Chapter 688: The True Battle Royale

With Slowking's Teleport move, Cain returned to the backyard of his home in Leafy Town.

With a cold expression, he said nothing.

The Pokémon that were training froze at the sight of Cain in such a state. Only the ones closest to him, like Honchkrow, could sense the fury emanating from him.

Honchkrow, Weavile, and Drapion approached Cain.

Cain released Aron and the others, leaving them temporarily in the backyard, then stored Honchkrow and the other three in their Poké Balls.

"If they want to use Psychic Pokémon against me, I'll show them I'm not afraid at all," Cain thought.

He glanced at Slowking, who nodded, indicating there were no issues.

Then, Cain and Slowking disappeared from the backyard once more. Aron and the others remained, utterly confused about what had just happened.

...

Back in the forest, a Team Rocket member had just contacted Xenon via communicator, where a loud and firm voice emerged.

"Sox..."

Before the sentence could be completed, the Hypno beside Sox tugged on his clothes, signaling that the person who had just left had returned.

Sox, with a look of surprise, saw Cain and Slowking reappear through a distortion in space.

Were Psychic Pokémon supposed to intimidate me?

This time, Sox's expression wasn't as relaxed as before. He knew that Cain's Slowking had reached a quasi-elite level, clearly superior to his Hypno.

Furthermore, Cain had returned, evidently prepared to confront him.

Sox put away his communicator, no longer concerned with Xenon.

He threw several Poké Balls, and five Pokémon appeared beside him.

In addition to the earlier Hypno, there were Victreebel, Weezing, Arbok, Pinsir, and Houndoom, forming a formidable Team Rocket lineup. All of them were at the advanced level.

Cain also summoned his Pokémon: Honchkrow, Weavile, Drapion, and Gengar. Including Floette, perched on his shoulder, he had a total of six Pokémon, all at advanced levels or higher.

Except for Slowking, who had reached the quasi-elite level, Cain's other Pokémon were only advanced level, with Floette having just entered that tier. While Sox's maximum strength wasn't higher than Cain's, on average, his team wasn't much weaker.

The two began an all-out battle.

Cain's eyes glowed faintly blue as he activated his psychic power, telepathically connecting with all his Pokémon.

Without a word, the battle commenced.

Drapion, rubbing its pincers and stinger, stepped forward boldly and arrogantly. It was the team's sole tank.

Weavile, agile and swift, leapt into the forest to Cain's right, quickly blending in with the trees. Weavile carried the special Never-Melt Ice Cain had obtained from Regice, amplifying its Ice-type moves significantly.

Honchkrow let out a cry, enveloping Cain's Pokémon with a white current of air. With a slight flap of its wings, it soared into the sky. Sox's team had no Flying Pokémon, giving Honchkrow an aerial advantage.

Slowking, majestic as ever, slowly unleashed its psychic power, which spread through the air around it. The space seemed distorted, with pink streaks radiating outward. Floating five centimeters above the ground, its eyes glowed with an aura of wisdom.

Floette, still perched on Cain's shoulder, waved its flower, and a bright green light enveloped it, altering its type to Grass.

Gengar merged half of its body with the ground, moving freely through the shadows of the trees.

Sox's expression grew serious. Seeing Cain's Pokémon in action, he realized the tactical prowess Cain possessed.

Sox inwardly smiled bitterly. This was not going to be easy.

However, he showed no sign of this on his face. While Cain's Pokémon were strong, Sox also had the capability to fight.

Hypno stood beside him, continuously swinging its pendulum and releasing psychic power, enveloping Sox and itself.

Cain could command his Pokémon telepathically, but Sox lacked such abilities. He relied on Hypno to relay his commands, which was slower than telepathy but faster than shouting orders.

Arbok, Pinsir, and Houndoom, under Sox's orders, charged straight at Drapion, who stood at the center with an arrogant expression.

Arbok moved the fastest, followed by the nimble Houndoom and then the powerful Pinsir.

Weezing, the only Pokémon capable of floating, slowly ascended in pursuit of Honchkrow, while Victreebel remained stationary, extending small roots into the ground.

Sox positioned himself between Victreebel and Hypno, unwilling to stray too far from them. Gengar's lurking presence and Weavile's speed weighed heavily on him.

Then, the battle truly began when Arbok clashed with Drapion.

With a burst of momentum, Arbok charged at Drapion, thinking its speed advantage would allow it to overpower Drapion, whose size was clearly above average. However, Drapion's pincers firmly stopped it.

As a result, Arbok couldn't use its Fire Fang move and found itself trapped by Drapion, whose sadistic grin revealed its own flaming fangs as it bit into Arbok's weak spot.

Seeing Arbok in trouble, Houndoom increased its speed, fire gathering in its mouth. Unable to use ranged moves for fear of harming Arbok, small flames flickered between its teeth.

As it lunged furiously at Drapion, it noticed Drapion paying no attention and attacking Arbok even more fiercely. Houndoom's rage grew.

But just as its teeth were within five centimeters of Drapion, an invisible psychic wave struck it, sending it reeling. The flames in its mouth dissipated, and in its surprise, it swallowed them, causing internal damage.

"How did a Psychic attack hit me?" was Houndoom's only thought as it was knocked down.

As Houndoom fell back, Pinsir lunged with its massive pincers aimed at Drapion, only to be intercepted by a dark shadow descending from the sky.

(End of Chapter)