Mega Tyranitar completely abandoned control over the sandstorm and focused entirely on transforming all the sand into scorching red sand, charged with an extremely high temperature.
In a very short time, all the red sand seemed to gain a soul of its own, frantically eroding the opponent's grassy field and instantly suppressing its unrestrained momentum of expansion.
Although the opponent's Pokémon were of a higher level, the Pokémon on Cain's side were far more experienced, and most importantly, they had a clear attribute advantage, which led to the current situation.
When the opponent was about to have his grassy field completely devour the red sand domain, he never imagined that Cain would counterattack in this way.
But for Cain, this was merely the beginning.
Blaziken, which had already canceled its Mega Evolution, once again emitted a dazzling multicolored light. Wrapped in that radiance, it completed its Mega Evolution in an instant.
Mega Blaziken appeared once again!
Seeing Blaziken enveloped in extremely violent flames, Jacob could not help but feel apprehensive. That Torterra, which had displayed astonishing defense and vitality, had been annihilated with a single attack.
Among Cain's many Pokémon, the ones that worried Jacob the most were Darkrai, the strongest, and Blaziken, whose fire type countered him to an extreme degree.
After the Mega Evolution, Blaziken's flames seemed to be infused with a special energy.
However, this time the Mega Evolution was not to launch a surprise attack, but to merge its fire with the red sand that filled the sky.
Although Mega Tyranitar had given up creating the sandstorm and was only focused on controlling it, even so, it was still quite difficult.
It was not that controlling the sand was difficult, but that creating red sand was extremely problematic. No matter how much Tyranitar could manipulate magma, it was not Groudon, incapable of controlling it as if it were its own limbs.
But with Mega Blaziken, the situation changed completely.
Its mission was to help Tyranitar create red sand, releasing fire without restraint, so that Tyranitar only needed to focus on controlling the sand.
The temperature within the red sand domain rose once again, and the speed at which the storm devoured Jacob's grassy field skyrocketed.
The plants that had barely managed to grow were almost instantly pulverized by the onslaught of the scorching sand.
At that moment, all of Cain's Pokémon were submerged in the red sand inferno.
It was called an inferno precisely because, within that range, all Pokémon, humans, and any form of life suffered as if they were in hell itself, being constantly tortured by the extreme heat and the sand carried by the wind.
Jacob failed to react in time. He had originally managed to devour nearly half of the red sand inferno, but suddenly the intensity of the storm multiplied several times over, successfully resisting his domain.
Just when he thought the situation would remain evenly balanced, Blaziken stepped forward once more, reversing the course of the battle in an instant.
The outcome of the struggle for the field was already evident. Jacob's army of grass-type Pokémon was no match. Even with Leafeon, his special and powerful Pokémon, they were unable to withstand the erosion of the red sand.
This terrifyingly vast sandstorm domain could now truly be called: The True Scarlet Sand Inferno!
All vegetation vanished in an instant. Jacob's Pokémon, including Jacob himself, not only had to endure damage several times greater from the red sand, but also withstand a stifling dry heat, as if they were inside a sauna.
The level of suppression against grass-type Pokémon in such a place was evident.
In fact, if Tyranitar so desired, it could even draw forth the scorching magma from deep within the earth and bring it to the surface. However, although it could control the sand, magma was something that truly harmed both the enemy and itself.
Unless it were a last resort, Cain would never give such an order.
At this point, only direct combat remained. Jacob decisively abandoned the struggle for the field. Leaving only Meganium by his side to protect him, all the other Pokémon, including Leafeon, charged into battle.
Although he lost the battle for the field, the raw strength of Jacob's Pokémon was still considerably superior to that of Cain.
Cain, with a somber expression, also prepared to receive the onslaught.
Just as the battle between Cain and Jacob entered its most intense phase, the black rift in the sky began to expand more and more, revealing strange dark substances within it.
This device was almost identical to the one previously used by the Black Messenger. The difference was that the previous one was far too fragile, whereas this time the Sacred Church had deliberately changed the materials, making it sturdy enough that the residual shockwaves of ordinary attacks could not damage it at all.
The Black Messenger had met a truly tragic fate. His mission was to test the device, which was why he left Kanto and went to an island in Hoenn to conduct the experiment.
He never imagined that Cain would appear so quickly, nor that he possessed so many hidden cards, to the point of being completely annihilated.
However, his death was not in vain. At the very least, the Sacred Church managed to improve the device.
Neither the battle between Cain and Jacob, nor that between Steven and Irene, managed to affect its operation.
But compared to Cain's ease, Steven was in a much more miserable situation. Both sides were using steel-type Pokémon, so they were well aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Metagross, Aggron, Steelix, Mawile... practically the same Pokémon, but Irene's had a slightly higher overall level.
If the level difference were minimal, there would be no problem. Steel-type Pokémon possess formidable defense, but relatively low offense. If Steven simply focused on defense and waited for Cain's battle to end, they could easily attack two against one.
After all, although Irene's exact age could not be determined, it was obvious that she was older than Steven, so a slight superiority in strength was understandable.
(End of chapter)