At that moment, Carbink had already spent quite some time alongside Cain.

Although it hadn't participated much in battles, due to its potential for mutation, Cain had always taken great care of its diet.

That's why Carbink had already reached level 30.

It wasn't a particularly high level, especially for a Carbink, which even at that level doesn't possess great combat capabilities.

This was because it's a Pokémon whose specialty is defense.

However, Carbink was currently carrying the Xerneas's Horn, which greatly accelerated its mutation speed.

A bit of battle would allow that speed to increase even more.

Cain was quite eager for Diancie's appearance.

Moreover, now that Pupitar and the others were gradually growing, having a Rock/Fairy-type Pokémon in a sandstorm climate was very useful.

Of course, not as an attacker, but as an excellent support Pokémon.

Carbink has fairly high base stats, reaching 500 points. Of those, 300 are distributed between Defense and Special Defense.

That's why it's not a Pokémon that stands out for offensive power.

But as support, its effectiveness is excellent.

"Carbink, use Guard Split on Blaziken, then cast Gravity on all the Zubat and Golbat you can reach," ordered Cain.

This Carbink might not have other remarkable advantages, but there was one thing it did extremely well: follow Cain's orders to the letter.

Maybe it was because of its species' habit of obeying Diancie from birth.

Now, with Cain as its trainer, that obedience transferred to him.

Grains of sand began to flow from the cave floor, cracks in the walls, and even some small rocks disintegrated into dust.

Everything gathered around Pupitar.

In just a blink, Pupitar had already gathered a massive amount of sand around itself.

Without stopping, under its control, the sand began spinning into a small whirlwind.

That sand vortex grew until it covered the entire cave, which was already quite narrow.

Within seconds, the entire cave was engulfed in a sandstorm.

And still, the sand continued flowing toward Pupitar.

The sandstorm weather kept intensifying!

The Zubat and Golbat flying high in the cave became the primary victims of the storm.

When Pupitar solidified the storm, grains of sand slammed harshly into the surroundings, making a dry, crisp sound.

Lairon didn't hesitate for a second and used Rock Tomb followed by Rock Slide.

That was where Pupitar's mastery over sand was evident.

Despite the chaos, neither Cain nor Blaziken were affected—aside from the occasional loose grain. They were almost completely shielded.

Blaziken began performing Swords Dance, increasingly fluid in his movements.

Thanks to its Speed Boost ability, plus the use of Agility, its speed quickly reached the limit its body could withstand.

Sure, it could go even faster, but doing so would place too much strain on its body.

At this point, it had reached the optimal speed to unleash its full power.

Carbink, newly called into battle, really didn't have direct experience.

But even if it hadn't fought much, hadn't it seen plenty of battles?

On Cain's private island, it used to watch Honchkrow and the others train intensely.

That kind of exposure kept it from being a complete novice.

Surrounded by a faint psychic energy, it enveloped both Blaziken and itself.

The move Guard Split allowed Carbink's extremely high defense to be shared with Blaziken, who normally doesn't stand out for endurance.

The result was that Blaziken felt as if he were wearing diamond armor.

Some attacks from the Zubat were completely ignored.

And that wasn't all.

Carbink's Gravity caused many mid-strength Zubat and Golbat to be dragged straight to the ground.

Losing their ability to fly, they became easy prey.

Blaziken took them down effortlessly, and those who got too close fell from the gravitational pull before they could do anything.

Carbink's strongest move, without a doubt, was Gravity.

Whether on the private island or traveling with Cain, whenever intense training was required, Carbink was essential.

It generated a gravitational field where Pokémon could train with much more effective results.

For Fighting-type Pokémon like Blaziken, the benefits were extraordinary.

And the best part was that Carbink could control the gravity's intensity.

Although its current limit was a gravitational force three times the normal, that was already impressive.

To improve even more, it would need to raise its level.

The battle strategy was quickly established.

Cain, along with his Pokémon, ventured deeper into the Connecting Cave.

As they advanced, all the Zubat and Golbat were defeated.

Some offered more resistance and lost their lives, but most were simply knocked out.

It was unlikely they'd wake up soon.

Without external help, they'd need at least five to seven days to recover.

There was no need to kill them; defeating them was enough.

Just as Cain had predicted, the deeper they went, the more numerous the Golbat became, and the remaining Zubat were on the verge of evolving.

Surprisingly, the Pokémon leveling up the fastest wasn't Pupitar or Blaziken, but Ralts, who rode on Cain's shoulder.

Each Confusion attack was highly effective.

There was no denying that Slowking, as a teacher, was excellent in its instruction.

Ralts also had remarkable combat talent.

Its level quickly rose to 18 and would soon match Bagon and the others.

As they ventured deeper, the number of Zubat began to decrease, but their combat strength increased noticeably.

It was the classic hierarchical pyramid structure.

The closer to the center, the stronger the Pokémon—because they were also the ones who had received the most resources.

The strong became even stronger.

That was the current situation inside the Connecting Cave.