Upon seeing the appearance of Moltres, Cain continued with his mission.
He was gradually eliminating all members of the Nishikawa family.
This was not only part of his current task, but also a personal strategy to eliminate future threats.
Anyone with some intelligence would understand what had happened with Regi, just like Umbra and Tenebris had.
The Nishikawa family simply hadn't intervened because they wanted Regi, their heir, to take revenge himself.
But now, with Regi dead, Cain couldn't predict what decision that prideful and stubborn family would make.
So he decided to act more directly: eliminate as many of them as he could, now that he still had the chance. Even if they were just nuisances, they were still obstacles, weren't they?
Boom!
The battle at the mountain's summit had begun.
The sound of the clash echoed.
Cain picked up his pace.
While clearing out enemies, he also advanced toward the summit.
He could feel the heat in the air increasing bit by bit.
The power of Moltres was truly terrifying.
...
Two hours later...
"Phew... everything's almost settled," Cain wiped the invisible sweat from his forehead and exhaled deeply.
These two hours of intense combat had not only allowed him to wipe out the members of the Nishikawa family, but also helped his Pokémon grow stronger.
The most notable progress was that Blaziken and Politoed had reached Quasi-Elite level: both had reached level 50.
Pupitar and Aggron had also leveled up, reaching level 47.
After an entire month of intense training on the private island, this burst of battles had helped unleash and consolidate everything they'd built up.
But now wasn't the time to fight, so Cain stored them away.
He kept only Gengar, and together they headed toward the top of the mountain.
The roar of battle and the fire in the distance were proof of how fierce the fight was.
As he got closer, Cain was finally able to see the scene of the battle.
After two hours of fighting, the mountain summit was in ruins. Moltres also had some injuries, although the six Pokémon facing it were in worse shape.
Still, they could hang on a bit longer.
Cain wrapped his body in his psychic powers, and Gengar covered him with Ghost-type energy.
As long as they didn't get too close, Rox wouldn't notice them.
Cain stayed at the farthest distance possible to scan Moltres's data:
Pokémon: Moltres (Purple)
Gender: Genderless
Level: 74
Types: Fire + Flying
Ability: Pressure
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: None
Basic Moves: Wing Attack, Ember, Fire Spin, Agility, Endure, Ancient Power, Flamethrower, Safeguard, Air Slash, Sunny Day, Heat Wave, Solar Beam
Learned Moves: Tailwind, Heat Wave, Snore, Laser Focus, Sky Attack, Defog
TM Moves: None
Upon seeing its data, Cain understood that it wasn't a true legendary Pokémon.
After all, a real legendary bird wouldn't be fighting like this against Rox.
Moltres flapped its flame-covered wings, furious at the invasion of its territory.
As a Pokémon bearing the title of "legendary," how could it tolerate such provocation?
Although the six Pokémon facing it weren't all that strong individually, their teamwork was cornering it.
The bird understood that it was that human who was giving the orders. It had tried several times to attack him directly, but his Pokémon fiercely got in the way.
Luckily for Moltres, after exchanging blows, it was about to defeat those annoying Pokémon.
Injured, it furiously flapped its wings, generating intense flames, while locking eyes on Rox, planning how to take its revenge on him.
Hidden at a distance, Cain instantly understood the situation.
But a question arose: If Rox wasn't sure he could defeat the bird, why provoke it?
However, Rox's face showed no signs of nervousness. He pulled out a communicator and said: "It's time."
He hung up.
And the response didn't take long: a red dot appeared in the sky, quickly approaching.
It was a Charizard carrying a human on its back.
Cain frowned and thought, "Was this the one hiding among the clouds that night? Looks like the Nishikawa family came well-prepared."
Charizard landed, and the man jumped from its back, approaching Rox.
"Brother," greeted Rox.
The newcomer nodded, scanning the surroundings. "And Regi?"
"I sent him to take care of a small matter. Don't worry, he has a communicator. If something goes wrong, he'll let me know," Rox replied confidently.
Brother...?
Cain already knew who he was: the current leader of the Nishikawa family, Regi's father, and also an Elite Officer of Team Rocket—Brannis, an Elite-level trainer.
Although he didn't seem satisfied with Rox's answer, Brannis didn't comment.
"It's just an island. The strongest Pokémon is already here. What could go wrong? If Regi dies at the hands of a wild Pokémon, then he's not worthy of inheriting anything."
Brannis looked at Moltres, then at Rox's injured Pokémon. "This Pokémon is strong."
Rox nodded, excited: "That's right, brother. This Moltres has reached Intermediate Elite Four level. It has great talent and potential."
"Team Rocket only needs its genetic material. So this Moltres... belongs to our family," Brannis said as he threw several Poké Balls to the ground.
His Pokémon appeared.
"With just a bit of training, this bird will be a great weapon. It might even reach Champion level. If that happens, we'll be the first family with a trainer surpassing Elite Four level."
"Team Rocket has been under Giovanni's control for too long. It's time for the Nishikawa family to take charge," Rox no longer hid his greed and ambition.
"Brother!" Brannis reprimanded him quietly, reminding him of the time and place.
"There's no one else here," Rox replied without filters. "Giovanni is nothing more than the son of a traitor. Our father is his uncle. Even so, he was left as just an Elite Officer. And you, who are older than him, are forced to work under his orders!"
Brannis didn't stop him this time. He too was filled with anger.
The Nishikawa family had grown thanks to the backing of Team Rocket... But that led them to develop a toxic mindset: they viewed Team Rocket as the private property of the Nishikawa family.
(End of chapter)