Chapter 40:

After arranging Murkrow and Slowpoke, Cain's expression became somber. Disaster had struck without warning as they simply strolled beside the river. The proud Murkrow sat in silence, wounded both in body and spirit, while Slowpoke, new to Cain's team, berated himself for not being stronger and better able to protect his companions.

Slowpoke held Cain in high esteem, for it was he who had saved Slowpoke from a dire fate and encouraged him to embrace his individuality among his kin. In the stillness of the cave, a man and his Pokemon ruminated on their defeat.

But Cain was the first to rally. He knew that their failure was due to a lack of power and vowed to rectify that. Murkrow and Slowpoke, sensing Cain's determination, slowly opened their eyes and looked to him for guidance.

"Come now, don't despair," Cain comforted them. "With hard work and training, we shall have our revenge in due time." And with those words, the fire of determination was rekindled in their hearts.

Though they ached to begin training anew, Murkrow and Slowpoke were still recovering from their injuries and Cain instructed them to rest. As night descended upon the cave, the sound of falling water and crackling firewood were the only sounds to be heard.

Murkrow leaned against the cave wall, absorbing the energy from the Pokeblock he had consumed, while Slowpoke lay on the ground, enveloped in a mysterious psychic energy that seemed to ripple through the very air.

Cain watched as his Pokemon labored tirelessly to become stronger. As their trainer, it was his duty to devise the best training plan and guide their development.

"If I could create advanced Pokeblocks, it would certainly accelerate their growth," Cain mused to himself. He knew that obtaining the necessary tools would be his responsibility as a trainer.

Murkrow's growth path was clear in Cain's mind. The agile assassin needed to improve his health and defense, and weight-bearing training would help him achieve his goal of becoming faster than the wind.

Slowpoke's development, however, was a conundrum that required Cain's attention. Slowpoke could evolve into either a Slowbro or a Slowking. While Slowbro excelled in physical defense, Slowking excelled in special defense.

Cain had yet to decide which evolution path would be best for Slowpoke and intended to consult with the Pokemon on the matter.

Cain believed that Slowpoke's innate psychic talent made him well suited to evolve into a Slowking, whose role would be to deal damage and defend against special attacks. But, if Slowpoke desired to evolve into a Slowbro, Cain would support his decision wholeheartedly.

As night fell, Cain sat in front of the fire, deep in thought, while Murkrow and Slowpoke worked to heal their wounds so they could return to training as soon as possible. He reminded them to rest and allow their bodies to recover naturally.

The morning brought a renewed vigor, and Murkrow trained harder than ever before. Slowpoke, unable to train physically, focused on honing his psychic-type moves. He felt that his psychic energy had improved significantly after overusing it for Teleport the previous day and had a better understanding of how to control it.

Slowpoke's progress left Cain in awe. The Pokemon had been able to lift only one rock with his psychic energy during training, but now he could lift two rocks simultaneously. The surge in power was astounding, even considering that Slowpoke had overloaded his psychic energy the day before.

Cain attributed this to the fact that Slowpoke's innate psychic energy was incredibly strong, but he had been using it in a crude manner. Like a glass of water, the psychic energy was there, but the straw through which Slowpoke could access it had been thin as a strand of hair. But, after the overload, the straw had doubled in thickness, resulting in an exponential increase in the amount of psychic energy Slowpoke could freely use.

Murkrow, watching Slowpoke's growth, couldn't help but work harder. Though he knew he could defeat Slowpoke in battle, partly because Slowpoke's Psychic-type moves were ineffective against him and partly because of Cain's orders, he couldn't deny that Slowpoke was more than twice as powerful as he was.

But, as a companion, Murkrow held no envy towards Slowpoke, instead, he set Slowpoke as his goal, knowing that only through constant training and improvement, could he build up his strength and grow. He refused to be a mere decoration now that Cain had taken on a more powerful Pokemon.

As Cain's first Pokemon, Murkrow had a sense of pride and would not be a burden to the team. More importantly, he needed to be the strongest on the team to protect them in future battles.

Cain also trained alongside his Pokemon, building a stronger bond between them. Time flew by as the three hours of morning training passed.

But Cain couldn't forget his important mission from Umbra, which would lead to his acceptance into the Shadow Unit and reward him with 10,000 Team Rocket points, which he desperately needed. With two Pokemon to raise, the consumption of various resources would skyrocket.

The cost of raising two Pokemon was staggering. One might think that Cain didn't use many resources to raise Murkrow, but this was mainly because he was able to make his own Pokeblocks, thus saving a great deal of resources.

But the average trainer cannot do that, for a single intermediate Pokeblock is worth five points on Team Rocket's exchange list. Murkrow now consumed an average of thirty per day, which added up to a daily investment of 150 points.

When one takes into account the Pokeblocks required for Slowpoke, the number of points needed grows exponentially. And it wasn't just about their physical state, Pokemon moves were also crucial. Murkrow had learned three moves that cost Cain more than 10,000 points, and he would need to learn more later, further increasing the investment. Slowpoke also had to learn countless moves.

This was why it was so difficult for civilian trainers to advance in this world. Without luck, the resources needed to raise just one Pokemon would take a lifetime, and by then, the Pokemon would be long past its peak.

Cain could rely on his A.I. system, but even then, he had to become a Pokemon Hunter in his previous life, even with the aid of Team Rocket, to become a Quasi-Elite Trainer.

But a Quasi-Elite Trainer was only a mid-level member of Team Rocket. There were countless hidden experts not only in Team Rocket, but in the entire Pokemon world. Only by becoming an Elite Trainer would one barely have the right to live freely in this world.

As he emerged from the cave on this clear day, after the heavy rain the day before, the warm sun shone on Cain, filling him with a sense of well-being. As he walked on the pebbles by the lake, the water that had risen the day before had miraculously returned to its original level, leaving the newly cleaned pebbles to reflect the faint sunlight.

"The next time we come here, it will be for revenge," Cain said to Murkrow and Slowpoke. "Caw!" "Ya dong!" They cried out in unison, for they too wanted to return for revenge, and it would be a goal they would work towards.