At night, by the lake in the Aura Valley, just as they did every day after finishing their battles, the group gathered to share experiences, anecdotes from the day, or information about the members of the Sacred Church they had encountered, warning everyone to remain vigilant.
This had become their daily ritual, a rare moment of relaxation amid an environment of extreme pressure.
By that time, the number of people around Cain had increased considerably. In addition to the initial group —Cain, Steven, Phoebe, Wallace, Lance, Cynthia, and Diantha— Lorelei later joined them. She had arrived severely injured but had already fully recovered, and her relationship with Lance had also improved quite a bit.
After that came Drasna, from the Kalos region. Her arrival finally put an end to the group eating monotonous food.
Although Cain's grilled food was delicious, eating it every day, at every meal, eventually became tiring. Sometimes it was even more pleasant to chew on dry rations.
Moreover, Cain had never been too fond of constantly varying dishes. First, because it took time; second... because he himself did not have high demands when it came to food. If it were not to satisfy the appetites of Phoebe, Cynthia, Diantha, and the others, he would not mind eating dry rations every day and saving time.
But after Drasna arrived, she officially took the cooking ladle from Cain's hands. From that moment on, Steven and the others began to enjoy different meals every day.
There was also Karen, considered by many to be the weakest of the group, and who at one point had been suspected of being an infiltrator of the Sacred Church, just like Will and Irene. In the end, it was proven that she was not.
Karen had the lowest strength, but that did not mean she did not work hard or lacked talent. She simply had not had the same luck as Phoebe and the others, nor had she awakened her potential so early.
However, since integrating into Cain's small group, her strength entered a phase of accelerated growth.
Later, another striking figure arrived: a trainer with a dazzling, fiery red afro. The moment he appeared, he became the most active person in the valley: Flint, the Fire-type trainer from the Sinnoh region.
Flint's strength was not negligible, and moreover, Fire-type Pokémon had a certain advantage in wild environments, so he adapted quite well to the continent.
After entering the valley, he accepted no one except Cynthia, challenging everyone one by one.
The result was predictable. Even Cynthia did not fully know Cain's true strength, and she could not guarantee a victory against him.
Thus, for a time, Flint became the group's primary target for tactical practice. From Cain, to Steven, and then Lance, everyone took turns teaching him why "flowers are so red."
As for Wallace, Flint did not challenge him. First, because Wallace used Water-type Pokémon, which severely countered him; and second, and more importantly, because after being defeated by Cain, Steven, and Lance, he had been traumatized.
Cain's group showed no mercy. Only Steven had a bit more difficulty due to the type disadvantage, but the final result did not change.
That was why Flint now behaved much more docilely... at least when it came to challenges. In daily life, his personality was still the liveliest in the valley, completely opposite to Lorelei's.
In front of Cain, Flint was especially obedient. Not for any other reason, but because Cain controlled all the Pokéblocks, medicines, items, and even the treatment of Pokémon throughout the entire valley.
If Flint wanted support in that regard, he had no choice but to behave.
Moreover, Cain's strength was unquestionable: he was undoubtedly one of the strongest in the valley, so Flint held him in deep respect.
The last to arrive, not too long ago, was someone who had already had some previous encounters with the group: Malva, from the Kalos region, also specializing in Fire-type Pokémon.
At first, everyone was surprised that Malva had replaced Wikstrom and the others to secure a place on the continent.
However, Cain knew very well her true identity: one of the highest executives of Team Flare, the nail most deeply driven by Lysandre into the Kalos League. Her entry here was undoubtedly closely related to Team Flare.
Even so, Cain did not give her any special treatment. Just like everyone else: the more you contributed, the more you received.
Nor did he reveal that he knew her identity as a Team Flare Executive. He simply observed her in silence, watching as someone starting from the bottom gradually climbed upward.
Both used Fire-type Pokémon, but Malva's personality differed greatly from Flint's.
Malva spoke little. When the others shared their experiences and events of the day, she usually listened in silence, though it was clear from her gaze that she was paying close attention.
Her arrival did not have a great impact on Cain; it was nothing more than a small episode of little importance.
That day, as usual, after dinner and while sharing the day's achievements, Steven could not wait any longer and told everyone how he had encountered a member of the Sacred Church and how he had fallen into a disadvantage during the battle.
For others, being outmatched in battle and having to summon more Pokémon to try to win might be embarrassing. But for Steven —and for everyone present, constantly threatened by the Sacred Church— it was not only not a source of shame, but something deserving of gratitude.
He had risked his life to defuse a potential time bomb for everyone. How could they not be grateful for that?
After listening to Steven's account and the series of conjectures he made about the members of the Sacred Church, the pressure on Lance, Cynthia, and the others increased considerably.
They believed they were already close to being able to counterattack, but that news hit them like a heavy blow. Their nerves, which had begun to relax, tightened once again completely.
The only person who did not seem nervous... was probably Cain.
Even he had not imagined that by posing as a member of the Sacred Church and fighting Steven to detect his own flaws, he would end up further straining the group's nerves.
It had to be admitted: that also counted as a "contribution" to the team.
At least, that was how Cain saw it.
For the others, it was an agonizing situation, but the "true culprit" could only lower his head and remain silent, trying not to laugh at Steven's expression —"the opponent is really strong, be careful"— even though his trembling shoulders betrayed him a little.
Noticing his state, Steven thought that something was wrong with him.
"Cain... what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" he asked.
Hearing this, Cain immediately regained his composure and adopted a solemn expression.
(End of chapter)