🎄 Christmas Special Discount 🎄
From December 23 to December 25, there will be a public 50% discount on the following tiers:
Intermediate Trainers, Advanced Trainers, Elite Trainers, Elite Four Trainers, Champion Trainers, and Legendary Trainers.
🎆 New Year Discount 🎆
There will also be a 50% discount, but it won't be public. On December 31, the discount code will be published inside the chapters, so stay tuned 👀✨
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Drake was finally saved and regained consciousness.
However, due to the long time he had been in a coma, after confirming that Cain had no connection to the attack, he quickly fell asleep again.
Drake was quite surprised to learn that Cain had been suspected.
He truly hadn't expected the entire incident to be linked to him.
Although it had already been proven that Cain wasn't responsible, Drake couldn't identify who the attacker was either.
The assailant had hidden their identity with great skill—it was clearly the work of an expert.
Someone like that showing up in the Hunter Guild, or even within Team Rocket, wasn't entirely unthinkable.
The Hoenn region's Hunter Guild had been completely dismantled, and both Team Magma and Team Aqua were currently on high alert, not daring to show their faces.
All Drake could do now was rest well and recover as quickly as possible.
Juan left with the others, returning to his office.
Old Matsuda wore a deeply satisfied expression.
Not only because his disciple's innocence had been confirmed, but also because of the skills and techniques Cain had demonstrated—he was already at the level of an advanced breeder.
He himself had once given Cain that requirement: he had to reach the level of an advanced breeder within a certain time frame, or else he would have to give up the path of a trainer.
He hadn't expected that, just a year later, Cain would already have achieved it.
As for why he hadn't taken the exam to obtain the official title, both old Matsuda and Juan had their own assumptions.
The tree that stands out is the first to be cut down.
Drawing attention wasn't always a good thing.
"Cain, I admit that I didn't handle things well this time. To make it up to you, you can ask me for anything within my power," Juan said, smiling as he settled into his chair.
Hearing this, Cain fell into brief contemplation.
I want to be an Elite Four... would he grant me that?
What he wanted most at that moment, of course, was to become an Elite Four.
But setting aside Mega Evolution and Kommo-o, there was still a significant gap between his current strength and that level.
Becoming an Elite Four right now wasn't realistic.
However, this incident had served as a clear warning.
Who said that in Team Rocket, everyone only listened to Giovanni?
Even though he didn't know exactly which Executive had exposed him, or how they knew about his existence, a high-ranking member of the organization carried enough weight to raise suspicion.
Otherwise, the League wouldn't have sent a direct investigation from the High Council.
Perhaps something like this wouldn't happen again for a while, but what about the future?
Cain could only continue improving his strength as quickly as possible, to be ready for anything.
In addition to that, he needed to raise his status—to a point where even the League wouldn't dare to doubt him.
For example, becoming a member of a region's Elite Four.
Koga would be his role model going forward.
If a high-ranking member of Team Rocket could drag an Elite Four into the mud, then Giovanni would probably be more than happy to do so.
But if he managed to become one of the Elite Four, it would be like having an immunity card.
Even Giovanni wouldn't be able to touch him easily—let alone other members of Team Rocket.
It didn't matter if he became the weakest among the Elite Four—that would still be enough.
Cain had never wanted a position so badly.
And if all else failed... he could always consider joining the Jenny or Joy families...
But for his personal freedom, that would only ever be a last resort.
A backup plan, nothing more.
"President Juan, could I have access to the League's Central Archive? There are many questions and doubts I'd like to resolve there," Cain said after thinking for a bit.
Hearing his request, Juan was slightly surprised.
Was that all he was asking for?
Even without the recent incident, if Cain had asked him for that, he likely would have agreed anyway.
"Are you sure?" Juan asked him.
Cain nodded.
For now, he wasn't lacking in resources. After raiding the Team Rocket trading facilities, he had gathered enough to last half a year. It had only been a month and a half since then, and he still had plenty left.
He also had a sufficient number of Pokémon and didn't need to capture more at the moment.
Cain had always preferred to have a small but well-trained team, rather than a large one.
So, what could help him the most right now was expanding the database in his system.
Last time, he had downloaded a lot of information from the Team Rocket system.
But in the end, Team Rocket was what it was: most of their data was unconventional.
Like methods to make Pokémon gain power quickly at the cost of their potential, or formulas to improve a Pokémon's quality by sacrificing its lifespan.
It couldn't be denied that Team Rocket's scientists were talented, but those were extreme methods. Cain wasn't in a desperate enough situation to use them.
Some ideas could be used as references and adapted, but not applied directly.
When it came to regular Pokémon training, the most complete information could only be found in the League's archives.
Whether it was Tyranitar, Blaziken, or Aggron, there wasn't much left to add.
But Pokémon like Riolu, Kirlia, and Seadra were ones Cain was raising for the first time.
If he could access the experiences of those who had tried before, he would undoubtedly avoid making unnecessary mistakes.
Seeing that Cain wasn't hesitating, Juan didn't push him.
He grabbed a sheet of paper and quickly wrote on it, signing and stamping it before handing it to Cain.
"This gives you one hour of access to the archive. You can go by yourself."
Cain took the paper and saw Juan's signature and seal on it.
An hour would be more than enough if he used his system to quickly filter and download data.
With the permission in hand, Cain gave a brief farewell to the two and left.
Juan watched him go, then said to old Matsuda, "Takashi, don't you think we went a bit overboard? The favor Cain asked for makes me feel ashamed..."
Old Matsuda shot him a disapproving look.
"Don't drag me into this. You were the one who went too far."
But then his face turned more complex.
"Don't worry. That kid is no ordinary person. He's far more mature than others his age. He didn't even get upset at your attitude. What he truly cares about are the practical benefits."
Juan let out a resigned sigh.
He'd have to find another way to make it up to him later. A simple visit to the archive really wasn't much.
Then he looked at Ergas, who was still sitting nearby.
And the anger welled up again.
It was all that guy's fault. He had come in acting all certain, with a direct order from the High Council.
Yes, it was all his fault!
Juan had finally found the perfect outlet for his frustration.
Ergas, sensing Juan's gaze, tensed up.
He had been quiet the entire time, trying to stay unnoticed—and still failed to escape attention.
Now that Cain had been exonerated, the whole incident was once again shrouded in mystery.
But he no longer had time to dwell on that.
What mattered now was how to calm Juan and old Matsuda's anger.
Even if he didn't report directly to them, if they decided to file a complaint with the High Council, with the influence they both had, he would probably be forced to spend the rest of his life exiled in some remote corner of the world.
(End of Chapter)