slowly walked toward the center of the plain.
"Alright, enough games. Slowpoke, try to sense what's beneath the ground," Cain said, regaining his composure.
Indeed, there must be something underground. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible for Miltank to cause cracks with a simple stomp.
Miltank finally understood; it wasn't because of her weight but because the ground was already hollow!
Immediately, she looked at Slowpoke and the others resentfully, making them avert their gaze, afraid of meeting hers.
The image of Miltank violently crushing an Arbok flashed in their minds again.
"Can't mess with her, can't mess with her."
Slowpoke lowered his head, activating his psychic perception to the maximum, and soon discovered that, indeed, beneath where Miltank was standing, there was an underground tunnel.
Normally it wouldn't be so easy to find, but the furious attacks on the Dustox leader had loosened the soil in that area.
That's why Miltank's stomp had caused a crack.
"So, is there something else down there? Could it have some relation to the high level of Pokémon on this island?" Cain murmured to himself as he rubbed his chin.
Cain had previously suspected that this small island must have something special to be able to sustain so many high-level Pokémon.
And now, in the middle of the Dustox territory, he had found an unusual place.
However, Cain decided to postpone the investigation, as his system showed him that Slowpoke and the others had leveled up after defeating the Dustox leader.
In the previous day's battle, the Pokémon had already fully assimilated the changes from their last level increase.
Cain had thought they would need more time to accumulate experience, but after the battle with the Dustox leader, the Pokémon had gained enough experience to level up again.
However, not everyone leveled up. Haunter, who had leveled up rapidly thanks to the poisonous gas, didn't gain a level this time, as in recent days he had been more focused on protecting Cain as his loyal guardian.
Of the four Pokémon that participated in the battle, he was the only one who didn't level up.
As for the others, Slowpoke leveled up, remaining in the lead at level 29, just one step away from the crucial level 30.
Murkrow, who had been the main attacker in the battle, also leveled up, reaching level 26, matching Haunter again.
Sneasel also leveled up, reaching level 27, becoming Cain's second strongest Pokémon after Slowpoke.
And due to his advantage in skills and types, if Slowpoke and Sneasel faced each other in a battle, it's possible Sneasel might have a slight advantage.
Cain didn't pay much attention to this, and his Pokémon didn't see it as an issue either, as they knew that the strengthening of one of them represented the strengthening of the entire team.
Cain began considering whether he should push Slowpoke into more intense combat to bring him directly to level 30.
Every ten levels represent a significant difference in a Pokémon's power.
Cain felt confident; if he let his Pokémon fight with all their might, he'd have almost a 50% chance of defeating a Team Rocket Captain.
Though that could result in considerable injuries and even the possible loss of some of his Pokémon, this was just an estimate by Cain; he wouldn't be reckless enough to attack a Captain head-on.
Obviously, a stealth attack or an ambush would be much more viable options than a direct confrontation. Is Cain some League fool?
Despite having taken down one of the island's four major groups, the changes for Cain and his Pokémon were significant.
After reviewing his Pokémon's progress, Cain said, "Let's dig it out a bit to see what's down here."
Following Cain's orders, the Pokémon, who were already ready, sprang into action.
Slowpoke used his psychic powers to lift the soil little by little, while Sneasel condensed a massive ice claw in his hands and dug frantically.
Murkrow and Miltank helped as best as they could, though, to be honest, they weren't very good at it.
On the other hand, Sneasel seemed to be in his element, and Skorupi was also very skilled at digging.
Little by little, the underground tunnel was revealed before Cain's eyes.
(End of chapter)