Chapter 55:

"I'm good now," Slowpoke said telepathically to Cain, his eyes flashing blue. Cain's lips twitched into a smile at the sound of Slowpoke's child-like voice. The pokemon's telepathy, which had previously been sluggish, now appeared much smoother.

Cain gently stroked Slowpoke's pink head, saying, "Next time, don't act so boldly and listen to me." Slowpoke hummed contentedly in reply, then added, "Master, I've fully recovered and can use Teleport again, no more mistakes."

This news surprised Cain. If they could Teleport to the same distance as before, they'd be close to the base. However, Teleport could only take them to places they'd already been, so the closest they could get was around the waterfall area. Nevertheless, Cain believed that Slowpoke could Teleport these distances easily and nodded, "Great, let's Teleport and then get dinner ready."

Cain called out to Murkrow, who was on sentry duty, and Gastly, who was hiding in his shadow, "Murkrow, come down. Gastly, come out." Gastly slowly emerged and circled around Slowpoke, fascinated by his psychic moves. Slowpoke linked telepathically with Gastly and took on the role of an elder brother. Cain smiled, "Okay Gastly, stop bothering Slowpoke."

"Jie Jie," echoed Gastly's voice as he obediently moved to Cain's side, as if proclaiming, "Look, I'm a good boy."

As the group assembled, Slowpoke set to work casting Teleport. His proficiency in using the move was evident, as the psychic energy flowed with effortless precision, resulting in a much quicker casting time.

Cain's eyes opened to find himself transported to another part of the forest. This place, he remembered with crystal clarity, was the site where he and Murkrow had been pursued by the Raticate colony, and where fate had brought him together with Slowpoke. Murkrow, who had not forgotten the harrowing experience, pointed out the scarred earth where they had made their escape.

"I see," Cain chuckled, rubbing Murkrow's wings. "This is where we eluded our pursuers."

Gastly, intrigued by the exchange, asked Murkrow what they were talking about. As the eldest member and de facto leader of the team, Murkrow regaled Gastly with the tale of their escape and the Raticates he had slain.

Gastly's arrival had infused new life into the group dynamic. Murkrow, Cain's first Pokémon, had always been a stalwart and dependable companion, speaking infrequently despite the burden of responsibility that came with being the first. Slowpoke, the second member to join, was timid, but had a steady and reliable personality. When it was just the two of them, they communicated in brief bursts of conversation before lapsing into silence. Gastly, however, was a mischievous and eerie creature, and his arrival had become a catalyst for interaction between Murkrow and Slowpoke, both of whom were not particularly talkative.

Cain didn't wish to disrupt their conversation, but as the sun began to dip below the horizon, he knew it was crucial to start a fire, lest they be vulnerable in the darkening wilderness.

"Okay, let's pause for a moment," Cain interjected. "Murkrow, go hunt some hares or pheasants. Gastly, gather firewood. Slowpoke, set up the tent using Confusion." The trio sprang into action, performing their assigned tasks without a murmur of protest.

As night fell, Murkrow and Slowpoke lay listlessly after devouring a sumptuous meal, while only Gastly remained energetic. Though he didn't eat, he had imbibed the residual energy from the creatures caught by Murkrow. Gastly briefly wondered what made his companions gobble up their food so quickly, but after a failed attempt to taste it himself, he abandoned the idea.

"Alright, rest times over," Cain said after a while. "Digest your food before bed." At his words, both Murkrow and Slowpoke rose to their feet, ready for the day's training. Gastly, unsure of what was happening, followed suit and stood with them.

"Murkrow, use Dark Pulse on that tree fifty times, then follow up with one hundred Wing Attacks," Cain instructed, pointing to a large nearby tree. "Slowpoke, you continue to hone Confusion. Today's goal is to lift those five rocks five hundred times." As Slowpoke's psychic energy had grown considerably, so had Cain's training demands.

"Gastly," Cain said after a moment's pause, "You'll start with running. Run 2000 laps around those two trees at your fastest speed. Let's see how your stamina holds up."

Gastly was participating in training for the first time, and Cain struggled to determine the appropriate amount of training required. He guessed an amount that appeared reasonable to him. Upon receiving Cain's instructions, Gastly hastened to train independently.

For Murkrow's Dark Pulse, the objective was to concentrate dark energy at a single point to maximize destruction. As for Wing Attack, the aim was to accumulate flying energy on the wings and reinforce them, as both factors influenced the damage dealt by this move.

Slowpoke possessed decent water talent, but it was overshadowed by his psychic talent. Provided Confusion was efficiently trained and utilized in tandem with water-type moves, Slowpoke could offer both control and damage output during combat.

In contrast, Gastly and his subsequent evolutionary forms possessed high special attack and speed stats and excelled in attrition warfare, relying on damage over time rather than swift battles.

Surviving the adversary's frenzied attacks was the primary criterion, as Gastly's low health made him vulnerable to swift defeat by pokemon that could restrain him. Thus, in battle, self-preservation was the foremost priority, followed by damage output. The longer Gastly survived, the more damage he could inflict. His speed and potential future control moves would aid in his survival.

According to Cain, Gastly only needed to master Hypnosis, Dream Eater, Rest, Sleep Talk, and a handful of poison-type moves. When fully employed, these moves could give rise to a multitude of ingenious strategies.

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Cain reappeared at the entrance of Team Rocket's base a day later. He had taken his time and devoted it to enhancing his pokemon's level and moves. With the help of Murkrow and Slowpoke, Gastly had engaged in battles against high-level opponents and had swiftly leveled up from 10 to 14.

The intense fighting alongside Murkrow and Slowpoke transformed the already energetic Gastly into a fierce combatant. Murkrow and Slowpoke also achieved levels 20 and 22, respectively, largely due to Gastly's tendency to challenge any pokemon he encountered. When he was bullied, he sought the help of Murkrow and Slowpoke to seek revenge.

"Slowpoke, it's not suitable for you here; take a rest in your pokeball," Cain said as he retrieved Slowpoke's Great Ball. Although Slowpoke was pink like other Slowpokes, anyone with a sharp eye could discern that he was a shiny pokemon. Cain's primary concern was not the trialists but rather some of the veteran Team Rocket grunts on the island. They would take the risk of stealing Slowpoke if the benefits were substantial enough.

Cain instructed Gastly to conceal the egg incubator containing the Larvitar egg in his shadow and for Murkrow to accompany him into the Team Rocket base. The passage was familiar, but Cain felt no sense of despondency this time. It was said that one's outlook on the world changes as their strength grows.

The commotion in the base was palpable, with trialists and Team Rocket grunts bustling about as if they were busy with something. Cain noticed a few suspicious individuals keeping an eye on him and quipped, "Interesting, looks like things just got more complicated."

News of Cain's arrival quickly spread among those in positions of power, and a group of individuals emerged from the dormitory area, each with a Pokémon in tow, making their way to the central square. They were visibly nervous, excited, and scared, as they hurried along as if they were afraid of falling behind. When the lead figure caught sight of Cain, he rushed over with the others in tow. "Cain, you've returned," the lead figure said, revealing himself to be Skye.