Pokémon: Starmie (Light Blue)
Gender: Genderless
Level: 49
Type: Water + Psychic
Ability: Illuminate
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: None
Basic Moves: Tackle, Harden, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Psywave, Swift, Bubble Beam, Camouflage, Brine, Minimize, Reflect Type, Power Gem, Confuse Ray, Psychic, Hydro Pump, Spotlight
Learned Moves: Telekinesis, Icy Wind, Water Pulse, Trick
TM Moves: Protect, Psyshock, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Scald, Gyro Ball, Surf
Wallace's Starmie is, relatively speaking, one of the less powerful Pokémon on his team.
Moreover, Starmie knows the move Camouflage, and Wallace, after observing Cain's strategies in his previous battle with Florges, has begun working on developing it. Although it still needs time to perfect, this move will not be used in the current Sinnoh competition.
It's likely that in the future, Starmie will become a key part of Wallace's team. When used correctly, Camouflage can be an excellent resource for defensive support.
Outside of battle, they're good friends; within it, they're rivals.
Neither intends to hold back.
"Swampert, Mud Bomb!" Cain was the first to give an order.
"Block it with Rapid Spin!"
On the desert terrain, Swampert's Ground typing gave him a slight advantage. With its strong arms, it grabbed handfuls of mud from the ground and quickly hurled them at Starmie.
Starmie began spinning in the air, surrounded by a psychic aura that maintained its speed. The mud thrown by Swampert had no effect.
"Starmie, keep spinning and use Gyro Ball!"
After clearing the mud, Starmie increased its spin even more and charged directly at Swampert.
"Take it down, Swampert—use Hammer Arm!" Cain commanded.
Starmie's speed was astounding. Already in motion with Rapid Spin, its velocity was further boosted by Gyro Ball—a combo Wallace had trained intensively.
Bang!
Boom!
Swampert wasn't fast enough. The high-speed strike from Starmie hit squarely.
Cain frowned at the sight.
It wasn't just that Swampert was slow; his response time was also slower than expected, reflecting a slight lack of synchronization between trainer and Pokémon.
At this point in the tournament, among the top eight, Cain knew he couldn't hold anything back. Wallace knew about his psychic abilities, so not using them would be a sign of disrespect.
Cain activated his telepathy.
His eyes glowed with a blue light as he connected directly with Swampert's mind.
Spectators, seeing Cain's glowing blue eyes on the screens, gasped in surprise.
Is Cain a psychic?
Had he been holding this ability back all along because his previous opponents weren't strong enough to force him to use it?
In the competitors' booth for Kanto and Johto, Clair bit her lip while staring intensely at Cain, her expression filled with conflicting emotions.
Meanwhile, Wallace smiled.
Cain was finally showing his true power.
"Let me see how far you've come, Cain," Wallace thought.
Wallace's Starmie once again used the same strategy, now with its spinning speed even further amplified by psychic energy. Although Starmie wasn't very heavy, it made up for it with agility and the ability to gradually deal damage.
Cain didn't say a word; each command was transmitted directly through his telepathy.
On its next attack, Starmie managed to land another hit on Swampert. However, this time, Swampert reacted much faster.
Although Starmie had caused two visible wounds, Swampert looked unfazed, eyes locked on the spinning Pokémon.
Now!
Taking advantage of the perfect moment, Swampert's fist finally connected with Starmie, slamming it to the ground.
Earth Hammer!
Swampert's favorite move—and also its most powerful.
Wallace slightly furrowed his brow.
The telepathy was significantly improving the coordination between Cain and Swampert.
"Starmie, use Brine!" Wallace shouted.
Swampert's fist came crashing down again, charged with Fighting and Ground energy. But just before it hit, Starmie shot a powerful stream of blue water from the tip of its star.
Bang!
The ground shook as Starmie's body was embedded in the sand, but the water attack had struck Swampert's wound, making it roar in pain.
"Swamp!"
Even with its high pain tolerance, Swampert couldn't suppress a guttural cry.
Cain's eyes glowed intensely, and Swampert, gritting its teeth, used all its strength to attack again.
"Starmie, use Protect!" Wallace quickly ordered.
The green barrier blocked Swampert's next devastating attack, giving Starmie a moment to catch its breath.
"Now, continuous Psyshock!"
Starmie charged psychic energy at lightning speed, launching a wave that hit Swampert directly. The distance was so short, there was no way to dodge it.
But Swampert didn't try to dodge.
Earth Hammer, again!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Both Pokémon fought with all their strength until they finally collapsed at the same time.
Cain, though visibly affected by the mental effort, knew that the psychic link had been key to the outcome.
Both trainers recalled their Pokémon and sent out the next ones: Drapion versus Gyarados.
Wallace's Gyarados was far stronger than any Cain had faced before. However, thanks to Drapion's power and strategy, he managed to defeat it, marking a victory for Cain.
Before falling, Gyarados used one final move: Rain Dance.
After its defeat, a light rain began to fall over the battlefield.
(End of Chapter)