They were able to detect her thanks to Cain's psychic ability covering the entire valley; every movement within it was under his control.
It was an enormous expenditure, but it also served as a form of constant training for his own psychic ability.
When Cain immediately appeared beside several Pokémon, he saw Lorelei unconscious on the ground and a Slowbro covered in wounds, yet extremely alert, protecting her.
Her pink skin was full of deep cuts from which blood was still flowing. However, she no longer showed that usual clumsy expression; her eyes were filled with tension, watching every movement around her.
When Cain suddenly appeared in front of them with the help of Slowking, what greeted him was an enormous sphere of ice.
Fortunately, Slowking's reaction speed was fast enough to use the move Teleport once again and evade the attack.
After the attack, Slowbro finally recognized who had arrived. She stopped her offensive, though she continued to look at Cain cautiously, fearing that he might try to do something.
Slowbro remembered Cain, but in truth she remembered Cain's Slowking even better.
It was daytime, and Lance and the others had all gone out to train. That day, only Cain had stayed behind to watch over the valley. According to their plan, each of them took turns staying there for a day, not only to protect the base, but also to prevent the Pokémon from engaging in high-intensity battles continuously.
Cain instinctively scanned the data of that Slowbro.
Pokémon: Slowbro (Purple) — Weak
Gender: Female
Level: 79
Type: Water + Psychic
Ability: Oblivious
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Future Sight, Sleep Talk, Wonder Room, Belch
Basic Moves: Withdraw, Heal Pulse, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun, Confusion, Disable, Headbutt, Zen Headbutt, Slack Off, Amnesia, Psychic, Rain Dance, Psych Up
Learned Moves: Aqua Tail, Foul Play, Iron Tail, Water Pulse, Telekinesis, Icy Wind, Block, Magic Coat, Snore, Iron Defense, Trick, Drain Punch, Ice Punch
TM Moves: Protect, Psyshock, Hail, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Light Screen, Earthquake, Rest, Scald, Substitute
At the Quasi-Champion level and with a Purple color quality, this Slowbro should have been one of Lorelei's main Pokémon.
However, she was now in an extremely weakened state. It was evident that she was pushing herself to the limit, strong on the outside but empty on the inside. The fact that she could still remain standing was largely due to her being a Psychic-type Pokémon with extraordinary willpower.
But this was already her limit.
If the one who had arrived had been Lance, Slowbro probably would not have shown such resistance. Although Lorelei and Lance constantly argued, their Pokémon knew that it was really just her bad temper.
"Slowbro, rest for a bit. Leave the rest to me. If you keep forcing yourself like this, you could damage your foundation," Cain said with his hands open, showing that he was not a threat. "Please, trust me."
In moments like this, the worst thing was to rush, as it could provoke desperate resistance.
"Yadon!" shouted Slowking, whose psychic ability had already detected the severity of Lorelei's and Slowbro's condition. If they did not receive immediate treatment, they were in serious danger of death, and even if they survived, a delay could affect their potential.
As Pokémon of the same evolutionary line, and combined with the King-like aura that Cain's Slowking naturally possessed, Slowbro slowly began to lower her guard.
Cain threw three Poké Balls and released Florges, Magearna, and Diancie.
Without the need for explanations, a single glance was enough for the three of them to understand what they needed to do.
Florges created a vast area of emerald-green grass beneath Lorelei and Slowbro, and an enormous amount of pure energy began to seep into their bodies through their wounds.
Magearna took small steps to Slowbro's side, extended her hands, and released an abundant life energy that penetrated her body, helping her heal.
Slowbro briefly looked at Magearna and then fixed her gaze once more on Cain, who was treating Lorelei's wounds. Although she no longer opposed him approaching, she was still not completely at ease.
Cain, together with Diancie, examined Lorelei's injuries. The scratches and superficial abrasions caused by running through the forest healed quickly thanks to the move Grassy Terrain.
Cain frowned. As a breeder, he was far more accustomed to treating Pokémon than humans.
Even so, so many years of surviving in the wild had given him experience in handling emergency situations.
The first thing he did was check whether Lorelei was poisoned. Some poisons, such as certain neurotoxins, did not show obvious external symptoms.
If it was a special poison, he would first need to suppress it and then find a way to eliminate it. In the wild, poisoning could be fatal for a trainer.
As he observed the data on his instrument, Cain's expression grew grave.
Just as he had suspected, Lorelei was poisoned. Fortunately, it was not a complex poison, but most likely acquired directly from some Pokémon, not one elaborated in a sophisticated manner like Koga's.
The intoxication was a secondary cause of her unconsciousness. The main problem was the brutal impact her mind had suffered, as if she had been attacked by a powerful psychic force.
"So it was the Sacred Church..." Cain thought.
Even so, he felt relieved. Once the source was identified, the treatment would be much simpler, except for the mental injuries, which were the most difficult to heal.
Anticipating confrontations with experts in psychic abilities, Cain had developed a special potion days earlier using Dark-type materials, capable of partially resisting mental impacts and treating spiritual wounds.
Lorelei had been lucky.
Cain first removed the poison, then gave her a mental recovery potion, and finally several pills to improve physical recovery.
When he saw that her breathing stabilized, Cain let out a sigh of relief. Slowbro also noticed it; she finally relaxed her tension and fell unconscious, officially losing the ability to fight.
With no resistance at all, Magearna was able to treat her much more easily.
Cain slowly stood up and, after observing Lorelei stable and Slowbro unconscious, ordered Slowking to use the move Teleport, disappearing everyone from the place and reappearing inside the valley.
Back inside, he placed Lorelei to one side. Although she was already out of danger, her Pokémon were not yet.
Cain did not know who she had fought against. Not only was she seriously injured; all of her Pokémon were as well.
As he released them one by one, he discovered that none were in better condition than Slowbro.
He could not help but be left speechless.
If Lorelei had not reached that valley before collapsing, probably not a single Pokémon would have survived.
While putting away her Poké Balls, Cain found on her body another spatial storage device that did not match her equipment. It probably belonged to her enemy.
That meant that, although Lorelei had been left on the brink of death and all her Pokémon were out of combat, she had managed to defeat a member of the Sacred Church.
Cain suppressed his curiosity and focused first on saving the Pokémon.
And once again, it became clear why Steven, Lance, and the others insisted so much on acting together with Cain.
With him, even after brutal battles, they could recover quickly.
Cain devoted himself completely to healing. As time passed, even without the sun, the sky grew dark.
Steven and the others returned one by one.
Upon seeing the blood at the entrance of the valley, they were alarmed, but when they found Cain drenched in sweat, injured Pokémon scattered across the ground, and Lorelei still unconscious, everyone fell silent.
Especially Lance.
Steven, beside him, felt his skin prickle.
He could clearly sense the suppressed fury behind Lance's expressionless face.
"Who did this?" Lance asked in a low voice, heavy with anger.
(End of chapter)