Chapter 197: Seventy-Five Years

Cain took out the half bottle of green liquid from his ring and carefully unscrewed the cap.

According to the system's analysis, if an ordinary Pokémon were to consume this liquid, its lifespan would decrease by 30%, but its growth rate would increase by 20%.

However, in the case of the Larvitar egg, it wouldn't have a major impact, only increasing its growth rate by 5% to 10%. Moreover, it wouldn't affect Larvitar's lifespan at all.

The system provided an explanation for this, which Cain found very logical.

Geocentric cleansing milk has longevity properties, and considering that the Larvitar egg has been submerged in it for an indefinite time, it's reasonable that its lifespan would be longer.

Cain asked Gastly to bring out the incubator with the Larvitar egg. Observing the date displayed on the incubator, he slowly opened it. He tilted the bottle slightly, letting the green liquid flow out slowly. According to the system, he only needed to pour the liquid into the crack in the Larvitar egg.

"I hope this works," Cain thought as he carefully poured all the precious evolution elixir over the crack in the egg.

Upon contact, the liquid was instantly absorbed. Cain, worried that the liquid would spill and be wasted, stayed alert with his limited psychic ability.

After emptying every last drop of the green liquid, Cain watched and waited in silence.

Five minutes passed, and nothing happened.

Ten minutes passed, and still, there was no change.

"Did this work or not? Even if it's just half a bottle, there should be at least some sign," Cain said, frustrated as he saw no changes in the Larvitar egg.

"Beep! Scan result: Larvitar egg activity has increased by 7%. At this growth rate, it is expected to hatch in seventy-five years," announced the system in Cain's mind.

"Seventy-five years...?" Cain was speechless.

It seems these matters always involve decades or centuries. First his psychic ability, and now the Larvitar egg.

At least Cain felt relieved knowing that the evolution elixir had some effect on the egg, and that he didn't need to keep blindly searching for solutions. However, remembering how rare the elixir was, he felt a bit overwhelmed.

Even if the elixir appears on Team Rocket's reward list, Cain wouldn't be able to redeem it right away. Plus, he was worried his interference might have altered the Lake of Rage research base, since in his previous life he hadn't heard of such a fierce battle; at least on the fifth floor of the base, which he had cleared before, no such severe damage had been seen.

Even if the evolution elixir became available, Cain wasn't sure if it would appear again on Team Rocket's list. If not, perhaps Umbra would be the only one who had one.

Thinking about the elixirs Umbra had, Cain felt a slight temptation, but quickly dismissed any wild ideas when he remembered Umbra's strength.

When choosing between his life and a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Cain would choose his life without hesitation.

It's not the right time yet. He should at least wait until he can prove his worth, and maybe then he could get something from Umbra.

Besides, even if he managed to hatch Larvitar now, Cain, who barely had resources, wouldn't have a way to train a Pokémon that consumed so many resources.

A pseudo-legendary Pokémon can become extremely powerful once it reaches its full potential, but the resources needed to raise it would deter most people.

For example, Steven's shiny Metang: the value of two shiny Beldum alone is incalculable, not to mention the high-level Pokéblocks it consumes daily, which Cain now specifically makes for it at a huge cost.

Only someone with Steven's unlimited resources could afford such luxuries.

Cain returned the Larvitar egg to the incubator, which showed no signs of change.

The incubation date now displayed: time remaining until hatching: 27,375 days.

Cain was speechless at this calculation and decided to hand the incubator to Gastly, choosing not to look at it anymore.

After tending to the Larvitar egg, Cain spent a while reviewing the psychic skill training manual and then entered a meditative state.

Now, meditating before bed had become part of his routine, using meditation to replace part of his sleep time, only lying down when he could no longer hold on. The next day, he even felt more alert than if he'd slept all night.

For now, this was the greatest use of his psychic abilities.

The night passed without incident.

...

Another day passed, and Cain had already spent two days in Diglett Cave with his Pokémon. By his calculations, if everything went well, he should be out of the cave before sunset today.

Under normal conditions, an average walker could cross Diglett Cave in about a day and a half. But since Cain often stopped to seek battles with his Pokémon, his time doubled.

However, Cain had an advantage: he could walk faster than most. In the forest, where branches and underbrush obstructed the path, Cain could walk normally; on the flat, soft terrain of the cave, it's no surprise he was faster.

Given his plan, Cain didn't venture into deep tunnels today but chose a few at random. If he didn't reach the end within forty minutes, he released Weezing's gas to attract Pokémon, defeated them, and then had Slowpoke use Teleport to change location.

Surprisingly, this turned out to be more efficient, gaining more experience in less time than when he wandered through tunnels aimlessly.

On his journey, Murkrow managed to level up, reaching level 24. Shortly after, Cain encountered a light green Sandshrew, which he captured.

Yellow-quality Pokémon were no longer of much interest to Cain as a hunter, and if it weren't for completing some tasks, he wouldn't actively seek them.

However, if he encounters any green-quality Pokémon, Cain will try to capture it to complete missions, or at least sell it to make money.

At the end of Diglett Cave, the last rays of sunlight filtered through the exit.

With Slowpoke by his side, Cain slowly climbed out, breathing in the fresh scent of grass.

After so much time underground, Cain hadn't noticed, but upon emerging, he realized he was drenched in the smell of earth.

Outside Diglett Cave, Vermilion City unfolded before his eyes.

Without wasting any time, he headed toward the city.

(End of chapter)