Cain glanced sideways at the Tyranitar beside him and the Blaziken eager to enter battle, and smiled faintly once more. With such reliable companions, was it not possible to stand up to any adversary?
The recent efforts of Tyranitar, Blaziken, and the other Pokémon had not gone unnoticed by Cain.
Although the rapid progress of Salamence and his group had filled Tyranitar and the others with satisfaction, it had also brought them pressure... and motivation.
Because of this, during this time, the growth and effort of Tyranitar and his companions had been visible at a glance.
Of course, it was not only them. All of Cain's Pokémon had received the rewards they deserved for their efforts. Pokémon such as Honchkrow, Weavile, and Drapion had also improved noticeably, remaining just one step away from breaking through to the Champion level.
Cain felt that today might be the perfect moment for them to achieve that breakthrough.
One Poké Ball after another was thrown, and one by one, familiar Pokémon appeared.
Upon seeing the Pokémon Cain had summoned, Bartram became increasingly astonished, because... the types of Pokémon Cain had sent out were far too similar to his own!
Not only Gengar and Weavile, but also Drapion and Honchkrow seemed as if they had come from the same mold.
Of course, there were still certain differences. For example, Cain's Gengar looked much more energetic, to the point of not truly seeming like a Ghost-type Pokémon. As for Drapion and Honchkrow, both were larger than their opponent's, especially Drapion, whose size exceeded more than double.
Honchkrow only seemed slightly larger, and if one did not compare carefully, the difference in size was difficult to notice at a glance.
Weavile, on the other hand, looked almost the same as the opponent's, except that the red feathers on the head and tail of Cain's Weavile were visibly more vivid.
This comparison made it clear, without the need for words, the difference in Pokémon training.
The opponent was astonished by the Pokémon Cain had summoned, but Cain and his Pokémon were eager to fight. There was nothing that ignited the spirit more than battling Pokémon of the same type... and emerging victorious.
However, Bartram was only surprised for a moment, because he had noticed that among the Pokémon similar to his own, aside from Gengar — which seemed a bit stronger than his — none had yet surpassed the Champion level.
Although Quasi-Champion-level Pokémon were not weak, when facing Champion-level Pokémon, even a child would know who held the advantage.
And even that Gengar, which seemed the strongest, did not truly worry him; after all... he possessed the special ability of the Sacred Church.
It was unknown whether it was intentional or not, but Irene and Will had not informed the rest of the Sacred Church that Cain had mastered an even more advanced form of special evolution.
Perhaps that was the real reason why the Sacred Church remained such a disorganized group. Each person harbored their own calculations; aside from a few, most always prioritized their own interests. After all, being absorbed into the Sacred Church was itself due to their own greed, and that was the side effect the organization had to bear in using them.
In normal times, that side effect remained well hidden, and almost no one paid attention to it.
But coincidentally, the one now standing before them was someone who also knew those underground dark forces well, someone who perfectly understood the mentality of those who place themselves above everything else.
Cain! He himself had once assumed that role in the past!
"Gengar, let them see the infusion of divine power of our Sacred Church!" Bartram shouted, pulling a special stone from his pocket and pressing it directly onto Gengar's head.
In an instant, a special energy enveloped Gengar, completing its pseudo-Mega Evolution and transforming it into Mega Gengar.
Although the "divine stone" used by the opponent was clearly of higher quality than those Cain had seen before, there was still a considerable gap compared to true Mega Evolution, the most obvious being the difference in the increase of power.
And there was an even more important point: each infusion of divine power from the Sacred Church actually caused damage to the Pokémon's body. The more times it was used, not only did it become difficult to advance further in strength, but even maintaining the current level became challenging.
Seeing the opponent's Mega Gengar panting, as if a single pseudo-Mega Evolution had caused it enormous suffering, the smile on Cain's face grew even more pronounced.
Turning toward his own Gengar, he said, "Against an imitation like that, there shouldn't be too much pressure for you. Defeat a Gengar in a Mega Evolution state and finally complete the breakthrough you've been waiting for for so long. I think... there's no better celebration for you than this, right?"
"Kekeke!" Gengar returned a mischievous grin. Although it said nothing, the intense fighting intent shining in its eyes said everything.
That's right: Cain had no intention of having Gengar megaevolve!
Mega Evolution undoubtedly granted a great boost in power, but to defeat a "fake Mega Evolution" that had not even surpassed the first threshold of the Champion level, there was simply no need to use true Mega Evolution.
Although Gengar was eager to show the opponent what a genuine Mega Evolution was, why use a hammer to kill a fly?
That said, Gengar not using Mega Evolution did not mean that Cain would not employ it with other Pokémon. After all, Weavile and the others were at a disadvantage in terms of level. Cain was not foolish enough to send a Quasi-Champion-level Pokémon to fight directly against a Champion-level one.
Isn't cooperation among companions only natural? Otherwise, why allow a trainer to capture so many Pokémon?
The strength of one's companions is also part of one's own strength!
"Tyranitar, Blaziken! It's time to shine! Mega Evolve!" The excitement in Cain's heart continued to rise, and along with it, his psychic power overflowed.
The true energy of Mega Evolution enveloped Tyranitar and Blaziken. In the blink of an eye...
Mega Tyranitar and Mega Blaziken entered the scene!
When Bartram saw that Cain's Tyranitar and Blaziken had also undergone a special evolution, his eyes widened and he was left without issuing any attack orders.
Anyone would be stunned to see that their hidden trump card was also in the opponent's hands, and that it even seemed more powerful.
Although Cain could not see the opponent's expression, from the movements of his Pokémon and the stiffness of his psychic power, he could clearly sense the magnitude of his shock.
Realizing this, Cain further confirmed his suspicion: Will and Irene had not revealed that he had mastered Mega Evolution. Truly, what "good companions"!
Now that the opponent knew, it was already too late. Even if he tried to call for reinforcements at that moment, they would not arrive in time.
"Tyranitar, Crimson Sand Inferno! Seal off the entire space!"
(End of chapter)