In the end, Alexandra took Dragonite back with her.
Cain, for his part, obtained the Hydreigon that had once belonged to the Black Messenger. It could be said that both sides came out ahead.
After all, to Alexandra, Hydreigon was nothing more than a relatively expensive toy.
Cain, on the other hand, obtained a Pokémon that could truly be sold, and whose value was undoubtedly far greater than that of a Dragonite without a Poké Ball.
"Now you can talk about that so-called gift. If what you intend is for me to join your Sacred Church, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," Cain said.
Alexandra smiled openly.
"How could that be? It's not like I don't know that the person ordered to bring you to the Sacred Church was already eliminated by you. I have no interest in becoming the second."
"Oh? Then what exactly is it that you want to say?" Cain raised an eyebrow.
"First, I'll give you a small piece of news, as an extra gift. There's no need to thank me. The news is that the candidate for the new Black Messenger has already been decided. Moreover, you should know him as well, and this time he will appear here, at the Kanto distribution ceremony. I hope you can find him. He's someone who, without a doubt, won't disappoint you." Alexandra's smile grew even deeper.
Cain, however, frowned.
A new Black Messenger?
The appearance of a new one did not surprise Cain. For the Sacred Church, all of their messengers communicated with their subordinates through special cards, and those subordinates couldn't even confirm whether the so-called Black Messenger was the same one who had contacted them before. In the end, they only needed to obey orders.
It was even possible that the Black Messenger defeated by Cain had not been the first.
Even so, Cain remained skeptical of the woman's words.
If someone he could know had become the Black Messenger, did that mean he would have to view anyone he knew with suspicion, even if they weren't close? That brought him no benefit at all.
It had been the Sacred Church that took the initiative to provoke him. Cain had already indirectly dealt with one of their Black Messengers as revenge. If the other side chose to let matters end there and stop bothering him, Cain also had no intention of provoking such a powerful, semi-public force that dared to cause trouble for the League.
As long as the new Black Messenger didn't come looking for trouble again, Cain preferred not to create more conflict. Of course, he wouldn't lower his guard for even a moment against the Sacred Church. If they insisted on provoking him again and again, Cain would have to confront them to the very end. But for now, they still had a "lifeline."
Seeing Cain's expression, Alexandra didn't delve further into the topic. She merely let the idea drop and stopped there.
"Now let's talk about the great gift I mentioned at the beginning. I wonder if Elite Four Cain has heard of the Alola region?" Alexandra asked with a smile.
"Yes, I have. It's a new region that the Pokémon League discovered recently. As far as I understand, negotiations are still ongoing, and the results haven't been fully made public yet," Cain replied frankly.
"I see that Elite Four Cain is very well informed. Then, have you heard of... the Aether Foundation?"
Upon hearing that, Cain's heart trembled.
The Aether Foundation?!
Alexandra continued speaking on her own: "The Aether Foundation is an organization dedicated to protecting Pokémon, especially those that have been injured by humans. It's one of the groups currently negotiating with the League and plays a key role in allowing the League to establish itself smoothly."
"Are you part of the Aether Foundation or the Sacred Church? What relationship exists between the Sacred Church and the Aether Foundation? How much does the League know about the relationship between the two?" Cain fired off a series of questions at once.
Previously, Cain had already suspected that those people wearing silver coats had a significant connection with the Aether Foundation. After all, one of the Pokémon used by his opponent in that battle had been an Alolan Muk. Over time, that matter had been buried deep in his mind, and he hadn't expected Alexandra to bring it up today.
Listening to Cain's questions, Alexandra shrugged.
"How could I know so many things? Today I've only come to convey a message, hoping that Elite Four Cain will hear it. That message is that the Aether Foundation hopes to gain the friendship of Elite Four Cain, and in return, you will be able to obtain the support of the Aether Foundation."
"Support? Giving me rarer Pokémon? Or a faster way to make myself stronger? Or perhaps the technology you use to create special Pokémon?" The smile disappeared from Cain's face.
If others didn't know what kind of organization the Aether Foundation was, they might be deceived by that talk of protecting Pokémon. But unfortunately for them, the level of understanding Cain had of the Aether Foundation was far beyond what they could imagine.
Alexandra's expression changed slightly. Without a sound, she cast a glance at Latios and Latias.
"I don't know what you mean by the third option, Elite Four Cain. But I do know that if you wish, the first two can be fulfilled without any problem. I believe you should know our Alolan Pokémon quite well. I've even heard that you have our Alolan pseudo-legendary Pokémon. Kommo-o!"
Cain let out a mocking laugh and shrugged, indicating that he didn't care too much.
Alexandra didn't think that would be enough to convince him either. She merely wanted to give him a prior notice: "Elite Four Cain, you should know that this world is far larger than you imagine, and that there are many more Pokémon than the ones you know. If you're interested, you can look a bit deeper into the Aether Foundation. I believe there are already quite a few research reports within the League."
With that, she left together with Latios and Latias, leaving Cain and his Pokémon behind.
Watching Alexandra calmly disappear into the air, Cain had the feeling that saying she had come to stop him from participating in the ceremony was merely an excuse. Her true objective had actually been, on behalf of the Aether Foundation, to try to draw him to their side.
"Aether Foundation, Alola, Sacred Church, spatial rifts, Ultra Beasts..." Cain narrowed his eyes as he repeated those terms in his mind. He felt that they were all deeply connected, and that this connection likely had a great deal to do with the true nature hidden behind the Sacred Church.
As for the Aether Foundation and the Ultra Beasts, Cain still didn't fully understand them. Blind guessing now was useless; only when the League truly integrated the Alola region into its territory would he be able to understand the internal details.
What concerned him most at that moment was still the reason why the Sacred Church wanted to prevent him from participating in that ceremony.
Was there some inevitable event that justified such an attempt to block him, to the point of sending someone specifically? Unfortunately, the person sent seemed more interested in the affairs of the Aether Foundation than in those of the Sacred Church itself.
He weighed the Poké Ball containing Hydreigon in his hand. No matter what, this time he had come out ahead with that Hydreigon.
He recalled his Pokémon and hurried toward the League's headquarters.
(End of chapter)