Chapter 46: Chapter 46:
"Skye," said Cain, his voice low and menacing. "When you return, you will begin recruiting for my cause. But heed my words, I'd rather have a villain within my ranks than suffer a hypocrite."
As for those with good morals, they could forget about it. On Purgatory Island, only the strongest and most ruthless would survive, let alone join Team Rocket.
"I am no saint," he continued, his voice like a serpent's hiss. "My subordinates may have their flaws, but the only ones I cannot abide are those who would play the hypocrite, like that miserable worm Soros."
Skye nodded, his face set in determination. "Yes, Cain."
With Cain's strength and potential, and Soros' Koffing, Skye knew they would be able to recruit those lone wolves. He had never thought that this disaster would turn out to be a blessing in disguise, for now he had not only survived, but also gained a Pokemon of good aptitude.
The hand that held the Pokéball trembled with excitement, for Skye knew that under Cain's leadership, his own position in Team Rocket would surely rise. But for now, he pushed such thoughts aside, for there was much work to be done.
Cain pondered for a moment, then carelessly tossed Soros' Team Rocket belt to Skye. "This should be all the resources you originally had. I'll leave them in your hands."
Skye accepted the Team Rocket belt from Cain with a complicated expression. He and Soros had known each other since childhood, and their relationship was a complex one of both friendship and rivalry. It was just that Soros had always seemed to have the upper hand, his luck always seeming to be better than his own. But with one stroke of misfortune, he had stumbled into the eternal abyss.
"And if the recruitment doesn't go smoothly, don't hesitate to give up," Cain said with a cool detachment, his piercing gaze fixed upon the young man. "Your primary task remains to tame the Koffing and secure a favorable ranking in the next test."
And with that, Cain turned on his heel and began to make his way deeper into the forest. Skye and Fox's safe return to base was of little concern to him.
Murkrow and Slowpoke followed closely behind, their expressions stoic. They were not privy to the reasons behind Cain's decision to spare the lives of the two men who had initially been hostile to them, but as his Pokemon, they did not question their trainer's choices.
As Cain disappeared from sight, Fox let out a long breath and sat down upon the ground, unfazed by the corpses that littered the area around him. Though Cain seemed amiable in conversation, Fox couldn't shake the feeling of suffocation that he experienced in his presence.
"I can't see through him," Skye murmured, staring after Cain.
Cain held little hope for the success of Skye and Fox. This was but an experiment, and whether the results were favorable or not, he would suffer no loss.
"What a headache," Cain muttered to himself, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "I've strayed from the path yet again."
He had wandered from the main route and found himself in this verdant clearing, where he used the terrain to eliminate Soros and his associates one by one.
"I'll have to trouble you once more, Slowpoke," he said, turning to his Pokemon. "Use your Teleport to guide us back to the main route."
Slowpoke nodded, and a blue light glimmered in his eyes. With a blinding flash, the three of them were enveloped in the light and disappeared.
"Well done, Slowpoke," Cain said as he opened his eyes, taking in his new surroundings.
Slowpoke's Teleport was a lifesaver in the wilderness, but it came with its limitations.
Firstly, the distance that could be traversed depended on the strength of the Pokemon's psychic talent; the more powerful the Pokemon, the further it could Teleport. Secondly, Teleport could only transport one to places that one had previously visited, for only with a mental image of the location could one Teleport to it.
Thirdly, extraneous psychic abilities could interfere with Teleport, causing spatial fluctuations and leading to errors before or during teleportation. And fourthly, the greater the distance to be traveled, the longer the casting time. This was logical because determining the correct coordinates that held psychic fluctuations was a time-consuming task.
As Cain ventured forward, he knew that the first territory he would encounter would be that of the fierce and proud Scyther, a Pokemon that he had always held in high regard. They were a stark contrast to the ill-tempered Beedrill as they would not normally strike first, but they were a force to be reckoned with if provoked.
Despite the added security of Slowpoke's presence, Cain never let his guard down. And with good reason, as Murkrow and Slowpoke were forced to fend off several overconfident Pokemon who attempted to sneak up on them. Most pokemon, however, avoided them after sensing the faint bloody aura emanating from their bodies.
As they reached the area marked on the map as "Scyther Territory," Cain slowed his pace and soon encountered a group of around a dozen of the fierce Pokemon. The Scythers, preferring to battle opponents of comparable strength, spent their days sparring with one another in this part of the forest.
As they watched the group sparring, the Scythers spotted the trio and stopped their training. A sturdy-looking Scyther, who appeared to be the leader, stepped forward with a solemn expression on his face.
Cain's system quickly displayed the data of this Pokemon.
Pokémon: Scyther (Dark Yellow)
Sex: Male
Level: 23
Type: Bug + Flying
Ability: Technician
Items held: None
Egg moves: Stamina
Basic Moves: Quick Attack, Empty, Focus Energy, Fury Cutter, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack
Taught Moves: Bug Buzz, Bug Bite, Vacuum Wave
Technological Machines (TMs): None
Cain knew that this would be a difficult Pokemon to defeat, and a quick glance at the Scythers behind revealed that they were all above Level 20.
Murkrow's speed was his greatest asset, but against this Scyther, who also had a high speed stat, it would not give him much of an advantage. And even if the Scyther leader were to lose, Slowpoke's presence might not be enough to protect Cain from the rest of the pack.
Some of these Scythers yearned for a fight, driven by a sense of threat from Murkrow and Slowpoke, and the thrill of the challenge. But the Scyther leader, wise and perceptive, saw more than the others. He sensed not only the danger from the two Pokemon, but also the human, who seemed to possess not a shred of fear. Anyone who could remain so composed in the face of danger was either naive enough not to understand the situation, or possessed true strength.
A faint voice in the back of his mind warned him of the death and injury that would befall the majority of his pack should they attack. Though they loved to fight, the Scythers were not immune to fear of death. And so the Scyther leader wisely intervened, halting the rash ones and watching as Cain carefully led his Pokemon away from their territory.
For the Scythers, strength was to be respected and acknowledged. Their own territory was earned through their belligerent nature, and as the other Pokemon in the area became frightened and gradually left, it became the domain of the Scythers alone.
Weekly Power Status
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