After listening to Gengar's report, Cain nodded slightly to indicate he was already aware.
As expected, in this aerial fortress, almost half of the people belonged to the Nishikawa family.
"No wonder even someone as tolerant as Giovanni is starting to lose patience with them," Cain thought silently.
If it were just internal struggles between Elite Officers, as long as they didn't affect the development of Team Rocket, Giovanni would normally not intervene.
Sometimes, he even encouraged this type of conflict.
On the one hand, it made management easier. On the other, competition also brought mutual growth, which benefited Team Rocket.
But what the Nishikawa family was doing clearly crossed the line.
And not just a little.
They were already acting shamelessly, taking advantage of being the family of Giovanni's father, infiltrating people into various parts of Team Rocket.
They even followed Giovanni's orders in a passive-aggressive way.
Although they feared Giovanni deeply and didn't dare to be openly insolent, did they really think he hadn't noticed?
To be frank, what did they think they were doing?
A coup?
Do they think that just because they're the family of Giovanni's father, Team Rocket belongs to them, and that their heir should inherit the organization too?
All of this was only provoking Giovanni and testing his patience.
Cain thought that, if it weren't for Giovanni's absolute confidence in himself, he would've eliminated them at the first sign.
After understanding all that, Cain already knew to what extent he should act in this mission.
The more he did, the greater his reward would be!
"We have arrived at our destination. All mission participants are requested to prepare," suddenly came an announcement over the fortress's general transmission.
Cain stood up.
It was time to begin.
He pulled his black hood down a bit lower.
"Let's go, Gengar," he said, leaving the room and walking with Gengar toward the back end of the fortress.
Normally, one would descend from the bottom of the fortress, but Cain wasn't going to act alongside the others. It was better to descend from the rear.
He reached the very end, opened a window, and without hesitation, jumped.
In the darkness of night, neither Cain nor Gengar stood out due to their colors.
"Kekeke~!" Gengar laughed as he descended with Cain, suddenly issuing a warning.
Understanding what Gengar meant, Cain looked up sharply.
He narrowed his eyes. Gengar had detected someone hiding among the clouds. Their concealment ability was impressive—they had evaded both the fortress's visual monitoring and radar. But they couldn't escape Gengar's energy perception.
They had probably thought the fortress had stopped, which is why they dared to approach by flying. Otherwise, not even Gengar would have detected them.
Interesting.
Seems like someone else is trying to take advantage of the situation. Whose side could they be on?
At that moment, there was no time to worry about that. Cain and Gengar were still plummeting from great height.
The wind howled, making Cain's black cloak flap wildly.
Right before touching the ground, Cain activated his psychic powers, floating just five centimeters above the ground.
He landed firmly, and Gengar descended gently beside him.
"Not many people know about these islands," Cain observed his surroundings, noticing the dense forests and centuries-old trees that showed their long existence.
It was a very ancient island.
No wonder the three legendary birds had chosen to live here.
The archipelago was quite large, with three mountainous islands. One was an active volcano, another was completely covered in snow and ice, and the last had withered trees with only a few green patches.
Just by looking at the mountains, one could guess what type of Pokémon inhabited each one.
That's why Team Rocket's researchers concluded this was the residence of the three legendary birds.
It's rare for Pokémon like the three birds to live in the same place, whether they are the real legendaries or imitations.
Although they are commonly referred to together as "the three legendary birds," they actually have no connection to each other. They just share some similarities, hence the grouping.
Only Pokémon like the three Regis usually act as a unit.
After landing, Cain didn't rush into action. He sent Gengar to scout the area while he waited in silence.
From his sleeve, a series of psychic beads emerged once more, which he began to move between his fingers.
Suddenly, he stopped. Even though Gengar hadn't returned yet, a wild Pokémon had already detected him.
The system scanned it effortlessly.
A Persian appeared in the treetop.
The results came quickly.
It was a level 45 Persian, with a Light Green color grade.
Seeing Cain alone, it considered him easy prey.
With a slight smile, Cain spun the beads between his fingers, and with the other hand, tossed a Poké Ball to the ground.
"Graaah!!"
With a metallic roar, Lairon appeared before Cain.
Despite still being at level 41, Lairon didn't show even a hint of fear toward the Persian. On the contrary, its eyes were filled with the desire to fight.
Finally, it could battle. It had been holding back for a long time to fully develop its body.
"Lairon, use Rock Slide and bring it down," ordered Cain.
"Graaah!" roared Lairon. Before Persian could react, three massive rocks appeared above its head.
Boom!
Boom!
Over the last month, Lairon hadn't gained many levels, but its power and energy control had improved greatly.
The three rocks appeared almost instantly, giving Persian no time to react.
"Magnet Rise, then Iron Tail!"
Electricity crackled around Lairon's body. The effects of Magnet Rise granted it great speed.
With a powerful boost, it launched into the air like a flying mini-tank.
Persian was about to find out firsthand.
BOOM!
It landed hard on the rock where the Persian stood.
Crack
Crack
Crack
The rocks shattered in an instant, and the ground caved under the force of the impact.
"Graaah!!" roared Lairon, not stopping its assault. Its tail, now glowing with metallic light, struck the ground again.
Boom!
Thud!
The terrain sank once more, and small cracks spread all around. The earlier rocks were completely pulverized.
Below, the Persian was totally defeated—its body looked torn to pieces.
"Graaah!!" Lairon roared loudly at the sky, standing atop its opponent, brimming with energy.
Cain approached Lairon and smiled.
"See the results of training? Leveling up isn't everything."
Lairon looked at him directly, nodding firmly, its eyes full of fighting spirit.
"Alright. There's no need for you to keep holding back. Show your true form—Evolve, Lairon!" Cain was very satisfied with Lairon's current state.
It had been ready to evolve for some time but had been holding back.
When water reaches the edge, it overflows.
Now Lairon had reached its limit. If it continued holding back, it would gain nothing more.
(End of chapter)