Cain seemed to have seen through his intentions.
At that moment, Koga finally reacted: when it came to pure brute force, Cain was already above him.
Just as Cain was somewhat wary of Koga's open-field assassination capability, Koga also felt deep apprehension toward Cain's power.
He knew very well that among Cain's Pokémon, the strongest were still Slowking, Tyranitar, and Gengar. However, up to that point in the battle, none of those three had appeared, and yet it was already difficult for him to hold on. If those three were to enter the field together, he truly would have no way to deal with them.
Even knowing that his greatest strength lay in wild combat and stealth assassinations, Koga was well aware that Cain was not someone easy to handle either. As a psychic power user, getting close to him without making a sound was practically impossible.
Therefore, Koga quickly suppressed the unease in his heart. No matter what happened, for now he could not afford to make an enemy of Cain. If any problems arose, it would be best to look for an opportunity to resolve them outside.
When Koga managed to restrain the killing intent within him, Aggron's self-destructive attack also came to an end.
Aggron was holding, with a single hand, an Ariados that had completely lost its ability to fight, and threw it directly in front of Koga.
Seeing this scene, the entire stadium fell into a brief silence. However, once that moment passed, an even more deafening uproar erupted.
"!!!GRRAAHHH!!!"
The spectators watching the battle had clearly never seen such a way of fighting, nor such a terrifying defense as Aggron's.
Most of them had thought that Cain had chosen a strategy of mutual destruction, but they never imagined that the only one to lose the ability to fight would be Ariados, while Cain's Aggron—aside from the metallic sheen of its body dimming slightly—appeared practically intact.
"T-terrifying defense... Steven, isn't the defense of this Aggron of Cain's even stronger than that of your own Aggron?" Phoebe asked with wide eyes, staring at the gigantic Aggron that looked as though it had descended like a god of war.
A bittersweet expression appeared on Steven's face.
"Believe it or not, Cain's Aggron was chosen together with me at my house. After all, the Steel-type Pokémon of my family... ahem, of the Stone family, have always been famous."
"My Aggron, according to my father and uncles, is already excellently trained, whether in attack, defense, or even speed, and ranks among the best of its species. Don't forget that it grew up eating rare minerals. Even so, I find it hard to imagine how many resources Cain must have invested to train his Aggron to this level."
"If growing up eating rare minerals isn't enough to achieve that kind of defense... could it be that Cain's Aggron grew up eating diamonds?" Wallace commented from the side, wearing a thoughtful expression.
As a Water-type trainer, Wallace knew that although that Aggron's defense was monstrous, it was not completely impossible to deal with.
The problem was Koga.
Steel-type Pokémon were immune to Poison-type moves, and moreover, Gengar—which excelled in special attack—had already fallen to Blaziken. If Koga didn't have another Pokémon specialized in special attack, then the only option left would be to slowly wear down that Aggron with brute force.
But doing so was practically the same as announcing his defeat in advance. Knowing Koga's trump card, Cain would undoubtedly have a way to counter it.
And if he couldn't get rid of that Aggron first, the subsequent battle would be even more difficult.
Koga took out a Poké Ball and recalled Ariados, which lay on the ground. The mistake in this decision had been underestimating Aggron's defense and, at the same time, underestimating Cain's determination to resolve the problem that Ariados represented. He had failed to link the move Swords Dance with the move Baton Pass; otherwise, the Pokémon sent out afterward would have had a much easier fight.
A single misstep had triggered a chain of mistakes, gradually pushing him into a disadvantageous position.
This clearly showed how crucial information was in battles between trainers at the Elite Four level.
When two trainers have similar strength, or only a small gap between them, if one knows the other's information, the battle becomes extremely unfavorable for the one lacking data.
Cain only knew the data of Koga's Pokémon.
But by stacking small advantages one after another, he slowly devoured them. Even after having "held back" once, Koga was still at a disadvantage.
Koga briefly reflected on his current situation. If he still wanted to win, the next Pokémon had to immediately turn the tables and quickly defeat two or three of Cain's Pokémon. Only then would he have room to maneuver; otherwise, it would be almost impossible to make a comeback from his current position.
He threw a Poké Ball.
Another Pokémon capable of flight appeared in the air.
Four wings beat ceaselessly in the sky.
Upon seeing the summoned Pokémon, Cain narrowed his eyes.
At last, he could no longer hold back and brought out his trump card.
Koga's Crobat—his strongest Pokémon and also his final card!
Although the emblematic Pokémon of the Fuchsia City Gym were Ariados and Spinarak, Koga's true signature Pokémon had always been Crobat. Few people knew this, because he had never revealed it in previous battles; even in his challenge against Lance, he had never used it.
However, Cain knew.
After Koga had proposed cooperation the last time, Cain had deliberately investigated his information and knew that his main Pokémon was a Crobat.
Pokémon: Crobat (Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 83
Types: Poison + Flying
Ability: Inner Focus
Held Item: Choice Band
Egg Moves: Quick Attack, Gust, Brave Bird, Steel Wing
Basic Moves: Cross Poison, Screech, Absorb, Supersonic, Astonish, Bite, Wing Attack, Confuse Ray, Air Cutter, Swift, Poison Fang, Mean Look, Leech Life, Haze, Venoshock, Air Slash, Quick Guard
Learned Moves: Uproar, Giga Drain, Tailwind, Snore, Snatch, Super Fang, Heat Wave, Sky Attack
TM Moves: Toxic, Taunt, Protect, Roost, Shadow Ball, Double Team, Sludge Bomb, Aerial Ace, X-Scissor, U-turn, Substitute
A level 83 Crobat!
Worthy of being the Pokémon Koga valued the most and his true trump card. With Purple-quality coloring and trained to this level, it was clear just how many resources had been invested in it.
Against Crobat, Aggron's disadvantages became obvious: not only in level, but also in speed. If Crobat didn't want to, Aggron would probably never be able to touch its body.
"Crobat! Air Slash!" Koga ordered in a cold voice.
(End of chapter)