This is how we arrived at the previous scene, where Tropius was carrying Cain, following the direction indicated on the nautical map, heading towards the Hoenn region.
Of course, the entire journey couldn't be completed in a single flight, so they made several stops at small islands.
However, Cain was in a good mood, even though his clothes were tattered. His spirits were excellent.
The achievements of this time were so great that even he was a little surprised.
Initially, he just wanted to find a place to stay temporarily, but he didn't expect to find an island with a great secret in the midst of countless islands in the vast ocean.
After that, Cain could stop at a few other islands for a while, to see if he could be so lucky again.
However, this could only be considered an attempt; in general, it was very unlikely.
"Now there are about twenty days left for the final test. With my current strength, even if I don't get first place, I should at least have no problems surviving," Cain said with a smile, relieved from a great burden on his mind.
After leaving the Nameless Island, he had captured a level 40 Tropius. Although its potential was only light green, its strength was formidable.
Even though he promised not to involve it in common battles, Cain was confident that, in a critical situation, Tropius would be willing to fight.
However, these were uncontrollable factors; the most important thing was the level increase of Slowpoke and Murkrow.
In eight days, Murkrow went from level 26 to 30, completing a four-level increase, which was a major advancement.
After all, the four main tribes of the island were made up of Bug or Grass-type Pokémon. Since Murkrow was a Flying-type, it had a great type advantage, so its growth was considerable.
Although it didn't learn any new basic moves, its power increase wasn't limited to just the moves.
For example, its weight training device was now set to the maximum, with a weight of 30 kg. If it wanted to increase the weight further, it would have to change equipment.
Even the improvement of this single Pokémon would be enough for Cain to surpass the rank of a Team Rocket Grunt and reach the level of a Captain, albeit one of the weakest in that category.
A Captain normally has the authority to have five Grunts as subordinates, but for now, Cain doesn't have that opportunity.
Perhaps he will have to wait until the final test is over.
Among Cain's main battle Pokémon, the strongest is still Slowpoke.
Now, Slowpoke is at level 32 and has learned the basic moves: Water Pulse and Zen Headbutt.
The first is a special Water-type move, more powerful than the move Water Gun, while the second is a physical Psychic-type move that requires close combat.
The Zen Headbutt move has the same power as the move Psyshock, but its effect and form of attack are different.
If it weren't for the fact that, among the other Pokémon, Psychic and Water-type moves didn't have as much of an advantage, Slowpoke's level could be even higher.
Haunter hasn't leveled up as much as Murkrow, going from level 26 to 29.
This is because it needs to stay close to Cain for protection, and it rarely attacks unless necessary.
Still, it managed to level up three times.
One reason is its Poison-type advantage, allowing it to play a more important role.
Additionally, after finally absorbing all the toxic gases, Haunter stabilized its potential at a light blue color, becoming Cain's third Pokémon to reach this quality.
The large amount of energy contained in the toxic gases was also a key reason for its success in leveling up three times.
Then there is Miltank, which is primarily used as a support Pokémon. She hasn't participated in many real battles, so her level has only slightly increased, from 23 to 25.
However, as a support and healing Pokémon, that level is sufficient.
After all, on the Nameless Island, the one who really took care of the Pokémon and helped Cain was Miltank.
Sneasel's level also reached 30, and at level 28, it successfully learned the move Beat Up, one of the key moves to defeat Tropius, along with Haunter's Poison.
The Beat Up move allows all allied Pokémon to attack simultaneously; the more Pokémon in the team, the more attacks there will be.
Thus, Sneasel played a crucial role in defeating Tropius.
Of course, it's not just about the moves learned; the level increase is also evident.
Since they faced many Grass-type Pokémon, Sneasel's Ice-type moves dealt double damage to Grass-type Pokémon, especially against Tropius, where the damage was four times greater.
Therefore, Sneasel's skill in Ice-type moves improved quickly.
Since it already had great talent in Ice-type moves, it finally mastered all the Ice-type moves it knew, and Cain is already considering looking for new moves of this type for it.
Among all of Cain's Pokémon, the one that has leveled up the most is Skorupi, since it started at a relatively low level, giving it more room to grow.
As a Bug and Poison-type Pokémon, Skorupi had a great advantage against Grass-type Pokémon, so, during the clearing of the Shroomish and Shiftry groups, it fought more than anyone.
Of course, Cain didn't let Skorupi fight against wild Pokémon that were too far above its level, and Skorupi isn't stupid.
It always chose Pokémon whose level wasn't too far from its own, with a difference of three or four levels at most, taking advantage of its potential.
Additionally, the other Pokémon also supported it strategically, leaving weaker wild Pokémon for it to eliminate.
As a result, Skorupi's level quickly increased from 17 to 22, achieving a five-level increase.
However, due to this rapid growth, its self-control has decreased again, and if it doesn't train for an extended period, it may have stability problems in its development.
Overall, all of Cain's main Pokémon have experienced great growth in their levels.
With his current strength, Cain is no longer the weakest among the Team Rocket Captains.
After all, not all Captains have so many Pokémon with such exceptional qualities.
Some Captains even have Pokémon with yellow or even dark yellow qualities.
The higher the level, the more obvious the difference in qualities.
If they were to fight in an unrestricted battle against Cain, he could probably defeat them directly.
The combat experience of a quasi-elite trainer and the existence of his system are not mere embellishments.
(End of Chapter)