Chapter 687: Wait for Me!

A strange psychic power disrupted Slowking just as it was about to use the move Teleport.

It was clearly a premeditated interruption.

Fortunately, Slowking sensed the anomaly in time and halted the use of Teleport; otherwise, had it been interrupted mid-teleportation, the consequences could have been severe.

Teleport is not impossible to disrupt. If the opponent's psychic power is strong enough, they can interfere with the teleportation process or even forcibly eject the user.

Cain had experienced this before at Team Rocket's research base at the Lake of Rage, where a psychic from the Alliance and their Pokémon had interrupted Slowpoke's Teleport.

But now, Slowking had reached the quasi-elite level, making it much harder to disrupt its Teleport. The reason it stopped this time was purely to prevent any potential mishap.

Slowking informed Cain that, with sufficient preparation, it could still teleport despite the interference, as the opponent's psychic power was not as strong as its own.

When Cain raised his voice, there was no response from the forest.

Cain frowned. "Come out already! Since when does Team Rocket lack the guts to own up to their actions?"

"Oh? Does Team Rocket always have to take credit for what they do? That's quite the misconception, Cain," a mocking voice suddenly rang out from the trees. Moments later, a man floated slowly from above, accompanied by a Hypno at his side.

Cain fixed his gaze on the man, who was floating with the support of Hypno's psychic power. Meanwhile, Slowking focused intently on the Hypno.

Cain scrutinized the man closely. He wasn't wearing any visible Team Rocket emblem, which clearly indicated that he was aware of Team Rocket's poor reception in the Hoenn region and had hidden his identity.

At the moment, Cain only had his Slowking at the front line. Floette was resting in the pocket of his chest, while Gengar lingered in the shadows, ready to defend him, leaving Cain at a slight disadvantage.

"Who are you? Who sent you?" Cain asked calmly.

"Heh. My identity doesn't matter. But surely, you know who wants your head, don't you?" the man replied with a sneer.

As they exchanged words, Cain obtained information about the Hypno.

Pokémon: Hypno (Light Blue)

Gender: Male

Level: 48

Type: Psychic

Ability: Insomnia

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Barrier, Role Play, Psycho Cut, Psychic Terrain

Basic Moves: Future Sight, Nasty Plot, Nightmare, Switcheroo, Pound, Hypnosis, Disable, Confusion, Headbutt, Poison Gas, Meditate, Psybeam, Psych Up, Synchronoise, Zen Headbutt, Swagger

Learned Moves: Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Skill Swap, Fire Punch, Telekinesis

TM Moves: Protect, Psyshock, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Trick Room

This Hypno was on the verge of reaching the quasi-elite level and was extremely proficient in psychic moves. Its extensive move pool indicated that its trainer had invested heavily in developing Hypno's psychic talent.

The fact that it had interrupted Slowking's Teleport demonstrated Hypno's considerable psychic prowess.

What caught Cain's attention the most were the moves Role Play and Skill Swap that Hypno possessed.

Individually, these moves might not seem impactful, but when used together, they created endless strategic possibilities.

It all depended on whether the trainer knew how to utilize them effectively.

"Interesting. It seems Xenon has invested a lot in sending you here. I suppose it's because he values your Hypno highly, right?" Cain remarked.

Hearing this, the man raised an eyebrow slightly before laughing. "Heh. Don't try to fish for information. Does it matter if you guess who wants you dead? Will that change anything? Seeing my Hypno, you should already know your Slowking can't escape using Teleport."

"Besides, it looks like you're training with lower-level Pokémon. Is this your second team? They look promising. What a pity."

Cain, however, smiled faintly. "Really?"

Cain had only mentioned Xenon to probe him and hadn't expected much of a reaction. The man's response suggested Cain had hit a nerve, confirming his suspicions. Perhaps the man was simply overconfident in his abilities.

"Do you know how many people Xenon has sent to kill me? Do you know why none of them have returned? Some of them were advanced-level trainers," Cain said nonchalantly.

"That's because they were incompetent and couldn't prevent your Slowking from using Teleport to escape. They couldn't fight or keep you from fleeing," the man replied confidently.

This time, Xenon had spent a considerable amount of resources hiring him, hoping to eliminate Cain, a rising threat.

The man had only accepted the mission because Team Rocket was undergoing a restructuring phase. Otherwise, no matter how much Xenon offered, he wouldn't dare to touch Giovanni's protégé.

Giovanni was far too busy at the moment.

"No, no, no," Cain shook his head and continued. "It was due to a lack of information. Xenon always thought he knew the extent of my strength, but every time he sent someone, they fell short. And you will too!"

"Really? Then we'll only know through battle. Words aren't power," the man retorted, annoyed by Cain's dismissive tone. He drew two Pokéballs from his belt, ready to fight with everything he had.

"I already told you, if I want to leave, you can't stop me!" Cain smiled disdainfully, keeping his hand on Slowking's back.

Slowking's psychic power surged again, this time at full capacity.

Since fusing with the Blood of Mew, Slowking's ability to generate psychic energy had multiplied, and reaching the quasi-elite level had only amplified its power further.

Although the opponent's Hypno had considerable talent and impressive psychic strength, the gap between a quasi-elite and an advanced-level Pokémon was vast.

Out of options, the man ordered, "Hypno, use Synchronoise!"

Synchronoise could deal damage to any Pokémon sharing the same type as Hypno. As a Water/Psychic type, Slowking would be affected by this move.

However, to the man's surprise, Hypno's interference only slightly disrupted the psychic energy surrounding Slowking without significantly affecting its core.

"Quasi-elite!" the man finally realized and muttered the words in astonishment.

Xenon had informed him that Cain's overall strength was at a high advanced level and that Slowking's Teleport needed to be accounted for.

The man had already adjusted for Cain being slightly stronger than Xenon's assessment but hadn't expected Slowking to have reached quasi-elite status. In this case, Cain could leave with ease, and he had no way to stop him.

The man's expression darkened. If he couldn't eliminate Cain, his position within Team Rocket would be precarious.

He pulled out his communicator, ignoring Cain, who was on the verge of leaving, and dialed Xenon's number.

What he failed to notice was the icy murderous intent filling Cain's gaze.

Cain's lips moved slightly, forming two words:

"Wait for me!"

(End of Chapter)