The Mightyena was trembling slightly from its hind legs.
Four burly men stared at it. Although the battle hadn't technically started yet, the outcome was already decided.
And its trainer, that woman from Team Magma, wore an expression even more stunned than its own.
She was completely paralyzed.
She had considered the possibility of not being a match for that man, but she wasn't truly worried. Her partner had only stepped away briefly; once the battle started, he would return immediately. With two trainers against one and a numerical advantage in Pokémon, she thought there'd be no problem.
That's why, when she saw Cain, she didn't feel too nervous.
She even cracked a little joke.
A quasi-Elite-level trainer is weak?
Not at all!
Even within this mysterious space, her strength was above average.
But even with the same number of Pokémon and similar levels... she was completely crushed.
That shows the difference in Pokémon training and coordination.
Or, put simply, the difference between trainers.
Even if Mightyena gave its best pleading look, Aggron and the others had no intention of letting it go.
In the end, it was Aggron who personally took care of it.
He grabbed it directly by the tail.
Do you know how Loki got smashed by Hulk? It was that brutal. Literally.
If Mightyena had counterattacked with everything it had, maybe it would've had a slim chance.
After all, Cain had ordered all his Pokémon to unleash their most powerful moves simultaneously.
But that was a momentary explosion; if they managed to endure that first wave, they could've taken control of the battle later on.
What they didn't expect was that Cain's Pokémon would terrify the enemy with the very first blow.
It wasn't their fault. Aggron and Blaziken attacked with overwhelming force.
Just look at Pidgeot and Magcargo now.
The most unfortunate was Pidgeot.
Do you know what it feels like to get run over by a war tank?
Ask Pidgeot.
And Magcargo, with its body covered in extreme temperatures, didn't even get the chance to show its power. Facing a completely unrestrained Swampert, its flames couldn't even tickle him.
Camerupt wasn't lucky either: Blaziken kicked it so many times it couldn't even get up.
And when it finally managed to stand, it saw all its teammates lying defeated. Its soul froze, it lost all will to fight... and with it, any ability to continue battling.
The last one left was Mightyena. Part of its defeat was due to fear... and part because its trainer had been completely shocked into silence, unable to give any orders.
This is what's known as the triple strike: a surprise attack so brutal that it leaves the enemy unable to respond. If you're not prepared, you lose several Pokémon in one blow... and then there's no point in continuing the fight.
But if you can survive those first attacks, then there's a chance to recover.
Once all the enemy Pokémon were defeated, Aggron approached the Team Magma woman, who still hadn't snapped out of it.
He chained her up completely using Rock-type energy.
Cain walked toward her.
He observed how Aggron had used four stone chains to restrain her.
With well-defined curves...
"..."
"..."
An Aggron with a technique that was far too refined.
Who would've thought...
Cain met the gaze of the Team Magma woman.
In her eyes was astonishment... and deep humiliation.
Cain showed slight discomfort.
Aggron had probably practiced his stone chain technique so much that it had become overly artistic.
"Ahem... Aggron, cover her completely with rocks," Cain coughed, trying to diffuse the awkward moment.
Even though he was already sixteen and about to turn seventeen, and wasn't a stranger to forbidden pleasures in his past life, in this situation, neither the setting, the moment, nor the person stirred the slightest interest.
Understanding Cain's intent, Aggron's eyes gleamed with a yellow light, and multiple rocks surged from the ground like magnets, completely encasing the Team Magma woman.
That way, Cain could interrogate her calmly.
He sat cross-legged in front of her.
"Now you should be able to talk peacefully, right?" said Cain.
But the woman looked at him, biting her lips stubbornly, refusing to say a single word.
Cain's expression began to grow cold.
Cain didn't consider himself merciful just because he felt uncomfortable with how Aggron had tied her up.
"We're out in the open. Here, there aren't just wild Pokémon—there are animals too. Do you know what could happen to a defenseless woman in this kind of environment?" he said in a chilling tone.
The woman immediately turned pale and trembled slightly.
She looked at him in disbelief.
Wasn't this guy a member of the League?
Since when did the League do things like this?
That was typical of underground organizations like Team Magma, not them...
When she saw the change in Cain's eyes, she understood what he was truly capable of.
This League man... hadn't just killed before. He had killed more than one!
...
In the end, when Cain left the area, there wasn't a single trace left behind.
But his expression was grim.
That Team Magma woman was a quasi-Elite-level trainer, so she was well informed about recent events.
And it was only after getting all the information he needed from her that Cain's expression became so dark.
Because his previous suspicions were correct.
In this incident, Team Magma had been involved... but so had Team Aqua.
Yes, the two largest underground organizations in the Hoenn region were implicated, which gave them the confidence to dare attack even someone like Wattson.
But what surprised Cain the most was the appearance of a third force.
Besides Team Magma and Team Aqua, there was a third group involved.
And it was precisely because of this third force that the other two were able to set aside their differences and collaborate in this event.
And who was this third force?
None other than the supposedly neutral Hunter Guild... the very ones who swore never to get involved in conflicts!
When he heard this, Cain didn't want to believe it at first.
But when faced with someone on the brink of death, whose words are usually sincere...
That woman had no reason to lie. Moreover, only an organization of the Hunter Guild's caliber could unite Team Magma and Team Aqua.
The true organizers of this incident were the members of the Hunter Guild. Team Magma was only participating because they wanted to obtain a certain item from them.
And Team Aqua, most likely for the same reason.
As for what the item was, the woman wasn't high-ranking enough to know.
The leaders of this operation were: Tabitha, one of the three Team Magma Executives; Shelly, one of the three Team Aqua Executives; and the leader of the Hunter Guild.
Those three, together, were the ones who attacked Wattson.
(End of chapter)