At this moment, beside Skye was an Ekans that originally belonged to him, and a Koffing that clearly showed an expression of fear.
He quickly walked towards Cain and knelt down on one knee.
Behind him, about twenty people followed and also knelt down on one knee, shouting loudly: "Sir Cain!"
This unified shout echoed throughout the plaza, attracting the attention of those busy with their tasks. Seeing that the figure standing was Cain and that those kneeling were Skye and his group, everyone showed a look of understanding.
Cain slightly narrowed his eyes, glancing at Skye, who was kneeling respectfully on the ground, and the twenty people behind him. Some of these people were familiar to Cain; they used to be loners with considerable strength.
The system scanned the information of these people's Pokémon, and Cain took a quick look. He noticed that the average level of their Pokémon had reached level 17, and their aptitudes were quite decent. Although two of them had Pokémon with orange aptitude, their level was relatively high.
Cain nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly. He realized that he needed to reassess Skye's ability to handle tasks, as in just a few days, he had managed to gather considerable strength.
Moreover, Skye had managed to tame Soros' Koffing, not only fully controlling it but also raising its level.
"Stand up," Cain said after a moment of silence, in a calm tone.
With Cain's words, Skye slowly stood up, then bowed and stood beside Cain, doing his best to keep his height below Cain's.
Ekans and Koffing showed expressions of fear as they closely followed Skye. In particular, Koffing, upon looking at Cain and Murkrow, immediately averted his gaze, and his expression of fear intensified.
The twenty men who had knelt behind Skye also hastily stood up. They kept their heads down, not daring to speak, watching Cain from the corner of their eyes, who was now their true leader.
Some, clearly more nervous, discreetly wiped the sweat from their foreheads. Seeing that Cain showed no displeasure, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"You've done well, Skye," Cain said with a smile after looking at Skye respectfully.
"It's my duty, and it's all thanks to your reputation and this... Koffing," Skye responded, hesitating a little when mentioning Koffing.
He was considering whether or not to mention certain matters.
Although he had gathered so many people in such a short time, he had used some less-than-honorable methods.
Among the twenty people, some had been recruited by Soros during his time, and Skye had gathered them under Fox's command.
Another part were loners who, for various reasons, decided that being a lone wolf was no longer a good option. Due to Cain's reputation and strength, they joined voluntarily.
This group was the least afraid of Cain and had the fewest concerns about what Cain might do to them.
However, the last group, which was clearly more nervous, was the most crucial.
They were people Skye had forced to join through threats and promises, using Cain's actions and Soros' Koffing as proof. This last part was the main reason these individuals had reluctantly accepted.
This group was the most afraid of Cain.
Because, according to Skye's descriptions, Cain had been presented as a powerful, ruthless killer.
In addition to the threats, there were also promises; Soros' Koffing was the best proof. Cain had rewarded Skye with this Pokémon, elevating Skye from being an individual of mid-to-high strength to one of the few at the top among the apprentices.
This fact was what made Skye speak hesitantly.
Although he hadn't spent much time interacting with Cain, what little he knew of him was learned after being defeated. Therefore, he wasn't sure how Cain would react to this situation.
Hearing the hesitation in Skye's voice, Cain stared at him intensely for a moment, which made Skye, who had been calm, begin to feel uncomfortable. Sweat started to appear on his forehead. Only then did Cain look away.
"I said you did well. I only care about the results, not the process," Cain said in a slightly more severe tone.
Seeming to understand Skye's concerns, Cain, although not very interested in the details, felt the need to give him a subtle warning not to forget who was the boss.
"Yes, yes," Skye responded as his already hunched posture bent even further. He didn't dare wipe the sweat from his forehead and nodded repeatedly.
As for the twenty people standing beside him, they didn't dare breathe too loudly. They had clearly felt a strong aura of violence emanating from Cain, accompanied by a trace of murderous intent.
They were awed by Cain's presence while adjusting their mental attitude.
Cain was quite satisfied with the situation. Although he didn't know what methods Skye had used to gather so many people, as he had said before, he only cared about the results, not the process. He had enough confidence to believe that he could control them.
Besides, this was nothing more than a side move for him; the final outcome wouldn't have a major impact on his current situation.
However, since it was already considered that he had a faction, it was necessary to make a gesture.
"If you do a good job, there will be rewards. Give me your identity card later, and I'll transfer 1000 points to you as a reward."
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.
It was 1000 points. Most of those present had never seen so many points.
For some, 1000 points was an unreachable number, as even now, some didn't have 100 points on their cards.
"And you, Fox, you've also done well. I'll reward you with 200 points," Cain continued.
Rewards and punishments—that's the way to manage subordinates.
Fox, visibly excited, couldn't believe he had also earned a reward in points.
So far, after completing so many missions, he had barely accumulated just over 100 points. Now, in one go, he had received double his total. How could he not be happy?
Everyone present turned their gaze to Fox, with varying expressions of envy and jealousy.
At the same time, in their hearts, they firmly decided to do something that would please Cain, so they could also earn rewards in points.
As for Skye, who received 1000 points, everyone felt envy. However, they understood that there was a great difference in strength, and he was the person closest to Cain, practically his right-hand man.
But for Fox, the envy was pure. After all, they were all pawns, and the only difference was that Fox had been recruited a little earlier, but had already received a reward of 200 points.
Especially those who considered themselves stronger than Fox—they were the most jealous.
It's only when people's positions and abilities are similar that comparisons become more apparent.
Cain noticed their expressions and said, "As long as you behave well, there will be rewards. Then you can choose between points, Pokémon, items—whatever you want."
Upon hearing these words, everyone was filled with excitement, eager to prove their loyalty immediately and complete tasks to earn all the rewards.
(End of chapter)