Cain was walking through the forest with his Pokémon, unaware of the new group of people who had arrived on the Trial Island.
However, whether it was due to some deliberate intention by the group of psychics or simply someone's luck, a person suddenly appeared right in front of Cain.
"..."
"..."
They both stood there, staring at each other in silence, perhaps a bit bewildered.
The person who had appeared before Cain was wearing a black Team Rocket uniform.
Judging by his appearance, it seemed he wasn't one of the trial participants on the Trial Island.
Participants on the Trial Island usually carried a certain aura of ruthlessness, but the person in front of Cain lacked that scent.
Besides, it had already been nearly an hour since Cain had been transported to the island, so all participants should have been transported by then. This person who suddenly appeared could only be one of those who entered afterward.
That person also recognized Cain, and luckily he was transported along with his Pokémon; otherwise, Cain, who reacted first, might have already attacked him.
"Primeape! Cross Chop!" the person shouted as his Primeape prepared to attack.
After giving the order, the man stepped back a few paces to avoid being directly attacked by Cain. Then, he took two Pokéballs from his belt, holding them firmly in his hands.
"Slowpoke, Confusion!" Cain ordered quickly.
This sudden encounter had indeed taken him by surprise.
Slowpoke's eyes shone with an intense blue glow, stopping Primeape mid-air just before it could launch its attack.
However, Primeape quickly broke free from Slowpoke's Confusion move and lunged to attack again.
Nevertheless, due to the brief delay caused by Confusion, Cain and Slowpoke managed to retreat to a safe distance.
Both Cain and the Team Rocket member stared at each other without making any moves.
"Are you one of the participants?" finally asked the Team Rocket member.
Upon hearing his question, Cain confirmed the man's identity. However, he still didn't know if this person was a subordinate of an ordinary Officer or a Senior Officer.
The fact that his Primeape could break free from Slowpoke's Confusion move showed that his strength was not weak.
It's worth noting that Psychic-type moves are highly effective against Fighting-types. For a Fighting-type Pokémon to resist Slowpoke's Confusion, its skill level had to be quite high.
Cain didn't immediately answer; instead, he used his system to scan Primeape's data.
Pokémon: Primeape (Dark Green)
Gender: Male
Level: 30
Type: Fighting
Ability: Vital Spirit
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Foresight, Night Slash, Beat Up
Basic Moves: Rage, Final Gambit, Fling, Scratch, Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Fury Swipes, Karate Chop, Pursuit, Seismic Toss, Swagger, Cross Chop, Assurance, Punishment
Learned Moves: Ice Punch
TM Moves: Protect, Hidden Power (Water), Smack Down, Low Sweep, Double Team
A Level 30 Primeape with a dark green aptitude; no wonder it could break free from Slowpoke's Confusion move.
Cain frowned and asked, "Are you a subordinate of an Executive?"
Without answering his question, Cain asked again.
Hearing Cain's question, the man was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
However, when Cain continued asking, "If you're not a subordinate of an Executive, then whose subordinate are you? An Officer's?"
From his previous expression, it could be inferred he wasn't an Executive's subordinate; otherwise, he wouldn't have been taken aback before laughing. He was laughing because Cain's question seemed silly to him.
But when he heard Cain's follow-up question, his face turned serious. He realized that his expression had given away that he wasn't an Executive's subordinate.
"So, it seems if I'm not an Executive's subordinate, you're not afraid of me?" he asked.
Cain slowly shook his head, then smiled. "Even if you were an Executive's subordinate, I wouldn't fear you."
The man looked puzzled again before asking, "Are you that... what was the name...? Cain! One of the ones the higher-ups warned us to be careful of, right? My name is Miyamoto, remember that!"
Cain didn't respond; he only smiled.
Seeing Cain's silence, Miyamoto grew irritated but finally said, "Answer some questions for me, and I'll let you go."
"Oh, is that the same thing I was going to tell you? Answer some questions, and if I'm satisfied, I'll let you go."
"Do you really think you have any strength?" Miyamoto became even more annoyed.
"Try and see," Cain replied with a calm expression, in stark contrast to Miyamoto.
Both brought out their Pokéballs at the same time.
Cain called out his Miltank, while his opponent summoned a Machoke.
Pokémon: Machoke (Green)
Gender: Male
Level: 29
Type: Fighting
Ability: Guts
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Fire Punch, Quick Guard
Basic Moves: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight, Low Sweep, Seismic Toss, Revenge, Knock Off, Vital Throw, Wake-Up Slap
Learned Moves: Ice Punch, Helping Hand
TM Moves: Protect, Hidden Power (Fire), Brick Break, Bulldoze
A Fighting-type Pokémon, and still, against Slowpoke, he chose to send another Fighting-type Pokémon. That meant they either fully trusted their abilities or were specialized in training Fighting-type Pokémon.
Either case was a disadvantage against Slowpoke.
"Slowpoke, Calm Mind! Miltank, Block followed by Rollout!" Cain ordered.
Although Miltank was only level 26, it wouldn't be a problem to hold out for a while so Slowpoke could use Calm Mind.
"Primeape, use Punishment! Machoke, Ice Punch!"
They both shouted orders almost simultaneously. In wild encounters like this, there's no turn to attack or room for courtesy.
Here, it's decided who wins and who lives.
Primeape and Machoke, clearly trained to work together, quickly advanced, closing the distance to Miltank.
They knew the biggest threat at the moment was the pink Pokémon that looked so adorable. For Fighting-type Pokémon, the biggest danger was Psychic-types. As for Miltank, blocking their path, she didn't seem like a significant threat.
Miltank used Rollout just before the two Pokémon's attacks reached her.
Boom! Boom!
Primeape's Punishment move grows stronger as the opponent's ability increases. Although Miltank boosted her defense with Rollout, that also made the Punishment move more powerful.
If it weren't for Machoke's Ice Punch being partially blocked by Miltank's Thick Fat ability, she might have been defeated instantly.
"Slowpoke! Psyshock! Let's finish off Machoke first!" Cain ordered coldly, watching as Miltank was pushed back.
(End of the chapter)