"What terrifying training ability!"
"Doesn't matter if it was that Sandslash from before, or this very Cacnea."
"Ethan's ability to train Pokémon is truly terrifying!"
From the stands, the Electric Beast Trainer of the Pokémon Nightstar Club couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
He remembered that when he first met Ethan Black, the latter had barely managed to tie against his Electabuzz, relying on the Ground-type advantage of Sandshrew and its skill with Rollout.
But now, Ethan Black's Sandslash had already far surpassed his Electabuzz, and that Cacnea he had trained afterward also seemed stronger than his Pokémon!
"How the hell does he train them?!"
The Electric Beast Trainer of the Pokémon Nightstar Club was nearly on the verge of despair, feeling like all these years he had been wasting his time.
"Did he really train them himself?"
At the same time, Hailey Blake was left speechless.
Suddenly, she realized that Ethan Black wasn't just better than her in battle and strategy—he was also better in training!
"That Cacnea is really strong..."
Hailey Blake's eyes sparkled, and her worry faded little by little.
Seeing Cacnea's performance, she finally believed what Ethan Black had told her: that he chose it because it was the most suitable Pokémon for a carousel-style battle—even more so than Sandslash.
"It was because of the move Ingrain!"
Rachel Blake, watching the vines crisscrossing in the air on the battlefield, showed a faint smile.
When Ethan Black chose Cacnea over the powerful Sandslash, she had already guessed as much.
Indeed, compared to a Sandslash that relies on raw offense, Cacnea was far more suited to a round-based battle.
It only needed time to fill the field with roots. Then, it could turn the entire area into a plant domain, and thanks to the regenerative effect of Ingrain, not even ten enemy Pokémon would be enough to defeat it through attrition!
In contrast to Rachel Blake's delighted expression, Ryan Grant's face had already turned extremely grim. He clearly also understood how troublesome Cacnea was in a battle of endurance.
Now that Cacnea's root domain was fully established, any Pokémon he sent onto the field would be at a huge disadvantage.
"Max, this battle is yours."
Taking a deep breath, Ryan Grant called upon the Fire-type member of his team.
"Leave it to me."
Max Williams also inhaled deeply, gripping the Poké Ball tightly in his hand.
He too had noticed that the field was completely dominated by Cacnea. Now he had to break through with fire—and reclaim the ground with flames!
"Go, Rapidash!"
With the throw of the Poké Ball, a horse engulfed in flames appeared. Its body was pale yellow, a fiery mane blazed from head to tail, and on its forehead was a horn—like a legendary fiery unicorn!
"As expected, he chose a Fire-type Pokémon."
"Then let's go—Cacnea, use Ingrain!"
Ethan Black's eyes gleamed as he gave the order.
At once, the roots that had emerged from the ground writhed, lunging toward Rapidash to entangle it.
"Use Fire Spin!"
Facing the attack, Rapidash opened its mouth and released an intense flame, creating a swirling vortex of fire that wrapped around its body.
Crackle!
Snap!
The roots that touched the flames burst one after another, like firecrackers exploding.
"Cacnea, use Sand Attack to smother the flames!"
Following Ethan Black's command, Cacnea unleashed Sand Attack directly into the Fire Spin.
Sand has always been an effective method to extinguish fire, and here was no exception.
Under the dense cloud of sand, the flames surrounding Rapidash began to fade, and the roots seized the opportunity to wrap themselves more tightly around it.
But at that moment, Rapidash's fiery mane flared, burning aggressively at the roots that bound it.
"Cacnea, absorb the ground's moisture!"
Ethan Black's eyes flashed as Cacnea activated Ingrain's absorption effect.
In an instant, the roots underground began drawing up the soil's moisture, drying the ground beneath Rapidash's hooves until it became a sandy desert filled with writhing roots.
Zshh zshh zshh!
The roots struck again, stretching toward Rapidash.
It countered with another fiery burst from its blazing mane, trying to repel them.
But now, the roots, having absorbed enough water, no longer burned so easily.
Amid steam and mist, multiple roots managed to bind themselves once again around Rapidash's body. Then, a green light began to glow—Cacnea had activated Absorb, starting to drain its life force!
"Flamethrower!"
Rapidash neighed furiously, fiery energy gathering in its mouth.
But just as it was about to release the attack, several roots grabbed its front left leg. From the other end, Cacnea pulled hard.
"REEEEE!"
A horse's scream echoed as Rapidash lost its balance and crashed to the ground. The Flamethrower it had been preparing fizzled out before being fired.
Seizing the chance, more roots surged up from the sand, dragging the fallen Rapidash down, burying it bit by bit under the yellow soil.
Covered by sand, its fiery mane began to die out. The roots, now unhindered, completely wrapped around it. Bathed in the green glow of Absorb, its life energy was slowly drained away.
In no time, after one final neigh, Rapidash ceased its struggles, and just like Shiftry before it, collapsed on the ground—unable to battle!
"This...!"
"Even a Fire-type Pokémon was defeated by Cacnea!"
Seeing Rapidash's collapsed body and the roots still writhing across the battlefield, the entire arena once again fell silent.
Before this battle, no one could have imagined... that Ingrain could be used this way!
(End of chapter)