From Hearthome City to Lake Verity.
Cain first took Route 209 eastward. Riding on his Flygon, the speed was incredible, and within hours, he had reached the end of the route.
After that, he only needed to traverse a vast forest to reach Lake Verity.
Since his goal was to clear his mind and train, Cain decided not to continue flying with Flygon and instead ventured into the forest on foot.
Inside the forest, he summoned all the Pokémon he planned to bring to the Sinnoh Tournament.
Neither Swampert nor Poliwhirl had the strength to guarantee Cain even reaching the top 16 of the tournament, so strengthening them was essential.
At first, Cain thought that, like Steven, he would be missing three Pokémon from his team, yet both of them would still achieve good results. But then he realized that Steven's resources were on a completely different level.
The pace at which Steven trained his Pokémon was much faster than Cain had imagined. Both Armaldo and Cradily had already reached the advanced level, preventing them from being a burden to Steven. And the most shocking thing was the Aerodactyl that Steven had added to his team.
After scanning Aerodactyl, Cain discovered that it was a quasi-elite-level Pokémon. And judging by how Steven trained it, it was clear that it wasn't a loan but one of his original Pokémon.
This greatly increased the pressure on Cain.
Training alongside Steven and Wallace, Cain had become quite familiar with both of their Pokémon.
If Hoenn's representatives were this strong, what could be expected from those of other regions?
Lorelei, although she would be one of Kanto's Elite Four members and not the region's Champion, possessed the strength to hold the Champion title in other regions.
Not to mention Cynthia from Sinnoh, Diantha from Kalos, or the trainers from Unova.
Although the ranking he achieved wasn't that important to Cain, he knew that a truly strong person could not give up before the fight even began.
Lacking that spirit would mean a lack of ambition.
The excuse that Poliwhirl needed to evolve was just a reason to go out and train. The real reason was that Cain felt he was falling behind.
The goal of reaching the quarter-finals now seemed difficult, so he decided to head to Lake Verity with his Pokémon, looking to strengthen them while clearing his mind.
Summoning all his Pokémon was meant to train them through battles along the way. Cain wanted them to apply in battle what they had learned in recent training days.
Each Pokémon received a new move combination designed by Cain, tailored to their current abilities.
For example, Swampert had learned two unique combinations: Earth Hammer and Great Earthquake.
The first combined Fighting and Ground-type moves, using Hammer Arm to enhance the impact of Earthquake. The second was a pure combination of two Ground-type moves, maximizing its power.
Although Swampert had just learned these moves and had not yet mastered them completely, the results were promising.
The Great Earthquake move, in particular, was devastating against Pokémon weak to the Ground type, and if there was a quadruple weakness, a single attack was enough to defeat them.
The only drawback was that it required a lot of Ground-type energy, making the move slow. This meant that Swampert struggled against faster opponents.
That was the aspect that needed improvement.
But training alone was not enough; it was in battle that the real results were seen.
Likewise, Cain designed unique combinations for his other Pokémon, focusing on their strengths and correcting their weaknesses during training. However, the true test was battle.
...
As he ventured into the forest from Route 209, Cain noticed that the wild Pokémon in this area were not very high-level.
Swampert and Poliwhirl led the team, while Slowking and Florges stayed close to Cain, ready to defend him or support the team as needed.
Drapion, walking imposingly at the rear, demonstrated his transition into a brute-force Pokémon. However, Cain did not neglect the training of its special moves, a distinctive trait of these Pokémon.
Pokémon like Drapion and Arbok, which could master moves such as the "Elemental Fangs," had exceptional talent in controlling and manipulating energy.
Meanwhile, Gengar glided through the forest shadows, constantly exploring. Sometimes, he informed Cain about nearby wild Pokémon; other times, he kept watch on potential threats that followed them from a distance.
For Cain, accustomed to battling in the wild, this environment did not pose a major challenge.
With a fixed course toward Lake Verity, Cain faced any powerful Pokémon that appeared along the way, defeating them without difficulty.
Without paying much attention to the territories he invaded, Cain advanced relentlessly.
This direct approach felt relaxing to him, relieving much of the pressure he felt.
Without realizing it, this pressure had begun after the system, in which he had placed so much trust, entered a prolonged suspension state.
Cain had developed a greater dependence on the system than he had imagined.
The system's pause made him feel insecure, as if he could no longer keep up with Steven and the others.
However, if he could overcome this state, he would learn not to rely so much on the system in the future. Even if he continued using it, he would do so with a different mindset and clearer goals.
At this moment, Cain faced an invisible barrier that he needed to break through.
Fortunately, he was already aware of the problem, and the intensive training he was undertaking now helped him find inner balance, acting as a release valve.
Under Cain's orders, his Pokémon unleashed extraordinary power, causing an uproar in the forest.
Wherever Cain passed, Pokémon fell as if a plague had swept through the area, unable to resist his attacks.
The intensity of battle, far from overwhelming Cain, led him into a deep state of calm. The three Unown on his wrist began to glow intensely, and the more he fought, the stronger the light became.
Unbeknownst to him, small distortions began forming in the space around him.
Cain and his Pokémon, completely immersed in battle, did not notice these phenomena.
(End of chapter)