🎆 Happy New Year! 🎆
Thank you all for the amazing support throughout this year. 💙To celebrate the arrival of the new year, here is a special New Year code:
🎁 Code:NewYear: F3B16
📅 Code validity:
Start: December 30, 2025 at 11:55 p.m.
End: January 2, 2026 at 11:00 p.m.
Enjoy it and let's start this new year strong. 🚀✨Here's to an amazing 2026! 🎉
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Two days later.
Cain was in Alva's study.
He had scanned all the contents of those books into his system.
Meanwhile, in those two days Alva had also managed to completely master the three Elite-level Pokémon Cain had given him.
That very day coincided with the opening of the morning assembly of the Azoth Kingdom.
Since the king of Azoth was already elderly and the crown prince still too young to participate in politics, these assemblies weren't held daily.
Only from time to time, to deliver reports.
That was the time and place Cain and Alva had chosen for their little performance.
Alva attended the assembly as usual.
Then, Cain, playing the part of the villain, burst in with a few Team Flare henchmen, intending to attack the king.
But Alva, already prepared, stopped him and repelled the attack.
Alva's sudden demonstration of power earned him the king's recognition.
Although perhaps not the best in the field of arcane science, in Pokémon training he had proven himself to be at an outstanding level.
At the same time, the other ministers and members of royalty present at the assembly also witnessed his strength. From then on, no fool would dare to mess with him.
Most importantly, Alva's power drew the attention of young Prince Raquel.
The boy engraved in his mind the scene of Alva protecting his elderly father.
Surely, when Prince Raquel ascended as king, he would trust Alva even more.
In just one day, Alva regained the respect and recognition he had always longed for.
Even if the play seemed a little fake and with certain flaws, as long as most believed in it, it was a successful act.
Afterward, Cain met Alva again at his residence.
He handed him a special communicator, with which he could contact him at any time.
He also warned him to keep it safe and always carry it.
In reality, that communicator contained a monitoring system, similar to the one Lysandre carried in his own communicator.
"Thank you for your help, sir," Alva said respectfully.
Everything seemed very simple.
But he knew that without Cain he would never have reached this point.
And with the psychic seed in his mind, even if he didn't want to, he had no choice but to accept.
In fact, Alva wasn't entirely opposed.
With Cain's help, he could also see his ambitions fulfilled.
"By the way," Cain said, "I'll give you a very interesting research subject. If you manage to study it, it will be of great use both to you and to me."
"Oh?" Alva became excited at once. What he loved most was investigating strange and mysterious things. "I don't know what sir is referring to..."
Cain smiled and pulled a Key Stone from his pocket.
At that moment, Gengar slowly emerged from the shadow.
"Watch closely, I'll only show it once."
After nodding to Gengar, he exclaimed: "Gengar, Mega Evolve!"
With those words, the Key Stone in Cain's hand released a wave of energy that resonated with the Mega Stone in Gengar's body.
In an instant, the energy of Mega Evolution enveloped him completely and was absorbed within.
Mega Gengar appeared before Alva.
His eyes widened in disbelief at what he was seeing.
"Th-that is... what you call... Mega Evolution?" he asked, staring at Cain and Mega Gengar.
Cain stroked the Key Stone, undid the transformation, and nodded.
"Exactly, this is Mega Evolution. And I believe arcane science can study it and unravel its secret."
"Arcane science... is capable of that?" Alva doubted his own words.
"Yes. I await your good news," Cain replied.
With that, he used his psychic powers to levitate and vanish from the mansion.
Alva, still stunned, looked at Gengar and recalled the scene of Mega Gengar. A wave of excitement coursed through his body.
This was it!
This was what he had always sought!
If he managed to study it, he could shake the entire Azoth Kingdom with an arcane science completely different from Nikola's.
He had finally found a direction.
He locked himself in his study, straining to recall that sensation, recording it, and transforming it into ideas for his research.
Cain had no fear of him revealing the secret of Mega Evolution.
The Azoth Kingdom was far from the League, and Alva hadn't even seen a Mega Stone. The only thing he had seen was the Key Stone in Cain's hand, shown very discreetly; it wasn't even clear if he had noticed it well.
And most importantly: Cain could monitor him at all times and control his life or death.
If even then he had to worry, it would be better not to let him research at all.
...
Five days later.
Cain returned discreetly to Hoenn.
For now, he had settled matters in Kalos, leaving Alva in Lysandre's hands, ordering him to watch over him.
If they wished, they could even displace the royal family and turn the Azoth Kingdom into a new base for Team Flare.
A far safer refuge than that secret base in the mountains near Lumiose City.
Minor details didn't interest Cain.
He didn't head to Leafy Town.
Instead, hiding his trail, he appeared directly at Heaven Team's base in Mauville City.
By then, Heaven Team had completely replaced the old Team Void, becoming one of the major factions in the city.
However, under Rose's leadership, controlling only part of Mauville City was no longer enough for the group's ambitions.
Some time ago, she herself had suggested to Cain that he take care of eliminating the rest of the city's factions.
But until now he hadn't had the time.
Finally with a break, he decided to act.
The ideal was for Heaven Team to take all of Mauville City.
And since Wattson, weakened and retired from his post as an Elite Four, spent his old age there, he wouldn't intervene against them.
As long as they kept order in the city's underworld, Wattson wouldn't mind seeing Heaven Team unify it.
His only wish was to live in peace and quiet, enjoying his twilight years.
With Cain's return, Heaven Team moved forcefully.
Although in reality, it didn't affect Cain much; he just trained his Pokémon in the secret base.
When an enemy appeared that Rose couldn't handle, it was enough for Honchkrow and Weavile to go out to fight.
With those two, no one in Mauville City —except Wattson— could stand against them.
In addition, Cain gave Karen his last Elite-level Pokémon, obtained from the Nishikawa family.
She was the only one, aside from Rose, with the potential to handle a Pokémon of that level.
The Hunter Guild had been eradicated in Hoenn, and for a time there would be no trace of them in the region.
The families and factions of the underworld that trafficked in Pokémon celebrated it for a long time.
Heaven Team, for its part, did not stop capturing wild Pokémon.
Since the Hunter Guild had vanished and they were preparing to take control of all Mauville City, why not create their own Pokémon trading channel?
In that area, Karen had plenty of experience.
(End of chapter)