After thinking for a few seconds, Cain made a decision.
The Pokéball slipped from his hand and struck Moltres directly.
The Pokéball opened immediately, and a red beam absorbed Moltres inside.
Since Moltres had already been defeated by Ampharos and Cain had secretly drained a large amount of his blood, he was in a deep sleep.
Therefore, the capture process went smoothly.
Clack!
With a soft sound, Moltres was captured without resistance.
Cain picked up the Pokéball and, upon seeing the legendary Pokémon inside, felt a strange sense of unreality.
He had once stood before a Moltres, but he didn't value it as he should have. If he had the chance to relive that moment, Cain would say...
That he still probably couldn't afford it.
But now he had captured an adult Moltres, at its peak, a Pokémon at Intermediate Elite Four level.
With a bit of training, Cain was confident it could soon surpass the Elite Four threshold and reach Champion level.
He finally understood why Brannis and Rox had been so agitated.
After watching with their own eyes how the Moltres they already considered theirs was captured by Cain right before them, Brannis and Rox couldn't do anything but kneel and beg for their lives.
Behind them, Regice stood still like a block of ice, but the destructive power it had just displayed had them terrified.
Their Pokémon had completely lost the ability to fight, and the two of them alone could do absolutely nothing against Cain's team.
Cain gave one last look at the Moltres inside the Pokéball and, after a brief moment of hesitation, released it again.
He then performed some basic treatments on its wounds.
In fact, with its constitution, it should recover quickly.
But Cain had extracted from its body all the energy accumulated over years, stored in its muscles and blood.
No—worse: he had completely drained its blood.
Though it might sound cruel, Moltres' blood was truly a top-tier material, almost impossible to obtain.
Even those who owned a Moltres would never dare to drain its blood to make materials.
And since there were almost no wild Moltres, the amount of energy contained in them was even scarcer.
To say that Cain was the only person in the world with a tank full of Moltres blood was not an exaggeration.
At most, others might have a test tube, or at best, a small vial.
But Cain had a whole barrel.
After applying basic care to Moltres and stabilizing its breathing, Cain finally turned his attention to Brannis and Rox.
Seeing them so miserable, yet still holding their heads high with pride, Cain almost burst out laughing.
Kneeling with arrogance?
Now that was real spirit.
Although, looking not far away and seeing Ampharos' body in a crater, Cain couldn't help but grimace.
It had been killed by Regice.
No one would have imagined it.
So calm, so docile... and when it attacked, it was utterly brutal.
Charizard, at least, was still alive.
But it was barely breathing. If not treated soon, it wouldn't last much longer.
Cain felt a pang in his chest.
Originally, Brannis and Rox had wanted to say something when they saw Cain approaching.
But in the blink of an eye, they saw him running toward the crater where Charizard lay.
Murmuring under his breath: "What a waste! What a waste!"
Ten minutes later, Cain emerged from the hole where Charizard was, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He had finally managed to save it.
Otherwise, the loss would have been devastating.
Although he deeply regretted Ampharos' death.
Those two were undoubtedly Brannis and Rox's most valuable Pokémon.
Cain still remembered how much he had earned at his previous auction from a newly advanced Elite-level Cofagrigus.
Ampharos and Charizard were worth far more.
Now, with Ampharos dead, Cain had lost nearly half of what he expected to gain.
And isn't that a massive loss?
Fortunately, at least he had managed to save Charizard.
Only then did he allow himself to look at Brannis and Rox.
Poor nobles, born with silver spoons, had never knelt on solid ground for so long. They couldn't even feel their knees anymore.
If not for Cain's Pokémon standing guard over them with serious expressions, they would've gotten up long ago.
"Well, well... Looks like there's still a bit of pride left in your hearts," Cain commented sarcastically as he approached, unable to resist seeing them still holding their noses high.
The loss of Ampharos had clearly left him in a foul mood.
"Tell us what you want. If it's money or Pokémon, no problem. My brother's life and mine are worth quite a bit," said Brannis, still haughty.
As if he knew that Cain, being a mere commoner, must be short on money.
When Cain went to save Charizard, Brannis had already guessed his intention.
"Oh... So you know I need money, huh?" Cain said as he slowly approached.
His psychic power spread out, completely immobilizing Brannis and Rox. Then he signaled to Slowking, who applied a second layer of control.
Cain crouched down and began searching their bodies.
They both tried to speak, but found they couldn't move their bodies or mouths.
They only emitted muffled sounds: "Mmmgh!"
"Found it," Cain announced, pulling out two badges.
They were Elite Officer badges from Team Rocket.
"With these, I can report back. As for my identity, I ask both of you to kindly keep it a secret," he said with a smile.
He also took all their dimensional equipment and Pokéballs, placing them carefully in front of them.
While doing this, Brannis began to feel like his fate was hanging by a thread.
However, Cain's last sentence didn't sound like he planned to kill them. So, for a moment, they breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as they were beginning to relax, they noticed something strange...
Why were they seeing their own bodies from above?
That was Brannis' last thought.
They only heard Cain coldly say: "The best way to keep a secret... is to take it to the grave along with Regi."
A spatial slash separated their bodies from their souls.
Then Cain opened a dimensional rift and tossed the remains inside.
He dusted off his hands: "Done. In the end, it was easier than I expected. Of course, that's also thanks to this Moltres being so strong and costing them so much power."
Although the most decisive factor was the trump card Cain had prepared from the beginning: the appearance of Regice.
That was the factor that changed the entire battle.
Cain walked up to Regice and patted its arm.
Via telepathy, he said: "Don't worry. I already have a few leads on Mew. As we promised, in five years we'll find him, no matter what it takes."
Regice nodded silently.
Just as Cain thought everything was over...
BOOM!
CRACK!
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
The sky, previously clear, began to fill with dark clouds that gathered quickly.
And the once calm sea began to stir, forming towering, roaring waves...
(End of chapter)