Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom-Chapter 575 - 574: Prototype of a Sandstorm Team

Cain didn't summon any more Pokémon.

Drapion and Slowking were currently among his strongest Pokémon, and facing Shuichi's Golem and Excadrill, Cain felt confident that his chances of winning remained high. Otherwise, he wouldn't have pursued the fight after identifying his opponent.

However, Cain was most concerned about Golem's Explosion move and Excadrill's Swords Dance.

Both moves were naturally learned as Pokémon leveled up. If Cain had to choose, he would rather face Excadrill using Swords Dance than Golem detonating with Explosion.

With this in mind, Cain quickly formed a combat strategy in his head.

"Golem, use Sandstorm!"

"Excadrill, Swords Dance!"

As the trainer of Golem and Excadrill, Shuichi knew his Pokémon's abilities perfectly.

Excadrill's Sand Rush ability would increase its speed during a sandstorm, similar to how Swift Swim worked for a rain team.

Shuichi had a clear grasp of his team's strategy and combat rhythm. Golem was responsible for creating the sandstorm, while Excadrill, as the main attacker, boosted its physical power with Swords Dance.

Excadrill, with its outstanding physical power, boasted an Attack stat of 135, making it one of the most powerful among all Pokémon.

This was essentially the prototype of a sandstorm team, albeit a weaker version of a true weather strategy.

As the battle began, Cain's eyes started glowing faintly blue—a sign that his psychic ability was activating.

Facing an opponent with a similar power level and even stronger Pokémon, Cain knew he had to go all out.

Telepathy allowed him to direct his Pokémon with greater precision during battle, helping control the flow of the fight.

Cain was well aware of his Pokémon's strengths: Slowking had a decisive advantage with its Water-type moves, and while Drapion didn't have a type advantage, its strength and abilities made it a secret weapon in this battle.

Stopping the sandstorm was key. If Golem succeeded in creating it, Cain would have no choice but to retreat.

As someone familiar with weather teams—both rain and sandstorm—Cain knew that letting Golem control the weather would tip the battle in Shuichi's favor.

"Slowking, use Rain Dance and stop the sandstorm!"

"Drapion, use Toxic Spikes, then Hone Claws!"

Thanks to telepathy, Cain was able to issue instructions quickly in response to Shuichi's orders.

The battle was taking place in a rocky area, giving Golem and Excadrill the terrain advantage.

Following Shuichi's command, Golem roared, kicking up clouds of sand around it. As the Sandstorm move took shape, the air began to fill with sand, threatening to evolve into a devastating storm.

However, the ideal Pokémon for initiating a sandstorm would be one with the Sand Stream ability, like Tyranitar.

The Sand Stream ability automatically triggered a sandstorm upon the Pokémon entering battle—a key advantage in sandstorm teams.

Even so, Shuichi didn't seem to mind this difference. While Golem could also create sandstorms with its Sandstorm move, the process was slower and less effective.

Therefore, just as Golem started summoning the sandstorm, Cain had already instructed Slowking to use Rain Dance.

When it comes to countering weather, there's nothing better than another weather move.

As the first grains of sand began to rise, dark clouds gathered in the sky as if a storm were about to break.

Excadrill, undeterred by the changing weather, began executing Swords Dance from its position as per Shuichi's orders.

Swords Dance, one of the most powerful moves for boosting physical attack, had always been a move Cain wanted. However, the TM needed to teach it was extremely rare and expensive.

Despite his wealth, Cain hadn't been able to obtain it.

Only trainers like Steven, an extraordinarily wealthy individual, could afford to teach Swords Dance to all their Pokémon, making them terrifyingly powerful.

Meanwhile, Drapion followed Cain's orders, scattering toxic spikes around Golem and Excadrill. Though the poison was less effective against Golem's Rock and Ground types and null against Excadrill's Steel type, Drapion carried out its mission.

After spreading the toxic spikes, Drapion sharpened its claws and stinger, emitting a metallic sound. freёnovelkiss.com

The battle was about to erupt.

Shuichi, seeing the dark clouds and toxic spikes, was taken aback. How was Cain's Pokémon able to act without receiving verbal instructions?

Before Shuichi could react, the first raindrops began to fall.

Golem's sandstorm had barely begun but was quickly suppressed by the rain, and the dampened sand couldn't rise again.

When two weather conditions clash, the last move used typically has the advantage.

"Slowking, use Surf!"

"Drapion, go after Excadrill! Use Fire Fang!"

While Shuichi was still processing what had happened, Cain continued giving orders to his Pokémon.

Surf was a move Cain had recently taught Slowking using a TM.

With a roar, Slowking summoned a massive wave of water that surged toward Golem and Excadrill.

At the same time, Drapion charged toward Excadrill—a towering beast of 2.5 meters facing a Pokémon less than a meter tall.

It was the first time Drapion faced such a small opponent, which only made it more enthusiastic about the fight.

Upon evolving from Skorupi to Drapion, it had automatically learned Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, and Ice Fang. After brief training with Cain, Drapion had managed to use them, though not yet perfectly.

Excadrill, being a Steel type, was vulnerable to Fire-type moves like Fire Fang.

Shuichi, finally recovering from the shock, saw the massive wave and toxic spikes around him and grew serious. Despite the unexpected turn of events, he couldn't let his combat rhythm be disrupted.

The sandstorm had been interrupted, and the rainy weather now favored his opponent.

Neither Golem nor Excadrill enjoyed battling in the rain, as water was their worst enemy.

"Golem, use Heavy Slam on Slowking!"

"Excadrill, use Metal Claw!"

Resolute in facing the wave head-on, Shuichi opted for a direct offense.

Although Golem was slow on foot, it could roll at high speed.

Ignoring the wave of water, Golem rolled toward Slowking. Though it took damage, Golem's speed didn't diminish—it even increased.

The Heavy Slam move grows stronger the greater the weight difference between the two Pokémon, and Golem, with its rocky body, was much heavier than Slowking.

Shuichi planned a direct damage trade-off, hoping to disrupt Slowking's weather control.

(End of Chapter)