Chapter 150:
Fortunately, his concerns were unwarranted. Apart from a slight lag, the system didn't encounter any unexpected issues.
After all, although the AI system had copied a lot of data at once, it was only a small fraction—perhaps about 10 percent—compared to the massive amount of information it already held. The customized high-Pokéblocks that Steven needed would have to wait a bit longer. Cain planned to study the Metang's Pokéblock formula after the AI system had sorted through the data.
Cain's thoughts were interrupted by a series of crisp knocks on the door.
"Thud, thud-thud, thud..." The distinct rhythm rang out.
Cain's expression changed as he heard the knocks, stopping the Pokémon from opening the door and waiting for the knocking to cease.
Moments later, the knocking stopped, and a small card was slipped through the door's gap.
Cain carefully picked up the card, which read "Saffron Gym."
This was likely the meeting place set by Umbra.
Although he had been prepared to meet anywhere, the words "Saffron Gym" made Cain feel a headache and a twinge of pain in his chest.
Sabrina!
The moody Psychic Queen who had "helped" Cain awaken his psychic powers was someone he didn't know how to face.
But with the presence of Umbra, Sabrina would probably not do anything outrageous.
Only then did Cain let out a small sigh of relief.
As for how Umbra found Cain and knew which room he was staying in at the Pokémon Center, that was to be expected.
Where were they? Saffron City.
A place jointly governed by Team Rocket and the Association. The Association represented light, and Team Rocket represented darkness.
Never underestimate the power of Team Rocket, especially in the Kanto region, where they originated.
Cain didn't leave immediately after receiving the message. Instead, he waited in his room until mealtime, when the streets were less crowded, before stepping out of the Pokémon Center.
Wearing his Association Trainer uniform without any disguise, Cain hailed a cab and headed directly to the Saffron Gym.
As the driver pitied Cain, he waived some change and sped away from the Saffron Gym's entrance even faster than when Cain had arrived.
Cain couldn't help but rub his forehead. It seemed Sabrina was quite a terrifying presence in the hearts of Saffron City's residents.
At the huge Saffron City Gym, there was no one at the entrance. Cain walked right in, pushing open the door.
Inside, he saw many people, and it seemed that each person in the Gym possessed varying levels of psychic powers. To some extent, they could all perform telekinesis.
Cain noticed that each person had an object of different size floating in front of them.
Seeing several young boys and girls, obviously only a few years old, manipulating objects half their size in front of them, Cain couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Such young children could already levitate objects of this size, while he, having lived through three lifetimes, could barely control a marble the size of a fingernail.
Comparisons are odious.
Embracing an out-of-sight-out-of-mind mentality, Cain wove through the crowd, heading straight for the door that led deeper into the gym.
Just as he was about to cross the hall and push open the inner door, a person suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
Standing in front of Cain was a young man in a blue jacket with light blue hair, looking about ten years old, accompanied by an Kadabra. The sudden appearance was likely due to Teleport, but it was unclear if it was the young man or his Kadabra who used it.
He stood impassively before Cain without speaking, merely pointing to a sign next to the door that read, "No unauthorized persons allowed inside unless they defeat the gatekeeper!"
Cain glanced at the sign, then at the young man, asking calmly, "Gatekeeper?"
The young man nodded, still not speaking, but his meaning was clear: if Cain wanted to enter, he had to defeat him first.
Cain and the young man's actions caught the attention of the people in the hall. They stopped their training and slowly gathered around the entrance.
"Look, look, another challenger for Miss Sabrina. Do they think our Saffron Gym is open to just anyone?"
"Tsk, just another overconfident Muggle. Watch how Azure deals with him."
"Hey, this guy seems to have a faint psychic aura. Maybe he's not a Muggle?"
"Huh? Yeah, but he's really weak..."
The crowd, which had initially looked down on Cain, changed their minds upon detecting the faint psychic aura emanating from him.
Although Cain's psychic power was incredibly weak and anyone present could crush him, his awakened psychic ability meant he was no longer an ordinary person. They begrudgingly regarded him with less disdain.
"Even as a psychic, with such weak powers, he won't stand a chance against Azure."
"Actually, I think, if you want to challenge a gym, maybe don't pick ours. After all, Miss Sabrina... mmmph!"
Suddenly, the speaker was silenced by a hand over his mouth. The person covering his mouth cautiously looked around, and only after confirming that no one else had appeared did he let out a sigh of relief.
"Hey! If you don't want to live, don't drag us down with you, alright? There are some things you just can't say!" The boy's anger flared up.
The speaker also realized he'd said something wrong, frantically wiping the sweat from his forehead and gratefully glancing at the person who had covered his mouth.
Sabrina's temper was truly something else.
Hearing the chatter around him, Cain couldn't help but smile bitterly. It seemed that everyone assumed he was a challenger here to take on the gym.
Of course, it was also possible that Umbra or Sabrina intended to test him somehow.
Cain didn't believe that someone with Sabrina's abilities wouldn't have noticed him entering the gym.
Perhaps, at this very moment, Sabrina and Umbra were observing him from some hidden corner.
As it turned out, Cain's guess was not far from the truth. However, instead of secretly watching from a corner, Sabrina and Umbra were standing right beside him in plain sight—yet, somehow, nobody noticed their presence.
It was as if they were mere air.