Chapter 160: Chapter 160:
Sure enough, when Cain woke up the next morning, Skorupi, previously the size of a palm, had grown to the size of a basketball.
Under the AI system's scan, Scorpier's data showed changes as well.
Pokémon: Skorupi (Light Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 5
Type: Poison + Bug
Ability: Sniper
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Screech, Agility, Poison Tail, Pursuit
Basic Moves: Bite, Poison Sting, Leer, Knock Off
Taught Moves: None
TM Moves: None
Having grown from level one to level five, Skorupi had become a battle-ready Pokémon.
When Skorupi woke up, he felt somewhat uneasy in his larger body. He glanced at Cain's shoulder and then at his own body, realizing that their sizes seemed somewhat disproportionate.
Cain crouched down and gently stroked Skorupi's shell, smiling as he asked, "Skorupi, are you ready to start battling? Are you prepared?"
Skorupi found Cain's touch comforting, and he gradually forgot about his size difference.
When Cain took out a Great Ball, Skorupi voluntarily stepped forward and touched the center of the Poké Ball, which absorbed him in a flash of red light.
There was no struggle. With a "dong," Skorupi was officially captured by Cain.
When Skorupi was released again, he officially became one of Cain's main battle Pokémon, no longer just a growing infant.
It was undeniable that Bug-type Pokémon had relatively short growth cycles. Skorupi had rapidly matured in just a short time. For other Pokémon, their juvenile stage would last at least a month.
However, compared to Beedrill and Butterfree, Skorupi's growth was considerably slower.
Cain recalled the Weedle egg he had sold to Umbra on Trial Island. In just a week, the egg had hatched and grown into a Beedrill. Even though Umbra had accelerated its growth, it was still a testament to the incredible speed at which Bug-type Pokémon matured.
But once Beedrill reached level 10, it would complete its final evolution. Wild Beedrill would probably evolve at even lower levels.
Skorupi would only evolve into Drapion at level 40, which was considered very slow among Bug-types.
In Cain's memory, the only Bug-type Pokémon that evolved after level 40 besides Drapion were Armaldo and Volcarona. These two Pokémon had immense power after evolving.
Especially Volcarona, which was worshipped as a deity in some regions of the Unova Region. Many regarded it as the embodiment of the sun, which spoke volumes about its strength.
However, it wasn't necessarily true that the higher the evolution level, the better. Yet, it was undeniable that the higher the evolution level, the more significant the power transformation upon evolution.
The most typical examples were the pseudo-legendary Pokémon from various regions. Almost none of them completed their final evolution before level 40. Their immense power after evolving went without saying.
So, although Skorupi was a Bug-type Pokémon, his potential was still promising.
With Skorupi now "officially" caught, Cain resolved his last concern and left the Pokémon Center in Saffron City with Slowpoke in tow.
Since Umbra had given him the opportunity to strengthen his Pokémon and hadn't assigned any specific tasks, Cain decided to make the most of the month and a half to power level his Pokémon as much as possible.
Without knowing the rules for the trial battles, Cain knew he couldn't focus solely on training one or a few Pokémon. Instead, he had to train all of them as much as possible to prepare for the final trial.
Cain came up with a suitable plan, dividing the month and a half into three half-month phases.
For the first half-month, Cain aimed to bring all his Pokémon up to a similar power level, with Skorupi and Gastly as the primary focus.
Of course, being the primary focus didn't mean the other Pokémon would be neglected. It was just a slight prioritization.
During the second half-month, Cain would take his Pokémon deep into the forest for a wilderness survival experience. By facing various unexpected situations, the Pokémon would develop their ability to adapt and respond.
In the real world, opportunities for lethal attacks were rare. Only by acclimating the Pokémon to battles on the edge of death could they face Team Rocket's trials.
The third half-month would involve battling numerous trainers to get a feel for fighting against them. This would give the Pokémon a sense of what the final trial's rotation-style battles might be like.
However, these were just Cain's preliminary plans, and he would adapt as needed when facing unexpected situations.
For now, he would stick to this plan and set his sights on Mauville City in the Hoenn Region.
It was said that Mauville City had a large number of battle-ready trainers and a variety of Pokémon from all regions, making it a gathering place for Pokémon battles.
This aligned with the third step of Cain's plan, so he chose Mauville City as his destination.
There were two ways to reach Mauville City.
One option was to take a direct flight from Saffron City, which would be quick and relatively safe.
Alternatively, he could first travel to Vermilion City, then take a ferry to Slateport City in the Hoenn region, and finally head to Mauville City.
Slateport City was the ninth largest city in the Pokémon world, highly developed and only slightly less prosperous than Saffron City.
After reaching Slateport City, Cain would travel north through a stretch of wilderness before arriving at Mauville City.
For Cain, the direct flight option held no appeal, as it offered no training opportunities.
So, he decided to walk to Vermilion City and take the ferry to Slateport City from there.
This solo journey would not only conceal his identity but also allow targeted training for his Pokémon – a win-win situation.
Traveling light, Cain stored all his belongings in his storage space, ready to embark on his adventure.
This time, Cain had stocked a particularly large amount of supplies in his storage ring, nearly filling its entire five-cubic-meter capacity.
After all, he didn't know when he would next have the chance to enter a bustling city's black market. It was better to be fully prepared for the journey.
Leaving the Pokémon Center, Cain hailed a cab and headed straight to the southernmost intersection of Saffron City and Route 6.
Passing by the famous Pokémon Breeding House once again, he decided not to enter, choosing instead to walk around it. Perhaps the old couple had already discovered his deception towards their granddaughter. To avoid an awkward encounter, he skirted the Breeding House and officially set foot on Route 6
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone