Pokémon: Houndoom (Light Green)
Egg Moves: Fire Spin, Counter, Fire Fang
Basic Moves: Inferno, Nasty Plot, Thunder Fang, Leer, Ember, Howl, Smog, Roar, Bite, Odor Sleuth, Beat Up, Fire Fang, Feint Attack, Embargo, Foul Play
Learned Moves: Snatch, Snore, Laser Focus, Heat Wave
Cain scanned this Houndoom’s data, and its strength exceeded his expectations.
It wasn’t that Cain couldn’t take it on, but he clearly remembered that the last time he had found the Mega Stone in this area, there were no wild Pokémon above level 45.
There wasn’t time to dwell on this, though, because the Houndoom was already charging at them. It was time to act first and think later.
"Slowking, use Psychic Water Pulse to repel it, then Miracle Eye," Cain ordered without delay.
Slowking, displaying its usual calm and precision, quickly formed a sphere of water energy. The sphere was launched with force, colliding directly with Houndoom’s Inferno move.
Thanks to the psychic coating around the water sphere, not only did it neutralize the rival Pokémon’s fire move, but it also retained some of its energy, continuing its trajectory to block Houndoom’s charge at a crucial moment.
Taking advantage of the opening, Slowking successfully used Miracle Eye, nullifying Houndoom’s Dark-type immunity to Psychic moves.
From the start, Houndoom had sensed an irritating, uncomfortable energy emanating from Slowking, driving it to attack recklessly, confident that the Psychic type couldn’t harm it.
Clearly, this Pokémon had never faced the Miracle Eye move in battle before.
"Slowking, use Psychic repeatedly," Cain shouted.
Immediately, a series of psychic energy spheres began floating around Slowking.
Houndoom, momentarily halted by Slowking’s Psychic Water Pulse, noticed that no further Water-type energy was being created. This boosted its confidence, prompting it to advance decisively. However, what awaited it was not a Water move but a barrage of consecutive Psychic impacts.
The first Psychic blast stopped Houndoom dead in its tracks, leaving it stunned and disoriented. It had no idea what was happening.
But there was no time for the Dark-type Pokémon to process this, as Slowking wasted no time generating a new wave of psychic attacks. While Houndoom roared desperately, Cain realized the danger.
It was calling for its pack!
The situation was becoming more complicated. Cain frowned. "Really? Calling reinforcements?" he thought, knowing the situation could escalate quickly if more Houndoom arrived. But it was too late to stop the call for help.
The second wave of Slowking’s psychic energy struck Houndoom with precision, taking it down immediately.
Despite Houndoom’s defeat, the echoing howls of other Houndoom in the distance signaled that the pack was responding to the call. And there were many of them.
Cain began hearing the howls of several Houndoom rapidly approaching from all directions.
Houndooms, much like Arcanines, are canine Pokémon. However, while Arcanines tend to be solitary, Houndooms prefer to travel in packs, resembling a wolf pack.
Cain couldn’t let them gather and surround him. He needed to act fast.
He quickly grabbed several Poké Balls from his belt, preparing for what was coming. But then, he noticed something different in Slowking’s eyes.
Since capturing Slowpoke, Cain had only seen that look once before—when the group of Slowpoke faced a fierce Sharpedo ambush.
Back then, Slowpoke had evolved into Slowking with unrelenting determination during the battle. It was a gaze filled with inner fire and a passion for combat.
Cain looked closer and noticed something remarkable: Slowking had reached level 49, the upper limit of the advanced rank.
Defeating that Houndoom had been exactly what it needed to make that leap. Now, Slowking was on the brink of breaking its limits and ascending to the quasi-elite level.
Cain saw this as a golden opportunity. Slowking was in peak form, ready to keep fighting. If they could maintain their momentum and keep battling, maybe—just maybe—they could push it to the next level.
Instead of waiting for the Houndoom pack to surround them and attack from all sides, Cain took the initiative.
"Let’s go, Slowking. We’ll take them on before they all arrive. We’re not letting ourselves get surrounded."
Without hesitation, Cain and Slowking ran toward the howls. It didn’t take long before they encountered two more Houndoom.
These were weaker than the first, around level 45, but they still posed a threat if not handled carefully.
However, they made the same mistake as their fallen companion: underestimating the explosive capability of a Slowking in its prime.
"Slowking, use Trick Room, then combine Teleport with Psychic. Let’s play with them," Cain said, smiling confidently.
It was time to have some fun!
Within seconds, Slowking used Trick Room, distorting the battlefield. The two Houndoom were trapped inside the altered space.
Since Slowking still had Miracle Eye active, the Trick Room move affected even these Dark-type Pokémon.
Suddenly, the Houndoom felt time slow down for them. Every move they tried to make became excruciatingly slow.
Meanwhile, Slowking, safely at a distance, had already formed new psychic energy spheres and launched them at its enemies.
The attacks struck one of the Houndooms with force, taking it down before it could even get close to Slowking.
The second Houndoom, sensing a glimmer of hope, thought it had finally managed to get close enough to attack. However, at the last second, Slowking teleported to a safe spot behind it and struck again with Psychic.
Within the effect zone of Trick Room, Slowking became a mobile turret, attacking from every direction. There was nowhere for the Houndoom to escape.
Defeating these two Houndoom not only boosted Cain’s confidence but also revealed Slowking’s true potential in such situations.
Now, there was no doubt—this was its strongest state.
Slowking was unleashed, its eyes shining with wisdom and immeasurable power. It was as if Cain could see glimpses of vast knowledge behind its calm gaze.
"Wisdom in action, indeed," Cain murmured to himself.
Without wasting time, Cain and Slowking pressed onward toward the remaining Houndoom.
They knew it was now a race against time. The more Houndoom they could defeat before the entire pack assembled, the greater their chances of emerging victorious in the impending battle.
Soon, the entire valley was thrown into chaos.
The Pokémon inhabiting the area watched in awe as the Houndoom pack, long the dominant force in the region, faced the greatest challenge of their existence.
A challenge led by Cain and his unstoppable Slowking.
Meanwhile, other Pokémon in the valley reveled in seeing the territory’s dominators finally getting what they deserved.