Chapter 42:

"Oh, nothing much," said Soros, a hint of a smile playing on his lips as he spoke to his companion. "Just stumbled upon a rather... troublesome individual, shall we say?"

The man's brow furrowed at the words, "Troublesome?"

It was not often one came across another soul on this vast trial island, for even if a trialist ventured into the forest, most returned within a day's time, and being so far from the base, it was certainly not a same-day return. And if they could survive alone in the wild, their strength was not to be underestimated. Furthermore, if Soros deemed this person troublesome, they must certainly be one of the known trialists.

Soros' grin slowly dissipated and he nodded gravely, "Of course, the first-place trialist, who doesn't know of him?"

The man who had posed the question grew serious as well; while his impression of Cain was limited to that stoic face upon getting first place, he still harbored a certain unease towards the victor who had so effortlessly bested Xander.

Soros had no secrets from the man beside him. They had known each other since childhood, and it was with this man's aid that Soros had been able to establish a humble force within the Team Rocket base.

As the person who knew Soros best, his expression couldn't help but shift when he heard what Soros said.

"No, you're not thinking of taking him on, are you? And how can you be certain it's him?"

After all, Cain was a ruthless man who hadn't even given Xander the time of day.

Xander's identity was no secret within the Team Rocket base, and with a big brother who was a senior officer within the organization, he would rise to great heights, if he survives the trial. But instead, he was relegated to second place by Cain and could only utter a few bitter words.

Soros glanced out of the corner of his eye at the group behind him, engaged in lively conversation, and said, "Skye, do you not think it is a miracle that he was able to overtake Xander without any support? Either he had a fortuitous encounter, or his Pokemon's talent is truly exceptional!"

Soros fixed his gaze upon Skye and continued, "I kept a watchful eye on him before he departed, and I saw him head in this direction. Do you think that this mission we are undertaking now was chosen by me at random?"

Skye's eyes flickered with a hint of unease as he looked back at Soros. As for Soros' motivations for wanting to pursue Cain, while what he said made sense, Skye knew there was certainly more to it.

In truth, the main reason was likely that Cain had snubbed his invitation and shown him disrespect at the conclusion of the previous trial.

Skye, being the astute individual he was, wouldn't voice such thoughts aloud and had to admit that Soros was right; if he could uncover Cain's secrets, he might stand a chance of breaking into the top ten.

He would not have offered his aid to Soros if he had not been unfortunate enough to be assigned a Pokemon of low talent.

Truth be told, aside from that bright smile and the not-so-feeble Koffing, Skye believed himself superior to him in every way. But the situation demanded that he rely on him if he hoped to survive this trial successfully.

Aside from Xander, Team Rocket's Pokemon distribution was completely transparent, and the Pokemon one received and their talents were entirely a matter of chance.

Soros, however, harbored fantasies of discovering Cain's secrets, becoming the top trialist, and eventually making a name for himself within Team Rocket and then the world at large.

"But we may not be able to defeat him," Skye replied, still in awe of Cain; after all, he had only placed within the top 30 in the previous test, so the gap between them was far too great.

"That doesn't matter," Soros said, his eyes drawn to the five individuals standing behind Skye. "We must fight to see if we can defeat him, and even if we cannot, there will always be someone to have our backs."

After a few moments of contemplation, the two made the final decision to test their mettle against Cain.

A sly grin spread across Soros' face as he turned to face the five men.

As Soros turned, the rest of the group, who had been engaged in a lively conversation about Pokemon, fell silent and turned their attention to him.

"A most extraordinary opportunity has just presented itself, and if we are quick to act, surviving this trial shall be a trifle for any of us," Soros declared.

Upon hearing these words, the eyes of the five men immediately alighted with interest. They were faring well for the time being, but there was still a long way to go in this trial, and if there was a chance to improve their prospects, they would fight for it.

Though there was little doubt about the veracity of Soros' words, one of the men still remained skeptical and asked, "You serious?"

Soros looked at the man who had posed the question, a glint of amusement in his eyes, and replied, "Indeed, I have just confirmed it with Skye as well."

All eyes immediately turned to Skye, who nodded in confirmation.

The group was elated to receive confirmation from their two leaders.

After the conclusion of this trial, only fifty seats remained for the trialists to contend for, and that had always been a sword hanging over their heads; if they could survive on their own, they would not have to rely on others; after all, relying on others was not a sound strategy in their present circumstances.

"First and foremost, I would like to establish some ground rules. Obey my orders at all times, no defiance or laziness, for if I discover any, the offender shall not be taken on another mission and shall have to fend for themselves," Skye stepped forward and said, his tone stern and commanding. Unlike Soros' good-cop act, he had perfected the bad-cop role.

The group tensed, for none wanted to lose a backer, as that could cause problems back at the base.

They quickly nodded, indicating their understanding.

"If you have any questions later, wait until everything is done before inquiring; do not drag us all down with you." Skye continued, a note of warning in his voice.

There was no guarantee that these men wouldn't flee before or during the battle if they discovered that their opponent was Cain, so they were given a precautionary warning beforehand.

Again, there were no objections.

At this point, Soros stepped forward, a charming smile upon his face, and said, "Do not fret, my friends, leave everything to me, and should we find ourselves in danger, I shall remain behind to cover your backs."

The infectious smile and confidence gave the five men a sense of ease, reassuring them that all would be well.

Skye's eyes flickered with a hint of coldness, but he quickly hid his emotions by saying, "Well then, let's hurry; judging by the temperature of the ash, it should not be too far.

Soros nodded and led the group into the forest with a wave of his hand.

On the other hand, Cain, who walked through the forest at a steady pace, had no inkling that anyone was following him, nor that the ashes he had inadvertently left behind had alerted anyone to his location. But even if Cain had known, he would not have been troubled.

"Slowpoke, use Confusion to keep that Meowth in check. Murkrow, use Screech and then finish it off with Wing Attack!" Cain watched calmly as a wild Meowth was turned into a corpse by the combined attacks of Murkrow and Slowpoke.

This level 20 Meowth with an orange aptitude had attempted to use its speed to sneak up on the seemingly vulnerable Cain, only to be knocked back by Slowpoke's Confusion when it was still three meters away.

Then came its attempt to flee, as seen in the previous scene.

The Meowth that had fallen to the ground was simply one of the more commonplace Pokemon they had encountered on their journey.

"Well done, Murkrow and Slowpoke," Cain never hesitated to praise his Pokemon.

After giving them his praise, he took a Pokeblock from his storage belt and fed it to Murkrow to replenish his energy. Slowpoke was still eating his Sitrus Berry Pokeblocks, so he could not have any other Pokeblocks.

Fortunately, Slowpoke had only used his Psychic Energy during the battle, so it could be quickly restored by using Calm Mind.

The training goal Cain had set for Slowpoke was to be able to maintain Calm Mind active at all times, just like Murkrow did with Tailwind.

"Ya dong~" Slowpoke suddenly grabbed Cain's pants and yelled.

"Caw~" Murkrow also flew to Cain and croaked softly.

"Hmm?" Cain was taken aback to see his two Pokemon react in such a manner. But as Slowpoke and Murkrow cooperated in their explanation, he realized what they were trying to convey.

"Are you saying that someone is following us?" Cain asked, his suspicions growing as he spoke.

Cain learned from Murkrow and Slowpoke's gestures that there was more than one person following them.

And apart from the Trialists, no other human would be seen in this forest.