Cain clearly saw the change in Brad's expression.
At that moment, the former League trainer—once proud of his lineage and his past—had completely disappeared. What remained was someone driven solely by profit and survival.
Cain did not look down on him for that. After all, he himself was not much different.
The difference was simple: Brad no longer had any limits.
Even so, some of the things Brad had mentioned did pique Cain's interest.
"So, this continent isn't that simple? Is it possible that you're not the only one living here, and that it's not just one or two remnants either?"
If things were really as Cain suspected, then both he and the League would need to pay much closer attention to this place.
Hearing Cain's words, Brad's expression changed. He glanced around warily, as if afraid there might be someone else here whom he needed to fear.
"If you choose to cooperate with me, I can tell you everything I know, but the profits must be split sixty–forty," Brad said.
Cain slowly shook his head.
Brad thought Cain was dissatisfied with the distribution and wanted to explain a bit about the situation of the place, at least so Cain could understand the bigger picture before making a decision.
But Cain calmly said, "That won't be necessary. I have no interest in a failure like you, nor do I intend to take part in that so-called plundering. As for what I want to know, sooner or later you'll tell me obediently."
Brad's face grew increasingly ugly. After saying so much, it had been like talking to a wall, wasting both time and energy.
"If that's the case, then the only thing left for me is to take everything you're proud of first. There are things I can do on my own."
As he said this, Brad threw his final Poké Ball.
"Haaxxoorrr!"
A dragon's roar echoed beside the lake.
A Pokémon covered in stripes appeared, its main color olive green. It had axe-like sharp fangs, whose tips—along with the fingers of its hands and feet—were red, while the rest of its body was black. Rows of spikes protruded from its neck.
The Dragon-type Pokémon from the Unova region: Haxorus!
It was clear that this Pokémon was Brad's final trump card, and also the strongest one he had at the moment.
Pokémon: Haxorus (Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 86
Type: Dragon
Ability: Mold Breaker
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Focus Energy, Night Slash, Iron Tail, Dragon Pulse
Basic Moves: Outrage, Scratch, Leer, Assurance, Dragon Rage, Dual Chop, Scary Face, Slash, False Swipe, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, Guillotine, Giga Impact
Learned Moves: Draco Meteor, Endeavor, Low Kick, Superpower, Stomping Tantrum, Aqua Tail, Laser Focus, Snore
TM Moves: Protect, Taunt, Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Rock Tomb, Shadow Claw, Rock Slide, Substitute
This Haxorus did have some presence—enough to make Cain pay attention.
Now that the masks had completely fallen, who would ultimately obtain what they desired would depend solely on their respective strength.
Brad wanted all the resources Cain was carrying, while Cain sought the information Brad had gathered over twenty-five years: the hidden secrets of the continent of time and space.
Although the summoning of this Haxorus put Cain's Pokémon at a slight disadvantage, overall the problem was not serious.
After thinking for a moment, Cain threw another Poké Ball and called out Blaziken.
Blaziken had also completed its breakthrough, reaching the Champion level. Compared to Feraligatr and Haxorus, it was still a bit inferior, but compared to Yanmega, it had no problems at all.
Between Tyranitar and Blaziken, Cain made a decision and ultimately chose to let Blaziken enter the battle, making Yanmega Blaziken's first opponent after reaching the Champion level.
Upon seeing the last Pokémon Cain had summoned, Brad initially adopted a stern expression, thinking Cain still had another trump card and was about to send out yet another Pokémon that had surpassed the first barrier of the Champion level, which would make the fight truly difficult.
But he did not expect that, although Cain had indeed summoned another Champion-level Pokémon, it was a Blaziken that had only recently reached that level. Its aura was powerful, but compared to Brad's Yanmega, it was still somewhat lacking.
"It seems we've been underestimated," Cain smiled.
Of course, he knew what the other was thinking, but in a place as remote as this, Cain had no need to restrain his hidden cards.
With a wave of his hand, two Key Stones appeared in his palms.
In an instant, Gengar and Blaziken understood; connected to Cain's heart, their bodies were enveloped in the multicolored energy of Mega Evolution.
"Blaziken, Gengar, Mega Evolve!" Cain ordered softly.
As his words fell, the multicolored energy surrounding Blaziken completely dispersed.
Mega Blaziken! Mega Gengar! Enter the battlefield together!
Brad watched the enormous changes in both appearance and presence, completely stunned.
Had he only left the Pokémon world for five years?
Not fifty?
Since when could Pokémon evolve again after completing their final evolution?
Brad shifted his gaze toward Darkrai. The increase in power granted by those two special evolutions was terrifying; if Darkrai could do the same, the battle would become extremely difficult for him.
"Darkaaii!" However, the Darkrai he feared did not Mega Evolve. Instead, it let out a low growl and sank into the shadow on the ground; along with it, Gengar also disappeared.
"Blaazk!"
Now only Mega Blaziken remained on the field, but Brad did not dare to lower his guard; he did not even dare allow Feraligatr and Haxorus to move away from his side.
After Mega Evolving, Gengar was not inferior to Darkrai in the slightest, and both Pokémon made Feraligatr and Haxorus feel an immense sense of threat.
Two Pokémon that were almost impossible to perceive were lurking around them, and Brad feared that they might launch a direct attack on him himself, forcing him to act with extreme caution.
That was the biggest drawback of having too few Pokémon.
But Cain was not in a hurry to attack; with the energy he currently possessed, maintaining two Pokémon in a Mega Evolution state for half an hour was no problem at all.
He would first let Blaziken resolve the battle with its opponent.
When Mega Blaziken began to run, massive blazing flames naturally erupted from its body as it advanced toward Yanmega. Its stride mixed strange rhythms and steps, as if it were performing a dance.
"Yanmega, Tailwind! Sonic Boom!" Brad ordered. As a Pokémon capable of flight, Yanmega would not waste its natural advantage.
Yanmega's body was enveloped in a stream of white air, and the roar of its wings became deafening.
A sonic wave shot out from Yanmega, but its target was not the Mega Blaziken charging toward it, but Cain, who was standing on Salamence's back.
Unfortunately for him, Cain was already prepared for that move. The psychic shield jointly created by Slowking and Gardevoir was something that even Yanmega could not break.
Being attacked by surprise without responding did not fit Cain's style at all.
From the shadows, Mega Gengar suddenly appeared behind Brad. Two dark spheres, dense like condensed matter, shot straight toward his body.
Brad's heart stopped for an instant.
Haxorus and Feraligatr reacted immediately, intercepting the attack purely by instinct. The two dark spheres exploded just a few meters away from him, making the air tremble.
Brad stood motionless.
Only then did he realize something terrifying: if the target of that attack had been himself, he would not have had any chance of surviving.
(End of chapter)