At that moment, when the people in the stands saw Cain summon Salamence, the expressions on their faces were varied.
"Why did Cain send out his Salamence? Didn't he say it still hadn't fully grown, that intimidating kids was no problem, but that against trainers of a similar level it still fell short?" Phoebe asked with some curiosity as she looked at Steven and Wallace.
Both Wallace and Steven smiled at the same time. Finally, Wallace brushed his hair aside and said with a smile, "Cain knows how to conduct himself. With just one quasi-Champion-level Pokémon, he practically knocked down three of Koga's Pokémon. Although Venomoth and Toxicroak still retained some fighting capability, it was already quite limited."
Steven continued, "After all, they are both members of the Elite Four. Even if they don't belong to the same region, Johto and Hoenn are neighboring regions, and this might allow for new cooperation between the two. At this moment, giving a bit of leeway is the most realistic approach. Besides, Cain is now one of Hoenn's Elite Four, so his way of looking at things is completely different from ours."
While Steven and the others were discussing Cain's decision, a large number of people had also gathered in the office of the Johto League Chairman to watch the battle between Koga and Cain.
To be frank, the Elite Four of Johto had been chosen before the Kanto region was split into Johto and Kanto. In fact, Koga had been personally selected by the current chairman of Johto as a candidate.
After all, Koga was someone he knew well and who undoubtedly possessed the strength to be part of the Elite Four; he had simply lacked an opportunity to prove himself.
That Koga was facing the popular Sandstorm Elite Four from Hoenn today was also not without the intention of using Cain's fame to gain some additional prestige.
Unfortunately, the strategy Koga used at the start seemed to have been completely deciphered by Cain. The Baton Pass tactic failed to show the expected effect, and Blaziken's final breakthrough dealt Toxicroak a devastating blow. At a glance, Koga had already lost three Pokémon.
Cain, on the other hand, was very considerate in summoning a Salamence whose relative strength was not that high.
This not only gave Koga some leeway, but also gave room to the newly established Johto region and its League.
At this moment, the battle between Cain's Salamence and Toxicroak had already begun.
Cain directed Salamence to fight with all its strength, not seeking a specific goal of victory, but hoping that in real combat Salamence would improve its responses and fighting style against high-level, powerful opponents.
If possible, Cain would prefer not to reveal his true strength in front of so many people. By nature, he had always been someone who preferred to grow in silence.
He liked to develop discreetly, appear weak in ordinary times, and strike with everything in life-or-death battles.
The appearance of Salamence this time could be considered a way of concealing his true resources.
Right now, there was more than one force watching him. The people of the Sacred Church were certainly paying attention as well. If he could win while preserving most of his strength, that would be ideal.
It would be winning on three fronts at once!
Koga, for his part, clearly understood Cain's intention and allowed Toxicroak to act as a training sparring partner for Salamence for a while. When he felt it was enough, the two Pokémon clashed with a final move and lost their fighting capability at the same time.
In this way, although Cain still held the advantage and the initiative, in the eyes of ordinary people it seemed that both sides had lost two Pokémon and returned to the same starting line.
But "holding back" once was enough; doing it more times would make anyone with a keen eye feel uncomfortable.
So the battle between the two had to continue in a real and direct manner.
After Toxicroak fell, Koga and Cain summoned Pokémon at the same time.
Koga sent out Ariados, while Cain summoned... Aggron!
When he saw the Pokémon Cain had sent out, Koga was completely stunned.
Brother, this change in attitude is way too abrupt. Just a moment ago we were holding back and treating each other like allies, and now you're directly pulling out a machine gun and pointing it at my head.
Leaving aside the fact that Steel-type Pokémon are immune to Poison-type moves, Aggron's defensive capability was something Ariados simply had no answer to.
After all, judging by its appearance, Ariados didn't look like a Champion-level Pokémon, and moreover, as a Bug-type Pokémon, it was clearly at a disadvantage against the Rock type.
Pokémon: Ariados (Dark Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 79
Types: Bug + Poison
Ability: Insomnia
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Baton Pass, Pursuit, Toxic Spikes, Electroweb
Basic Moves: Swords Dance, Focus Energy, Venom Drench, Fell Stinger, Bug Bite, Poison Sting, String Shot, Constrict, Absorb, Infestation, Scary Face, Night Shade, Shadow Sneak, Fury Swipes, Sucker Punch, Spider Web, Agility, Pin Missile, Psychic, Poison Jab, Cross Poison, Sticky Web, Toxic Thread
Learned Moves: Foul Play, Snore, Stomping Tantrum, Bounce, Throat Chop, Signal Beam
TM Moves: Toxic, Venoshock, Protect, Leech Life, Double Team, Sludge Bomb, X-Scissor, Substitute
The ability of this Ariados was Insomnia. Clearly, it was a guardian Pokémon that Koga used on the field, not one designed for frontal combat. Moreover, the terrain was an open plain, which put it at an even greater disadvantage.
Even so, it wasn't completely without chances. At the very least, compared to Aggron, Ariados had the move String Shot to be a bit more agile.
That was Koga's point of view, but for Cain... this was simply unnecessary to fight.
No matter how Ariados attacked or what it tried to do, it was impossible for it to break Aggron's defense at this moment.
If there was something Cain could be absolutely at ease about among his Pokémon, it wasn't the offensive power of any particular one, but Aggron's defense.
It possessed a defense even more terrifying than Tyranitar's.
Speaking purely of physical defense, even Tyranitar fell short of Aggron. Both were Pokémon that grew by "feeding on diamonds," and Cain firmly believed that if Aggron managed to Mega Evolve, with its defensive capability it could even defend itself against enemies of a higher level.
Pokémon: Aggron (Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 78
Types: Steel + Rock
Ability: Rock Head
Held Item: Aggronite
Egg Moves: Dragon Rush, Head Smash, Stealth Rock, Screech, Body Slam
Basic Moves: Tackle, Harden, Mud-Slap, Headbutt, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Protect, Roar, Rock Slide, Take Down, Metal Sound, Iron Defense, Double-Edge, Autotomize, Heavy Slam, Metal Burst
Learned Moves: Iron Head, Earth Power, Iron Tail, Snore, Magnet Rise, Low Kick, Endeavor, Water Pulse, Icy Wind, Ice Punch, Fire Punch
TM Moves: Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Stone Edge, Flamethrower
Aggron's current level had already reached level 78, clearly within the range of the Advanced Elite Four level. It was not far from the Champion level, and if an appropriate opportunity arose, it was very likely to break through that barrier in a short time.
"Grrraaahhh!!"
The moment it appeared, Aggron let out a powerful roar at Koga's Ariados.
Standing three meters tall and completely covered in metallic armor, it was like a true living fortress—a genuine Castle of Steel!
(End of chapter)