Seeing his ace lose combat ability first left Kevin stunned. Relying on his Golbat's excellent quality, he had stood out among Team Rocket recruits, often attracting those who wanted to curry favor with him.
Every time he went on a mission, his Golbat, with its ability to fly and considerable combat ability, always gave him an advantage.
But he didn't expect that in this battle, before it had even properly started, his Golbat would be hit by Gastly's Confuse Ray, with no chance to show its strengths.
"Damn it! Aren't you going to make your Arbok finish off Slowpoke quickly? If you let that Psychic-type Slowpoke keep attacking, we're done for!" Kevin shouted, his face twisted, at the other Team Rocket member.
"Shut up, you trash! Can't you see my Arbok is being held back?" The other young man, who initially seemed submissive, completely changed his attitude and replied without hesitation.
Clearly, with Golbat—who he feared most—out of combat, Kevin no longer intimidated him.
He had decided that once he defeated the annoying League trainer in front of him, he would keep all the rewards. As for Kevin, who used to boss him around, he and that League trainer could go together.
With this thought, his face turned even more sinister, and he shouted, "Arbok! Use Ice Fang!"
The Team Rocket member named Kevin, seeing that his subordinate, who usually obeyed him, was yelling at him , felt his face flush between green and red but didn't dare say anything.
With his Golbat out of the fight, if he wanted to win, he could only rely on him.
At the same time, he decided that if he managed to get out of this, he would make that subordinate pay dearly.
Cain watched the expressions of both and smiled coldly.
Two people who distrust each other—how can they coordinate perfectly? He had already overestimated these two before.
"Miltank, keep using Defense Curl! Slowpoke, use Confusion on Arbok. Murkrow, Feint Attack, target Koffing." Cain focused his gaze on Kevin's Koffing.
Originally, these two didn't need to be so defensive. With four Pokémon against four others, even though Cain's Pokémon had better quality, theirs had some advantage in levels.
If they had trusted each other a bit more, leaving one Koffing to guard against Gastly, while the other Koffing distracted Miltank and Arbok charged at Slowpoke, the battle wouldn't have been so easy.
Even if Golbat had been hit by Gastly's Confuse Ray, if it held out a bit longer, it would have recovered, and during that time, Murkrow wouldn't have been able to defeat it.
So, it can only be said that these two failed because of their mutual distrust.
Although the battle wasn't over, for Cain, two people as cautious and limited as they were no longer a threat. Defeating them was only a matter of time.
Miltank used Defense Curl again, increasing her defense.
Although Arbok's Ice Fang move was powerful, Miltank's ability, Thick Fat, halves the damage from Fire- and Ice-type moves. Additionally, with the increased defense from Defense Curl, Miltank could withstand it.
Slowpoke's Confusion was the main attack in this battle. Following Cain's orders, it shifted its target to Arbok, and its strong psychic attack made Arbok start to stagger.
Murkrow, meanwhile, faced Kevin's Koffing. Although it couldn't defeat it in one blow, Koffing also had no chance against it.
Kevin gritted his teeth, seeing all this. The situation had completely escaped his control, and now he had to worry not only about the League trainer's attacks but also about his close "companion."
At this point, the idea of fleeing began to form in his mind.
The situation was clearly unfavorable. If things continued , even if they managed to defeat the League trainer, he would end up at the mercy of his "companion."
Slowly, he began to reach for his Golbat's Poké Ball, ready to retrieve it at any moment.
As for Koffing, it would have to be the sacrifice he'd make. Someone had to stay behind, right?
However, the other Team Rocket member, who had been watching his movements, didn't plan to let him escape so easily. If Kevin managed to get out of this, his life in Team Rocket would become impossible.
As for the League trainer, though he was strong, the young man believed that if he really tried, he could escape, even if it meant abandoning Koffing.
Poor Koffing, both had become disposable tools for these two.
Cain didn't know their thoughts, and even if he had, he wouldn't have taken them into account.
Suddenly, the situation on the battlefield changed again.
Miltank's endurance reached her limit. With veins bulging on her forehead, she showed the fierce side that females can reach when enraged. Although she was usually shy and calm, Miltank revealed a side of herself that no one knew.
Miltank's behavior left Cain astonished.
She forced Arbok's mouth open, then grabbed it by the neck and tore it off her body.
You must remember, this is an Arbok! Its entire body is composed of muscles, and when it grabs something, it's almost impossible to break free.
But Miltank not only tore it off, but she didn't stop there. She stomped its head hard, then grabbed it by the tail and began using it as a whip.
And Arbok was that whip.
Under Miltank's furious blows, Arbok had an intimate encounter with the ground. Already weakened by Slowpoke's Psychic moves, it lost its combat ability after Miltank's beating.
If Miltank hadn't stopped once she let out her anger, Cain truly believed Miltank might have committed her first kill.
The battlefield fell into a strange silence. Slowpoke and Murkrow, accustomed to the shy Miltank, were stunned, feeling like they were meeting Miltank for the first time.
After it all ended, Miltank realized she might have overdone it. Noticing the others' gazes, she shyly lowered her head, her face blushing slightly.
"Gulp!" Suddenly, a swallowing sound broke the silence.
The sound came from Arbok's trainer, the young Team Rocket member.
He had never imagined that the seemingly weak and chubby Miltank could be so terrifying when enraged.
At this point, both Golbat and Arbok, the signature Pokémon of both, had completely lost combat ability.
The first to react was Kevin, whose face turned red as he recalled his Golbat into its Poké Ball and began running without looking back.
"Damn it!" Seeing Kevin flee without hesitation, the other Team Rocket young man cursed under his breath.
Golbat was close enough to be recalled into its Poké Ball, but Arbok was too far away. If he wanted to escape, he'd have to abandon Arbok, which would mean he couldn't continue with Team Rocket.
But in such a crucial moment, he couldn't afford to hesitate. He looked deeply at his fallen Arbok before turning and preparing to flee.