It seemed that the confirmation that Cain was safe was accurate. Old Matsuda warned everyone to keep Cain's matter a secret, allowing it to be made public only once Cain reappeared.
Though the others didn't understand why they had to do this, in the face of Old and powerful Matsuda's warning (or was it pressure?), they had no choice but to comply.
Old Matsuda obviously wasn't going to tell them that this excellent and promising young man should be accepted as his disciple before others found out.
What if someone else got ahead of him?
With Cain's talent, he would only need a bit of training to pass the Intermediate Breeder exam.
After about seven or eight years of training, he might even become an Advanced Breeder. By then, Matsuda could boast about having two Advanced Breeders in his family, making all his old friends envious.
Every time he saw them, he could flaunt his accomplishments; now it would be his turn to brag.
Thinking about this, Old Matsuda's stern expression transformed into a dreamy smile, almost drooling.
The others, observing how quickly he changed his expression, decided it would be best to withdraw before he issued another order.
When Old Matsuda awoke from his fantasy of having two Advanced Breeders in his family, he realized everyone had already left.
"No vision," he muttered with disdain.
"Though... that boy Cain, with his cunning, shouldn't be dead, right?" Matsuda thought with some concern.
However, recalling Cain, who had approached him cunningly from the start, he smiled again. "That boy probably figured out my identity from the beginning, yet pretended ignorance! Next time I see him, I'll make sure he pays for that."
...
In the ocean, on an unknown island...
"Achoo!" Cain sneezed just after reaching the shore.
Slowpoke looked at him curiously. Since he had known Cain, he had never seen him get sick. Could he have caught a cold this time?
Cain rubbed his nose as he walked along the beach, sitting in the grass and murmuring, "Who's thinking about me? Could it be that old man Matsuda?"
Sometimes, intuition is accurate.
Cain might not have known, but he managed his goal of getting close to Old Matsuda, even surpassing his expectations.
However, if someone were to investigate Cain's identity thoroughly, especially someone of high rank, he might not be able to keep his true identity hidden.
Luckily, Old Matsuda, eager to take the lead in accepting Cain as a disciple, decided to keep all matters related to him a secret.
Cain pulled a sea chart from his ring, specifically bought on the S.S. Anne.
Since learning about the dangers aboard the S.S. Anne, Cain had begun marking coordinates on each island he visited and purchased the map in preparation for a possible retreat.
Although these types of maps weren't always entirely accurate, the general orientation was fairly reliable.
On each island where Slowpoke left a coordinate, Cain made a mark on the map to avoid getting lost in the vast ocean.
He put the map back in his ring, now knowing where he was.
His current position was delicate: both returning to the Hoenn region and going back to the Kanto region would mean covering similar distances.
Cain needed to decide carefully which way to go.
In any case, he couldn't show himself at sea for now, as it was highly likely he would encounter League agents searching for missing people.
So he decided to stay on the island for a while before departing.
This island was one Cain had marked as favorable.
Not for any special reason, but because the island was relatively large and uninhabited, and it also hosted some wild Pokémon.
This indicated it hadn't been explored much by various factions.
With a bit of luck, he might find something valuable.
Cain returned Gyarados, who had finally come up for air, and then summoned Murkrow.
In an unfamiliar environment like this, it was essential to have a flying Pokémon like Murkrow to scout the surroundings.
He even released Fearow and asked Slowpoke to explain via telepathy what he needed to do.
Compared to Gyarados, who still showed some resistance, Fearow, who had already been tamed, was much more docile.
This was one of the few times Cain had brought him out, and the last time was when he captured him and had just met him.
After Slowpoke explained to Fearow, he sought Cain's approval before soaring into the sky.
This showed that the person who sold Fearow had really tamed him well; he wouldn't act without his trainer's consent.
For a flying Pokémon that transports people, good taming is crucial.
Otherwise, if it suddenly got angry mid-flight, the trainer could be in serious trouble.
If there was no second flying Pokémon available, the trainer could fall and die.
It's not the same with water Pokémon.
Even if a water Pokémon lost control, at least the trainer wouldn't drown immediately; he could try to survive a bit longer, though it might not make much difference.
But for someone like Cain, who always prepared with multiple safeguards, it wasn't a problem.
Cain often thought he didn't have many virtues.
If he had one, it was his fear of death.
Out of fear of death, he always planned every detail before acting.
Out of fear of death, during missions, he always ensured he had an escape route, guaranteeing his personal safety even if the mission failed.
Out of fear of death, Cain demanded absolute loyalty from the Pokémon he considered tools, even above their level, abilities, or combat power.
Cain also released Sneasel and Miltank. In an unknown forest, you never know what level the wild Pokémon will be.
It's safer to enter with the protection of all his Pokémon.
After waiting a few minutes, both Murkrow and Fearow returned.
Through their descriptions, Cain discovered that the island was larger than he thought.
In comparison, it might be the size of Cinnabar Island.
Cain returned Fearow and, accompanied by his four Pokémon, slowly entered the forest.
It was nighttime, and the sounds of insects echoed throughout the forest.
Entering an unknown forest at night isn't ideal, but Murkrow and Haunter had night vision, and Sneasel wasn't bad at moving at night either.
Additionally, the system performed real-time scans; as long as the opponent's strength didn't greatly exceed Cain's Pokémon, they could handle it.
In the worst-case scenario, Slowpoke's Teleport move would be Cain's last line of defense.
(End of Chapter)