Despite everything, Diggersby was still an Elite-level Pokémon. Florges's Grass Knot had barely managed to hold it back for a moment before it broke free.
The sudden ability swap left it a bit disoriented, but there was no time to think—two green spheres flew straight toward its face.
Boom!
Boom!
Diggersby's ears turned into fists, and using Thunder Punch, it intercepted the spheres mid-air with a deafening clash.
"Gengar, use Toxic!"
"Florges, use Tearful Look and then Magical Leaf!"
As Cain issued commands to Gengar and Florges, on the other side, Slowking and Druddigon were already locked in fierce combat.
This was Slowking's first real battle since reaching Elite level. The previous matches against Lance's Pokémon had just been light training.
Druddigon's Dragon-type moves were being suppressed.
"Slowking, Safeguard!"
Just before Druddigon's Thunder Punch landed, Cain gave the order.
A strangely colored barrier appeared around Slowking. It didn't block the attack, but the now-boosted Psychic move turned into mental blades that brutally struck Druddigon.
Boom!
Both Pokémon recoiled from the clash.
Slowking took considerable damage, but Druddigon wasn't faring any better—the enhanced Psychic was hard to withstand.
Diggersby had been unable to get near Slowking, so it turned its attention to Gengar and Florges.
"Diggersby, ignore Gengar! Use Hammer Arm on Florges!"
Diggersby obeyed Aliana's command, completely ignoring the Toxic Gengar had thrown, and charged straight at Florges, fists ready.
But hearing the command, Cain just smirked.
Ignore Gengar?
Didn't she know that Gengar's poison was enhanced by both Dragalge's venom and the Toxic Orb?
Since it hadn't been interrupted, Toxic hit Diggersby square on.
Florges gave a pitiful look, with tearful eyes. Immediately, Diggersby's heart wavered.
When, in its unglamorous life as a digger, had it ever received that kind of emotional attention?
Its offensive resolve weakened. Even its speed dropped.
"Damn it! Druddigon, use Draco Meteor!" Aliana shouted with a scowl.
Florges and Gengar weren't stronger than Diggersby, but their abilities were annoying: turn control, combined attacks... And Gengar's poison had exceeded her expectations.
If this went on, they might really wear Diggersby down.
Druddigon roared in fury.
Enough clean battling—this was a damn chaotic fight!
"ROAR!"
Druddigon clashed with Slowking again. Both came out wounded.
Slowking looked badly hurt, but it was mostly endurance rather than actual damage. Druddigon, meanwhile, still stood—but its mind was starting to cloud.
The compressed Draco Meteor burst from its mouth and exploded into the sky.
Immediately, flaming meteors began falling straight toward Slowking and Florges.
The entire field was consumed by the move's effects.
"Diggersby, Dig now!"
This wasn't the first time they'd done this. Upon seeing the meteors, Diggersby dropped his "goddess" and started digging, hiding underground.
A peaceful life as a digger seemed more fitting than trying to court a flower...
"Protect!" Cain commanded.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The plaza filled with craters, but Slowking and the others remained unharmed. Protect had been used just in time to shield them from the meteors.
Druddigon remained standing, while a mound of earth rose from the ground—Diggersby emerged from underground, now covered in a purple hue. The poison was still active.
From her hand, Aliana tossed a pill—Diggersby caught it. The antidote eased the poison somewhat, but didn't eliminate it entirely.
"Is that poison really that strong?" Aliana muttered, seeing that even a high-grade antidote couldn't fully neutralize it.
"Druddigon, Earthquake!"
"Diggersby, Swords Dance!"
We keep fighting—that was what Aliana believed.
Diggersby was a Pokémon that naturally learned Swords Dance, and if it still had Huge Power, it would've been deadly.
But since that ability had been swapped for Druddigon's Rough Skin, its strength was no longer overwhelming.
The two battle fronts Cain had split were now starting to merge again.
"In that case, let's change up the fighting style. Let's go with group combat," Cain said calmly, pulling out two more Pokéballs.
So far, Aliana hadn't summoned more Pokémon, so it seemed she only had those two Elite-level ones.
Two red flashes—two more Pokémon appeared beside Cain. They weren't joining Slowking and the others. They were support units, but crucial ones.
CRACK!
A clear sky darkened as black clouds gathered quickly.
Rain began to fall—light at first, then pouring into a torrential storm that drenched the entire Parfum Palace grounds.
No, Cain hadn't summoned Mismagius or Altaria—his other Elite-level Pokémon. He was still keeping those in reserve.
The ones released were Politoed and the long-absent Horsea.
As soon as Politoed appeared, its Drizzle ability activated: the rain intensified, turning into a downpour.
A psychic barrier surrounded Cain, keeping him dry.
On the other side, someone approached behind Aliana with a red umbrella, shielding her from the rain while getting drenched himself.
The battle raged on.
"Gengar, copy Horsea's ability and share it with Slowking, Florges, and yourself!" Cain ordered.
That was his group battle style!
Very soon, Diggersby finished using Swords Dance, while Druddigon protected him and used Earthquake, but Cain made no attempt to stop them.
His three Pokémon now shared the Swift Swim ability.
Aliana finally understood what it meant to be a true master of Gengar: the rain boosted its speed to such a degree that it became untouchable.
Even though Aliana's Pokémon were Elite-level, going up against a Gengar with Swift Swim in a torrential storm was impossible.
Even Slowking and Florges, not known for their speed, were now moving far more fluidly than before.
(End of chapter)