Cain's appearance made the two League teams feel as though, after a raging storm, they had finally glimpsed a rainbow.
"Florges, use Grassy Terrain!" Cain ordered.
He nodded to the two captains in acknowledgment.
To have endured for five minutes under the combined assault of two Elite-level trainers, and in an ambush no less, showed that these League elite members truly deserved that title.
Seeing Cain arrive — and with the grassy field spreading beneath their feet — the three members still standing and conscious, though utterly exhausted, collapsed to the ground immediately.
Under Florges's healing, some of the visible wounds on their bodies began to mend rapidly.
"Recall your Pokémon. Florges will give them emergency treatment," Cain said as he slowly advanced toward them.
The two captains could barely contain their emotions.
One of them said, "Lord Cain, there are too many of them. Please, allow us to help you."
Even though they were calling "Lord" someone much younger than themselves, it didn't feel awkward.
On the contrary, it came naturally.
With Cain's arrival, their safety was practically guaranteed.
Hearing their words, Cain shook his head.
He glanced at the injuries covering their bodies, and at their Pokémon, who also bore severe wounds.
"Now! Immediately! Take your Pokémon and get treatment! I'll handle things here. That's an order!" Cain's expression hardened, his tone firm.
But that was precisely the kind of command those two captains preferred.
Ignoring their own pain, they straightened up and answered in unison, "Yes, sir!"
Both led their Pokémon away, limping and supporting each other, moving toward the grassy area.
The increased number of Pokémon to treat didn't put much strain on Florges. She waved her hands, and green energy began to shimmer across the field at greater speed.
That energy flowed into the trainers' and Pokémon's wounds, aiding their swift recovery.
Cain's arrival also made the members of Team Magma and Team Aqua hesitate, afraid to act rashly.
After all, Tyranitar and the others were watching them closely.
Any suspicious movement, and Tyranitar would attack without hesitation.
Once the wounded were secured, Cain walked to stand beside his Pokémon.
He looked at the eight members of Team Magma and Team Aqua waiting not far away.
Two squads.
So they had decided to strike together?
"You're Cain?!" shouted Macly, the Team Magma captain.
Cain raised an eyebrow. "What, you even know me?"
Upon hearing him acknowledge his identity, both Team Magma and Team Aqua cast aside their caution — replaced now by unrestrained greed.
Kevin, the Team Aqua captain, licked his dry lips and said with a crooked grin, "So it is you. Your head's worth quite a lot."
After Shelly and Tabitha's return, they had reported Cain's critical role in those incidents. Added to that was the League's constant propaganda about Hoenn's "Star Duo," so naturally, neither Maxie nor Archie underestimated him.
They had even issued a bounty: anyone who brought back Cain's head would receive a massive reward.
Such a tempting offer that even Elite Officers like Macly and Kevin couldn't resist.
At those words, Cain smiled, pointed to his own head, and said, "Here it is. If you've got what it takes, come and take it."
Then, his face turned cold in an instant — faster than flipping a page.
Even facing two Elite-level trainers, plus six quasi-Elite and Advanced-level ones, Cain didn't flinch in the slightest.
To him, those trainers looked like nothing more than mud chickens and clay dogs.
"Tyranitar, raise the sandstorm!"
Cain gave the command.
"TYRAAANN!"
The Pokémon, which had been suppressing its power until now, unleashed its strength at once.
In this underground terrain, surrounded by stone and soil, Tyranitar needed only a moment of control before sand began to surge from every crack and crevice.
In the blink of an eye, the sandstorm filled the tunnel, sparing only the area protected by Florges.
Aggron and Swampert were also unaffected by the sand.
Drapion, with its sturdy natural armor, endured the impact of the grains effortlessly.
Blaziken ignited in golden flames, enveloping itself in a blazing mantle that incinerated the sand before it could touch him, reducing any damage to a minimum.
Under Tyranitar's conscious control, the storm intensified until the members of Team Magma and Team Aqua could barely make out the hazy outlines of Cain and his Pokémon.
The Pokémon of the two captains still withstood the storm, though every grain that struck them stung sharply. But the subordinates couldn't endure such force.
To them, Tyranitar's sandstorm was a merciless tide that swept away the weak and left only the strong standing.
In an instant, their supposed numerical advantage vanished.
Cain's eyes began to glow with a faint blue aura; he activated both his psychic perception and telepathy.
The sandstorm did not hinder him at all.
Through telepathy, he coordinated every move in battle.
When the storm reached its peak, Tyranitar and Aggron charged directly into the swirling sand.
Boom!
Boom!
Their heavy footsteps thundered, followed by the sound of fists smashing against bone.
In this environment, Tyranitar and Aggron were in their element.
Under Cain's direction, their fists surged with different waves of energy before striking.
They focused first on the weaker Pokémon.
Each punch, one less enemy. Not a single Pokémon could withstand even one blow from Tyranitar or Aggron.
Swampert and Blaziken did the same.
At that level of power, their opponents weren't even in the same league.
Drapion burrowed underground and emerged to strike from below.
It was a one-sided massacre.
"Group up! Everyone together — don't let them pick us off one by one! Ugh! Cough, cough!" shouted Macly, choking on the sand pouring into his mouth.
The disoriented members of Team Magma and Team Aqua regrouped around their two captains.
But as they drew near, they realized the truth: out of eight people and around fifty Pokémon, more than half were already down.
Aside from the Pokémon of Macly and Kevin, the rest were practically out of commission.
Both captains' faces darkened.
Wasn't Cain's strength supposed to be limited — barely having reached the Elite level?
Wasn't he supposed to be a breeder, with limited combat capability?
Utter nonsense!
Macly's and Kevin's minds spun wildly, desperately searching for a way to counterattack.
(End of chapter)