Faced with that situation, in the end, everything depended on the Team Aqua captain, Kevin.
A Water-type Pokémon trainer.
"Poliwrath! Crawdaunt! Sharpedo! Use Surf!" Kevin ordered his Pokémon.
Upon hearing their trainer's command, the three Pokémon reacted immediately.
A dense Water-type energy began swirling beneath their feet.
Seeing their captain take action, the other three Team Aqua members also ordered their Pokémon to use Water-type moves.
The goal was simple: with the moisture from the waves, they hoped to weigh down the sand, preventing it from rising again.
The grains of sand that cut across their cheeks left bleeding marks on their faces.
Their eyes could barely open.
But with the effects of Surf and other Water-type moves, the sandstorm slowly began to subside.
Seeing results, the Team Aqua members rejoiced.
Once the sand disappeared, they would no longer be so passive.
But soon reality showed them that, storm or no storm, the difference was minimal.
Tyranitar's sand had only served to clear the field of weaker Pokémon, saving time.
Even in the face of raging torrents of water, Tyranitar could still control the dry sand of the ground, not only holding his own but knocking out several lower-level Pokémon.
If Cain deemed it necessary, the earth itself would supply him with endless sand, emerging far faster than the Water-type moves could moisten it.
In any case, the few Pokémon still standing could no longer be handled with just a sandstorm—it was too slow.
Besides, in such a dense storm, even Blaziken and Drapion would be affected.
It was better to fight head-on.
So, when the enemy thought they were gaining the upper hand, it was actually because Cain had ordered Tyranitar to stop drawing up more sand.
It was enough—the terrain was already under control.
The storm gradually dissipated.
Just as the two captains thought they might finally shine, Tyranitar and Aggron—two colossal beasts—were already standing right before them.
Had they ever seen a fist the size of a sandbag?
Tyranitar had trained for some time with Vigoroth. Although he hadn't reached the level of turning every joint in his body into a weapon like Vigoroth, he had refined specific parts for combat.
Like his tail.
Now Tyranitar had discovered that the strongest part of his entire body was, in fact, his tail.
A single swing of that tail would sweep away any Pokémon in its path, leaving it severely injured or outright knocked out.
Aggron was even more terrifying.
Ever since mastering the move Autotomize, he was no longer a slow, lumbering shield, but a fast and lethal steel beast.
Who could possibly stop an armored metal bull charging at full speed?
With his Rock Head ability, Aggron pushed Head Smash to its extreme.
No matter what Pokémon he faced, none could withstand a single impact.
As for Blaziken...
His style was entirely different from Tyranitar and Aggron's.
With graceful movements and an agile body, it was nearly impossible to follow his trail. Moreover, the longer the battle lasted, the faster he became.
He attacked whenever he pleased, while his opponent couldn't even land a hit.
And worst of all—his flames were not something just anyone could withstand.
Macly's Camerupt from Team Magma, relying on its resilience as a Fire-type Pokémon, believed it could withstand Blaziken head-on.
But Blaziken taught it a harsh lesson.
This was what it meant to show the true difference between their flames.
Thanks to the Taichi philosophy Cain had taught him, and the concept of precise, directed power, Blaziken focused all his energy into a Fire Punch.
With a single blow, he not only sent Camerupt flying several meters, dragging it across the ground, but also left a perfectly blackened, heat-burned imprint of his fist on one of Camerupt's humps.
A dark mark, as if it had been scorched.
Camerupt tried to stand three times, each attempt ending in failure, wracked with unbearable pain.
It felt as though one of its humps was ruined forever.
Swampert, on the other hand, had a very simple style.
Earth Hammer!
He had managed to fuse Hammer Arm and Earthquake, incorporating both into each strike.
Sometimes, when the situation didn't allow it, he replaced Earthquake with Earth Power.
Although in a narrow tunnel like this one, an earthquake could endanger everyone, so he rarely used it.
Drapion, however, felt out of place.
Not because he was weak—but because he was too strong.
The opponents Tyranitar was grabbing and tossing around like toys seemed unworthy of his attention.
Too weak!
If they couldn't even withstand Tyranitar and the other three Pokémon, what was the point of him intervening?
So, after using a triple Attack and instantly defeating a Team Magma member's Pokémon, Drapion lost interest.
Curling his lip, he emerged from the ground and stood beside Cain.
Nothing to do—too many warriors, too few prey.
Cain understood what he was thinking. Drapion was about to reach the Elite Four level. He needed real opponents as whetstones, not these chickens and clay dogs.
Cain patted his arm, signaling him to be patient.
The war against Team Magma and Team Aqua was just beginning—his turn would come.
Macly from Team Magma and Kevin from Team Aqua, staring at Tyranitar and the others in their full, fearsome might, turned pale.
Their Pokémon were practically powerless against Cain's. It was a one-sided massacre.
Every strike from Tyranitar or Aggron left their Pokémon reeling, while their own attacks barely tickled the steel armor or the rocky hide of the giants.
They were simply on another level of power.
And Blaziken was even worse—throughout the entire battle, they hadn't even touched him; their Pokémon only took blows without ever landing one in return.
The most unfortunate was Camerupt: for provoking Blaziken even slightly, it received a brutal punishment.
Now, its two humps looked like two huge, charred black buns.
A pitiful sight.
Camerupt was on the verge of tears.
Meanwhile, Blaziken strutted proudly, admiring his own handiwork.
The only one who could actually inflict damage was Swampert, striking left and right like a madman.
Yes, his blows hurt, and the results were clear.
But the cost of harming him was far too high.
With fists imbued with yellow energy, any Pokémon he touched was sent flying.
The tunnel walls were covered in dents—all caused by him.
Just four Pokémon.
With only four Pokémon, they had swept away nearly fifty of the enemy's.
"Mom... I wanna go home..."
(End of Chapter)