In this way, Cain left the forest where he had stayed for a week. From there, he had gathered a large quantity of resources, captured quite a few Pokémon with strength or potential, and also recruited a rather capable Ursaring, useful both for handling minor tasks and for flattery.
After leaving the forest, a vast grassland stretched out before them.
Cain took out the map and examined it carefully. The grassland bordered directly on the forest and extended toward the high mountains at the center of the continent. Comparing it with the map, he could already determine precisely which part of the continent he was in.
At that moment, Cain was located at the southernmost edge of the entire continent, while the forest he had been in earlier was situated in one of its most peripheral areas.
As agreed before entering, he and Steven had decided to try to regroup at several landmark locations. The closest one to Cain at that moment was a waterfall located to the east. If Steven, Phoebe, or Wallace were near that waterfall, they would choose to settle there temporarily and wait for Cain to find them.
Now that he had finally confirmed his location, Cain prepared to head straight toward the waterfall.
As for Ursaring, who had followed him out of the forest, he emerged trembling. However, upon discovering that the extremely powerful Pokémon he had imagined were not attacking him, he let out a long sigh of relief.
At first, Cain had considered riding Salamence to reach their destination quickly, but in the end he discarded the idea.
Flying would expose him too easily. Not only could it attract wild Pokémon that regarded the sky as their territory, but also human trainers present in the area. It was not impossible for one or two of them to appear with ill intentions toward him.
In any case, with the strength of Steven and the others, survival would not be a problem. Moreover, Cain was not their babysitter; he could not be following them around all the time to protect them. By allowing them to enter this continent of time and space, did the League's higher-ups not know the dangers that existed within?
No, they knew them—and probably far better than Cain did.
Then why allow them to enter?
Precisely to train them.
Although among those who had entered there were many representatives of the League's new generation, including several who were already members of the Elite Four—true elites among the young—in the end they still lacked many of the experiences lived by the previous generation.
For example, Kanto's Elite Four Agatha or Hoenn's Elite Four Drake: all of them were veterans tempered by countless battles, survivors of the cruelest eras. Perhaps the difference in strength between generations was no longer that great, but when it came to experience, the gap was still enormous.
That was why, in order for them to train properly, excessive protection was not a good thing.
The grassland was immense, and many wild Pokémon lived there, but generally speaking, Pokémon that could graze peacefully in a place like this were not usually aggressive.
Moreover, in such an open grassland, everything could be seen at a glance, and wild Pokémon were easily spotted. There were probably not many resources that could arouse Cain's interest, so there was no need to go looking for trouble.
After crossing the grassland without incident, they arrived before an emerald-green valley.
If they wanted to continue forward and reach the waterfall more quickly, passing through that valley was the most efficient option.
"Lucaarr!"
Just before taking a step into the valley, the sensitive Lucario seemed to perceive something. But this time it did not appear to be an attack or the presence of a hostile Pokémon.
Cain saw a thin layer of blue light emerge from Lucario's body. Even his eyes were tinged with a bluish halo, adding a mysterious air to his already handsome appearance.
Cain's heart stirred slightly. He knew perfectly well what that blue light represented.
The power of aura!
It was the first time Cain had seen a fluctuation of aura power in Lucario without him launching an attack.
"Lucario, did you sense something?" Cain asked.
"Lucaarr!" The aura power in Lucario's body grew stronger and stronger, and his overall aura also showed a slight change.
Observing Lucario's expression and the way the aura flowed naturally, Cain narrowed his eyes and looked toward the depths of the valley.
Although in this place he could not use the move Teleport nor perceive long distances with his psychic power, the basic range of his perception had not diminished.
From within the valley, Cain also sensed a fluctuation of aura power.
Aura power, which is mentioned alongside the power of the Viridian Forest, could be perceived to varying degrees by psychic abilities. Curiously, those who possessed this kind of innate or acquired talent often understood it less than external observers.
For example, Cain could faintly perceive a mysterious energy in both Giovanni and Lance. It was more evident in Giovanni; he had probably already awakened that power or found a way to train it. In contrast, the energy in Lance was much weaker, perhaps because he had not yet found a way to develop it.
However, the aura power in Lucario was now extremely evident, almost completely materialized.
"Lucaarr!" After closing his eyes for a moment to sense it more clearly, Lucario suddenly shot forward from his spot and dashed into the forest within the valley in an instant.
Seeing this, Cain recalled the Pokémon around him, leapt onto Salamence's back, and, patting him on the neck, ordered in a low voice, "Salamence, catch up to Lucario."
Lucario's behavior was quite strange. He had clearly perceived something—so much so that he ran off without explanation.
But it did not seem to be dangerous. Otherwise, given Lucario's sensitivity to risk, he would not have acted so impulsively.
Thanks to Salamence's speed, they soon caught up to Lucario as he moved among the trees. Cain had no intention of stopping him; if he was so agitated, there had to be a reason. The best course was to follow him and see what lay inside the valley.
The valley was not very large, and with their speed, they soon reached its interior.
There, flowers bloomed everywhere. At the center of the valley was a medium-sized lake, home to numerous wild Pokémon.
The first thing that caught Cain's attention was a Pokémon floating in the air, enveloped in the same blue light that surrounded Lucario.
Its body was covered in fluffy white fur, with broad triangular wings. On the lower part of its abdomen were red and blue triangular markings, like a distinctive feature of its species.
On the front of its head, a kind of spines formed a crest divided into three tufts. The central one was completely white from base to tip, while the left and right tips were red and blue, respectively.
It was a Pokémon with a rather adorable appearance.
(End of chapter)