If the weakening of the spatial blockade offered Cain any advantage, it was that he could now vaguely perceive the psychic marks he had left on Phoebe and Wallace—and not only on them: he had also left a mark on both Cynthia and Diantha.
Although the perception was faint and only provided a general sense, it was already enough to give him a direction.
Whether it was Phoebe, Wallace, Cynthia, or Diantha, finding any one of them meant increasing the chances of survival.
Most of the people who had entered this experience probably still did not know what kind of crisis was approaching.
Many were still fighting against extremely powerful wild Pokémon.
The flight continued at an almost limit-breaking speed.
Cain no longer worried about whether flying so ostentatiously would attract the attention of others.
Even if it did, they were now three people, with nothing to fear. The only thing that truly concerned him was the possible entry of members of the Sacred Church.
As for the wild Pokémon encountered along the way, weren't there Lance's Dragonite and Steven's Aerodactyl?
Two top-tier bodyguards.
If the wild Pokémon were not especially strong, Salamence could eliminate them with a single attack.
...
In the midst of this race against time, Cain's team went from three people to five.
Cynthia sat beside Cain on Salamence, while Wallace traveled with Lance on Dragonite.
Being able to find them so quickly was largely thanks to luck. Among all the psychic marks, one location felt especially clear. As he drew closer, Cain discovered that two people were together, which strengthened his perception.
Precisely because Cynthia and Wallace happened to coincide by chance, it was possible to find them so quickly.
Their addition greatly increased the team's strength. If they were to encounter a combination like Jacob and Irene again at that moment, Cain was confident they could crush them simply through numerical superiority in Pokémon.
Without wasting time on excessive explanations, after regrouping, they immediately headed toward the next objective.
During the journey, Cain explained everything that had happened.
The reactions of both were identical to Lance's the first time, especially Cynthia, who clearly showed an enormous desire to confront Irene.
If Cain had not repeatedly insisted that there would be many more battles ahead, Cynthia would probably have already turned back to counterattack.
Fortunately, since she was sitting on Salamence, she could not leave on her own, which avoided the problem.
Even so, although they had already found Cynthia and Wallace, they still had not located Phoebe, so the search had to continue.
But in a place unknown to Cain, the other spatial rift continued to expand without any external interference, further weakening the continent's spatial blockade.
At that instant, Cain's heart skipped a beat.
Because he could now approximately perceive the location of the two remaining psychic marks. That meant the spatial blockade was practically destroyed by fifty percent, and the Pokémon inside could more easily perform the move Teleport.
"The moment of the Sacred Church's descent is getting closer and closer. We have to speed up even more!" Cain said with an extremely serious expression.
If he did not have spatial talent, he truly would not want to bear such pressure.
But if he did not shoulder it, it was very likely that everyone present would end up dead without even realizing it.
Now that the locations were clear, things became much simpler.
They headed first to the nearest point.
After three hours of flying at maximum speed, they finally found the young woman who was calmly training: the future superstar, Diantha!
Diantha's Gardevoir and Goodra were very powerful, so for her this training did not pose much pressure.
But upon seeing the imposing group of five people led by Cain arrive with such an intimidating presence, she was quickly "convinced" to join their enormous search team.
Like Cynthia and Wallace, Diantha did not have main Pokémon specialized in flight, so she had to ride together with Steven on his Aerodactyl.
When everyone saw Steven's Aerodactyl, they could not help but wonder how he managed to sit comfortably on its back.
That Aerodactyl had already undergone a partial mutation, with sharp rocks protruding all over its body. Anyone who saw it would feel a chill run down their spine.
That was why Cynthia and Wallace had chosen Salamence and Dragonite without hesitation. Moreover, in terms of comfort and space, Salamence was clearly the best of the three.
Diantha firmly refused to get on Steven's Aerodactyl. Steven had his special equipment, but just thinking about it gave her chills.
Everyone understood her situation, and with no other choice, they turned their gaze toward Lance.
After all, the one with the most Flying-type Pokémon was that shameless guy who proclaimed himself the Dragon-type Elite Four.
With no other option, Lance stopped worrying about conserving energy and summoned his old companion: Charizard.
At last, Diantha was able to sit calmly on its back.
For a moment, everyone looked at Steven with a bit of sympathy.
In fact, upon seeing Charizard, Steven realized that he too could have ridden it.
But thinking that "abandoning" his Aerodactyl might hurt its feelings, he could only continue to sit obediently on its back. Fortunately, he had his special equipment.
Thus, the group gradually went from two people to six.
If not for the interference of the Sacred Church, Cain felt that this group could sweep across the entire continent and take all the valuable materials.
The Flying-type Pokémon also increased from three to four.
With the number of Pokémon and the presence they now had, most wild Pokémon were not stupid enough to throw themselves into certain death.
Among them were Champion-level Dragon-type Pokémon. Their aura, released without restraint, even made Cain praise the wild Pokémon that dared to attack, calling them "heroes," before defeating them without the slightest hesitation.
Cain thought that once they found Phoebe, they could hide and stay together. If the Sacred Church dared to come, perhaps they could inflict considerable losses on them.
But ideals were beautiful, and reality cruel.
While they were flying toward Phoebe's location, the psychic mark Cain had left on her suddenly disappeared.
It vanished without leaving a trace.
In that place, there was only one possible explanation.
Phoebe had encountered a member of the Sacred Church with psychic abilities and had been defeated. Only by approaching her could the enemy have perceived the mark left by Cain.
And then, that mark was erased.
It was a sign.
Phoebe was in danger!
(End of chapter)