"Cacturne's roots don't affect Dusknoir?"
"Of course, Cacturne's roots actually don't contain any energy, so they're probably considered a Normal-type move, right?"
Ethan Black's eyes narrowed, guessing the reason why the roots had no effect on Dusknoir.
"Dusnoir!"
Ignoring the roots, Dusknoir lunged forward at high speed. Flames burned on its fists as it prepared the move Fire Punch, rushing straight at Ethan Black.
"Shellder, use Hydro Pump!"
At Ethan Black's calm command, Shellder fired a powerful stream of water toward the charging Dusknoir.
Szzh!
The Hydro Pump clashed with Fire Punch, and fire and water intertwined in the air, bursting into a dense cloud of steam.
Within the mist, a ghostly gleam flashed: Dusknoir's figure turned into a shadow that lunged at Ethan Black, its fists shrouded in spectral energy, ready to unleash Shadow Punch.
Fortunately, Cacturne reacted with great speed; it brought its fists together, releasing green energy that formed a spiky shield in front of Ethan Black.
Boom!
The Spiky Shield shattered, but the force of the counterattack pushed Dusknoir back.
At that moment, Trapinch leapt forward, its fangs filled with sinister energy, biting into Dusknoir's hand and ripping out a roar of rage. The ghost thrashed wildly, trying to shake it off.
"Well done."
"Meltan, Thunderbolt!"
Immediately, Meltan unleashed the Thunderbolt it had been charging, completely engulfing Dusknoir in the electric discharge.
Fffzzz!
Trapinch, thanks to its type advantage, endured the impact and counterattacked with Feint Attack, forcing Dusknoir to retreat.
Boom!
The Dark-type move was especially effective against the Ghost-type, making Dusknoir stagger backward.
At the same time, Sandslash, Cacturne, and Shellder launched their own attacks: Sand Whirl, Magical Leaf, and Hydro Pump, hitting hard and sending Dusknoir flying.
"Dusnoir..."
Despite receiving a large number of attacks, Dusknoir hardly seemed injured.
"How terrifying... Even after the training in the Secret Kingdom of the Sky, my Pokémon's strength has increased tremendously. And still, this Dusknoir remains standing after withstanding everything. It must have already surpassed that limit..." Ethan Black thought gravely.
"Looks like I'll have to go all out."
"Sandslash, use Sand Spin Whirl!"
"Sha sha sha!"
At once, Sandslash began raising the sandstorm.
Shuckle, without waiting for instructions, moved to its side, focused energy into its tentacles, and pressed them onto Sandslash.
The energy flowed into Sandslash, relaxing and empowering its body through key points, greatly enhancing one of its inner energies.
After several repetitions, Shuckle had spent almost all its strength and collapsed exhausted, breathing heavily.
Ethan Black didn't withdraw it, but placed it on his shoulder. After all, Shuckle's defense was extremely high and it could serve as a shield at a critical moment.
Shuckle: ???
"Sha sha sha!"
Sandslash, feeling the power surging through its body, spun rapidly to fully unleash the combined move Sand Spin Whirl.
In front of it, Dusknoir sensed the wave of energy and rushed forward with Fire Punch.
"Meltan, Flash Cannon!"
Under the protective light of Shellder's Overcoat ability, Ethan Black gave the command to attack.
Meltan's attack was shattered by Fire Punch, but that gave Sandslash just enough time to complete Sand Spin Whirl.
The sand filled that dark space, forcing Dusknoir back as the energy-infused grains battered its body, making its spectral form ripple.
"Sha sha sha!"
Sandslash moved like a blur thanks to its Sand Rush ability, appearing behind Dusknoir in a blink and slashing its body with Metal Claw.
"Dusnoir!"
Dusknoir roared, but every time it tried to counterattack, Sandslash vanished and reappeared to strike again.
While Sandslash kept it occupied, Trapinch used Gust, forming a sand tornado that hurtled straight toward the ghost.
"Dusnoir!"
Dusknoir shoved Sandslash away and launched Thunder Punch at the tornado.
But at that moment, two green roots shot up from the ground and restrained its arm, stopping it from striking.
They were Magical Roots (Ingrain + Magical Leaf) from Cacturne.
Thanks to its evolution, Cacturne had learned the move Rototiller and mastered the technique of infusing Ground-type energy into its roots. With that foundation, it managed to combine the energy of Magical Leaf into the roots, turning them into a true Grass-type move.
That's why the roots could now hold Dusknoir's arm with no problem, nullifying its attack.
(End of Chapter)