"Let's prepare two plans. Everyone who has Champion-level Grass-type Pokémon, come and test your compatibility. The rest of you, go out and bring me that Cain," he ordered, looking around.
Aside from his direct subordinates, the others responded with obvious reluctance.
Thinking again about the name Cain, it felt strangely familiar to him.
Suddenly, he remembered that the former Black Messenger, the commander of the Second Legion whom they had struggled so hard to pull away from the League, had fallen precisely at the hands of that young man named Cain.
Thinking it over, several powerful members of the Sacred Church had already died at Cain's hands. His interest in Cain increased dramatically.
Nevertheless, as the visible person in charge of the operation, the others still had to show him a certain amount of respect.
Under the leadership of the relaxed man, his group disappeared from the area through instantaneous teleportation, something trivial for psychics of their level.
The four original residents, implicitly led by the two elders, would not participate in the search.
Will and Irene also left shortly afterward. They knew that even if they found Cain, they would not be able to defeat him. Moreover, Cain was not alone: if he truly had gathered many members of the League, their combined strength would be terrifying.
Furthermore, the Sacred Church only seemed united on the surface. Internally, everyone had their own calculations; perfect cooperation was impossible. In a confrontation of few versus many, the outcome was not guaranteed.
As for Cain's identity as a member of Team Rocket, that no longer mattered. No matter what they said, no one would believe them.
What was most surprising was that Cain, being from Team Rocket, had managed to gain the trust of so many core members of the League.
If they knew that this supposedly exemplary Team Rocket infiltrator had become the temporary person in charge of all the League members present there, they would be even more astonished.
The reason for this lay in his way of acting and the internal protection Giovanni had provided him.
With Steven and the others, Cain concealed only what was strictly necessary; the rest of the time, he was completely sincere.
Team Rocket dominated Kanto and Johto, while Hoenn was under the control of Team Magma, Team Aqua, and other forces. It was an extremely exclusionary region, where Team Rocket could barely intervene.
Cain operated in Hoenn with great autonomy. Team Rocket hardly assigned him missions, and Giovanni avoided letting him have direct contact with the League, so he never touched their interests.
Because of this, although some suspected his origins, the League mostly chose to turn a blind eye.
As for Team Heaven, aside from a few who knew of his connection to Team Rocket, not even Rose, the acting leader, nor Shelly knew about it.
Except for Skye, Miyamoto, and Alec, who had followed Cain from the beginning, no one else knew of that connection. Now, Team Heaven had become the largest clandestine force in Hoenn.
Under Cain's direction, it even transformed into the region's "official underground organization."
So, even though Cain was from Team Rocket, his actions had always been "clean."
After Will and Irene's departure, the dark-faced man took the Jolteon's Poké Ball and headed toward his base in the mountain. His subordinates, after seeing him leave, scattered in search of Cain.
...
Cain knew nothing about what had happened in the mountain.
However, he clearly sensed that the powerful concentration of psychic energy there had completely dissipated.
It could only mean one thing: the Sacred Church had split up. From that moment on, the continent would become much more dangerous.
Once dispersed, not even the Unown could detect the position of each individual person. That advantage had disappeared.
Cain informed Steven and the others.
People like Lance and Cynthia, who did not fear combat, decided to use the valley as a central point, gradually exploring outward and leaving special markers to gather forces.
If the enemy acted in a dispersed manner, although the probability of encounters would increase, the real danger would decrease.
In a one-on-one fight, even if they were weaker, they could always temporarily retreat.
Especially after obtaining Mega Evolution from Cain, their confidence had skyrocketed.
Thus, they decided to rest for one day and begin exploration according to the plan the following day.
Under such intense pressure from multiple fronts, everyone's adrenaline became hard to contain, and their enthusiasm for battle increased even further. It seemed that they all shared a mindset of "the stronger the opponent, the stronger we become."
In a high-pressure environment, the growth of their strength accelerated considerably.
None of the people present there were ordinary individuals, so Cain had no intention of limiting their actions. If everyone there managed to grow to their maximum potential, without exaggeration, they could easily sweep through the League of an entire region, even taking into account that such a League might possess hidden strength.
Thus began this tense and stimulating life. Each day basically consisted of eating, sleeping, and fighting wild Pokémon, with the occasional skirmish with members of the Sacred Church.
However, after those brief encounters, and once the enemy's strength was confirmed, everyone would temporarily choose to withdraw.
Withdrawing without leaving traces, with the help of the power of aura, allowed them to have a relatively safe place to live.
At first, Cain let the Pokémon rest for a period of time, then gave them room to digest the gains obtained in battle. After that, like Steven, Lance, and the others, he gradually began venturing out from the valley to face wild Pokémon and train.
Phoebe, for her part, dedicated at least one hour each day to helping Darkrai adjust the Ghost-type energy within it. Progress was a bit slower than expected, but Phoebe's spectral power continued to strengthen, her control improved, and the time she could maintain it increased steadily. Later on, the speed of improvement would undoubtedly accelerate.
A full month passed in this tense and exciting environment.
The Sacred Church had still not discovered the location of Cain and the others, but due to several previous encounters, the frequency of searches in this area began to gradually increase.
Even so, it was not something excessive, since many members of the church were scattered across the entire continent, so they could not confirm that this place was the main gathering point.
That said, it allowed Steven and the others to clearly understand who the true target of the Sacred Church was: Cain, the one responsible for eliminating two of their members.
One day, after that month had passed, the Aura Valley where they were staying finally welcomed its first new companion. The special marks and symbols that Lance, Cynthia, and others had tirelessly left everywhere finally paid off.
The person who arrived was an old acquaintance of Cain, a historical rival of Lance in the Kanto region: Lorelei, an expert in Ice-type Pokémon.
However, her condition was truly terrible.
Her arrival was not conscious; rather, with the help of her Slowbro, she barely managed to reach the valley. The instant she entered, Lorelei, due to the severity of her injuries, immediately fell into a coma.
(End of chapter)