This time, Cain did not come representing the Hoenn region, but only in a personal capacity, so there was no grand welcoming ceremony; only Lance and Lorelei came out to greet him at the entrance.
As for Bruno and Agatha, who were also there, it was because they were just about to hold a meeting. Cain had deliberately chosen this moment to come, since on this occasion he had come to seek out Elite Four Agatha to inquire about certain matters.
"Elite Four Agatha, Elite Four Bruno," Cain said with a smile, giving a slight nod to both of them.
The two of them also did not put on any airs of superiority and rose from their seats.
"Elite Four Cain."
Although Cain was younger than them and, in terms of strength, was probably also somewhat inferior, in the end they were all members of the League's Elite Four, so their status and identity were exactly the same.
Moreover, Cain possessed a potential that neither of them dared to underestimate.
"Sorry to trouble you at a time like this," Cain said in a slightly apologetic tone.
The Kanto region was currently going through a truly difficult phase: with the division of regions and of the League itself, as members of the Elite Four they were undoubtedly extremely busy.
Just looking at the fatigue reflected on the face of the already elderly Agatha was enough to understand this.
As someone who had held the position of Elite Four for decades, she had devoted so many years selflessly to the League and still remained firmly in her post.
Cain felt deep respect for her.
It was precisely because they were so busy that the League had promoted Lorelei. After all, with Pryce's personality, he didn't seem like someone especially willing to work hard; it was better for that position to be held by someone truly capable of doing so.
"It's no problem. Although we've been very busy lately, taking a little time won't affect us," Agatha said. "I heard little Lance say that you had something you wanted to ask me."
Agatha belonged to the same generation as Professor Oak, so referring to Lance or Cain that way posed no problem at all.
Cain looked for a seat and sat down, nodding.
"That's right. There are some issues that have been troubling me, and I wanted to consult you, Lady Agatha. After all, you are a specialist in the Ghost type, and your legion of Ghost-type Pokémon is famous throughout the world. Moreover, the matter that concerns me is closely related to the Ghost type."
No matter what, it never hurt to start by offering a bit of praise.
Wasn't it obvious that Agatha's face was smiling so broadly that it almost looked like a chrysanthemum in bloom?
"Cain, what you say... After all, you're considered one of my juniors. That boy, Samuel, always mentions you, saying that it's truly a pity you didn't devote yourself to Pokémon research."
"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to say them. If I know, I'll certainly tell you," Agatha said, waving her hand, with an expression that seemed to say, "Don't speak such blunt truths."
Off to the side, Bruno and Lance covered their faces with some embarrassment, feeling the urge to leave.
That was how people were: when they grew old, they liked hearing praise, especially about the things they were most proud of.
And Agatha, as an expert in the Ghost type, was no exception to this "law of flattery."
"It's like this: a friend of mine recently captured a Dark-type Pokémon, but because that Pokémon lived for a long time in a place with an extremely high concentration of Ghost-type energy, it ended up being eroded by it. He came to me as a breeder, but I haven't found a particularly good solution either..." Cain roughly explained Darkrai's situation.
Of course, he glossed over many details ambiguously.
As she listened to Cain, Agatha's brow gradually furrowed.
"According to what you're saying, this situation is really the first time I've heard of it. A Dark-type Pokémon that, from living in an environment with extremely dense Ghost-type energy, ends up having its body eroded by that energy... As a Dark-type Pokémon, which naturally counters the Ghost type, it shouldn't be eroded so easily."
"Not to mention why a Pokémon would live for so long in such a place; just thinking about how concentrated that Ghost-type energy would have to be to achieve such an effect..." Agatha's expression grew somewhat grave. She was mentally reviewing the places she knew that had intense Ghost-type energy, but in the end she couldn't find any that met all those conditions.
Cain also knew that there were many gaps in his explanation, but this matter could not be laid out with complete clarity.
"Let's set aside the cause for now and think about the solution. Generally speaking, when a Pokémon is eroded by Ghost-type energy and that energy completely invades it, it directly transforms into a Ghost-type Pokémon. In essence, there's not much difference between that and a Pokémon that dies and whose spirit becomes a ghost."
"If the erosion is only partial, then for an ordinary Pokémon it's almost impossible to eliminate it. To do so, one would have to inject energy that counters the Ghost type, such as Dark-type energy. But that would cause the energy within the Pokémon's body to become increasingly chaotic, which wouldn't be worth the trade-off."
"However, since the Pokémon you're talking about is Dark-type, there wouldn't be a need to worry about chaotic energy mixing, though the process would still be quite slow."
"Moreover, this kind of method should be something that you breeders are more familiar with than we trainers are."
Agatha spoke at length, organizing the matter from the beginning.
Upon hearing this, Cain also frowned. He had thought the same thing at first, but he had already carried out several experiments on Trial Island, and the results were minimal. To help Darkrai recover, it would take at least seventy or eighty years, in addition to consuming an enormous amount of Dark-type materials; the cost was far too high.
Seeing Cain's worried expression, Agatha continued, "It seems you've already tried that method."
"That's normal. As a genius breeder like you, how could you not think of such a basic solution? Then the matter becomes more complicated. If possible, I would really like to go to the place where it all happened. When something reaches an extreme, it reverses; perhaps the solution lies precisely there..."
"When something reaches an extreme, it reverses..." Cain's heart stirred slightly.
"You mean that in an environment with an extremely high concentration of energy, there are things capable of resisting it and not being eroded?"
Agatha nodded.
"It's like in places where miasma is extremely dense: often, the antidote is found right at the edge of the miasma, in those plants that can withstand it. If, as you say, the Ghost-type energy is truly that intense, then in that place there must certainly be things like that. If they could be found, the problem would be much easier to solve."
"Easier to solve if they're found?" Cain's brow furrowed even more.
According to Agatha's words, those small sprouts of red grass he had found should have been able to help Darkrai recover. However, Cain had already tried, and there had been no results; he saw no improvement in Darkrai at all.
"Yes, but those kinds of things can't simply be consumed directly. They need to be catalyzed with certain materials in order to truly take effect."
"I don't know the exact details of how to do it; I've only heard about it in passing as well. But it's said that the president of the League Breeders' Guild was the first to discover this principle of 'when something reaches an extreme, it reverses.'"
"With your status, it shouldn't be difficult for you to see her. And besides, your mentor, Takashi... ahem." Agatha shot Cain a look that said, "You understand what I mean."
(End of chapter)