Cain... of Team Rocket?
A long time ago, Phoebe had heard similar rumors through side channels. She had always taken them as mere slander and brushed them off with a smile.
But now, seeing Will's expression and hearing his tone, everything felt disturbingly real.
If Cain were from Team Rocket...
The question echoed in her mind, like a direct challenge to her own heart.
If Cain was from Team Rocket, why would he risk his life to come and save her? Weren't Team Rocket and the League enemies?
If Cain was from Team Rocket, why would he fight tirelessly for the Hoenn League? Why confront Team Magma, Team Aqua, and the Sacred Church?
If Cain was from Team Rocket, why would he help League members again and again? Helping Elite Four Drake detoxify, helping Chairman Juan save his Latios, helping Steven develop his leadership abilities...
All the answers pointed in the exact opposite direction of Will's words.
Phoebe's conviction solidified.
She squeezed Cain's hand tightly.
If Cain was from Team Rocket, then so be it!
If all members of Team Rocket were like Cain, the entire League could develop in peace.
No matter what happened, Phoebe would never stand on the opposite side from Cain. Just the fact that he had risked his life to save her was already more than enough.
Feeling Phoebe's response through her hand, Cain let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
He admitted that Will's words had caught him off guard and made him lose control for a brief moment. But Phoebe's reaction made it clear that she had not believed him.
"For the sake of becoming stronger... you've already abandoned your soul," Cain said in a deep voice.
He did not know how the Sacred Church had obtained part of the information about his true identity, but the fact that they had not exposed him to the League indicated that they only had suspicions, not proof. That allowed him to relax a little.
Will looked at him in silence, his expression laden with meaning.
He had seen through Cain.
But Cain merely smiled lightly, not taking it to heart.
Yes, he was a member of Team Rocket. But not because he wanted to join them—rather, as a resource-less civilian, it had been the best path to becoming a strong trainer.
Even so, Cain had always maintained his own moral line. He would not kill anyone... unless someone provoked him.
If he had a choice, he would never commit indiscriminate atrocities.
Will, however, was different. Cain could see in the depths of his eyes that absolute coldness, that contempt for everything. Like many members of the Sacred Church, he was willing to use any means to achieve his goal.
Just as Cain had said, Will had already sold his soul to the Sacred Church in exchange for that so-called power.
That went completely against Cain's principles.
Cain wanted to become strong in order to free his soul, to not be bound by anything and to live as a truly free person. That was why he had fought his way this far.
So when Will said they were the same type of person, Cain could only think that they were complete opposites, even if their methods appeared similar.
"Why keep talking to him?" the man in yellow cut in impatiently. "Let's finish this quickly. More people will arrive soon; if we have extra time, we can even set up some traps and catch them all."
If Will had accepted his initial suggestion and eliminated Phoebe immediately, this whole problem would never have arisen.
Even so, from his point of view, the situation was still simple. If it was only Cain, he was fully confident he could defeat him quickly, just as he had done with Phoebe.
That confidence came from the twenty-five years he had spent hiding and accumulating power, fostering a sense of confidence and superiority that was hard to describe.
Cain shot a quick glance at him and at the two Pokémon beside him: Jolteon and Ampharos, imposing and radiating pressure.
He did not know why, but the two members of the Sacred Church he had encountered seemed to have a particular fondness for Pokémon from the Eevee line.
Judging by the Pokémon he used, it was clear that this man specialized in the Electric type, which put Cain somewhat at ease.
Moreover, after having faced Brad and Jacob, Cain no longer felt much fear toward these people who had been stuck in the same place for twenty-five years.
They seemed very strong, but once a real battle began, all it took was finding their flaws for all their weaknesses to be laid bare.
Put simply: they were very effective against opponents much weaker than themselves, which made them seem invincible. But against someone of a similar level, they could end up being crushed without mercy.
Cain took advantage of a brief moment to scan the data of Jolteon and Ampharos.
Pokémon: Jolteon (Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 87
Type: Electric
Ability: Volt Absorb
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Charm, Endure, Natural Gift, Synchronoise
Basic Moves: Thunder Shock, Helping Hand, Tackle, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, Double Kick, Thunder Fang, Pin Missile, Agility, Discharge, Last Resort, Thunder
Learned Moves: Covet, Heal Bell, Laser Focus, Signal Beam, Snore, Magnet Rise, Hyper Voice, Shock Wave, Iron Tail
TM Moves: Protect, Light Screen, Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Double Team, Attract, Charge Beam, Thunder Wave, Wild Charge
Another Eevee evolution with Purple quality, and also level 87, the same as Jacob's Leafeon.
However, even though Jolteon had the same level and quality, its rarity and value clearly could not be compared to those of Leafeon.
Pokémon: Ampharos (Light Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 85
Type: Electric
Ability: Static
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Body Slam, Odor Sleuth, Iron Tail, Electric Terrain
Basic Moves: Thunder Punch, Zap Cannon, Magnetic Flux, Ion Deluge, Dragon Pulse, Fire Punch, Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore, Charge, Take Down, Electro Ball, Confuse Ray, Power Gem, Discharge, Cotton Guard, Signal Beam, Light Screen
Learned Moves: Laser Focus, Shock Wave, Outrage, Electroweb, Snore, After You, Focus Punch, Magnet Rise, Heal Bell
TM Moves: Protect, Safeguard, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Charge Beam, Volt Switch, Wild Charge
To Cain, this Ampharos was clearly more suitable as the core of an Electric-type team than Jolteon, even if its aptitude was somewhat inferior.
(End of chapter)