Cain was well aware of his Tyranitar's strength.
Although its current level was only around 58, when taking into account all its advantages and conditions, even an Elite-level Pokémon wouldn't necessarily be its match.
Undoubtedly, there's a barrier between Quasi-Elite level and Elite level. But the accumulated advantages of his Tyranitar were such that this barrier was not impossible to overcome.
Of course, this was considering only its base strength, without taking Mega Evolution into account.
Even so, this Vigoroth was able to fight his Tyranitar on equal footing.
In fact, his Tyranitar was slightly at a disadvantage.
The surprising part was precisely that it was a Vigoroth. And not a Slaking.
Had it been an Elite-level Slaking, Cain wouldn't have been surprised.
That would have been perfectly normal.
Facing this Vigoroth, Cain admitted he was tempted.
Even though he had already reached the Elite level, and this Vigoroth only had a Blue aptitude, Cain still found himself interested.
As he had said before, when capturing a Pokémon, the first thing most people look at is its aptitude, since that determines how many resources, time, and effort will be needed to bring it to a certain level of power.
But aptitude isn't everything.
There is a situation where this ceases to be a determining factor: when the Pokémon in question has special traits.
For example, a rare and unique ability, a special combination of moves, or exceptional tenacity...
Each trainer has their own priorities.
According to Cain's current standards, he normally wouldn't consider capturing a Pokémon that had already reached a certain level or had an aptitude below Dark Blue.
But this Vigoroth had managed to catch his attention.
It still held some developmental potential.
It could still evolve once more.
And most importantly: it possessed extraordinary willpower.
Cain was deeply curious to know what kind of Slaking this Vigoroth would become after evolving.
Do you know why Norman, the Petalburg City Gym Leader, caught the attention of figures like Juan and other League Leaders, to the point where Juan even asked him if he wanted to become one of Hoenn's Elite Four?
Undoubtedly, Norman was very strong. But his greatest feat, and what made him famous, was owning a Slaking that wasn't affected by the Truant ability for a considerable amount of time.
Without resorting to moves like Skill Swap to neutralize the effect of Truant, it was a Slaking with the Truant ability, but one that had managed to overcome the disadvantages it came with on its own.
A Slaking that wasn't lazy.
A Pokémon as rare and powerful as a pseudo-legendary—perhaps even rarer.
That was Norman's trump card, and only a few within the League knew about it.
That's why they had such high expectations for Norman. Juan even considered, at one point, naming him as his successor for the position of Champion.
Although he still had a long way to go, in the future it wasn't impossible.
But Norman valued strength over power, so he declined Juan's offer.
That shows that as long as you have enough strength, you'll be respected in this world no matter where you are.
How Norman managed to raise that Slaking, Cain didn't know.
But seeing the Vigoroth in front of him at that moment, ideas were already forming.
Just like Norman's Slaking, maybe it couldn't become a staple in battles, but it could certainly be a trump card for bursts of power. An unexpected ace.
A real bomb others would fear.
The question was whether Cain's plan would work.
If it didn't, it would be a waste of a Vigoroth with such tenacity.
But since it wasn't a Pokémon he had raised himself, Cain thought it was worth trying.
Besides, even if he didn't use it for that purpose, Vigoroth's technical mastery was such that it could serve as a teacher to his other Pokémon, sharing its knowledge on strength control, body usage, and physical perception.
Hadn't it been clear how the Blaziken behind Cain, after the previous battle, had a thoughtful look in its eyes?
Both Blaziken and Tyranitar, Aggron, and even Swampert still hadn't fully mastered their own bodies.
Perhaps Blaziken made the best use of his body, but compared to this Vigoroth, he still had a long way to go.
So even if the attempt failed, having this Vigoroth teach the others his techniques would already be a huge gain.
The improvement in strength and control would be no small feat.
And Cain also had Bagon and Riolu, who would heavily depend on their physicality in the future.
Undoubtedly, the benefits outweighed the risks.
However, it still wasn't the right time to capture it.
A Pokémon with such a strong will wouldn't be easy to catch. Forcing it through battle was impossible. A good plan would be necessary.
But this fight had to end today. At the very least, he needed to show his opponent his true strength.
"Tyranitar, stop holding back your ability. Let the sandstorm break loose," Cain ordered.
Upon hearing this, Tyranitar smiled broadly.
Since it evolved, this was the first time it could fully unleash its advantage in battle.
When Tyranitar released its control, large amounts of sand began to rise out of nowhere in the field, as if the wind were dragging them along.
The sand's density increased rapidly, and in an instant, it became a sandstorm.
Under its control, the area where Cain stood became a vacuum zone, while the rest of the forest was engulfed by the storm.
The Vigoroth and its clan on the other side were also within that circle.
"Dragon Dance!" Cain ordered again.
With the weather completely under control, the sky turned yellow with sand. Visibility dropped instantly.
Only Tyranitar at the center could clearly perceive the situation within the storm.
Its body swayed in place, its tail sweeping left and right like a broom, and as the storm intensified, its body slowly lifted off the ground. Not by much, but it was suspended.
It was performing a dance with a peculiar rhythm.
Tyranitar's attack power increased even more.
The Vigoroth, already partially adapted to the storm, didn't hesitate: it charged toward the center, heading straight for Tyranitar.
With the current state of the storm, if Tyranitar were allowed to continue, their entire territory would soon be buried in sand.
Other Vigoroth and Slaking had already escorted the Slakoth and other tribe members out of the storm's reach.
They could withstand the assault, but the Slakoth couldn't.
In just a few seconds, nearly half of the Slakoth had lost the ability to fight.
Even some lower-level Vigoroth had fallen as well.
And this was with Tyranitar no longer controlling the storm. Just its initial activation made the storm terrifying for lower-level Pokémon. Even more so considering that Tyranitar had accelerated the formation of the storm at the beginning.
The ability Sand Stream was, without a doubt, a lethal weapon in the hands of someone who knew how to use it.
A Pokémon without sufficient level wouldn't just fail to resist—it wouldn't even be able to stay on its feet within the storm.
Vigoroth was growing anxious.
If it didn't stop Tyranitar soon, its territory really would be in danger.
The storm was already altering the environment.
(End of chapter)