Chapter 59:

As Cain stepped out of the dimly lit study, he realized that his back was drenched in sweat.

He had been shocked when Umbra commented on Gastly's talent but was relieved to realize Umbra just thought his overreaction was due to him being afraid of having his Pokemon stolen rather than him having an ability to distinguish a Pokemon's talent. Still, Cain resolved to be more cautious in the future and keep his emotions in check.

Patting his warm cheeks, he took a deep breath and tried to calm his rattled nerves. To shake off the lingering thoughts, he decided to focus on something else.

Murkow's moveset met Cain's immediate needs, but Slowpoke and Gastly had yet to learn any new moves from TMs. It was time for some upgrades.

Firstly, Cain would have to exchange for two Protect moves, using all 10,000 of the points he had earned from the mission. It was a necessary expense and one that didn't bother him in the slightest.

As his closest guardian, this new move was crucial for Gastly- not only could it block enemy moves in battle, but it would also protect Cain in times of need.

Similarly, for Slowpoke, this move was just as important, providing much-needed protection during battle or using it just before Teleport to make an escape.

Cain also ran simulated battles for Gastly and Slowpoke in his mind.

Gastly's signature fighting style involved the combination of Hypnosis, Dream Eater, Rest, Sleep Talk, and Toxic. Thankfully, he had already learned Hypnosis and Rest, but he still needed to acquire Dream Eater, Sleep Talk, and Toxic to fully embody this fighting style.

Unfortunately, Cain didn't have enough points to exchange for those valuable moves at the moment.

If he had to choose, Cain was leaning towards Sleep Talk, as Dream Eater could be learned upon leveling up and Toxic wouldn't be of much use to Gastly in the short term, who had not yet fully developed his Poison Attribute.

In the future, Cain planned to train Gastly's Poison Attribute and then pair it with proper Poison-type moves. So first he would exchange for Sleep Talk, which would cost an additional 7,000 points.

Cain was ready to invest the resources necessary for Gastly to unleash his power.

As for Slowpoke, a Water and Psychic-type Pokemon, there were many Pokemon he could restrain and vice versa. He was twice as susceptible to Bug, Ghost, Grass, Electric, and Dark types, which was a significant disadvantage.

But by obtaining a suitable attribute through Hidden Power, Slowpoke could potentially overcome his weakness.

It all came down to luck as the attribute obtained through Hidden Power was completely random. Despite being a relatively common move, the high demand for Hidden Power meant its exchange cost was not low, requiring another 7,000 points.

Cain had 6,200 points left from his original 7,400 after rewarding Sky and Fox. Adding in the 10,000 points from his latest mission, Cain now had a total of 16,200 points. However, to acquire Protect (X2), Sleep Talk and Hidden Power, he would need 24,000 points.

Therefore, Cain knew he needed to accumulate more points before he could make the exchanges he desired. Cain's thoughts raced at lightning speed as he approached the familiar exchange staff member and handed over his ID card, explaining the situation. The exchange staff, prepared for Cain's request, took the card and waited for him to continue.

After a moment's hesitation, Cain made a decision. He took out a small, palm-sized black stone from his Team Rocket belt, deciding to exchange it for more points. He knew exchanging valuable items like the Intermediate Dusk Stone or the Geocentric Cleansing Milk for points at their Team Rocket's purchase price would be a waste.

Instead, he opted to exchange the Beginner Dusk Stone, which was the most common kind of evolutionary stone. Team Rocket's exchange list listed the price of the stone at 50,000 points, but with a 30% tax, Cain would only receive 35,000 points. He was secretly unhappy with Team Rocket's profit-hungry exchange system but handed over the stone anyway.

The exchange staff, familiar with Cain's luck, was shocked at the amount of points Cain had accumulated. With 20,000 points from before, 10,000 points from completing Umbra's mission, and now this Beginner Dusk Stone, Cain had amassed a total of 65,000 points.

The exchange staff took the Beginner Dusk Stone with a forced smile and thanked his lucky stars that Cain had not brought out an Advanced Dusk Stone. If that were the case, all the resources on the trial island would have been emptied by Cain.

"I want two Protect TMs, one Sleep Talk TM, and one Hidden Power TM," Cain said, his words faltering slightly. He paused, then corrected himself. "Make that three Hidden Power TMs."

His thoughts raced as he wondered if the newly awakened attributes would make up for his Pokemon's weaknesses. Ultimately, it was a matter of luck.

The exchange staff tried to hide his surprise as he witnessed Cain recklessly spending his points. The corners of his eyes twitched, unable to keep his emotions in check.

"Here's your identity card," the staff member said, whilst also handing Cain his TMs. "You still have 13,200 points on it."

Cain took the TMs and placed them in his storage belt, not bothering to examine them closely. He nodded at the staff member, who lowered his head and went back to his work.

The staff member couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he watched Cain leave with so many points. He had been with Team Rocket for two years and was still just a civilian staff member. The discrepancy in points was a reminder of his own shortcomings.

Cain didn't pay much attention to the staff member's odd behavior and headed to a special training room with Murkrow. He preferred to use the Move Learning Devices there, instead of exposing his wealth at the exchange center.

It was Cain's first time using a training room. In addition to the Move Learning Device, there were various training tools and wooden stakes scattered throughout the room. Although it was well equipped, it was rarely used, and most of the rooms remained empty.

Cain paid 100 points and chose the largest room, ignoring the strange gaze of a staff member. After locking the door, he called out Gastly from his shadow and instructed him to check for any surveillance cameras. Gastly quickly scoured the room and reported back that it was clear of any surveillance devices.

With that, Cain released Slowpoke from his pokeball. Slowpoke was not used to being cooped up for half a day and kept yawning. Cain stroked his round head apologetically whilst Slowpoke adjusted to his new surroundings.

Murkrow and Gastly, noticing Slowpoke, flew over and began chatting with him. The three Pokemon played for a while, until Cain interrupted them. Training had been intense lately, so this moment of play was a rare break.

"Come here and learn these moves," Cain said, holding up the TMs.

Cain called his Pokemon back into their pokeballs and then methodically placed each one onto the move-learning device. The TM would impart the knowledge of the chosen moves, but mastering them would take practice.

Protect and Sleep Talk presented different challenges. Protect was a move that could be used instantly upon learning but there was little that could be done in the way of improvement, whereas, Sleep Talk would only be mastered through actual combat experiences.

What intrigued Cain most, however, was the attribute that each Pokemon would acquire after learning Hidden Power. He decided to check Murkrow's new attribute first. As the de facto leader of Cain's team, Murkrow would serve as a guide.

Murkrow closed his eyes and summoned a hidden force from within. It took him three full minutes of concentrated effort to successfully unleash the energy. Electric currents danced around Murkrow, gathering and forming into a yellow energy ball that flickered with occasional yellow lightning.

As Murkrow gathered more and more electric energy, the yellow ball of energy grew denser and brighter. The yellow electric currents started turning a light blue, but the energy ball became too much for Murkrow to handle, so he released it towards the target in the center of the room.

The yellow energy ball struck the target with a loud explosion, creating a blast radius that sent yellow and blue currents of electricity flying out. Despite the ferocity of the attack, the room was barely affected, with only a black mark left on the ground as evidence of the explosion.

The soundproofing was so effective that the loud explosion went unnoticed by the staff. Cain couldn't help but think that this training room was a wise investment.

The Hidden Power move was a single-target attack with area of effect capabilities, as the energy ball gathered using the newly awakened attribute could cause damage to multiple enemies within the blast radius.

As for Murkrow's Hidden Power, from the color and appearance, it was obviously of the electric attribute. And although it looked similar to the Electro Ball move, it wasn't quite as powerful, but it did seem helpful for Murkrow against water-type Pokemon. Additionally, when fighting against flying-type Pokemon, this attribute gave Murkrow an aerial advantage for dominating the skies.

Satisfied, Cain rewarded Murkrow by gently petting his feathers.