The next day, Cain arrived punctually at the battlefield with his Pokémon, Gengar, and was surprised by the size of the crowd. The field was completely surrounded by both curious spectators and those eager to challenge him.
But when he checked the time, Cain realized it was only seven in the morning.
"What crazy people!" Cain thought. Then he reflected, "Money might not be inherently good, but it sure is useful."
In that moment, he envied Steven a little.
Cain held 400,000 Pokédollars in his hands and took his position on the field. Everyone present had their eyes fixed on the thick wad of cash he was holding.
Yesterday, many had been defeated without much effort, but seeing the money—double the amount from the previous day—no one was willing to give up. After all, the Pokémon Center was right next door; they could recover their strength, rejoin the line, and have another chance.
Additionally, more people were showing up, including powerful trainers arriving from neighboring cities. Winning a battle and earning 400,000 Pokédollars seemed like an easy deal.
However, Cain wasn't worried. He knew that those who cared so much about the 400,000 Pokédollars were relatively weak trainers.
The stronger trainers, those at the advanced level, probably wouldn't bother with such an amount of money—although, of course, there were always exceptions.
In one of the battles, a trainer appeared whose strength was close to the advanced level.
After Gengar defeated five of his Pokémon, the trainer finally managed to beat the now-exhausted Gengar in the sixth round, earning the 400,000 Pokédollars.
The onlookers gazed at the winner with a mix of envy and jealousy.
Everyone had been waiting for the moment when Gengar would tire out so they could take advantage and win, but now that Gengar had been defeated and the money handed out, many lost interest and began to leave.
Just as the atmosphere seemed to wane, Cain pulled out another wad of 400,000 Pokédollars and placed it next to the referee's table.
"Does 400,000 Pokédollars really matter that much?" Cain thought.
If it could help his Pokémon quickly improve their mastery and power without negative consequences, it was worth every Pokédollar.
To Cain, this was essentially buying time, and he considered it a very valuable investment.
When the crowd saw Cain pulling out more money, their excitement returned. However, Gengar was exhausted. Despite Cain supporting it with high-quality Pokéblocks, the long training sessions from the day before and that morning had left it drained.
Fortunately, Gengar had nearly regained complete control over its body and new moves after its evolution.
Cain handed Gengar over to Nurse Joy for treatment and recovery, then sent Skorupi onto the battlefield. At level 36, Skorupi wasn't as powerful as Gengar but had far greater mastery over itself.
The crowd grew excited again at the sight of a new Pokémon on the field. This meant a fresh opportunity for them.
Cain spent the entire day training his Pokémon. Thanks to the Pokémon Center's advanced technology and Nurse Joy's care, Gengar quickly recovered and reached peak condition.
Meanwhile, Skorupi fought throughout the afternoon and was eventually defeated once, costing Cain another 400,000 Pokédollars.
But the result was excellent: Skorupi leveled up twice, reaching level 38. This improvement came without any side effects. Its ability to pinpoint opponents' weak spots became more precise, taking full advantage of its Sniper ability.
After losing another 400,000 Pokédollars, Cain once again put up the same amount before the day ended. This time, however, no one managed to win the money because Cain decided to send Slowking onto the field.
At level 42, Slowking possessed a power that many of those present had never seen before. The battles barely began before several trainers were swiftly defeated. Slowking was undoubtedly at an advanced level.
Satisfied after a day of intense training, Cain returned to his room with his Pokémon. Though he had spent 1.2 million Pokédollars in a single day, he had faced over a hundred trainers who helped his Pokémon progress.
It was, without a doubt, a very fulfilling experience.
Cain still had over 30 million Pokédollars, and if he could continue using this method to rapidly improve his Pokémon's strength, he would do so without hesitation.
That night, Cain enjoyed his last peaceful and comfortable sleep in a bed. He knew that soon he would face survival conditions in the wild, and, more importantly, the upcoming adventure would be extremely dangerous.
The danger didn't just come from wild Pokémon but also from internal threats within Team Rocket. Even his companions, like Regis, weren't entirely trustworthy.
The only ones he could completely rely on were his own Pokémon.
After that final night of rest, Cain boarded Team Rocket's ship for the journey.
The ship was large but carried only about thirty people. Once on board, passengers were confined to their rooms, with no ability to leave, and the cabin windows were sealed shut.
Team Rocket took the security of the ancient, mysterious island they were heading to very seriously.
The ship moved quickly, but surprisingly, one day wasn't enough to reach the destination. This puzzled Cain. He wondered if they were really that far away or if the ship was taking a circuitous route to prevent anyone from calculating the island's location.
By the end of the second day, passengers were finally allowed to leave their cabins.
Cain went alone to the deck, where he joined the other participants. They emerged one by one from their rooms, only allowed onto the deck after the ones before them had left.
It was then that Cain saw another mysterious group within Team Rocket: the Psychic Team members.
(End of Chapter)