"Mr. Drake, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you..." said Cain as he finished scanning Salamence's data with his system.
His doubts revolved around raising Bagon.
Upon hearing the questions, and since there was nothing urgent at the moment, Drake took the time to answer patiently.
When he finished answering the third question, he looked at Cain in surprise.
"Cain, do you happen to have a Bagon?"
Because someone asking questions of that level definitely had direct experience with one, or at least had raised one before.
Cain had no intention of hiding it.
At this point, as an Elite-level trainer, Chief-level League Researcher, and Elite Officer of Team Rocket, having a pseudo-legendary Pokémon wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
"That's right," he replied frankly. "I found it deep within Meteor Falls..."
He then gave a general account of the encounter, although he left out the detail that he had already known beforehand that a Bagon lived there.
"No wonder you had those kinds of questions. But... he really is a rather unfortunate little one," Drake commented with a nostalgic expression, as if recalling how he met his own Salamence.
"When this mission is over, bring that little one to my ship to play for a while. I want to see with my own eyes how hard he's working," he added with a smile.
Cain looked at him with an expression of surprise and joy.
Although Drake said to bring him over to "play," it didn't take a genius to understand that what he really wanted was to personally instruct him in raising a Bagon until it evolved into Salamence.
With a true Dragon-type Master as a mentor, Bagon would avoid many mistakes on his growth journey.
He might even bring along his two Swablu.
After all, besides Salamence, the Pokémon Drake knew best were Altaria and Flygon, and Cain just happened to have both species.
That visit to his ship would undoubtedly bring great unexpected benefits.
Thus, the two of them began discussing Bagon's training as they soared through the sky on Salamence's back.
Time flew by.
They finally reached the mysterious sea trench.
From atop Salamence, they looked down: a small island stood solitary in the ocean.
It was much smaller than the island Cain owned. There was barely any vegetation—just a rocky hill rising from the sea, with very little walkable space around it.
And at the top of that hill, a deep, dark cave opened.
"We've arrived. This must be it," said Drake as Salamence descended toward the island.
Cain and Drake jumped from Salamence's back to the ground.
Upon landing, they noticed the soil was somewhat soft, almost muddy.
Cain crouched down, rubbed the earth between his fingers, and then smelled it.
Though it seemed like he was doing it with great expertise, in reality he was ordering the system to analyze the terrain.
"Well? Any findings?" asked Drake, standing next to him.
When it came to research expertise, Cain, as a Chief-level researcher, was without doubt the most reliable.
The reason only the two of them had come was twofold: they were more discreet; and Drake represented brute force, while Cain represented analytical capability. Both were already at the top of their respective fields—there was no need for anyone else.
Upon hearing the question, Cain didn't respond immediately. He stood up and looked around.
And suddenly, he transformed into a true "child detective," with his chin resting on his hand and an expression of deep analysis.
Frowning, he said, "This mysterious cave suddenly emerged from the sea floor. Mr. Wattson likely didn't even make it inside; he was attacked from the outside."
Cain continued, "From the sky, we already saw that this island has almost no vegetation, and the little there is doesn't block the view. So there are only two possible points from which Mr. Wattson could've been ambushed: either from inside the cave... or from the bottom of the sea."
Drake looked at him in silence, waiting for the conclusion. He felt Cain was about to discover something critical.
"The first thing Mr. Wattson said upon returning to the League was that there was a traitor within. And since neither Steven nor Phoebe came back, and there were no signs of them, it's very likely they took refuge inside the cave to avoid the enemy."
"If there's a traitor, it means the enemy knew every detail of this operation. They attacked Mr. Wattson because he posed a threat to their plans. If the attack came from inside the cave, it's because they had already completed their objective."
"Therefore, the highest likelihood is that the attack came from the sea. A surprise blow, taking advantage of proximity. Someone close to him might have even betrayed him."
"Also, the interior of the cave seems organized, which indicates the group that entered is disciplined and coordinated."
Cain looked up at Drake with determination.
"Considering all this, what's the first organization that comes to your mind, with that kind of strength in the sea?"
"Team Aqua!" Drake frowned. A flame of anger lit up in his tired eyes.
"Was it them?" he asked again. But his expression already revealed he was nearly certain.
Cain, however, didn't give a definitive answer.
"Team Aqua is the main suspect. But they also know that if they act like this, they'll be the first to be blamed."
"Are they really prepared to strike a League Elite Four member when they're not yet ready to act openly?"
"Or was there something that forced their hand?"
"Or perhaps it was another organization trying to pin the blame on Team Aqua?"
"In the end, anything's possible. We can't draw conclusions yet. But if we go in now... we'll definitely run into them," said Cain.
"Then there's no need to keep analyzing. Either way, we're going in. Steven and Phoebe are very likely inside. Once we enter, stay close to me and watch out for surprise attacks," Drake decided, making a broad gesture with his hand.
He withdrew Salamence.
Despite its great strength, the cave's size made it difficult for it to fight well inside.
But Drake immediately summoned another Pokémon: a Haxorus!
Cain nodded, brought out Slowking, and left a psychic coordinate at the island's entrance.
Then, both headed into the cave.
No matter what enemies they might face, this place had to be explored.
Cain couldn't help but feel a certain curiosity.
What was inside that mysterious hole?
What could be so valuable that an organization would dare to directly attack a League Elite Four?
And were they prepared to face the wrath of the entire League?
(End of chapter)