The level of that Salamence was not especially high; he had already noticed that the first time he saw it. Back then, Salamence's strength had not been as impressive as it was now.
What truly left him astonished was its flying speed. His own Hydreigon was already flying at full power, yet there was still a certain distance between them.
Moreover, judging by Salamence's expression, it did not seem to be exerting itself much, displaying an air of absolute ease, as if it were still not using its full strength.
Salamence's straight-line speed was simply astonishing.
Even so, Brad sighed inwardly in relief. At least Cain did not seem like the type who would casually take out a Pokémon at the champion level or one that had surpassed the first barrier of the champion level.
If Cain truly possessed that kind of strength, then the existence of Catherine and himself would obviously be dispensable.
And when a piece becomes dispensable, there is a high probability that it will be discarded by the one moving the board.
Cain could not be considered exactly a chess player, but rather someone capable of stepping off the board and seeing things that many other pieces could not perceive.
No Pokémon that tried to block their path was able to withstand even a single attack from Darkrai.
Thanks to Phoebe's daily assistance, Darkrai had become increasingly skilled at using and controlling its energy. Although its level had not increased much, its combat capability and battle reflexes had improved tremendously.
This was a Darkrai with combat awareness at the peak of the champion level. On its own, it already possessed the strength of the first barrier of the champion level, and combined with that experience and the energy control it was gradually recovering, it was not something that ordinary Pokémon of the same level could match.
Moreover, no matter how one looked at it, Darkrai was still a legendary Pokémon. Even without a divine title, it possessed innate advantages that other Pokémon could not compare to.
The speed of Cain's group was very high, so even a difference of an entire zone translated, at most, into one or two hours of travel.
When Cain slowly descended from the air, he was already near the place where the fourth member of the Sacred Church usually resided.
If they moved any closer, they would enter the opponent's psychic detection range, and both Catherine and Brad would be detected immediately.
"You two wait here. Before you sense any sign of combat, do not approach recklessly," Cain ordered Brad and Catherine.
"Yes!" both replied respectfully.
Cain adjusted the hood over his head, inhaled deeply, and advanced straight inside.
From that moment on, he was no longer Cain, the Hoenn Elite Four of the Sandstorm, but Bartram, a high-ranking member of the Sacred Church.
Just as he had expected, the moment Cain entered the opponent's psychic perception range without much concealment, the other's mental energy reacted immediately.
Cain could feel the psychic wave sweeping over him from head to toe, but he did not perceive any anomaly.
Without using psychic powers to hide himself, he advanced with steady steps, accompanied by Gengar and Weavile.
Those were Bartram's signature Pokémon.
Without encountering much resistance, Cain arrived in front of the fourth member, who, upon seeing him appear, showed an expression eager for combat.
Although it was night, for psychics going a night without sleep posed no problem. Even three or four consecutive nights without rest were not an issue as long as they did not abuse their powers.
According to what Cain knew, that relaxed man of the Sacred Church, who possessed extremely powerful psychic strength, had practically abandoned the habit of sleeping, which was a clear sign of his immense power.
Bartram had come several times before, always at night. During the day they had to carry out missions, and only at night did they have free time.
"Bartram, did you come again to be humiliated by me?" Number Four showed not the slightest respect toward Cain as his "partner." Having clearly superior strength, he was not going to treat him politely just because they belonged to the same Sacred Church.
That was, in essence, the usual mode of interaction among members of the Sacred Church. After all, they were competitors with one another, and whoever had the advantage in strength often enjoyed a sense of superiority.
That was also the reason why Number Four accepted associating with Bartram.
Just as attractive people often surround themselves with less attractive friends, with a bit of insight it was easy to see that he did it solely to highlight his own "beauty."
And the reason Bartram accepted associating with Number Four was simple: he needed a suitable opponent to train against; not just anyone would do as a sparring partner.
That showed that Bartram possessed a good measure of ambition.
The other noticed no difference in the Bartram standing before him, nor was he surprised by his sudden appearance.
"Let's go," Cain replied briefly and directly.
Even when members of the Sacred Church gathered among themselves, they never removed the black robe nor the thin psychic veil that covered their faces. That was their last line of defense.
Each member had their own identity within the League, or rather, in the Pokémon world. Except for a few, most wanted to live a normal life, so they would not remove the psychic mask until an absolutely safe moment.
Among people of the same rank, no one knew the other's true identity. Their superiors did know it, but they did not mind that they continued to hide their faces.
All of this, in fact, gave Cain more opportunities to impersonate a member of the Sacred Church.
The contact with Number Four was a test: he wanted to see if he would be exposed.
Reality proved that the other suspected absolutely nothing. The very instant he saw him, he identified him as Bartram.
He would never imagine that the Bartram in front of him was an impostor. In his perception, the League members on the continent were nothing more than little mice skilled at hiding, while they were the lurking cats, ready to capture them mercilessly.
A mouse covering itself with a cat's skin to become a cat and then going to provoke the real cats?
That was unthinkable to Number Four. If it was not Bartram, then who else could it be?
(End of chapter)