The whistling wind brushed against his cheeks.
Cain was flying toward Rustboro City, riding on the back of Flygon.
He wasn't alone: Phoebe was also with him, riding along on Flygon's back.
It had already been a month.
Cain had spent the entire month training with his Pokémon in Leafy Town.
Had he not been interrupted, he probably would've continued training nonstop.
But there was no choice—he had to leave.
Coincidentally, Phoebe had also grown tired of playing in Leafy Town.
Luckily, during that time, old Matsuda had returned temporarily, and Cain left Phoebe in his care.
Old Matsuda never imagined that, on a day he was peacefully sipping tea in his office, he'd end up saddled with that "responsibility."
With no other choice, Matsuda taught Phoebe battle techniques and training methods for Pokémon, managing to get by.
Now, Cain was flying to Rustboro City with two objectives.
The first was to leave Phoebe with Steven, in his capacity as a Chief Researcher of the Hoenn League.
As the saying goes: a higher authority overrules a lower one.
Cain believed Steven would have no way to refuse.
Before heading out, he even called Steven to confirm he was in Rustboro City.
Once confirmed, Cain set out with Phoebe.
The second reason was that Cain needed to catch a flight from Rustboro City to the Kanto region.
Because of a summons from Team Rocket.
Or more precisely, a summons from Giovanni.
That was the real reason Cain interrupted his training.
Giovanni knew Cain's strength and apparently had an important mission to entrust to him.
Phoebe couldn't be involved in Team Rocket matters, so Cain had to leave her with Steven.
...
It was Phoebe's first time riding Flygon, and she looked very happy.
Three hours later, they arrived in Rustboro City.
And there, they met up with Steven.
Steven was genuinely pleased to see Cain—and even more so to see him with Phoebe.
With great enthusiasm, he invited them both to a feast.
After filling their stomachs, Cain vanished "ninja-style," leaving behind only a text message for Steven:
"I'm heading to Kanto to take care of something. Look after Phoebe for a while.
—Cain, Chief Researcher of the Hoenn League."
The rest—how Steven and Phoebe would get along—didn't concern Cain. He was already boarding the plane to Saffron City.
Sitting on the plane, Cain recalled yesterday's call with Giovanni and what he had said.
"It seems Team Rocket is running into serious obstacles with the Mew DNA research..."
Of course... trying to recreate Mew isn't an easy task. If it were that simple to copy, the world would already be in chaos.
Giovanni mentioned there was a special mission, and they needed some high-ranking members to carry it out. Since Cain had already reached Elite level, he could now participate.
Although Cain had only recently hit that level and might not be able to contribute much just yet—
—if Giovanni wanted him on board, he must have his reasons.
And besides, this suited Cain perfectly: he had long wanted to get involved in the Mew DNA research.
If he could gain access to valuable information, his system might benefit enormously.
"Slowking, Mismagius, Gengar, Florges, Altaria, Honchkrow, Drapion, and Weavile... They're all Elite level now."
Yes—during that month of training, Honchkrow, Weavile, and Drapion had also managed to break through to Elite level.
All of the Pokémon in his first group had officially reached that rank. That granted Cain greater influence within both the League and Team Rocket.
"Let's hope this mission is a bit more interesting." He said that while reclining in his first-class seat and closing his eyes to rest.
Over that past month, not only had his Pokémon trained hard—Cain himself had trained with dedication and effort.
As he stroked the strange ring on his hand, he slipped into a deep sleep.
...
"What?! He's not answering?! Damn you, Cain!" Steven shouted in frustration from the restaurant.
Phoebe, on the other hand, simply pouted and swung her legs back and forth while sitting.
She didn't seem surprised. Cain had already told her he needed to take care of something and that she'd be under Steven's care for a while. She was mentally prepared.
The one who struggled most to accept the situation was Steven.
"Chief Researcher Cain? That bastard! Next time, he won't get away!"
Cain had left a box on Steven's chair. At first, Steven thought it was nothing important, but now he realized it was something meant for him.
When he opened it, he found a card and a mysterious stone.
That stone—he recognized it. It was one Cain had obtained for him before.
The card read: "I found another stone like yours, so I'm returning this one. Take good care of Phoebe. Next time I come back, we'll battle. I'll give you the chance to get your revenge. Just don't lose!"
"This tone... that damn Cain did this on purpose," Steven growled. Though he didn't say it aloud, he made a mental note of it.
Next time, I'll beat him properly...
"Come on, Phoebe! I'll show you what the Devon Corporation is all about," Steven said with a smile, as he pocketed the stone and the card.
"Yaaay~!" Phoebe responded with a big grin.
Even though she didn't know Steven as well as Cain, they had spent enough time together for her to happily follow him out of the restaurant.
...
"Saffron City... It's been a while," Cain said as he exited the airport, gazing at the bustling streets and flickering lights.
He wasn't sure if Sabrina was still in Saffron City.
Cain still had some reservations about that unpredictable woman.
Not that he was afraid of her exactly (Translator's note: Sure, sure... we believe you). Now that he had reached Elite level, he wasn't completely outmatched anymore. At least he could defend himself.
He touched the orb on the ring on his left ring finger, which gave him a sense of calm.
He stepped confidently out of the airport and called for Slowking.
Using Slowking's Teleport move, they vanished from Saffron City.
...
"Well, well. This boy dares to use Teleport in front of me now. He really has grown," murmured a voice inside the Saffron City Gym.
A woman sat on an elevated chair made of toys, resting her head on her hand. Her eyes glowed with psychic power.
It was Sabrina.
"Well, he was probably summoned by the boss. Taking advantage of his backing, he's bolder now. This boy is getting more and more interesting... hehe," she said with a strange laugh.
As if she had just found a new fun toy.
At that moment, Cain—having just left Saffron City—felt a shiver run up the back of his neck.
"Cough, cough... Is Sabrina still in Saffron City...?" Cain muttered as he glanced at Slowking beside him.
Slowking sighed and nodded with a resigned expression.
It seemed that, when he used Teleport, he had sensed a familiar psychic energy—and realized their path had been traced.
Although Cain no longer feared her like before, his heart still felt a little uneasy.
(End of chapter)