Although Pokémon are far more resilient than humans, they are not made of iron either. Aside from some Pokémon composed purely of metal or rock, most have bodies that seem hard but are actually flexible.
Fortunately, Cain's current psychic power was strong enough to perform massages directly with it. Otherwise, not to mention massaging Pokémon like Aggron or Tyranitar—especially Aggron, whose body is completely covered in metal.
How to massage such difficult Pokémon was precisely something a breeder had to learn. With the help of the system, Cain could quickly analyze which points and areas of the body to massage to help them recover faster, which was his great advantage.
Although during that period most of the battles had fallen to Salamence, Gardevoir, Venusaur, and Lucario, their strength still had some room to grow. Especially Salamence, which had not yet reached the Quasi-Champion level.
There were always Pokémon that could not be dealt with by them alone, and in those cases Cain would send out the appropriate Pokémon.
And what did "appropriate" mean? That the level and strength were similar.
Although this meant that victories took a bit longer and the Pokémon were injured to varying degrees, training, injuries, and tempering were all part of the experience, weren't they?
If one always fought weaker opponents who could be defeated with just two moves, what was the point?
Cain was convinced that not only he thought this way, but his Pokémon did as well.
If it were only about crushing weak enemies, why come to such a dangerous environment? Wouldn't it be more comfortable to do it in ordinary forests of the Pokémon world, full of low-level wild Pokémon?
To learn more and truly apply what had been trained, the best way was to face opponents of equivalent strength head-on.
Cain had his own breeding plan, and not far away, Steven, Lance, and the others were also following their own methods and directions.
There are a thousand Hamlets for a thousand people, and a thousand different ways to raise a Pokémon. It is hard to say which is the best. As long as the Pokémon is raised according to its trainer's ideal, that will be the best way for it.
That was why, even though Cain and the others were not far from each other, they practically did not interfere with one another when training and raising Pokémon, even if they saw methods that, in their judgment, were not correct.
During that time, Cain released Togekiss and the Clawitzer again, and after patiently explaining everything to them, Togekiss finally understood the situation.
In short, they had to stay there for four more months. For them, it was not actually a bad thing. They still had an attachment to the place, and it was not easy to leave their home; those four months would give them enough time to say their goodbyes.
Moreover, their presence would increase the aura strength in the valley, helping to resist anomalous psychic ability scans and increasing security.
Cain also released the two Eeveelutions belonging to Jacob and the man in yellow: a Leafeon and a Jolteon.
Although they were well trained, Cain had no intention of making them his own.
At his current level, unless he encountered a Pokémon with exceptional compatibility as in Steven's case, he normally would not accept them, much less if they already belonged to others.
Of course, not taking them as his own did not mean they could not be used. On special occasions, they could be useful; after all, both had reached the first threshold of the Champion level, and even without a compatible trainer, their combat strength was not negligible.
Moreover, they did not need special training. It was enough to maintain their current level to protect the entire valley, prevent the intrusion of reckless wild Pokémon, and strengthen overall security.
For quite some time, Cain and his group would probably live there. As the main base, the valley would be reinforced little by little.
It was their first day there, and everyone needed to adjust. When the day ended, most would gradually head out, whether to look for other companions or to train their Pokémon.
The existence of the Sacred Church was like a dagger hanging over their heads. If they did not want to die when that dagger fell, they could only continue to increase their strength, even if only to have enough defense at the critical moment.
Everything was progressing just as Cain and the others had planned.
...
While Cain and his group were beginning to consolidate and search for companions, the members of the Sacred Church who had descended upon that continent were plunged into total chaos.
They had neither the mind nor the energy to deal with Cain and the others, as each was dealing with their own problems.
Just as Cain had perceived, the Sacred Church had gathered at the central mountain of the continent.
More precisely, they were outside a special barrier on that mountain. To Cain's eyes, they appeared formidable, but that barrier completely blocked them.
On a flat area in front of the barrier, a large number of people had gathered. Their expressions and stances were different, marking clear divisions.
And within those divisions, two people stood out as leaders.
If Cain had been there, he would have recognized one of them: the man with overwhelming psychic power who had been the first to enter.
However, the attitudes of the two leaders were completely opposite. The excessively powerful psychic man leaned against a steep rock, calmly filing his nails, with the expression of a mere spectator.
Several people seemed to follow him, all wearing the same indifferent look.
The other leader was a man with a dark face and a deeply furrowed brow. It was unclear whether his face was like that because of anger or by nature, but his gaze was fierce, fixed with hostility on the two people standing before him without showing submission.
They were Irene, who had escaped from Steven's hands, and Will, who had fled from Cain.
Will was now dressed entirely in black; even his mask and eye bandage were black.
A true black messenger of the Sacred Church.
At his side, Irene, calm and composed, was dressed in white: the white messenger, the most active member of the Sacred Church in the Pokémon world.
Despite the fury of the dark-faced man, neither Will nor Irene showed the slightest fear. They stood still, letting all his anger find no outlet.
(End of chapter)