123 Chapter 123:

"Slowpoke, use Confusion to control Water Gun! Murkrow, go for a Wing Attack!"

"Ya Dong!" Slowpoke's eyes glowed a bright blue as it skillfully aimed and controlled the Water Gun.

While psychic moves may not be effective against Sneasel, they certainly had their uses. Sneasel was caught off guard as the Water Gun was redirected back towards it, hitting its sturdy body with a powerful blast.

Despite the attack being dampened by Confusion, Sneasel still stumbled backward from the force of the hit. Murkrow took advantage of this and rushed forward, its wings enveloped in a burst of flying energy.

Normally, a Pokémon that had lost its balance would not be able to dodge an attack from Murkrow, but Sneasel was no ordinary opponent. Its body flickered with black light as it moved with incredible agility, narrowly avoiding Murkrow's Wing Attack by using Quick Attack.

Sneasel shifted its attention to Slowpoke, sensing an energy within that Pokemon that it did not like. Its instincts told it that as long as it managed to land a direct hit, it could cause significant damage to Slowpoke.

Without hesitation, Sneasel charged towards Slowpoke, its eyes locked onto its target.

Cain's expression grew serious as he watched Sneasel's lightning-fast movements. Murkrow, despite being a specialist in speed, couldn't keep up. Even with Tailwind, it seemed impossible to match Sneasel's agility.

"Murkrow, use Hidden Power! Slowpoke, go for a Headbutt!" Cain commanded, his voice firm.

Murkrow was momentarily confused. If it used Hidden Power, wouldn't it also hit Slowpoke? However, it trusted Cain without question and quickly obeyed.

A small, yellow energy ball infused with blue electricity materialized in front of Murkrow.

Meanwhile, Sneasel had already lunged towards Slowpoke, its sharp fangs glowing with a black hue. It used a Dark-type move, Bite, which would typically inflict heavy damage on a psychic Pokémon like Slowpoke.

But Slowpoke didn't flinch. Cain had instructed it to counterattack with a Headbutt, and as his Pokémon, it trusted him completely.

A strange energy emanated from Slowpoke's smooth, pink head, and it collided head-on with Sneasel's Bite attack.

"Boom!" The impact of the collision reverberated throughout the area, causing both Slowpoke and Sneasel to stumble back a few steps.

"Ya Dong!" Slowpoke cried out, feeling the force of the blow. Out of the two Pokémon, Slowpoke had clearly taken more damage.

Cain's face remained cold and expressionless. The damage sustained by Slowpoke was part of his plan; he had a bigger strategy in mind.

Sneasel, having recovered from the initial blow, lunged forward to attack again. Despite the damage it had sustained, Sneasel knew that it had inflicted more damage on Slowpoke.

Meanwhile, Murkrow had finished condensing Hidden Power in the air, and a bright yellow energy ball illuminated the entire cave.

Sneasel was about to use Bite again when Cain spoke calmly, "Slowpoke, use Protect. Murkrow, release Hidden Power."

In unison, Sneasel used Bite, Slowpoke activated Protect, and Murkrow unleashed Hidden Power.

Sneasel's Bite struck the green shield that represented Slowpoke's Protect, unable to break through its defense immediately.

At the same time, Murkrow's electrically charged Hidden Power energy ball hit both Sneasel and Slowpoke at the same time.

The attack exploded with a resounding boom, releasing a large amount of yellow and blue electrical energy.

Thanks to Protect, Slowpoke was able to defend against both attacks without sustaining any damage. If it hadn't been for this defensive move, Hidden Power would have caused it significant harm, comparable to the damage inflicted by Sneasel's Bite.

Sneasel, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. The center of the Hidden Power attack had struck it directly, sending it flying three meters away in the resulting explosion. Adding to its woes, its body was still wet from the previous Water Gun attack, magnifying the effects of the electric shock.

Nevertheless, Sneasel quickly recovered from the impact and didn't waste a second. He channeled a light blue energy into his claws, manifesting Ice Shards in his hands. He flung them one by one towards Slowpoke, who was his primary target.

Although the effects of an ice move were halved against a water-type Pokémon like Slowpoke, it was doubly effective against flying-types like Murkrow. But with its incredible speed and agility, Murkrow would easily dodge the attack. Therefore, Sneasel aimed its attack at Slowpoke, hoping to eliminate one of Cain's Pokémon as soon as possible.

However, there was one thing Sneasel didn't expect.

"Slowpoke, use Hidden Power! Murkrow, use Feint Attack and engage in close combat with Sneasel!" Cain commanded.

Surprisingly, as a water-type Pokémon, Slowpoke's Hidden Power was actually of the fire attribute.

Before the Ice Shards could reach Slowpoke, they were quickly melted by the fire energy ball that condensed in front of Slowpoke. The shards melted into puddles of water, rendering the ice-type move useless.

Meanwhile, Murkrow used Feint Attack to approach Sneasel. The latter looked at the energy ball in front of Slowpoke with fear, knowing that it was coming for him. Before he could react, he found himself entangled in Murkrow's grasp.

With no time to use any moves, Sneasel and Murkrow engaged in a physical fight, trading blows and punches.

Sneasel's attack power was stronger, but Murkrow's claws were sharper from the effects of Hone Claws.

And just in time, Slowpoke's Hidden Power was ready to be unleashed.

Without hesitation, Slowpoke launched the attack towards the entangled pair.

"Sneasel!" cried Sneasel, sensing the approaching fire energy ball. He could feel the intense heat emanating from it, causing him to panic.

However, Murkrow had him pinned down, leaving him with no means of escape.

Sneasel couldn't make sense of what was happening. Was the human trainer sacrificing his Pokemon? Would they both perish together?

However, Cain had an entirely different thought in mind, "Protect sure is useful."