Cain left Jessie and James in Regice's care and handed them that Ekans.
After that, he also gave them some basic supplies, as well as several introductory books on Pokémon training, along with the notebook he had obtained from Xenon, which detailed Xenon's breeding methods for Pokémon like Ekans and Arbok.
Among all of Cain's rivals, Xenon was the one who had trained that type of Pokémon the best.
However, as complete novices when it came to surviving in the wild, Cain provided them with enough food for three people to last three days—at the very least so they wouldn't starve to death.
As for what they would ultimately become, that would depend entirely on their own skills and abilities.
Cain had already given them food, materials, Pokémon, and knowledge. If even then they couldn't live like decent people, it could only mean they weren't cut out for this.
In that case, the only thing Cain could offer them would be a stable life. Otherwise, perhaps they really could stand out within Team Rocket, or even within Team Heaven; at the very least, when they encountered Ash, they wouldn't be displaying Team Rocket's incompetence from start to finish.
At first, Cain had even thought that they might just be a pair of hopeless good-for-nothings. But after witnessing with his own eyes the decision they made when facing the bullying from Cassidy and Butch, he made this determination: to give them a real chance to prove their worth.
Cain had already explained to Regice that he could let them do whatever they wanted on the island, as long as he didn't allow them to leave it.
With Regice's strength, not only would it be no problem for Jessie and James to survive three months on the island—even if the time were doubled, it wouldn't trouble him in the slightest.
After getting rid of these two "burdens" that Giovanni had forcibly dumped on him, Cain mounted Salamence and left the place.
He flew straight toward the Kanto region.
Along the way, he crossed most of the Johto region and headed toward Mt. Silver.
With Cain's identity as a member of the Hoenn League's Elite Four, even on Mt. Silver there were many places he could access.
Aside from certain confidential areas related to the Kanto League or the General League, wherever Cain went, anyone there had to at least address him as the Sandstorm Elite Four or Elite Four Cain.
The commotion Cain and the Black Messenger had caused some time ago in the Hoenn region, after being widely spread by fans on the internet, had sent his popularity skyrocketing throughout the entire League.
Coupled with his increasingly handsome looks, he attracted countless female admirers.
Cain advanced "clearing obstacles" without hiding his whereabouts, so by the time he arrived in front of the Kanto League building, there were already two people waiting for him.
And they were two old acquaintances.
Lance, still dressed in his flashy attire, and Lorelei, with an expressionless face and a cold gaze, stood there.
When Lance saw Cain leap down from Salamence's back and land on the ground, his gaze lingered on the Pokémon for a moment, filled with amazement. Then he spread his arms and rushed over to greet Cain.
"It really has been an incredibly long time since we last met, hasn't it, Sandstorm Elite Four—expert at attracting female fans?" Lance said with loud laughter, his tone full of teasing.
In a bad mood, Cain gave him two hard thumps on the back.
"Tsk, honestly, if it weren't for seeing you often on television, I almost wouldn't have recognized you. Tell me, did you discover some secret to becoming more handsome?" Lance continued talking nonstop as the two exchanged friendly blows.
Faced with this man who seemed cold but was actually a true chatterbox, Cain decided to ignore him.
Then, bypassing Lance, who was still asking questions incessantly, Cain saw Lorelei behind him. The smile on his face widened, and imitating Lance, he opened his arms as he walked toward her.
"Lorelei, it's been a long time for us too."
Lorelei, who had never been very fond of physical contact, was somewhat taken aback by Cain's hug.
With a teasing smile, Cain changed the gesture into a handshake and said with a laugh, "Hahaha, you're still the same. I was just joking with you."
Although Lorelei didn't usually interact much with Cain, during the Sinnoh Tournament they had exchanged words on several occasions.
Cain admitted that he was quite calculating. Back then, Lorelei spoke even less than she did now, but Cain had deliberately focused on topics related to the Pokémon she trained, under the pretext of "exchanging experiences."
Because of that, Lorelei had always had a good impression of Cain.
Moreover, at that time the internet was filled with irrational fans of Cain and exaggerated praise for him. Since Lorelei had just become a member of the Elite Four and had been assigned to manage social media, her impression of Cain only continued to improve.
"It's been a long time, Cain," Lorelei said softly, the corners of her lips lifting slightly into a faint smile.
At that moment, Lance, who had just come over, saw Cain and Lorelei chatting animatedly and even noticed that Lorelei—whom he had always believed incapable of smiling—had a smile on her face. This didn't just surprise him; it completely shocked him.
Then, guided by Lorelei, the three of them entered the League building.
Along the way, Lance stayed by Cain's side, asking him how he could get Lorelei to stop holding a grudge against him.
Now he finally understood what Bruno had felt in the past.
When Lance had just become a member of the Elite Four, he had challenged Bruno frantically. Although Bruno always won, it was extremely painful for him.
Now he was in the same situation Bruno had been in back then, being challenged relentlessly by Lorelei, who ranked fourth. The difference was that Bruno had beaten him with ease, whereas for him, defeating Lorelei was becoming more and more difficult each time.
Cain looked at Lance with an expression full of pity and said with complete sincerity, "Lose to her. Of course, I'm not talking about losing on purpose. I mean when you truly lose to her, or when she finds a way to defeat you."
Upon hearing this, Lance's eyes widened.
If it were about losing on purpose, it would still be acceptable. But losing while giving it his all—setting aside whether that would actually earn Lorelei's forgiveness—for a man as proud to the core as Lance, who aspired to become the Champion of Kanto, was something difficult to accept and acknowledge.
Of course, Lance also knew that with Lorelei's pride, she would never accept an intentional defeat, and that she would be able to tell in battle if he were holding back.
If Lorelei ever found out that Lance had lost deliberately, that knot between them would probably never be untied.
In truth, there was another solution that was far simpler and more direct: marry her!
Under Lorelei's guidance, the three entered a meeting room.
Inside, the other two members of the Kanto region's Elite Four were already seated: Agatha, the Ghost-type Elite Four, and Bruno, the Fighting-type Elite Four.
The administrative system of the Kanto region was different from that of Hoenn.
In the Hoenn region, because the chairman and the champion had long been the same person, Juan, League affairs were discussed jointly.
But in the Kanto region, since the position of Champion had been vacant for a long time, matters related to the Elite Four were decided among the four of them.
To facilitate decision-making, Agatha, as the first Elite Four, held two votes.
(End of chapter)