The disadvantage in terms of strength was still quite evident.

If not for his Psychic-type advantage over Poison-type, combined with the use of Trick Room and Teleport, Slowking would have quickly lost in a direct confrontation.

Luckily, there was still room for maneuver.

This Crobat looked fierce, but during the battle, Cain noticed that its actual combat experience wasn't anything special—one could even say it was quite average.

A rather rare situation.

A Pokémon that had reached the Elite level, but without enough real battle experience.

It only knew how to charge straight ahead, relying solely on brute force.

"Slowking, keep your distance from Crobat. Next time you use Illusory Psychic Blade, don't launch them all at once. Keep two for defense," ordered Cain, observing the battlefield from outside and with a much clearer view than the Pokémon in the fight.

Crobat realized its attack hadn't landed as expected.

Its opponent had vanished from view right in front of it.

When it regained focus, Slowking was already at the opposite end of the Trick Room's area of effect.

Crobat roared with fury and, without thinking, launched itself at Slowking once again.

This time, its speed increased even further.

It had used Tailwind to boost its speed.

The problem was that Slowking's Trick Room didn't completely suppress Crobat. Otherwise, even with Tailwind's effects, Slowking would have been the one to benefit.

As a result, both were now moving at very similar speeds.

Suddenly, Slowking's psychic energy doubled, and cracks appeared around him, as if the air itself were shattering like glass.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, the fights continued intensely. Cain decided it was time to give Slowking an extra push.

"Gengar, copy Drapion's ability and swap it to Slowking," ordered Cain.

"Kekeke!" laughed Gengar, understanding that Slowking's opponent was the strongest. It quickly copied Drapion's Sniper ability and transferred it to Slowking.

Since Gengar had mastered Role Play and Skill Swap, all of Cain's Pokémon were already familiar with how the Sniper ability worked.

When Slowking felt the change in ability, the battle intensified even further.

One after another, the mental energy blades flew from different angles toward Crobat's flight path.

Although Crobat could dodge some, Slowking was now more cunning.

He combined feints with real attacks—sometimes an attack was genuine, other times just a distraction to set up another from a different angle.

Additionally, Sniper's effect occasionally activated.

Little by little, the battle evened out against Crobat.

That said, it had to be acknowledged—Crobat lacked experience, but its innate strength was undeniable.

Every time it managed to land a hit on Slowking, the damage was considerable.

If not for Cain's special antidote that quickly neutralized poison, the battle would've ended long ago.

After all, Crobat was a master of Poison-type moves.

On top of that, Cain instructed Florges to periodically cast Lucky Chant and Heal Bell to help Slowking cleanse status conditions.

So while it seemed like Slowking was fighting alone, he was actually supported indirectly by Gengar, Drapion, and Florges.

And most importantly: by Cain's strategic direction from the outside.

"Slowking, use Psychic!" commanded Cain. Being closer to his opponent, Slowking no longer had the concentration to shape his mental energy into blades like before.

Just as he managed to hit Crobat, the latter bit fiercely into Slowking's thick arm.

Crobat's sharp fangs acted like straws, sucking blood and energy from Slowking's body.

Leech Life!

Slowking frowned in visible pain.

But he didn't stop his attack.

With a burst of psychic energy, he unleashed a powerful psychic force.

At the same time, in his other free arm, he channeled Ice-type energy, forming a fist that smashed violently into Crobat's head.

Boom!

Hit by Ice Punch and Psychic, Crobat didn't recover energy with Leech Life—he came out worse than before. The attack had been a bad trade.

Enraged, Slowking stopped using Teleport and charged directly at Crobat.

He had already learned its battle rhythm.

As long as he wasn't taken out in one hit, he could use Heal Pulse to recover.

But Crobat didn't have that advantage.

And now that Slowking had the Sniper ability, he had already identified Crobat's weak points.

And he had no intention of wasting them!

Crobat, trying to charge again, found himself face-to-face with a round, goofy-looking face.

Followed by two thick fists covered in frost that slammed directly into his abdomen.

One punch!

Two punches!

Furious, Crobat bit Slowking again.

But once more, he suffered the effects of Ice Punch and Psychic.

Crobat flew backward, drops of blood still on his fangs, unable to absorb all the energy.

Just as he tried to catch his breath... he saw that stubborn face again.

That damn stubborn fool!

As always, another flurry of punches landed on his weak points.

He couldn't flee—running would mean surrendering without a fight—but counterattacking only led to more punishment.

He didn't understand why, but lately the punches from that seemingly clumsy Pokémon hurt a lot more than before.

Slowking's body was already covered in multiple bite marks, blood dripping slowly.

But he ignored it completely.

He had only one thought in mind: Give him what he deserves!

Boom!

Boom!

From top to bottom, and bottom to top.

The Crobat who had started the attack was now the one being mercilessly beaten.

Both were wounded, but Crobat's injuries were clearly worse.

A 1-to-4 exchange. He always came out losing.

The outcome, at this point, was already decided.

This was a team victory.

Slowking knew he hadn't done it alone.

Crobat crashed to the ground, unable to continue fighting, while Slowking planted a firm foot on his back.

Like a true monarch, he roared with pride: "Yaddoooonnn!!"

The energy and aura radiating from his body peaked, breaking through the thin barrier that had limited his growth until now...

(End of Chapter)