Chapter 171:

The next day, he set off with Slowpoke and returned to the main tunnel of Diglett's Cave once again.

Though traveling between Saffron City and Vermilion City by bus only took a few hours, walking on foot would take several days.

This was mainly due to the countless wild Pokémon that one would encounter along the way.

Taking the Digglet's Cave route could save a day or half a day's worth of travel time.

However, Cain's current pace, along with his occasional exploration of side tunnels, would significantly prolong his journey.

After discovering that the poisonous gas absorbed by Gastly could attract a multitude of Poison-type Pokémon in the cave, Cain became even more eager to venture into unexplored side tunnels.

While allowing all of his Pokémon to battle the attracted Poison-type Pokémon, he could also enable Gastly to absorb more poisonous gas, thereby strengthening its Poison-type moves.

It was a win-win situation!

By the previous night, Gastly had already gained control over the gas and was able to cause minor corrosion to the tunnel walls.

Though it took a considerable amount of time, it was a clear indication that Gastly's Poison-type energy was improving.

Meanwhile, the hardworking Skorupi was thrilled as it had gradually gained more control over its body. Cain even allowed it to participate in battles occasionally, so it could familiarize itself with the changes during combat.

With continuous battles throughout the day, Skorupi could play to its heart's content. As its level increased and with its Sniper ability, Rattata under level 10 could hardly withstand a single attack from Skorupi.

As for the other Pokémon, their mastery over their moves had improved significantly. They would even deliberately fight as slowly as possible against any Pokémon they encountered recently, in order to avoid defeating their opponents too quickly and running out of adversaries.

The day went by quickly, but the progress of Cain's Pokémon was incredibly satisfying.

Murkrow had once again overcome the increased weight and was now able to fight comfortably under a 15kg load.

Slowpoke combined its psychic energy with its water-type energy, managing to maintain 80% of its water-type moves' power while gaining the flexibility to maneuver and turn rapidly. It wasn't far off from the 100% power Cain had hoped for, and it seemed possible that its water-type moves would grow even stronger in the future.

Gastly had absorbed two wisps of poison gas within a day, further developing its poison-type attribute. With the combination of two poison-type moves, its endurance in battle was unparalleled among the team.

Miltank's progress was the smallest within the team. Cain hadn't expected much in terms of combat capabilities from her, so as long as she could keep the other Pokémon's stamina up and occasionally unleash a few Heal Bells, she was fulfilling her role.

Yet, Miltank wasn't easily satisfied. After receiving Cain's approval, she took advantage of her spare time to train and lay the groundwork for learning various moves in the future.

Sneasel had made the most obvious progress, aside from Skorupi, of course.

Sneasel and Cain had built a strong rapport, and whether it was due to the new Pokéblocks or Skorupi's influence, Sneasel had certainly improved. In battle, Sneasel had gradually adapted to Cain's novel fighting style and move variations.

Lastly, there was Skorupi. Although its level hadn't increased much after a day of battling, only going up by one level to reach level 12, it had grown familiar with the changes in its body. Skorupi believed it would be able to unleash its full power in tomorrow's battles.

As Cain put away his Pokémon and prepared to find a branch tunnel to camp in, he encountered a minor issue.

A middle-aged man carrying a backpack and wielding a shovel and pickaxe blocked Cain's path into a tunnel where he had planned to rest. The man wore a seemingly amiable smile as he stood at the entrance of the tunnel.

Cain had chosen the branch tunnel at random for his campsite, and he wouldn't have minded giving it up if the man wanted it. However, Cain detected a faint scent of blood on the man.

The scent was so faint it was almost undetectable, but having killed his fair share of people in both his past and current life, Cain was highly sensitive to such a scent. It wasn't the type that lingered after killing a Pokémon, but the kind that came from taking a human life.

Usually, Cain would clean the scent off himself after dealing with malicious individuals to avoid detection by those with keen senses of smell.

The middle-aged man in front of him had tried to mask his scent with the smell of dirt, but his efforts were hasty and careless. Most people wouldn't notice, but to Cain, it was like a beacon in the night, impossible to miss.

"Haha, young man, I'm sorry, but this tunnel is where I've been living," the middle-aged man said, chuckling. "I was out during the day. Could you please find another tunnel? I'm really sorry for the inconvenience. Please forgive me." As he spoke, the man subtly shifted his stance to block Cain's view of the tunnel's interior.

It was an inadvertent movement on his part, but Cain, who had been keeping an eye on him, sensed that something was off.

A glint flashed in Cain's dark eyes, convinced that either this man or the branching tunnel was problematic. Smirking, Cain casually said, "Oh, you've been staying in this tunnel? I had no idea. It's my first time in Diglett's Cave, sorry about that."

Hearing Cain's words, the middle-aged man visibly relaxed a bit, scratching the back of his head and laughing sheepishly, "Haha, it's fine, it's fine. I left in a hurry and forgot to put up a sign at the entrance. Not your fault, young man. Would you mind if...?"

His gaze shifted towards the other lit-up branching tunnels, clearly suggesting that Cain find another place to camp since this one was now occupied.

"No problem at all. I'll find another spot," Cain assured him, and the man's smile grew more genuine.

"But..."

The word "but" instantly caused the man's expression to stiffen.

Seeing his reaction, Cain smirked inwardly.

"But I've already been inside and left some of my stuff there. I'll need to go in and get it. That's fine, right?"

Cain hadn't actually been inside; he was merely testing the man to see if there was genuinely an issue.

The man's smile gradually faded as he scrutinized Cain. After locking eyes with Cain's calm, unflappable gaze, the man's smile returned, tinged with a mix of sincerity and coldness that was hard to discern.

"Shall we go get your stuff together, young man?"

"Sure!"