After a sensation of inversion and continuous tumbling...
When he regained clarity, Cain discovered that he was inside a city.
He stood there, dazed, on a city street. Looking at the people coming and going around him, he felt that, more or less, he was out of place.
Of course, after seeing Cain's clothing, the people around him were also slightly surprised.
After all, Cain's clothes were very different from theirs.
It was as if... they were people from two different eras.
Cain's attire was relatively modern. After all, it was the outfit of the Champion of the Hoenn region, so of course it was different from the clothing of an ordinary person. But even so, it should not have given off a sense of difference in era.
And it was not only the clothes. Even the buildings of the city seemed to belong to a rather ancient style.
Because right in front of Cain was a Pokémon Center.
Only, it was a Pokémon Center of a rather old-fashioned type, probably with the appearance Cain knew from several decades ago.
That there was a Pokémon Center meant that the League existed.
Observing the people coming and going around him, as well as the Pokémon walking beside them, Cain understood that this was still the Pokémon world. Only, it was the Pokémon world from several decades ago.
After understanding this, a bitter smile appeared on Cain's face.
"Celebi, I did not even finish telling you what I wanted to ask, and you directly sent me to the world from several decades ago. For what?"
He could not understand what Celebi wanted to do, but Cain seemed to have no other choice but to accept it passively.
Of course, if he wanted to return, it seemed that only Celebi could do it.
This was far too sudden...
"You really caught me off guard. You did not even give me a hint."
Cain shook his head helplessly.
What he had to do now was first figure out where he was and what period of time he was in.
These things were quite simple to do. After all, Cain had originally been good at this kind of matter, only he had not done it for a long time.
Of course, he could not continue wearing such eye-catching clothing. At the very least, he needed to blend into this society.
When all of this was finished and Cain came out again, no one looked at him with surprised eyes anymore.
Now he looked like a person of this era.
He randomly grabbed a middle-aged man passing by.
"Sir, excuse me, where are we?"
The middle-aged man stopped by Cain was stunned, and subconsciously blurted out, "We are in Blackthorn City. Is something wrong?"
"Blackthorn City..."
Cain released his shoulder and let that man look at him with a strange expression.
That gaze was as if he were looking at... an alien?
However, before that man left, Cain asked again, "Then, sir, the current Pokémon Gym Leader..."
The man's gaze became even stranger. But, after thinking for a bit, he replied, "The Pokémon Gym Leader, of course, is someone from the Drako family. Only, not long ago, the previous Gym Leader handed the position over to the next heir of the Drako family, his eldest legitimate son, Kael Drako."
Upon hearing this, Cain's gaze trembled. His voice became slightly shaky.
"Last question, sir. How many years have passed since the founding of the Pokémon League?"
As soon as the man finished speaking, Cain disappeared directly from the place like a flash, leaving the man completely frightened, almost believing that he had seen a ghost.
Pokémon capable of using Teleport were already few, much less a human being.
Cain left the street. After several Teleports, he arrived at the foot of the mountain beside Blackthorn City. That was where the Pokémon Gym was located.
At the back of the Gym there was a dark and bottomless cave. This place was the base of the Drako family: the entrance to the Dragon's Den.
Only, if one wanted to cross the Blackthorn City Gym without being discovered by the Drako family, it was basically impossible to enter silently.
In reality, Cain had always felt great interest in the situation inside the Drako family's Dragon's Den.
Or rather, in the entire Pokémon world, there were not many people who truly did not feel interest in the dragon blood of the Drako family.
Especially after Cain learned from Kael's mouth that he had found information about Giratina, the Dragon of the Underworld, in the Dragon's Den, his curiosity became even greater.
The Dragon of the Underworld, Giratina, was not only something related to Cain himself. His Pokémon Darkrai was also filled with hatred toward him.
Because of that, it was an existence he would have to meet sooner or later.
But the current Giratina was far too powerful. Even if Cain's strength improved a little more, unless several of his Pokémon reached the Master level, there would be no possibility of defeating it.
Although in Cain's original space-time Giratina was gravely injured and its strength greatly damaged, Cain still did not have one hundred percent certainty.
If he could discover more information about Giratina here, or find more of its weaknesses, it would be a good thing for Cain.
Moreover, Cain was also curious about what exactly the Dragon's Den relied on to be able to so steadily produce pseudo-legendary Pokémon like Dragonite.
If anyone could master this information, after decades of effort, perhaps they could create another Dragon's Den.
The fact that Celebi had sent him to this time and this place necessarily had an intention. And in Blackthorn City, the only things that awakened Cain's interest were the Drako family and the Dragon's Den.
"Hello, excuse me, have you come to challenge the Gym? This area is quite dangerous. It is not a place just anyone can approach."
A person dressed in a dark-red robe, with an appearance somewhat similar to that of a monk, appeared beside Cain and asked.
Cain was stunned for a moment, but even so, he smiled and shook his head.
"No, I am only curious to know what is in this lake."
Upon hearing Cain's words, that person also smiled.
"This is the Dragon Pond. It is said that inside it there are very precious Dragon-type Pokémon, but only when someone truly destined appears is it possible to encounter them. It is something that almost does not happen even once in a hundred years."
"The Dragon Pond... huh?"
Cain nodded and said nothing more. He left that place and walked directly toward the mountain.
That man looked thoughtfully at Cain's back as he walked away. He remained there until he saw him disappear completely, and only then did he slowly leave.
(End of chapter)