Chapter 789 - 788: The Clash Between the Lucky and the Hardworking
The Sinnoh Tournament had reached its climax, entering the final stages with expectations at their highest.
The winners of today’s battles would need to return to treat their Pokémon and prepare, as the semifinals, scheduled for the following day, would bring a significant change in the rules.
From the semifinals onward, the format would change to a full battle. Each trainer could use six Pokémon, and all would be allowed on the field at different times. Victory would go to whoever managed to defeat all of the opponent’s Pokémon.
This change required meticulous preparation, especially for participants like Cain and Steven. Meanwhile, Wallace and Phoebe would only have to cheer from the stands.
After tending to his Pokémon at the recovery center, Cain decided not to conduct any more training. Instead, he chose to give them a well-deserved rest. The ongoing high-intensity battles had been exhausting, even with the support of his healing abilities.
Already lying in bed, Cain reflected on strategies for the next day.
Now that Poliwhirl had evolved into Politoed, he faced a dilemma: he didn’t have a Pokémon with the Swift Swim ability that could fully take advantage of the rainy conditions Politoed could create. This significantly reduced its usefulness in battle.
Given this situation, Cain considered another option: leaving Politoed out and opting for Altaria. Although Altaria wasn’t officially one of his Pokémon, after the incident with Regice, he had managed to establish a basic level of communication and control over her.
As a high quasi-elite level Dragon-type Pokémon, Altaria could have a significant impact in battle—far greater than a rain-based team without its full potential.
However, the lack of synchronization between Cain and Altaria was a difficult obstacle to overcome, even with the help of his telepathy. It wasn’t so much the fear of criticism from other trainers, who might claim that using a Pokémon not technically his was cheating. Cain was more concerned with maximizing his performance in such a crucial battle.