No one noticed the battle between Cain and Alexandra. After all, if someone had been able to discover it, Alexandra would not have gone to look for Cain.
This period was a special time for the Kanto region. Everyone's attention and energy were focused on the matter of Kanto's division—who would pay attention to a battle that took place inside Mt. Silver?
Moreover, even the troops stationed within Mt. Silver had mostly withdrawn, leaving only a small contingent that could barely maintain internal stability.
Cain left the interior area of Mt. Silver and returned directly to the area where the League building was located.
Just by observing the crowded streets and the constant flow of people, one could feel the current bustle and liveliness of the Kanto League headquarters. Precisely because of this, the League had to mobilize a large amount of personnel to maintain order in the area; after all, where there are many people, there are also many problems.
Since Cain, in his capacity as an Elite Four member, did not hide his appearance or whereabouts from the beginning, the moment he entered the busiest street, someone recognized him. The news immediately spread by word of mouth, and in the blink of an eye, Cain was completely surrounded. A large portion were his fans, and the rest simply came to watch the spectacle.
It was the first time Cain had experienced such a situation. Faced with such enthusiastic fans—especially female fans—upon seeing a flesh-and-blood Cain with no Pokémon protecting him at his side, the "passion" they displayed was simply overwhelming.
After all, on the internet, Cain's image was very positive and inspiring, practically a male god in the hearts of countless fans.
Born as an ordinary civilian, he had reached his current level of strength, become one of Hoenn's Elite Four, and was also the youngest advanced-level breeder in history. And most importantly, although his appearance could not be called ugly before, it also could not be said to be attractive; it had always been one of his less perfect points.
However, it was unknown since when—perhaps due to the natural development of adolescence—that his facial features had undergone slight changes. Precisely these changes had allowed the once-ordinary Cain to rival men like Steven or Lance in terms of attractiveness.
Many fans compared photos of Cain from the past with the current Cain. If no one had witnessed the entire process of change, anyone would have thought they were completely different people.
And because this transformation process had been public, no one thought he had undergone cosmetic surgery. After all, surgery usually brings about an immediate change in a specific area, not like in his case, where each feature changed little by little.
Now, Cain was showing everyone his true appearance.
While signing autographs for the first fans, Cain realized that someone was pinching him. It wasn't very forceful, but someone was clearly doing it.
This behavior became the beginning of a special kind of conduct by some people, who began to cross the line.
Cain's expression changed. His psychic power burst forth violently, and that domineering and irrational force pushed everyone back, leaving him a wide and clear space.
He exhaled deeply. A faint blush appeared on his clear face.
Signing autographs was one thing, but pinching people? And since they were pinching, did they have to do it just anywhere? Did they want to tear something off him as a souvenir?
So... there was no other option. Cain could only use his psychic power.
Most of those people were trainers, with vastly different levels of strength, but all of them clearly recognized the ability Cain had used. For a moment, the admiration in their eyes intensified even further.
However, Cain could no longer endure it. He pushed his psychic power to the limit and fled the area at a speed even faster than a desperate retreat, leaving behind a group of fans who looked at each other before dispersing.
Cain then hurried straight toward the League building.
By chance, he ran into Lance at the entrance, who was also heading inside.
Upon seeing Cain, Lance revealed a teasing smile.
"I heard that the sudden appearance of a certain someone caused a traffic jam in the League's streets. Now Miss Jenny and the others are overwhelmed with work. At first, I was guessing who it might have been, but once I saw you, I knew there was no need to keep guessing."
Cain rolled his eyes at Lance's clearly amused attitude.
With Lance's looks and popularity in Kanto, it was obvious that he had also gone through similar experiences, so upon seeing Cain, he immediately understood what had happened.
"Alright, let's stop joking. Where did you disappear to all this time? Why are you only coming out now?" Lance asked.
The two walked together into the League building. As two rising stars of their respective regions and, moreover, as Elite Four members, the people they passed by constantly greeted them.
From a strict point of view, the Elite Four represent the highest combat power of a League, or at least one of the highest.
"I went into Mt. Silver and trained there for two months," Cain replied.
Hearing this, Lance couldn't help but show an expression of envy.
"Honestly, your position as an Elite Four member is enviable. You gain enormous fame and don't have to run around dealing with the League's trivial matters. Even with such great strength, you still look for places to train and improve. I'm starting to understand why you made it this far; it's inseparable from your effort."
"For you, completing complex tasks is also a form of training, isn't it? It's just that during this period, because of the division of the Kanto League, as Kanto's Dragon-type Elite Four, you have a lot of complicated matters to handle. But it's almost over, right? In a few days, it will be finished," Cain said, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
Lance glanced sideways at Cain, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't.
Seeing his expression, Cain frowned.
"Is something wrong?"
For some reason, Cain felt that this might be related to the reason why Alexandra had received the order to block his path.
Lance hesitated for a moment, stopped, and said, "It's not something particularly secret. Even if I don't say it now, at the latest by the day after tomorrow, you should know. Do you know why the division of the Kanto region was chosen for this moment?"
Upon hearing the question, Cain was momentarily stunned.
"Isn't it... because of Team Rocket?"
Lance smiled and shook his head.
"Many people think the same as you. We also didn't give any explanations, so that misunderstanding arose. But in reality, that's not the case. Team Rocket, by saying it has withdrawn, has only reduced its usual external missions and reorganized its resources and personnel. Their threat has always been there, but the League doesn't fear them too much. I think during this time, you've already noticed a bit that the League's foundations are not something Team Rocket can compare to."
"This matter involves a secret that dates back to the very beginnings of the League. Not many people know it; I myself only learned about it recently."
(End of chapter)