"It seems I haven't asserted my authority—everyone wants to test my limits, huh?" Cain's face grew dark, a fierce killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Since they want to measure my strength, I'll make them see just how great the gap truly is."
Suppressing his intent to kill, Cain signaled his Pokémon, Murkrow and Slowpoke, to act normally but stay alert.
"I wonder who it could be? Xander?" Although his face remained emotionless, Cain couldn't help but speculate on who it might be.
Thinking of Xander, Cain couldn't resist a slight smile. If Xander were so petty, he wouldn't have kept him beneath him in the past life.
"Or could it be him?" A certain figure flashed in Cain's mind. At the base, besides Xander, whom he had clashed with, there was only one other person: Soros!
Moreover, Soros was someone who, despite his sunny facade, had a petty heart.
Confirming his suspicion, Cain was now 90% sure.
Following his original route, Cain avoided drawing Soros and his group's attention, who trailed closely behind. To follow him undetected, they kept a significant distance.
Deliberately, Cain led Murkrow and Slowpoke down an overgrown path, gradually moving off the main trail.
The followers suspected nothing, with some impatiently suggesting to Soros that they strike immediately, taking advantage of Cain's supposed unawareness.
What they didn't know was that the person they planned to attack was the top rank in the trials. If they knew, they'd probably reconsider their aggressive stance.
Once Cain reached an ideal location, he stopped abruptly and told Slowpoke, "Slowpoke, Teleport us back to where we were before."
As soon as Cain finished speaking, Slowpoke's eyes, already prepared, glowed with a blue light. Using its psychic power, it surrounded Cain and Murkrow, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished.
Soros and his group, who had been following from afar, lost sight of Cain. To avoid detection, they had only been tracking his footprints.
However, when they cautiously reached the spot where Cain had disappeared, the footprints stopped.
Soros and Skye paled simultaneously.
"Damn it, he vanished," said Skye, staring at the last of Cain's tracks.
Since Slowpoke always floated using its psychic power, it left no tracks on the ground. Moreover, they had no idea Cain had captured a new Pokémon.
To them, the best strategy in the trial was to focus on training a single Pokémon. Spreading resources to train others would be a recipe for disaster.
"He found out we were following him," Soros said, his expression turning serious.
Vanishing abruptly could only mean one thing: Cain had realized he was being followed. Thinking of the devastating power of Cain's Murkrow, Soros's expression darkened further. He motioned for his Koffing to stay close, ensuring his own safety.
"What's going on, Brother Soros?" one of the five trailing them asked, noticing the change in the situation.
Soros looked at him without answering.
Skye, with a somewhat alarmed expression, explained, "We've lost him."
The man seemed somewhat relieved, though. Losing track wasn't a big deal; with careful searching, they could find him again.
Soros and Skye didn't want to go into more detail. If Cain had only discovered he was being followed and decided to flee, there'd be no problem. But they feared Cain wasn't someone who'd accept provocation without a fight.
They could only hope Cain would see their numbers and wouldn't dare to confront them.
Meanwhile, Cain reappeared where he had first detected his followers. Imagining the frustration on their faces upon reaching the spot where he'd vanished, a cold smile crossed his lips. "From now on, the roles of hunter and prey will be reversed."
Using numerical superiority is usually effective, but Cain wasn't an ordinary person. In his past life, he'd learned an important lesson: in the presence of overwhelming force, the number of combatants doesn't determine victory, especially when one holds the advantage and the initiative.
Aside from Soros, the others were merely people who had never seen real bloodshed.
Over the past few weeks on the Trial Island, not only had his Pokémon improved tremendously, but Cain had also reaped many benefits. While his Pokémon trained, Cain also strengthened himself. Now, his physical condition was far better than when he arrived on the island.
In this Pokémon world, human constitutions are far more robust than those on Earth, and growth is faster. After weeks of intense training and a proper diet, Cain had drastically improved his physical condition.
Although he didn't have a muscular build, compared to Soros and his group, who lived comfortably at the Team Rocket base, Cain surpassed them not only in Pokémon strength but also in physical condition.
Now that the hunt had begun, he would show no mercy. With his knowledge of the forest, something Soros and his group couldn't even imagine, Cain moved like a leopard, gliding swiftly between trees and underbrush.
What would be an obstacle for others was merely a fence for him.
He quickly closed in on Soros's group. If he moved fast enough, they'd still be in the dense foliage where the grass grew tall. If he hid well, he could attack and seize the upper hand.
Soros and his group's Pokémon were mainly Team Rocket classics: Soros's Koffing, Skye's Ekans, and Pokémon like Rattata, Zubat, and Oddish for the other five.
Though their Pokémon weren't strong individually, together they could form a considerable force.
Cain knew their capabilities well, but they only had a shallow understanding of Cain's power. Blindly seeking trouble with confidence... it's undeniable that greed can cloud judgment.
To track Cain's whereabouts, the group dispersed slightly through the foliage. Skye reminded them that they could spread out a bit but had to keep communication at all times.
However, in doing so, their numerical advantage disappeared, giving Cain the chance to take them down one by one.
Cain's field skills far exceeded theirs. As he neared the foliage, none of them noticed.
He drew the dagger kept at his Team Rocket belt, holding it in a reverse grip. Glancing at Murkrow and Slowpoke, who had hidden nearby, he said, "Get ready, we're starting the hunt."
(End of Chapter)