"What do you mean by that?" asked Rose.
At that moment, it was as if she were clinging to the last strand of hope that could save her life.
If there was a chance, she truly wanted to escape the control of the Hunter Guild.
"It's simple. Join Team Rocket in the Hoenn region. Change your identity, start over. Although the Hunter Guild also has a presence in Hoenn, without Team Rocket's support, finding a single person there would be extremely difficult," Cain explained.
Then he pulled a Pokéball from his pocket and placed it directly on the table.
"Inside is another Elite-level Pokémon. If you accept, it's yours." After speaking, Cain crossed his legs, and the psychic-blocking beads began to spin even faster.
Rose stared at the Pokéball on the table with fiery eyes.
An Elite-level Pokémon!
And he was just... offering it?
But she soon came back to her senses and fixed her gaze on Cain. "Who are you really? You know my name, you know my situation... I don't think a mere Quasi-Elite level trainer is worth enough to receive a Pokémon of that level."
Cain silently laughed and shook his head.
After hesitating a moment, he pulled back his hood and deactivated the psychic membrane hiding his face.
He revealed his true face: black hair, dark eyes, eyebrows as sharp as blades, a straight and prominent nose, pale skin from lack of sun, red lips and white teeth.
A truly handsome face.
Rose was stunned upon seeing him.
So handsome...
No, that didn't matter! She didn't know him.
But... he was really handsome!
Even under her heavy makeup, a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
It was then that Cain realized: Looks like she's never seen me as I truly am. And he let out a low chuckle.
"Miltank, Saffron City, Logan... do they remind you of someone?" asked Cain with a slight smile.
Hearing that, Rose narrowed her eyes, trying to suppress the ridiculous ideas starting to cross her mind, forcing herself to remember what he had just mentioned.
Suddenly, as if something clicked in her memory, her pupils contracted.
She raised a trembling finger, pointing at Cain, trying to speak, but not knowing what to say.
"Looks like you've remembered," said Cain.
The shock in Rose's eyes took a while to fade, giving way to a complex expression.
She couldn't believe it.
That kid she barely exchanged words with... is now an Elite Officer of Team Rocket? A trainer who can offer an Elite-level Pokémon just like that?
But thinking about it, Rose couldn't help but feel some excitement.
Rising from a regular trainer to Elite level in a year wasn't impossible, but it was extremely rare. She had never seen anything like it.
Cain's current power meant only one thing: his potential was massive.
Maybe, her chance to break free from the chains of the Hunter Guild was standing right in front of her.
"I didn't expect you to have come so far," said Rose, her expression hard to read.
"I believe in you. You can reach this level too, if you leave the Hunter Guild."
"Leave the Hunter Guild...?" Rose repeated softly.
Gradually, her eyes began to shine. She looked at Cain again and asked: "What do I have to give in return?"
"Very simple: loyalty... and more loyalty," Cain replied with a smile.
Loyalty.
Many said that word easily, but how many truly meant it?
Rose gave a soft laugh, not hiding the bitterness in her expression. "Who would trust someone who's only thinking about escaping their current organization?"
Leaving the Hunter Guild... was it truly impossible?
Not necessarily. There's always a chance.
But if she did, where would she go? Without resources, how could she continue progressing as a trainer?
An endless cycle.
"I do trust you. But for your peace of mind and mine, I need to leave a safety measure in your mind. There's no need to explain what it does," said Cain.
Then he looked at the watch on his communicator and added: "You have ten minutes to decide. After that, the main leader of the Guild will be back."
Rose wasn't even wondering how Cain knew all this anymore.
She was fighting a mental battle.
Cain's potential was what she valued the most.
But the Hunter Guild wasn't a force to be taken lightly.
Several minutes passed. Cain remained calmly seated on the sofa, spinning the psychic-blocking beads.
Then suddenly, Rose seemed to understand everything. She looked at him with resignation and said: "From the moment you showed your face... I didn't really have a choice, did I?"
At last, she understood.
What seemed like a choice... was nothing more than a disguised option.
If she refused, there'd probably be another anonymous corpse in the black market soon.
Cain smiled without denying it.
That was right. In his current position, he had no reason to go against the Hunter Guild for someone like her.
It just wasn't worth it.
This had simply been a spontaneous whim.
If it worked out, he'd gain a future Elite-level trainer as an ally.
His current subordinates, while promising, could no longer keep up with him.
Maybe only Karen had a decent level, but even she was falling behind.
"Alright. I accept. Do what you have to do," Rose finally said with resolve, closing her eyes.
Cain was quite satisfied with today's spontaneous decision.
He summoned Mismagius, who plunged Rose into a world of dreams, and then placed his right hand on her head.
It was a technique he had developed after improving his control over his psychic powers.
Planting a psychic power seed in someone's mind, one that could detonate whenever he chose.
Generally, these "seeds" didn't last long, but Cain was different: he possessed the secret power of the Unown.
Using that power as a core, he wrapped his psychic power and implanted it into another person's mind. That way, it could last up to three years without fading. After that time, he only needed to reactivate the power with a small additional amount.
Otherwise, the secret power would explode uncontrollably.
This technique, even Sabrina wouldn't be able to deactivate. She could neutralize psychic power, but not secret power.
Cain called it: The Secret Seed.
It couldn't be used at just any time. Only when the person fully accepted it, could it be planted.
The explosion wasn't especially powerful. At most, it would cause the target's brain to be pulverized.
But it was very useful for ensuring the loyalty of his subordinates.
On the other hand, the dream induced by Mismagius caused a subtle hypnotic state, like what Cain once did with Lysandre.
However, that only worked when the target completely lowered their guard.
By combining both techniques, his subordinates wouldn't just be loyal—they'd become increasingly devoted.
(End of chapter)