Cain nodded with satisfaction.
He was very pleased with Gengar's Mega Evolution.
This Pokémon was useful both for his role within the League and for his identity in Team Rocket. After all, unless investigated thoroughly, it was hard to distinguish him.
A true trump card!
Unlike the case with Blaziken, Gengar was already an Elite-level Pokémon, and upon Mega Evolving, he gave Cain an even stronger hidden ace.
A Pokémon whose power burst exceeded even that of Slowking.
And since his talent had risen to Light Purple, he still had plenty of potential to develop.
"How do you feel, Gengar?" Cain asked with a smile.
"Kekeke~!" Gengar raised his hand to look at it, then glanced over his body.
He had undergone a big change. The area where he made contact with the ground now had a faint dark red tone.
It made him look even more sinister.
"Keeeeek—!" Gengar cried as he formed a ball of dark energy in his hand. This time, it had reddish streaks swirling within it.
Shadow Ball.
Whoosh!
He launched it straight toward the edge of the alternate space.
BOOM!
A huge explosion echoed, followed by a powerful gust of wind caused by the unleashed energy.
The five characters on Cain's wrist glowed, and a massive hole opened in the dimension he had created.
Though, thanks to the efforts of the Unown, the hole was quickly repaired.
The power was considerable.
Also, after completing the Mega Evolution, Gengar's ability had changed from Cursed Body to Shadow Tag.
In battle, all Pokémon that weren't Ghost-type or didn't share the same ability would be trapped, unable to flee or be switched out.
Though not directly offensive, it was a major strategic support.
And since Gengar knew the moves Role Play and Skill Swap, he could adapt to different situations easily.
"In that case, let's try something else," Cain said as he took out Blaziken's Mega Stone along with its corresponding Key Stone.
He handed the Mega Stone to Blaziken.
And held a Key Stone in each hand.
"Blaziken, Mega Evolve!" he took a deep breath. He was about to test whether a trainer could manage the Mega Evolution of two Pokémon at the same time.
Upon hearing this, Blaziken became immediately excited.
It had been a while since he had felt that incredible and mysterious power.
"Blaazk!!" he roared.
The energy from the Mega Stone channeled quickly into his body. Since it was his second Mega Evolution, the process was faster than the first time.
His transformation was complete within seconds.
"Blaazkkkkk!" flames erupted and burst around him. Mega Blaziken appeared on the scene.
Just as Mega Blaziken appeared beside Mega Gengar, a sudden sharp pain shot through Cain's mind.
"Ugh!" he grimaced and fell to his knees.
Seeing the state of their trainer, the Pokémon immediately surrounded him. Florges tried using healing moves to help.
"I'm fine," Cain stopped her. With Weavile's help, he slowly got back on his feet.
That sudden headache had nearly knocked him out.
Thankfully, he managed to endure it. By wrapping his head with psychic power, he was able to ease the pain slightly.
Even so, he could clearly feel how his internal energy was being drained rapidly, and his psychic power was being consumed at an alarming rate.
In his current condition, he could maintain the Mega Evolution of one Pokémon for 15 to 20 minutes. But if he wanted to sustain two Mega Evolutions at the same time, even with the support of his psychic power, he wouldn't last more than three minutes before collapsing.
If he wanted to maintain stable combat strength, his limit was two minutes.
That was his current boundary.
If he wanted to extend that time or even manage more Mega Evolutions, he would need long-term training. Moreover, if possible, he should further enhance his psychic abilities.
"Looks like I can't slack off on daily training. I should also join in Carbink's gravity training. And... I need more help from the Unown," Cain thought silently.
At that moment, Mega Blaziken and Mega Gengar began to emit waves of Mega Evolution energy. Both returned to their original forms.
Cain had deactivated the Mega Evolutions.
His Pokémon needed time to adapt and get used to the surge of power the transformation gave them.
"Let's begin the training," Cain said to his Pokémon.
Bagon, Ralts, Horsea, and Carbink were going into the mountain ranges at the back—just like Pupitar and the others had once done—to begin combat training and strengthen their foundation.
It was time for those Pokémon to improve their strength.
But if Cain wanted some peace to focus on training his Pokémon, he first needed to calm that restless girl called Phoebe.
Cain considered sending her to stay with Steven for a while, since he didn't have the time to deal with her right now.
Just as he was thinking that, a new crack appeared in the barrier of the alternate space.
"Hmm?" he looked toward the opening, surprised.
A flat, black figure emerged from the crack.
"An Unown?"
As if confirming his words, the Pokémon looked around with its single eye, quickly identified Cain, and floated toward him.
It had probably sensed Cain's desire to obtain more Unown, and this little one had come on its own.
The five characters on Cain's wrist glowed, as if welcoming the new member.
The Unown didn't hesitate. It attached itself to Cain's wrist like the others.
And at the same time, some phrases appeared in Cain's mind.
As if this Unown had come to deliver a message.
Six Unown.
Cain deciphered the message's content.
It was a little confusing.
It seemed to be warning that something was gradually approaching, and that he should prepare. But it didn't clearly state what it was.
"What a vague message. Might've been better if they hadn't said anything," Cain thought, a bit frustrated.
Even so, a new Unown meant a daily increase in his psychic power.
By his current calculations, in order to reach the level of an Advanced Psychic, he would still need...
Twenty years!
Not bad. At least, within his lifetime, there was hope of achieving it.
Much better than the seventy years of meditation normally required to become a Beginner-level Psychic.
Cain consoled himself with that thought.
And then, he joined the training with his Pokémon.
Not only did his body need strengthening—his psychic power also needed to be trained.
After all, he had many Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution. And how much power he could unleash—and how much advantage he could gain—would depend entirely on his own efforts.
(End of chapter)