The two Pokémon had been with Cain long enough to understand his intentions. They nodded to indicate their understanding.
In an instant, their bodies moved like arrows, swiftly cutting through the person-high grass. Their feet emitted a faint glow, touching the ground soundlessly, all thanks to Slowpoke's psychic control as it followed closely beside him.
Murkrow stayed flying low, just above the height of the grass, allowing it to avoid detection while searching for nearby people.
Slowpoke also extended its psychic energy to search for silhouettes in the grass.
The first person Cain encountered was one of the five following Soros. This person, too focused on tracking Cain to seize the opportunity Soros had promised, had slowly drifted away from the group.
He thought that, given their numbers, even if they lost sight of their target, the target wouldn't dare counterattack.
Although he wasn't wrong—if an ordinary person knew these seven were after him, he would've already fled.
But this wasn't just anyone; this was Cain.
However, the person wasn't entirely defenseless, as his Rattata was close by in case a wild Pokémon suddenly appeared.
Upon detecting his trace, Cain didn't hesitate and quickly approached, ordering Slowpoke to use its psychic power to immobilize both the man and his Pokémon.
Murkrow acted swiftly, transforming into a dark shadow that slid through the grass, its wings glowing with a white light as it launched an attack infused with flying-type energy.
The startled Rattata was attacked and eliminated immediately. It was merely a poorly raised, low-level Rattata, even weaker than some wild Pokémon, and was instantly defeated by Murkrow's move.
The man, his eyes wide open, witnessed his Pokémon's death, but due to Slowpoke's psychic control, he couldn't make a sound.
Only upon seeing Cain's figure did he realize that the person they had sought to confront was this ruthless rival who had placed Xander in second place. His eyes filled with pleading as he let out a strangled sound.
Cain ignored him, sliding his dagger across his throat.
The man died without understanding how Cain had approached or how he had been paralyzed on the spot.
Cain wiped the dagger on the man's clothes, took his belt, and stored it in his storage space, then disappeared back into the grass.
It was all swift and clean, like a professional assassin.
"I didn't intend to confront you, but you volunteered. If you want to kill, you should be prepared to die," Cain murmured as he ran, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
In the end, he had never shown his true fangs to the other participants in the trial. This time, he would become their nightmare, if they still had the chance to dream.
"Only dead enemies are the best enemies. If you decide to attack, show no mercy!"
Cain, who had always held to this principle, would not show mercy due to weakness.
Weakness is the original sin.
In just five minutes, Cain silently eliminated two more people.
Although Cain acted with precision and speed, Soros and the others soon regrouped.
Cain wasn't thrilled about the situation, but he had expected there might be some noise after acting, and there were some alert individuals among Soros's group.
But it didn't matter. Even if they detected him, Cain wasn't worried about his abilities; it would only make things a bit more complicated.
Before they could fully regroup, Cain began moving again.
He headed straight for the nearest person, and this time Cain didn't hide. As he ran swiftly, the grass rustled noticeably.
Soros and the others detected the movement and quickly began approaching.
Before they could come together, Cain intercepted another individual. His Pokémon was an Oddish.
When Cain appeared before him, the man was already prepared. Oddish stood in front of him with a serious expression, waiting for the enemy.
But upon seeing Cain, he exclaimed, "I didn't expect it to be you, Cain, number one!"
His pupils dilated sharply, and his expression of surprise left no doubt.
Only then did he understand that the "opportunity" Soros and Skye had mentioned was actually to confront Cain, the first place in the trial. But it was too late to regret it. The air was thick with the smell of blood, evidence of Cain's ferocity.
"He's here!" he shouted calmly, assuming a defensive stance.
"The best defense is offense! Oddish, use Poison Powder!"
Preparing for defense, he ordered Oddish to attack. He knew that if Oddish also defended, against the power of Cain's Murkrow's initial strike, and with the dual type advantage, it probably wouldn't withstand even a single move.
Cain smiled slightly. "Why didn't I eliminate him immediately? Because I wanted him to shout that."
Now that he had achieved his goal, he had no further use for him.
"Murkrow, don't hold back; use Gust and send the poison powder back. Slowpoke, use Confusion!" Cain ordered the attack.
With Cain's command, Murkrow, already prepared, flapped its wings rapidly. The flying-type energy condensed into two small tornadoes, swirling around the poisonous powder emitted by Oddish and returning it to the man and his Pokémon.
Hearing Cain's order, the man, who was in a defensive position, attempted to roll to evade, but just as he moved, he felt an explosion in his head and then lost all sensation.
Slowpoke's Confusion move was incredibly powerful, evidenced by the blood flowing from the man's nose.
There was no doubt; with the dual type advantage, and Slowpoke's Confusion move, both the man and his Oddish lost their lives.
At that moment, Soros and Skye, along with the last remaining follower, finally appeared before Cain.
Upon seeing his companion lying on the ground, motionless, the last follower froze.
He had thought that joining Soros on this mission would involve no danger, that they'd merely earn points.
Even when they decided to face someone, he believed that, with their numerical advantage, they would have no problem defending themselves, no matter how strong the opponent was. But in the end, the situation hadn't turned out as he expected.
Seeing that their opponent was Cain, besides the surprise on his face, he instantly understood why. He never would have guessed that Soros planned to face Cain, the number one.
As Soros appeared, Cain smirked slightly, flashing a malicious grin, and said, "We meet again, Soros."
(End of Chapter)