Afterward, Cain and Steven continued exchanging information on various topics, mostly related to Pokémon.
Although Steven's strength far exceeded Cain's, in terms of knowledge, Cain surpassed him by far.
Therefore, during their conversations, it was mostly Cain who explained things while Steven listened like a student.
If someone saw this situation, they would probably be quite surprised.
After all, this is the young heir of the Devon Corporation! Not to mention that if he mastered all the vast knowledge of the corporation, not even ten Cains could compare to him.
But Cain has the system, and when things get tough, he can always consult the system's database.
So, it would be unusual for Steven to surpass Cain.
However, as the future heir of the Devon Corporation, Steven is no ignorant; in fact, he has many unique ideas that gave Cain a new perspective, showing him that some things could be understood in different ways.
After all, Cain had been a human on Earth. Even though he had already lived two lives in the Pokémon world, he still retained some fixed ideas from his life on Earth, whereas Steven, being native to the Pokémon world, had a somewhat different way of thinking.
What he shared was truly characteristic of the place.
Especially when they talked about stones, Steven got very excited, almost as if he wanted to have a long conversation with Cain.
He discovered that Cain also knew a lot about different types of stones. If it weren't for the fact that they were separated by a video call, Steven would probably have served Cain a cup of coffee to keep chatting all night.
What Steven didn't know is that Cain, to keep up with all the information about stones, almost had to review all the system's data.
Who knows why someone who would be a future League Champion knew so much about stones, even more than about Pokémon?
Cain took the opportunity to ask Steven indirectly if he had any Superior Quality Dusk Stones.
Unfortunately, Steven was more interested in unknown stones, so he hadn't specifically gathered evolutionary stones. He didn't have a Superior Quality Dusk Stone in his collection.
Cain asked him to keep an eye out and, if he found one, to let him know.
Steven happily agreed, as after all, they were just stones; paying a bit of attention wouldn't be a problem.
While they chatted, Cain even vaguely asked if Steven had seen any Mega Evolution stones, but Steven had no particular memory of what Cain described.
Although Cain's description of the stone sparked great interest in Steven, who repeatedly asked where he had seen it.
Finally, Cain had to make up some lies to calm Steven down, but from Steven's expression, it seemed like he might start a big search.
When he couldn't find the Mega Evolution stone or discover its purpose, Cain could take the opportunity to trade it for something else.
At least he gave Steven a hint to use the vast resources of the Devon Corporation to look for Mega Evolution stones.
However, even if Cain managed to acquire a Mega Evolution stone now, he wouldn't dare to use it yet. It's an object that could attract too much attention, so it shouldn't come to light at the moment.
The two spoke via video call for two hours. Steven still didn't seem satisfied, and if Cain hadn't interrupted him, they probably would have spent the entire afternoon talking.
It seemed like they were having an endless call.
Of course, everything they discussed was related to Pokémon knowledge.
Steven also asked Cain about customizing Pokéblocks for his Metang, but since the system had not yet completed the analysis, Cain simply said that he hadn't finished experimenting with it.
Cain took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Although talking with Steven didn't pressure him, keeping up with all the topics Steven brought up took a lot of effort.
Despite this, his somewhat restless mind gradually calmed down after talking to Steven.
No matter what might happen on the S.S. Anne, Cain knew he had to stay calm, and he was at least sure he could escape if things got dangerous.
However, to be safer, Cain decided to be prepared in advance.
Soon, the afternoon passed quickly, as the Pokémon continued training according to a plan.
The most noticeable progress was with Haunter. Its Poison type, which had already been developed, was now complemented by very characteristic moves of that type, greatly improving its control over Poison-type energy.
Additionally, Cain occasionally allowed it to absorb the Poison Gas. Only about twenty percent of the gas remained in the special container.
The Poison Gas contained a large amount of energy, and if Haunter managed to absorb it all, aside from being able to improve its quality to the highest possible level, it would likely also gain another level.
Even though it wasn't as fast as when it was Gastly, the effect was still quite good.
After dinner, Cain left his room and found a bathroom. He had Slowpoke set a teleportation coordinate and then returned to the room.
He changed clothes and also put on a new face mask.
Then, with Slowpoke's help, he teleported back.
He opened the bathroom window, and together with Slowpoke, they jumped directly out.
At that moment, in the highest room of the S.S. Anne, Yamamoto held a wine glass, looking seriously at the video call in front of him.
"Everything has started as planned. When do you intend to come?" Yamamoto asked, taking a sip from his wine glass.
On the video call, only darkness was visible. If it weren't for the device's blinking light, anyone would have thought there was no communication.
After a moment, a hoarse voice replied, "Wait a bit longer. I think someone from the League has infiltrated. Be careful."
Upon hearing this, Yamamoto's hand holding the glass paused for a moment. Then he brought it to his lips again, this time taking a big gulp of wine.
"Someone from the League? What a hassle. Can't they deal with their own internal rats first? They always find out everything."
The interlocutor remained silent for a moment before changing the subject: "Is the material this time good?"
"Not bad; some things surprised me. And by the way, could you be more efficient with your work? I'm tired of having to clean up your messes. If this continues, there will be no more cooperation," Yamamoto said, with a fierce expression and eyes full of murderous intent.
"Don't try to challenge our limits. After this time, we will probably hide for a while. We just hope you continue to develop properly," replied the hoarse voice, emphasizing the words "develop properly."
"Ha! You don't need to worry about us. But doesn't your leader intend to come in person? They always send the usual ones."
(End of chapter)