Determined to have Gastly evolve today, Cain took Slowpoke and Gastly directly toward the nearest Gyarados.
It was the level 28, yellow-quality Gyarados originally assigned to Cain's team.
The others didn't know Cain's intentions, but in their eyes, Officer Jenny's speech had reminded him of the current situation, so Cain decided to attack another Gyarados with full force, attempting to free two teams before those two Gyarados arrived.
Not only did they think this way, but so did Officer Jenny.
Seeing Cain and his two Pokémon fighting Gyarados without hesitation, Officer Jenny thought this powerful trainer needed money, so she decided they would later convert points into money for him. Also, since he had made a great effort, it would be fair to give him a larger share.
Of course, Cain had no idea what they were thinking. He just wanted Gastly to level up and evolve.
Soon, Slowpoke and Gastly's attacks hit Gyarados, freeing the exhausted Tentacruel.
The members of Cain's team looked at him again with eyes full of admiration.
Across the whole beach, aside from Officer Jenny, only Cain could face a Gyarados alone and even defeat it.
The reputation of the Jenny family is well-known, so they weren't surprised that Officer Jenny had that level of battle skill. But Cain, who seemed younger than most of them, could also face a Gyarados on his own.
Although the Gyarados Cain was fighting was clearly weaker than Officer Jenny's, Cain seemed much younger than her.
Everyone thought of one word: Promising!
"Slowpoke, use Confusion to control it. Gastly, launch Shadow Ball with all your strength!" Cain didn't know they misunderstood him, and even if he did, he wouldn't care.
Slowpoke used Confusion to immobilize the over-five-meter-long Gyarados, while Gastly continuously launched Shadow Ball, concentrating the attacks on a single point until Gyarados's scales peeled off and blood began to flow.
Slowpoke also understood that this was a crucial moment for Gastly, so it increased the strength of Confusion, ensuring Gastly could attack without worry.
The previous Gyarados had great aptitude and, therefore, strong fighting ability. This one, although the same level, had lower aptitude, making it easier for Slowpoke to control.
When the others saw that Slowpoke had Gyarados under control, they wanted to help.
"Don't bother me! Go help others!" Cain shouted without looking at them.
Cain was focused on helping Gastly gain experience, and he didn't want others interfering. Who did they think they were to come and take advantage?
"Yes!" Startled by Cain's shout, everyone, including the policeman, responded loudly.
Especially the League officer, who instinctively gave a military salute, showing he was used to receiving orders this way.
After this, they all ran off to help in other battles, feeling lighter on their feet and humming a tune as they went.
Now that Cain had defeated two Gyarados and was facing a third, they thought there would be enough people to handle the other two Gyarados that hadn't yet reached the shore.
And since they saw Cain as someone who wouldn't stop after defeating this Gyarados, they expected he would continue searching for more Gyarados, freeing up more teams, which would make the battle easier and help resolve the crisis.
That's why they were so relaxed now.
As for Cain not intervening initially and letting others fight alone, they thought it was a training method, allowing them to experience a real battle so they could grow.
Some even secretly thanked Cain for showing them the harshness of nature, and they promised to be extremely cautious when trying to survive in the wild.
Thus, everyone interpreted Cain's actions in their own way.
In reality, Cain's motives were simple: he just wanted Gastly to gain more experience and evolve.
If Cain knew what they were thinking, he would wonder, "Could I actually be a good person deep down? Is that what motivates my actions?"
But Cain didn't know any of this.
Soon after, another yellow-aptitude Gyarados was defeated and captured by Cain. And the black light dots on Gastly's body grew denser and denser.
(End of chapter)