Chapter 249: Preparation

Cain sat on the beach after a short break, crossing his legs over the sand. The sun was about to set, and the tide was beginning to recede, leaving the beach dry.

"How can such a small island sustain so many Pokémon? And not only survive, but these Pokémon grow so well and reach such high levels," Cain thought silently.

Unlike Pokémon captured by humans, who gain experience more quickly by battling other Pokémon and thus level up, wild Pokémon usually level up as they age and absorb various types of energy.

If wild Pokémon knew how to train, they might level up a bit faster. However, the Pokémon on this island didn't seem to be in any special situation; it was a completely normal forest, except that the plants were quite ancient.

There was nothing particularly special about this place, but the levels of the Pokémon here didn't seem to match reality.

There was even a level 40 Tropius in the center of the island; though not a true dragon-type Pokémon, it was still a formidable opponent.

In fact, Cain was considering taking complete control of the island. If he managed to defeat all the Pokémon, his own Pokémon's levels could increase significantly.

Even, as unrealistic as it may sound, if he could capture that Tropius, he wouldn't need to keep using Fearow as his airborne transport. Cain had only used Fearow a few times, but to be honest, he found it a bit ugly.

Although Cain isn't a trainer who cares about his Pokémon's appearance—being a practitioner of utilitarianism—the comparison between Tropius and Fearow is obvious. Anyone would know which one to choose.

The most important thing is that if Cain had both Tropius and Gyarados as mounts, he would look incredibly impressive while flying or sailing. Just thinking about it felt grand.

Cain patted himself on the head, scolding himself for having such fanciful thoughts. At this moment, his highest-level Pokémon is Slowpoke, who has barely reached level 27, and he's already considering facing a level 40 Tropius.

"Lately, I've been surrounded by people with no common sense, and it seems like I'm catching it," Cain thought, recalling Jin from the S.S. Anne, an impulsive and energetic guy.

At first, Cain wondered how someone like Jin, without the luck of being the protagonist like Ash, managed to survive. In the end, he discovered that Jin had an uncle who was the captain of the S.S. Anne, making him a junior officer.

Cain slowly stood up, brushing the sand off his body, murmuring, "I originally thought about setting up camp in the center of the island, but it seems the Beautifly territory is safer."

Although the island is mostly populated by four types of Pokémon, that doesn't mean there aren't others. Without other Pokémon, the ecosystem would be unbalanced. There are just fewer of them, not in the same numbers as the main groups.

Additionally, each group allows other Pokémon to enter, except when it comes to rival groups. When Cain and Slowpoke entered the Beautifly territory, they weren't much bothered. Beautifly didn't pay attention to Cain and his Pokémon. Only other wild Pokémon, who had never seen a human before, launched the first attack.

However, they were all defeated by Slowpoke and Murkrow, losing their lives. Even their bodies were devoured by Grimer, turning into nutrients.

Leaning against a large tree, Cain took tools from his ring, and with the help of his Pokémon, he quickly set up a small camp.

The tent was next to an old tree, sturdy enough to withstand the wind. Slowpoke and Miltank also prepared the campfire and food.

The recently released Skorupi had calmed down a lot. As a bug-type Pokémon, he could sense other Pokémon of his type and realize that there were too many stronger Pokémon on the island, which led him to restrain his mischievous behavior.

Cain's Pokémon, who had spent long hours in daily training on the S.S. Anne, had now reached a higher level of mastery over their moves, urgently needing some battles to test their progress.

Moreover, the prolonged training had brought their bodies to a state of limit, and a few intense battles would help them level up.

The aroma of roasted meat spread through the forest, attracting many wild Pokémon to watch. Some, unable to resist the temptation, attacked, but were defeated by Murkrow and the others, leaving several powerful Pokémon bodies on the ground.

With this display of strength, many other Pokémon decided not to cause trouble.

As the sun set, the campfire became the only light source in the forest. The Pokémon sat around the fire, enjoying the delicious roasted meat.

For them, this life, where they could always be outside with their trainer, is what they love most. Though battles might be more frequent, who among them isn't a fan of battles?

After dinner, the Pokémon played around the campfire. Slowpoke and Miltank played with Skorupi, while Sneasel and Murkrow trained together, discussing combat techniques and move usage.

Sneasel had just learned the move Dark Pulse but still had a lot to master, whereas Murkrow had learned that move a while ago and, under Cain's guidance, had mastered it quite well, though not completely. But Murkrow still had enough skill to teach Sneasel.

On the other hand, Sneasel also handled the move Taunt well, and Murkrow asked him about using that move. The two Pokémon trained each other, quickly developing a strong bond.

Although Sneasel is stronger in battle than Murkrow, in terms of dark-type skills, Murkrow is superior. After all, Sneasel's greatest talent lies in the ice type.

Meanwhile, Haunter didn't join the group. He stayed close to Cain, faithfully performing his role as a guardian. Although Cain allowed him to join the others, Haunter refused, considering his duty to be protecting Cain.

Unable to convince him, Cain let him be, as he knew that in the wild, danger could arise at any moment, and having Haunter nearby guaranteed his safety.

After watching his Pokémon play for a while, Cain fell into deep thought. He was determined to thoroughly explore this island and help his Pokémon level up. After days of training, they had accumulated enough experience and only needed a few more battles to achieve it.

Cain soon set his sights on one of the island's four major groups: the Dustox group.

(End of Chapter)