Chapter 678: It Seems There's Room to Maneuver

In a rather secluded place, Cain summoned his Flygon without attracting anyone's attention and left Slateport City.

For Cain, a week might have been a long time, but for Regice, an eternal Pokémon, it was merely a tiny fragment in the flow of time.

Cain recalled the location of the island Regice had mentioned and guided Flygon in that direction. As soon as they got close enough, he could have his Slowking use the move Teleport to get there immediately.

Cain missed his Gyarados. Traveling on the water would have been far more comfortable sitting on Gyarados' head and feeling the waves. However, Flygon, being a Ground and Dragon-type, detested water, so it flew high above, far from the sea.

Resigned, Cain could only sit on its back while carefully reading the dragon-type Pokémon training manual he had obtained from Drake, combining it with the analyses from his database system.

The document contained numerous details about dragon-type Pokémon training. After this mission, Cain planned to start training Flygon, as his Bagon's potential had yet to recover.

Flygon had proven quite reliable lately, so Cain didn't hesitate to invest some resources in it. According to his plan, Flygon would remain his aerial mount for quite some time and even play a role in his future sandstorm team.

Though Cain had many ideas in mind, his current power and resources limited what he could accomplish.

With what he currently possessed, he could barely sustain the training of two Pokémon teams, not including some extras like his Altaria and Swablu, which already stretched him to his maximum capacity.

The recent addition of two dragon-type Pokémon demanded even more resources.

After flying for more than four hours, and based on Flygon's flying speed, Cain assumed they were close. He opened his eyes and released Slowking from its Pokéball.

"Slowking, sense the psychic coordinates of that island. Can you teleport us there?" Cain communicated telepathically with Slowking.

After a moment of concentration, Slowking nodded. In an instant, both Cain and his Pokémon vanished from the vast ocean and reappeared on a small, sparsely wooded island.

This island, located between the Hoenn and Kanto regions, was completely uninhabited. It had formed due to an inactive volcano at its center, which had once erupted, creating the island.

Now, the volcano was extinct, but its height allowed some areas to maintain a tundra-like climate, where Regice likely lived. Though an eternal Pokémon, as an Ice-type, it preferred cold environments.

Last time, Cain had hastily left a psychic coordinate marker on the island without exploring it thoroughly, which was why he hadn't discovered Regice's presence.

Cain and Flygon flew toward the mountain's peak. The island had several wild Pokémon, but they were low-level, as resources were scarce, making survival there challenging.

As they ascended, they spotted a large, clearly excavated cave. Cain patted Flygon and flew toward the cave's entrance.

Inside, Cain decided to return Flygon to its Pokéball to prevent it from remaining anxious. Then, together with Slowking, he began advancing.

The cave's floor and walls were covered in layers of ice, and the temperature was quite low. Cain pulled a thick coat from his backpack to keep warm.

The cave wasn't very deep, but the ice reflected sunlight, maintaining good visibility. At the end of the cave, Cain saw Regice sleeping, curled up in a corner.

If he hadn't known Regice was there, anyone might have mistaken it for a massive block of ice, as its luminous points were nearly imperceptible compared to its enormous body.

Sensing Cain's presence, Regice rose. The cave, having been excavated by Regice itself, was tall enough to accommodate the imposing Pokémon.

Seeing Regice, a kind of ice giant, rise before him gave Cain a sense of pressure. After all, it was a Legendary Pokémon and deserved proper respect.

Cain admitted that, facing Regice alone, his heart raced with a bit of fear, largely due to his lack of power. If Regice decided to attack him at that moment, what would he do?

He'd throw Flygon's Pokéball and flee quickly with Slowking.

Yes, that was the plan. And Flygon would be key.

If Flygon knew this, it would probably cry in frustration. It was just too hard for him.

While Ren saw him as a treasure, Cain considered him more of a burden.

Something useful, but difficult to let go of.

Fortunately, Regice didn't attack. It recognized Cain, despite his change of clothes.

Regice used its telepathy to communicate, and Cain responded with his psychic ability.

They had spoken before, so Cain understood Regice's way of expressing itself better.

"You say you feel Mew's presence in Slowking?" When Cain heard this, his heart skipped a beat.

That... might be a good opportunity!

"Mew has been missing for a long time. Slowking is the only Pokémon chosen by Mew during all this time. It's practically its successor," Cain told Regice confidently, showing no sign of nervousness.

Blushing? Impossible in such a cold place!

"Not possible? Are you doubting Mew's trace in Slowking?" Cain pressed when Regice expressed skepticism.

Slowking, for its part, wore a peculiar expression. Its trainer was probably using his tricks again.

Would it work again?

"You say Mew has been gone too long, and Slowking is too young to have met it, right?"

"Have you considered that Slowking might have inherited something Mew left before disappearing? With Mew's abilities, it wouldn't be hard to preserve something for so long, don't you think?"

Though Regice didn't express itself clearly, it wasn't foolish. It could undoubtedly think logically.

(End of Chapter)