Chapter 105: Defeat the Leader of Sandslash

Yang Yan shouted to the Sandslash in front of him, "Sandslash, come on!"

There was no need for more words—everything had to be settled with action.

"Starmie, let's go! Water Cannon!"

The surging column of water shot directly at Sandslash, but there was no fear on its face. With a roar, the spikes on Sandslash's back stiffened, and it fired Pin Missile head-on at the Water Cannon!

Although Pin Missile is a Bug-type move, this Sandslash had clearly mastered it to an advanced level, allowing it to counter the Water Cannon almost perfectly. The two attacks collided, sending water spraying into the air.

Before Yang Yan could give a new command, Sandslash slapped the ground, stirring up clouds of dust and severely obstructing Yang Yan's vision.

"A sandstorm?!" Yang Yan yelled in surprise.

Sandstorm is a weather move that, during its duration, boosts the Special Defense of Rock-type Pokémon and deals continuous damage to non-Rock, Ground, or Steel-types. Unfortunately, Starmie hadn't learned Rain Dance, so there was no easy counter.

"Starmie, we can't afford to drag this out. We need to end it quickly!" Yang Yan called out. "Use Harden and Cosmic Power to boost your defense, then hit Sandslash with Psychic!"

Psychic-type moves have a chance of lowering the opponent's Special Defense, and this could be key against the boosted Sandslash.

Invisible psychic energy rippled toward Sandslash, who took the blow head-on. But Sandslash didn't seem to care, its enhanced Special Defense absorbing much of the damage. In its mind, this was its battlefield, and it intended to show its strength as the leader of the group.

Sandslash excelled in close combat, so its goal now was to close the distance between itself and Starmie.

Rollout + Defense Curl!

The basic yet effective combo was Sandslash's go-to strategy, and it began spinning rapidly toward Starmie.

But Yang Yan was prepared this time, having already faced this tactic during their earlier battle on the ship.

"Starmie, use Surf! Let's see your full power!"

The yellow sand flew down, but the starmie still quickly burst out huge water energy. Although it was not on the water, the power of surfing still cannot be underestimated!

The most important thing is that the Sandslash will even crash into the surf!

Although this sandlash has never faced off against a water Pokémon here and has no experience, it still quickly thought of a way to deal with it.

After all, its goal is to get close to the starmie, so without any hesitation, the Sandslash directly spun at high speed and flew up instantly with the help of the steep slope on the ground, heading directly towards the gem starfish on the wave.

Yang Yan didn't panic at all when he saw this scene, because sandslash was already restrained by starmie, and he had few long-range skills, so he couldn't be starmie opponent at all

Despite the sandy terrain, Starmie

"Starmie, Water Cannon! Send it crashing back into the wave!"

Starmie unleashed another Water Cannon, which Sandslash tried to meet with its high-speed rotation. But the sheer force of the water delayed Sandslash's attack, allowing the Surf to crash into it.

The waves engulfed Sandslash, submerging it completely.

"Well done, Starmie! Finish it with Ice Beam—freeze it in the wave!"

Without hesitation, Starmie fired Ice Beam, freezing the remaining water. As the ice solidified, the outline of Sandslash, still curled up, became visible within the frozen wave.

The surrounding Sandslash and Sandshrew had been cheering for their leader, confident that it would turn the tide. But seeing their leader frozen in battle, panic set in. Forgetting the leader's earlier command, they began rushing forward to rescue it.

"This is bad!" Yang Yan realized. "Everyone, get ready for battle!"

His other Pokémon—Butterfree, Meditite, Treecko, Sableye, and Nincada—stood poised to defend him. But before the wild Pokémon could attack, the ice surrounding Sandslash began to crack. Moments later, Sandslash freed itself, though clearly exhausted.

Breathing heavily, the leader of the Sandslash tribe raised a claw, signaling its group to halt. Despite its wounds, it refused to let the others fight.

Raising its claw once more, Sandslash commanded its tribe to let Yang Yan and his Pokémon pass. Though many of the Sandshrew and Sandslash were reluctant, they obeyed the leader's command.

The wild Pokémon parted, creating a path for Yang Yan and his team.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Yang Yan spoke to Starmie, "Starmie, you were amazing. Let's get out of here."

Despite his victory over the leader, Yang Yan knew the danger hadn't fully passed. Facing a group of over 200 wild Pokémon in a melee could still be overwhelming.

As they walked away, the leader of the Sandslash tribe watched until Yang Yan and his team disappeared from sight. Only then did it turn and lead its tribe back.

"Hah… looks like we're in the clear," Yang Yan said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Starmie, it's all thanks to you this time. You did great!"

Starmie acknowledged Yang Yan's praise, and after the intense battle, it was more willing to follow his lead. Though it had the natural advantage against Sandslash, Yang Yan's strategy had made a significant difference.

"Let's find a place to rest," Yang Yan said, glancing around. His clothes were still damp from earlier, and the combination of wet clothes and blowing sand had made him uncomfortable. It was time to find shelter and clean up.