On the battlefield appeared an opponent named "Tank," an extremely muscular man, shirtless, showing off all the muscles in his torso.
On his head, he wore an exaggerated mask that only revealed his eyes and mouth, like a bank robber waiting for his chance.
Tank seemed well-informed about Cain's fighting style, who used a Skorupi. So he was prepared. As soon as the referee gave the starting signal, he threw a Poké Ball.
A Nosepass appeared on the field.
Pokémon: Nosepass (Light Green)
Gender: Male
Level: 26
Type: Rock
Ability: Sturdy
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Rollout, Stealth Rock
Basic Moves: Tackle, Harden, Block, Rock Throw, Thunder Wave, Rest, Spark, Rock Slide, Power Gem
Learned Moves: Thunder Punch, Shock Wave
TM Moves: Smack Down, Sleep Talk
Nosepass is a Pokémon specialized in physical defense, with half of its base points invested in this stat. Its resistance to types like Normal, Flying, Poison, and Fire made it a good contender against Skorupi's Poison-type moves.
Although Skorupi's Bug-type moves could deal normal damage, it was evident that piercing Nosepass's physical defense would be challenging.
However, Nosepass had many weaknesses: Fighting, Ground, Steel, Water, and Grass-type moves would deal double damage, but Skorupi didn't have any of these options.
Tank had clearly been watching Cain's battles and his Skorupi from the sidelines, studying his combat style and moves. Additionally, his Nosepass was level 26, which was unusual in the first battle stage.
It was clear that Tank, as a competitor with nine wins, had a certain level of skill.
The audience reacted immediately upon seeing Tank release a Nosepass. Although they weren't trainers, they recognized this Pokémon, especially since it was from the Hoenn region. Moreover, its size and presence were imposing, overshadowing Skorupi's appearance.
Recently, Skorupi had been consuming calcium provided by Cain. Although not much time had passed, the effects were evident. Normally, an average Skorupi's size is around 80 cm, and Cain's had already reached this height, showing it had stopped growing.
However, Cain's system indicated that Skorupi's bones had not yet fully set, allowing room for further growth with some external assistance.
Cain purchased a large bottle of calcium supplements, and after just one week, Skorupi had already reached 90 cm, 10 cm more than the average Skorupi. However, since it was a Pokémon from Sinnoh, most spectators were unfamiliar with Skorupi and couldn't be surprised by its size.
The increase in size didn't affect Skorupi's speed, which continued to move with agility.
"Skorupi, this time our opponent is prepared. Give it your all in this battle!" Cain ordered from the edge of the field. Under his cloak, he held a remote control that adjusted the weight Skorupi carried for training.
Cain deactivated Skorupi's weight.
Feeling his body suddenly lighter, Skorupi let out a cry of joy. He had heard stories from the veteran Murkrow on the team about how it felt when the weights were removed, and now Skorupi fully understood that feeling—it felt as if he could fly!
"Let the battle begin!" the referee shouted, signaling the start.
"Skorupi, use Agility!"
Although Nosepass had high physical defense, his speed was disappointing. Without the weights and boosted by Agility, Skorupi darted around the field, reveling in his newfound agility.
However, Tank wasn't intimidated.
"Nosepass, Harden and use Stealth Rock!"
Nosepass glowed with a stony shine, while his eyes emitted a faint glint as he set up invisible rocks around the field.
"Skorupi, watch out for the invisible rocks and use Poison Sting on Nosepass!" Cain had anticipated the opponent's strategy and knew that Nosepass would be a tough target.
Poisonous needles were shot directly at Nosepass. Tank let out a disdainful laugh as the needles struck Nosepass, producing only a metallic sound with no effect.
"Skorupi, stop running and stay in place! Keep using Poison Sting! Remember what Haunter taught you about focusing poisonous energy!" Cain ordered, ignoring the initial lack of effect of the move.
Nosepass was an easy target due to his slow mobility, and with Stealth Rock in place, moving around too much wasn't safe for Skorupi.
"You can launch them more slowly, but make sure to use your poisonous energy."
Skorupi nodded, and a violet glow appeared in his eyes as he recalled the toxin control lessons he'd received from Haunter. Though their structures were different, they had much in common when it came to Poison-type energy.
This time, the Poison Sting attack had a different effect.
They hit Nosepass with a similar sound, but left a purple mark on his body.
Nosepass felt pain, and one of his eyes involuntarily closed.
"Nosepass, keep using Harden, don't stop!" Tank said urgently upon noticing the damage.
Cain smiled and added:
"Skorupi, well done, but you haven't reached your limit yet. Keep using Poison Sting. Let's take advantage of this stationary target as a training opportunity."
Skorupi nodded, excited to face an opponent that couldn't be defeated in a single blow.
The next Poison Sting attack was executed with greater speed and power.
This time, Nosepass was poisoned.
Although Nosepass had some resistance to poison, this didn't mean he couldn't be poisoned; it only meant that the poison damage would be slightly less.
Since Nosepass wasn't a Probopass, he didn't have the Steel-type that would make him immune to Poison-type moves.
However, Tank didn't seem too worried about Nosepass being poisoned, letting out a loud laugh:
"Is that all the damage you can do with poison? Nosepass can recover quickly. Don't you have any aces up your sleeve? Nosepass, keep using Harden!"
Cain, however, seemed unfazed by his words, with a barely visible smile under his hood, as he said:
"Skorupi, remember the feeling of using the toxin just now?"
Skorupi nodded firmly. Training in a controlled environment was one thing, but achieving it in battle was something completely different. That was Cain's true purpose.
"Alright, now we can start the real battle. Skorupi, get close and use Poison Tail! Don't worry about his speed, he can't keep up with you!"
The battle was becoming intense, with both trainers making the most of their Pokémon's strengths.
(End of chapter)
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Merry Christmas! May this season be full of joy, love, and fulfilled dreams.