Seven days later.
Cain boarded the plane that would take him out of the Hoenn region.
The trip to Hoenn brought him much more than he had planned.
It wasn't just gains in money and resources but also an increase in the level and strength of his Pokémon.
He spent seven days on the battlefield putting into practice everything his Pokémon had learned in training.
There are only a few days left before returning to Trial Island. Umbra has already sent a message to Cain through the Shadow Unit's communication system, notifying him that they will set sail from Vermilion City's port toward Trial Island at sunset the following day.
If he didn't make it in time, unless he were dead, he would only face the relentless pursuit of Team Rocket.
However, Cain had no intention of avoiding this fate. The final trial, which could be a terrifying challenge for others, was for him a unique opportunity to succeed.
Days before, he had already booked a flight to Saffron City.
He left a message for Steven via his cell phone, informing him that he'd be busy for a while and that he would look for Aron when he returned. Any other matters would be on hold; no matter the cost, Cain would handle everything upon his return.
Additionally, Cain contacted Elder Matsuda, who had taken him as a disciple but later left him to his fate. When he learned Matsuda was busy in his lab and had no time for him, Cain hung up immediately and stored his phone in the new spatial ring he had bought.
The space in the previous ring was no longer enough, so after earning money on the first day, Cain went to the black market to buy a ring with a larger capacity.
He didn't know how long he'd be away this time, so he needed to prepare with more supplies.
Among his Pokémon, the one that consumed the most food was no longer Miltank but Tropius.
Tropius's appetite was so big it equaled that of all the other Pokémon combined. Half of the food stored in Cain's ring was just for him.
After all, Tropius remained Cain's strongest Pokémon and also his flying mount, essential for combat and for escape if necessary.
During the battles this time, though the primary goal was for his Pokémon to master their bodies, it was inevitable that their levels would rise.
But this time, the improvement was different from previous ones. This time, the levels increased naturally after facing one-on-one battles and through constant training.
Except for Tropius and Gyarados, nearly all Pokémon leveled up.
Now, in Cain's team, the Pokémon with the lowest level was Skorupi, who had reached level 23, and was no longer the one with the least combat ability in the team.
In fact, Skorupi now surpassed Miltank, no longer being the weakest.
Skorupi was very happy about it.
Of course, there was some help from Miltank, as she's a support Pokémon and doesn't need great combat abilities.
Skorupi had grown under Miltank's watchful eye, so there was no issue in giving him a little advantage.
Additionally, thanks to the calcium supplements Cain bought, Skorupi's height had reached one meter, as robust as a small calf.
With several cups of Miltank's milk and calcium supplements every day, how could he not grow? The normal height of a Skorupi is 80 centimeters, but this one had already exceeded that by 20 centimeters.
And he keeps growing.
As for Slowpoke and Sneasel, what they did the most this time was practice the moves they had just learned.
Compared to Sneasel's innate skill in Ice-type moves, Slowpoke needed a lot of time to master the Fire-type move Flamethrower and even more time to perform it smoothly.
Even now, Slowpoke hasn't completely mastered this move.
After all, he didn't only have to train moves but also had to focus on physical exercise and psychic training.
But, regardless of everything else, Cain finally has a Pokémon in his team that can use Fire-type moves, even if it isn't very skilled.
On the other hand, Sneasel already handles the Ice Beam move with great skill.
Sneasel's talent for Ice-type moves impressed Cain so much that he couldn't help but praise him. Now, if he faces Dragon-type Pokémon, he has an ace up his sleeve.
Additionally, under Cain's guidance, Sneasel has begun to understand variations in Ice-type moves beyond their basic form.
For example, the Ice Shard move. In its basic version, it only involves throwing ice fragments. But as an Ice-type move, why not condense the fragments to make them more solid or change their shape? If they turned into stalactites, wouldn't they be more lethal?
This is the approach Sneasel should follow in his training.
As for Murkrow, he has completely adapted to the weight of 45 kg and remains incredibly fast under that load.
Cain can say without a doubt that Murkrow has developed his body to the fullest according to his standards. If a high-quality Dusk Stone appeared now, Cain wouldn't hesitate to allow Murkrow to evolve.
Of course, that doesn't mean Murkrow has reached his absolute limit, but he has met Cain's minimum expectations. If he continued developing his body, the benefits would no longer be as great.
On the other hand, Haunter, in just seven days, absorbed another entire bottle of Toxic Gas. In the future, this type of substance will no longer have much effect on him. If Cain wants to continue developing his Poison type, he'll have to look for other toxic objects.
Initially, Cain also wanted to develop Skorupi's Poison type, but since he didn't know how long the process would take and the final trial was about to begin, he had to postpone it.
Cain has observed his Pokémon's progress during this time, and he hasn't been idle. Based on the energy crystal analysis done by the system, Cain has begun implementing the method he derived from that analysis.
The most notable change is in Miltank, whose quality has already shown some improvement.
What used to be pale green has now started to darken. Cain is already considering whether or not to continue trading with the Miltank farm to improve his Miltank's quality.
Every day, a mixture of energy crystals and various herbs is administered to his Pokémon, achieving an improvement in their aptitudes with minimal side effects.
However, due to differences in basic aptitudes, the difficulty of improvement varies.
For instance, the improvement in Miltank, who originally had pale green aptitude, is noticeable after seven days of treatment. However, in Murkrow's case, whose aptitude is green, the change is almost imperceptible.
And not to mention Sneasel, who has a light blue aptitude; the change is nearly zero, but at least there have been no significant side effects, right?
It's only a matter of time before Cain can enhance his Pokémon's aptitudes, something many can only dream of.
(End of Chapter)
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Merry Christmas! May this season be full of joy, love, and fulfilled dreams.