Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Due to Cacturne's rapid body rotation, the firing speed of its poisonous needles increased dramatically. Accompanied by a sharp whistling sound as they sliced through the air, the needles shot straight toward Derek Ashford's Ludicolo.
Fuuu, fuuu...
At the same time, the clouds in the sky had already become incredibly dense—a dark, heavy mass that pressed down with an almost suffocating weight.
"Ludicolo, hold on just a little longer!"
Derek glanced at the sky, which was about to open up with rain, gritting his teeth as he shouted the command.
Hearing his trainer's voice, Ludicolo narrowed its eyes and allowed the poisonous needles to hit its body directly. Despite the sharp pain, it held firm, continuing to channel the Rain Dance.
Waaash!
Finally, a heavy rain began to pour from the heavens.
Clack.
With a faint sound, Derek opened an umbrella, shielding himself from the water the wind blew his way. The sight had a somewhat pretentious air to it.
Seeing that, Ethan couldn't help but frown. Although the rain focused mainly on the battlefield, the area where he stood was soon covered in a thin mist of drizzle that drenched him almost completely.
"Good job, return."
Derek smiled in satisfaction as he withdrew Ludicolo. Immediately after, he threw another Poké Ball, from which emerged a Water- and Fighting-type Pokémon: Poliwrath.
"Poliwrath?"
"Don't tell me... its ability is Swift Swim?"
Upon seeing it appear, Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Swift Swim was Poliwrath's hidden ability, similar in effect to Sandslash's Sand Rush. It allowed its speed to double while it was raining.
"Since you switched Pokémon, now it's my turn to attack. Cacturne, use Rototiller!"
Ethan thought for a moment before giving the order. If his opponent had already seized control of the weather, he could only respond by taking control of the terrain.
"Caaac!"
Cacturne shook the water from its body in irritation and let out a cry. The roots beneath its feet spread rapidly, tearing through the ground until it became rough and uneven—the Rototiller move was underway.
"Rototiller, huh?"
"Poliwrath, move in! Use Ice Punch!"
At Derek's command, Poliwrath pushed off with both legs and vanished from its spot, lunging toward Cacturne at incredible speed.
"Cacturne, use Spiky Shield!"
Ethan reacted the moment he saw the movement.
Cacturne quickly brought its fists together, releasing a surge of green energy that formed a spiked barrier enveloping its entire body.
In an instant, Poliwrath appeared right in front of Cacturne. Luckily, Ethan had issued the command just in time; otherwise, Cacturne wouldn't have been able to respond.
BOOM!
With a loud crash, Poliwrath's punch struck the energy barrier, making it tremble violently. At the same time, the reflective effect of Spiky Shield activated, forcing Poliwrath to retreat.
"Huh?"
"He reacted in time?"
"Could it be that Ethan already knew Poliwrath's speed... or that it had the Swift Swim ability?"
"It must be luck. After all, weather system studies are still recent—there's no way he could've deduced it that easily..."
Derek frowned. Seeing Ethan anticipate his attack made him momentarily lose confidence.
"Cacturne, use Magical Leaf!"
Taking advantage of Poliwrath's recoil, Cacturne unleashed a burst of razor-sharp leaves, turning them into green blades that flew directly at its opponent.
"Block it with Ice Punch!"
Poliwrath reacted swiftly; frost gathered in its fists, and with a swing through the air, it released a wave of icy energy that froze all the leaves before they could reach it.
"Cacturne, use your roots!"
Meanwhile, Cacturne had already activated Ingrain.
Thanks to the support of Rototiller, the roots grew much faster than before, spreading and reaching out to entangle Poliwrath.
"Don't dodge! Use Ice Punch again!"
Derek's eyes gleamed with determination.
After so many battles, he had thoroughly studied Cacturne's patterns. He knew that if Poliwrath tried to dodge, Cacturne would use Magical Roots, making the roots follow and ensnare him inevitably.
So instead of fleeing, the best course was to attack head-on. If he could destroy the roots, he could break Cacturne's rhythm; after all, gathering those roots took time.
Moreover, if the roots managed to touch him, Cacturne would likely use Toxic through them, leaving Poliwrath poisoned—something that would make things far worse.
BOOM!
With a single strike, the roots were shattered; the frozen fragments fell to the ground like shards of crystal ice.
"Wow... it looks like Cacturne's strategy has been completely decoded."
"That root-control tactic works great against mid-level trainers, but at this level, it's already lost its edge."
"Plus, once Cacturne uses Ingrain, it loses mobility, which becomes a fatal weakness."
"Its roots are already developed to the limit... Maybe it's time to shift focus and enhance its close-combat abilities instead."
Ethan frowned as he watched Poliwrath rapidly charge toward Cacturne, its fists covered in frost.
"Now! Ice Beam!"
After shattering the roots, Poliwrath deliberately took a false step, then suddenly opened its mouth and fired a powerful beam of icy energy straight at Cacturne.
Crack, crack, crack!
Under the rain, Cacturne's already-soaked body froze almost instantly. Within seconds, a thick layer of ice encased it completely.
"Perfect! Now you can't use Destiny Bond!"
Derek grinned triumphantly.
He knew very well that Cacturne had mastered the move Destiny Bond—a terrifying technique capable of taking its opponent down with it. Normally, anyone who managed to defeat it had to be ready to fall alongside it. That was Cacturne's true threat.
(End of chapter)