As for the mole within the League... With her rank, she still hadn't gained access to that kind of information.
By the time she appeared, Wattson had already been defeated. She didn't even know for sure who was responsible; it was all just speculation.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Cain didn't hesitate.
He quickly eliminated an irrelevant person. He waited at the location for a while, but when the other person didn't return, he had to give up for the time being.
This time, he didn't blindly explore the surroundings. He moved directly toward the center, where the ancient Tree of Life stood.
Based on what he knew about Drake, that was definitely where he would head as soon as he entered.
And if what that woman said was true—that both Team Magma and Team Aqua, along with the Hunter Guild, were involved—then even if Drake possessed supreme strength in this space, a war of attrition based on sheer numbers could pose a huge risk for him.
However, flying directly toward the center wasn't viable.
Without absolute control of the airspace, he could even be ambushed from above.
So the only option was to proceed on foot.
Cain tossed a Poké Ball and summoned Drapion.
"Chaaaaa!" Drapion roared excitedly upon emerging.
Cain immediately climbed onto its back.
Once again, his land mount proved useful.
In this pathless forest, Drapion's many jointed legs made any terrain a non-issue.
The other Pokémon on his team were also more than prepared to navigate environments like this.
Cain picked up his pace toward the heart of the space.
But although he walked for quite a while, the distance covered seemed minimal.
The classic case of "the mountain looks close, but you never get there."
Along the way, he encountered a good number of wild Pokémon.
Curiously, most of them were Grass-type, and of a higher level than the rest.
Likely due to the characteristics of the environment: a dense forest in all directions.
"Eh?" Cain murmured, coming to an abrupt stop. He had seen something that fully caught his attention.
He lightly tapped Drapion's back.
It understood instantly and began chasing the Pokémon that had just disappeared among the trees.
The target hadn't noticed Drapion's presence, nor sensed any danger. It was moving cheerfully in search of food.
To it, this was its clan's territory. And foraging in one's own domain shouldn't pose any threat.
After all, its group was the strongest and largest in the area.
What it didn't know... was that an outsider had entered. Someone who didn't know the rules of this place, and who had simply become interested in its presence.
A Bulbasaur.
What Cain had seen was precisely a Bulbasaur, foraging on a patch of fertile soil.
Cain had always felt a fondness for Bulbasaur from the beginning.
And once he established his own island, his appreciation for them only grew.
But since Bulbasaur were starter Pokémon, they were hard to find in the wild.
Even on the black market, most Bulbasaur were of mediocre quality.
When Giovanni granted him a 400-million quota, Cain considered redeeming a high-quality Bulbasaur from Team Rocket's inventory.
But due to his priority on completing missions and strengthening his combat power—and not finding one with good aptitude—he let the opportunity pass.
And while he could now request a Kanto starter through the League—given his current status as a high-ranking member of the Hoenn League—the problem was he couldn't influence the quality of the Bulbasaur assigned to him.
Even if he didn't use it for himself, gathering several Bulbasaur would benefit his long-term projects.
At present, his island only had three—and all were of low quality. Rather lonely.
Pokémon: Bulbasaur (Dark Green)
Gender: Male
Level: 15
Types: Grass + Poison
Ability: Overgrow
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Magical Leaf, Ingrain, Grassy Terrain
Basic Moves: Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Take Down
Learned Moves: Worry Seed, Snore, Synthesis, Seed Bomb
TM Moves: None
A wild Bulbasaur, dark green in color and with good constitution.
What mattered most to Cain was that it had Grassy Terrain among its Egg Moves.
"Wow, I found something really valuable... If this Bulbasaur belongs to a group, even better," he murmured, as he pulled out another Poké Ball and summoned Ralts.
For this, there was no need to use a powerful Pokémon. Using Ralts against this Bulbasaur was almost cruel.
"Riilss!" she exclaimed softly upon appearing. As soon as she saw Cain, she floated over to him and threw herself into his arms.
"Dad... dad..." Ralts's voice echoed in Cain's mind.
After so much time, Cain had already grown used to Ralts calling him "Dad."
"Ralts, see that Bulbasaur? Use Disarming Voice," he said, gently stroking her small head.
"Riilss~!"
Ralts immediately understood and fixed her gaze on Bulbasaur.
A hypnotic, magnetic, and gentle sound emerged from her mouth, flowing straight into the small Bulbasaur's ears.
Upon hearing it, he stopped eating and looked up at Ralts.
His eyes filled with hearts.
His heart pounded wildly. If he weren't green, it would've been easy to see him blushing.
That was love!
But Ralts wasn't moved by Bulbasaur's feelings. She placed her hands on her hips, pulled away from Cain's embrace, and struck a haughty pose. (Mini Hancock????)
A majestic energy radiated from her.
Cain raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Since when did this little one have such confidence in herself?
Soon after, Bulbasaur collapsed to the ground, unable to resist.
But even as he fell, his face wore a smile. Who knows what dreams he had as he lost consciousness.
Cain threw a Poké Ball and captured him.
"Saur...!" Bulbasaur murmured just before being absorbed. He didn't resist and was captured with no trouble.
Cain admitted that he had underestimated the charm Ralts had over small Pokémon.
After the capture, Ralts changed her expression again, returning to her childlike demeanor, and threw herself back into Cain's arms.
(End of chapter)