After organizing Murkrow and Slowpoke, Cain sat beside the cave.
This time, it truly was an unexpected disaster. He was merely walking near the river when he encountered a powerful ruler of the area.
Both Pokémon took a significant hit.
However, for Cain, who had explored wild areas in his past life, encountering powerful Pokémon in their territory and being driven off like this was nothing new.
"Don't look so down; it's just about living a few more years. As long as we train hard, sooner or later, we'll regain what we lost today," Cain said to console them.
With Cain's words, they began to relax as well, transforming their frustration into an inexhaustible source of motivation.
We must become stronger and reclaim what's ours!
Although they wanted to start training right away, both Murkrow and Slowpoke were injured to varying degrees, so Cain ordered them to train only after they had fully healed.
Thus, in the cave at night, only the sounds of the waterfall and the crackling firewood could be heard; there were no other sounds.
Murkrow lay obediently against the cave wall, eyes closed, digesting the Pokéblocks. Each time it finished absorbing the energy, it would eat another Pokéblock and continue the digestion process.
Although Pokéblocks are automatically absorbed after being consumed, the process can be sped up by mobilizing the body's internal energy, increasing the flow to digest the Pokéblocks faster.
On the other hand, Slowpoke also closed its eyes, lying on the ground. Its mysterious psychic energy enveloped its body, and even the surrounding space showed slight waves of distortion.
Cain watched his Pokémon's efforts with keen attention. Since his Pokémon were working so hard and wanted to grow, as their trainer, he could only support them and think about the most suitable training methods and growth directions for them.
"If I could make advanced Pokéblocks, it would definitely accelerate their growth," Cain thought silently.
As for how to obtain the tools to make advanced Pokéblocks, that was something he had to solve. After all, it was his responsibility as a trainer.
Murkrow's growth path was very suitable for him—a nimble assassin with low endurance and defense. If he continued daily weight training, his speed would surely reach extraordinary levels.
But regarding Slowpoke's growth direction, that was something Cain needed to consider. Slowpoke has two types of evolutions: Slowbro and Slowking.
Slowbro specializes in physical defense, while Slowking excels in special defense. Cain hadn't yet decided which type he wanted Slowpoke to evolve into, and besides, this was a decision he needed to discuss with Slowpoke.
Though evolving into Slowking is exponentially more challenging than becoming Slowbro, if Slowpoke wanted to become Slowking, Cain would support him with all his strength.
In Cain's view, Slowpoke, who is a bit slow but has good endurance and exceptional talent in psychic skills, should aim toward Slowking, focusing on special attack and special defense, without worrying too much about physical defense.
However, if Slowpoke wanted to evolve into Slowbro, Cain would also support him.
The night in the cave beneath the waterfall was especially cool. Sitting by the fire, Cain became lost in his thoughts, while his two Pokémon were working hard to heal their wounds and return to training as soon as possible.
Soon, the night passed. After thinking everything over, Cain instructed Murkrow and Slowpoke to stop and rest. Sometimes, the body's natural recovery ability shouldn't be underestimated.
The morning, as always, was dedicated to training, but unlike other days, today Murkrow trained with particular intensity. Yesterday's experience had been a harsh blow for him.
Although Slowpoke couldn't train physically, his psychic abilities weren't affected. After overusing Teleport yesterday, Slowpoke felt a great increase in his psychic energy and a deeper understanding of that move.
Originally, Slowpoke could only lift a single stone with telekinesis for practice, but today, to Cain's surprise, he could lift two stones simultaneously. Although the overuse of psychic powers yesterday had been exhausting, the growth achieved was significant.
Cain concluded that Slowpoke had always had great psychic potential but had only been using that power superficially.
If Slowpoke's psychic energy was compared to a glass of water, his previous use of psychic powers was like drinking through a thin straw. But after yesterday's excessive use, the straw had become twice as wide, exponentially increasing his energy usage.
Seeing Slowpoke's growth, Murkrow pushed himself even harder. He knew that in a battle against Slowpoke, part of his success was due to Slowpoke's psychic moves not affecting him, and another part due to Cain's leadership.
In terms of overall strength, Slowpoke's combat ability was likely twice as much as his.
Of course, as a teammate, Murkrow didn't envy Slowpoke.
But that didn't stop him from seeing Slowpoke as a goal. Only through continuous training and improvement could he grow enough. He didn't want to lag behind when Cain captured other powerful Pokémon in the future.
As Cain's first captured Pokémon, Murkrow had his pride and didn't want to become a burden to the team. In fact, he wanted to be the strongest Pokémon on the team to protect the others in future battles.
While his Pokémon trained, Cain also exercised. Accompanying his Pokémon in their training helped to bring their hearts closer together.
When one is busy, time flies. The three hours of morning training vanished in the blink of an eye.
Although he wanted to continue, Cain didn't forget that he had a mission given by Umbra. Beyond whether completing the mission would allow him to advance in the organization, the 10,000 reward points were something he urgently needed.
Now that he had two Pokémon to raise, the resource consumption would multiply.
The resources needed to raise these two Pokémon were astonishing. It didn't seem like raising Murkrow had consumed many resources, partly because Cain made the Pokéblocks himself, so the investment wasn't as high.
But for an ordinary trainer, doing something like this would be impossible. You have to know that a single medium-level Pokéblock costs 5 points on Team Rocket's exchange list. Murkrow consumes around 30 Pokéblocks a day, meaning a daily investment of 150 points.
And if we add the Pokéblocks that Slowpoke needs, the required points increase.
Furthermore, we must remember that a Pokémon not only needs physical strength but must also master important moves. Cain had already spent over 10,000 points on teaching Murkrow three moves and would need to invest more as both Pokémon learned additional moves.
That's why it's so challenging for an average trainer to stand out in this world. Without special opportunities, the resources required to raise a single Pokémon would take a lifetime, and by then, the Pokémon would have passed its peak.
Cain had always relied on the system. In his previous life, even with the system's help, he had to become a Pokémon hunter and leverage Team Rocket's resources to reach the level of a quasi-elite trainer.
But being a quasi-elite trainer only placed him in the mid-upper ranks among Team Rocket members.
In the League, there were countless hidden quasi-elite trainers.
Only by becoming an Elite-level trainer does one barely have the right to live freely in this world.
But just barely.
After all, being an Elite-level trainer doesn't mean being one of the Elite Four. They are two different concepts.
He stepped out of the cave, and after yesterday's heavy rain, today the sky was clear. The warm rays of the sun touched Cain's skin as he exited the cave, bringing him a sense of comfort like drinking cool water when thirsty.
Walking again on the smooth stones by the lake, Cain noticed that the water, which had risen significantly yesterday, had miraculously returned to its original level. The stones, washed by the rain, shone softly under the sun, showing their cleanliness.
Looking at the water's surface, Cain said to Murkrow and Slowpoke, "The next time we come here, it'll be to take revenge."
"Craw!"
"Yadon~!"
Though Cain's words were calm, the determination in them made Murkrow and Slowpoke feel completely convinced. Both responded with a sound to Cain.
This desire for revenge was also what they now believed in, and what would guide their efforts in the future.
(End of chapter)