Chapter 139:

Just as Cain prepared to leave, he noticed a broken test tube lying between two computers, containing some type of green fluid.

He picked up the test tube, took out a small bottle from his ring, and poured the liquid from the test tube into it. After screwing on the cap, he put the bottle and the broken test tube into the ring.

"Slowpoke, Teleport. Let's go!" Cain said, placing his hand on Slowpoke's back.

At his command, Slowpoke focused its psychic energy, closed its eyes, and began to sense the coordinates it had left behind.

Suddenly, its eyes snapped open, surging with a blue glow, as it whisked Cain away.

Unbeknownst to Cain, the Association psychic who had detected Slowpoke's Teleport earlier during the battle outside the base, sensed Slowpoke's psychic energy once again.

He recalled a battling Alakazam and placed his hand on its back, linking their psychic energy. As their energy resonated, a spatial ripple formed around them.

As if sensing something, their psychic energy suddenly surged, followed by a violent flash and then an abrupt calm.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, the psychic walked over to Pryce and whispered, "Pryce, the Teleporter who entered the base earlier was about to leave, but I intercepted them. They should be somewhere not far from the direction of our assault and they won't be able to use Teleport for at least a day."

Pryce and Ariana had been battling for over an hour now. Though he hadn't defeated Ariana yet, her number of Pokémon had dwindled from nine to five.

However, Pryce was also struggling. Of the five Pokémon he had used in battle, two had already been rendered incapable of fighting.

Had he not been concerned about her potentially fighting back fiercely in her final moments, he might have gone all out from the start.

At the same time, Ariana was anxiously waiting for her underlings, who she had sent to the fifth floor. Once they reported back confirming the data was secured, she would retreat without hesitation.

Pryce vaguely remembered the Psychic trainer who had mentioned someone using teleportation to escape, but he was preoccupied with his battle against Ariana and had no time to concern himself with such a trivial character.

"Send a couple of people to look for them. Anyone who can have their teleportation interrupted must not be very strong."

"Understood." The other person also agreed that the main focus should be here, and the individual who had tried to teleport away was just a minor character.

Thus, two skilled trainers from the Association were casually assigned to find the culprit.

At that moment, Cain and Slowpoke surfaced from the depths of Lake of Rage.

Slowpoke was in a bewildered state, unable to understand why the teleportation that had always worked before had failed this time.

It felt as if... as if someone had pushed them out.

Cain looked at the confused Slowpoke and helplessly wiped the water from his face.

Whenever he teleported with Slowpoke, he would close his eyes and arrive at the destination in the blink of an eye. However, this time, before he could even open his eyes, he found himself suffocating. If Slowpoke hadn't helped him swim to the surface, he might have drowned given his slow swimming speed.

"Slowpoke, what happened?"

Finally catching his breath, Cain couldn't help but ask.

"Yadong~~" Slowpoke responded, conveying the situation they had just encountered through telepathy.

"Were we targeted? Or were we discovered?" Cain wondered after hearing Slowpoke's explanation.

Had his data theft been discovered by someone? The Association or Team Rocket? Did someone know his true identity?

Realizing this, Cain knew he couldn't linger. Association or Team Rocket search teams might show up soon.

"Slowpoke, can you Teleport again?" Cain asked once more.

Slowpoke closed its eyes and tried to sense the spatial coordinates it had left earlier, only to find chaos and an inability to detect anything. With a helpless shake of its head, it conveyed its inability to Teleport.

Seeing Slowpoke shake its head, Cain was even more certain that someone had tampered with their teleportation.

"Slowpoke, let's get out of here quickly."

Cain determined their direction based on the position of the sun and the surrounding mountains, placing his hand on Slowpoke's shoulder.

Their priority was to leave this place as soon as possible. There was no telling whether the person who interrupted them could track them like Sabrina could. Facing someone of that level, Cain would be helpless.

However, Cain's concerns were unnecessary. No one would care about such a minor character like him. Not everyone was as bored as Sabrina, nor could everyone sense Slowpoke's uniqueness.

Utilizing Slowpoke's Water-type moves, they quickly navigated through the lake.

Although there were numerous Pokémon in the lake, mostly Magikarp, as long as they didn't encounter a Gyarados, Slowpoke could escape without issue.

Cain felt apprehensive about the prospect of facing a Gyarados because in the Lake of Rage, these imposing creatures were plentiful and often traveled in groups. One encounter could quickly escalate into a dangerous situation.

Fortunately, when their teleportation was interrupted, they were already near the eastern mountain range of Lake of Rage. All they had to do was pass through the Foggy Forest by the lake, and they'd reach the mountains, where they could be as free as a bird or a fish in the vast ocean, far from Cain's pursuers.

Slowpoke, not being the fastest swimmer, took nearly twenty minutes to reach the shore with Cain. Luckily, they didn't encounter any Gyarados, or their escape would not have been so easy.

After this incident, Cain felt the need to prepare a Flying-type Pokémon as a means of transportation.

Even if it wasn't a main battle Pokémon, having it solely for flying would be great.

If he had a Pokémon capable of carrying people through the air, he wouldn't be so passive. He could simply fly over Lake of Rage, the Foggy Forest, and reach the safety of the Misty Mountains.