Precisely because they were in the most peripheral area, Cain dared to let Venusaur use the move Sweet Scent. If they were deep inside the area, even with Cain's current strength, he would not dare to act so ostentatiously.
Otherwise, it would be nothing more than courting death, since in the depths there was no shortage of old Champion-level monsters.
Against existences of that kind, Cain had no intention of provoking them actively either.
The interior of Mt. Silver actually referred to a vast mountain range that stretched endlessly. Due to the terrain, accessing other locations was extremely difficult; even by air, there were exceedingly powerful wild Pokémon, among them many at the Elite Four and Champion levels, so ordinary people did not dare to fly over the interior of Mt. Silver.
And the Mt. Silver where the League was stationed was, in fact, the highest mountain and the one that appeared the most majestic of them all.
This place could be considered the only relatively safe entry point into the interior of Mt. Silver. Coupled with the many years of suppression by the League, the wild Pokémon of the interior did not easily approach this area.
The effect of Venusaur's Sweet Scent move was extremely evident. In a short time, numerous wild Pokémon were already lying around Cain and his group.
All of them had been attracted by the fragrance of Venusaur's flower.
It was clear that, in both strength and potential, these wild Pokémon far surpassed those outside.
It was, quite simply, a gigantic treasure. As long as a place like this existed as a Pokémon reserve for the League, provided the pace of exploitation was properly controlled, even if they suffered heavy human losses, merely by making use of the Pokémon and material resources of this place, another great wave of so-called genius trainers would soon emerge.
This was one of the true foundations the League had accumulated after so many years of ruling and managing the Pokémon world.
Thus, one could also imagine just how difficult it truly was to overthrow this organization that seemed corrupt on the surface.
And at the same time, it became clear just how powerful Giovanni was, capable of confronting a League that possessed such strength head-on.
It was no wonder Giovanni had chosen to support an organization like the Hunters' Guild; otherwise, relying solely on Team Rocket's ability to collect Pokémon, they would never have been able to compete with a League of this caliber.
Although recently, the Hunters' Guild had been somewhat restless; Giovanni had surely already given them a warning.
With so many thoughts crossing his mind, and as his strength increased and his understanding of the overall situation of the Pokémon world grew ever deeper, Cain felt more clearly how small he was.
This was because he was striving to leap off the chessboard. At first, he viewed the world from the perspective of a chess piece, aiming to become the strongest piece so that the player would not discard him so easily and so that he could prove his value.
But now, little by little, he wanted to stop being a piece and become the player. From that perspective, the way of seeing the entire board was different, and so were the things he needed to consider.
With a somewhat complex state of mind, he brought the day's activities to an end.
For the Pokémon, that day had been a combat experience unlike any before—extremely satisfying.
They were not like the generation of Honchkrow and the others, who had accompanied Cain since he was weaker, participating in all kinds of large and small battles, accumulating the greatest amount of combat experience, until they became the teachers of many of Cain's current Pokémon.
Nor were they like the generation of Tyranitar and the others. Although they had not participated in battles from the very beginning, Cain's strength at that time was not very high either, and he had deliberately trained them, so they also possessed abundant combat experience. After reaching the first tier of strength, they had gradually become Cain's main combat force.
By contrast, this generation could be said to have had very few real combat opportunities before today.
Although, thanks to having many "senior brothers" guiding them, their strength was not weak and their combat techniques were outstanding, not having used them in real battles still made a difference.
However, today was the first time they fought with such satisfaction, and they finally understood why, when they asked during training, they were always told: "you'll understand when you really use it in combat." Only then does one comprehend why employing a technique in that particular way maximizes success rate and accuracy.
Today, all the theories were completely integrated into battle!
Such an intense combat rhythm should still be maintainable for another two or three days, since, at their current pace of advance, they would still be in the periphery during that time.
After those two or three days, the strength of the nearby wild Pokémon would probably no longer allow for this type of combat—at least not for Lucario and Venusaur.
Cain's destination lay in the depths of Mt. Silver, where Champion-level Pokémon might exist. That was also why old Matsuda had immediately opposed it when he learned that Cain wanted to enter, because in such areas, even though Pokémon no longer appeared in groups, any single one that emerged could possess terrifying strength.
The level of danger was extremely high.
And the materials Cain sought were of the Ghost type. In the depths, there was a place where Ghost-type Pokémon abounded, classified by the League as a dangerous zone.
But that material was an indispensable catalyst, and the only known place where it was produced was there.
The other materials, although also very valuable, could at least be obtained in many places and even circulated on the market. As long as Cain asked the League or Team Heaven to pay attention, they could still be gathered. Only this one could not.
If he did not know that the medicine could work on Darkrai, Cain might have let it go. But since he knew it could help Darkrai recover its strength, he was determined to enter and walk that path.
Of course, he could control the pace of advancement and turn this material-gathering expedition into a form of training.
Just as Grandma Syl had said, with Cain's current strength, how many places could truly apply enough pressure to train him?
If there was no pressure, how effective could that kind of training be?
Why had Cain reached his current level in just two years? Knowing many things in advance was one reason; the help of the system was another. But undoubtedly, constantly seeking training environments suited to his real situation was an equally important factor.
Moving on the edge of danger could greatly accelerate the growth of strength, and that was precisely the reason for the existence of Team Rocket's Trial Island.
He found a place with flowing water, directly opened an alternate space, and settled down there.
This was one of the great advantages of surviving in the wild: there was no need to worry about where to spend the night, nor to fear surprise attacks from wild Pokémon while sleeping.
After all, the forest at night was far more dangerous than during the day.
There was still a long road ahead. It was necessary to ensure adequate rest at night in order to fight better and train more effectively during the day.
(End of chapter)