Chapter 690: Settling Scores

Cain took the communicator he had obtained from Sox before Weavile froze him. The last entry in the contact list bore the name Xenon.

Cain's eyes glinted coldly as he dialed the number without any expression.

"Hey, Sox! How dare you hang up on me?!" Xenon's energetic voice rang out through the communicator. Although they weren't face to face, Cain could imagine the confident expression on Xenon's rugged face.

In his past life, working under Xander's command, Cain had known Xenon well. At that time, Xenon had already become a Senior Officer in Team Rocket.

At this moment, however, he was only a candidate for the Senior Officer rank. Although he held the title of Senior Officer Candidate, his actual position was Officer—the same rank as Cain.

"...," Cain did not respond immediately upon hearing his voice.

From the other side of the line, Xenon also sensed something was off.

Silence fell between them.

"Cain?" Xenon finally asked after a few seconds.

"Yes," Cain replied indifferently.

Sometimes, when the time comes to confront someone, words are unnecessary. Many things have already been expressed through silence.

"Well then!" Xenon exclaimed before hanging up the communicator.

A faint smile appeared on Cain's cold face.

Xenon's previous failures hadn't caused Cain much trouble, but this time, with Sox's defeat, Xenon truly began to feel the threat Cain posed.

Sox was known among Team Rocket's officers as a fairly powerful advanced-level Trainer. His reputation, bolstered by his Hypno, had led Xenon to pay a high price to hire him to deal with Cain.

Now that Team Rocket was in a period of seclusion, few were willing to take risks, and Cain's elimination of Sox meant he was now a genuine threat to Xenon.

"I hope you come for me personally next time. If not, when I find you, your chances to counterattack will be slim," Cain murmured, staring at the communicator before crushing it with his psychic power.

He pulled out a small laptop from his pocket, held it in his hand but didn't open it, merely keeping it there.

After recalling his Pokémon, Cain used Slowking's Teleport to return to his backyard.

"A tiger doesn't act like a cat when it's gravely ill!"

If not for Cain training his younger partners, he wouldn't have brought his weaker Pokémon. But now that they were all reunited, he wouldn't miss the opportunity to settle scores.

Settling scores is not something to put off until tomorrow!

...

After returning to his backyard, Cain planned to rest for a day before embarking on a long journey.

The Hoenn region had a famous desert that Cain had yet to explore thoroughly. Once he became fully acquainted with it, he might consider traveling to other regions in search of new training grounds.

However, just as Cain had prepared all his gear, he received a call from Steven, who informed him he'd be arriving in Leafy Town the next morning and asked if Cain would be home since he had something urgent to discuss.

With little choice, Cain decided to pack away his gear and wait another day to meet Steven.

The next morning, shortly after sunrise, Steven—who usually arrived late—appeared surprisingly punctual in front of Cain, not even taking the time to retrieve his Skarmory.

"Well, you're on time today," Cain remarked with a smile.

Steven waved his hand and, after catching his breath, said, "I had no choice. Before, I was always busy with company matters and couldn't help but arrive a bit late. But since I took your advice, I had a good talk with my old man, and now I'm completely free."

Steven's relaxed expression reflected a confidence Cain hadn't noticed before. Freed from his business responsibilities, Steven exuded unwavering self-assurance.

With his exceptional talent as a Trainer, dedication, and now the necessary time, Steven had all the ingredients to develop immense confidence.

Best of all, even though he no longer directly managed the company, the Stone family continued to support him fully.

The power of money at its peak. Stronger than 99.9% of people in the world.

"Looks like you can now focus entirely on your training," Cain said, genuinely happy for Steven.

Freed from his business responsibilities, Steven could reach Champion-level strength faster than Cain had anticipated.

"Yes, but my old man said he'd only give me five years. During this time, his health will hold, but after that, no matter what level I reach, I'll have to take on my responsibilities," Steven replied with a sigh.

Five years.

Five years were more than enough for someone with Steven's talent.

Cain nodded, knowing that by then, Steven would likely have reached the peak of his potential. Even if he took over the company presidency, no one would dare underestimate him, and any dissenting voices within the Stone family would be silenced by his power.

"Did you come all the way here just to tell me that?" Cain asked.

Steven, snapping out of his thoughts, remembered the real reason for his visit.

"Of course not. I came here for two reasons. One is quite urgent, so you'd better prepare your team and come with me. I'll explain the rest on the way," Steven said, quickening his speech.

Hearing this, Cain understood that something truly important must be happening for someone like Steven to be so impatient.

Realizing the urgency, Cain quickly exited the gym.

Steven was surprised. "Aren't you going to pack your things? This trip might take a while."

Without stopping, Cain pointed to his barely visible small backpack. "Before you arrived, I was already ready to leave. I only waited for you because you mentioned something urgent."

Satisfied with the response, Steven stopped insisting. He exited the gym and leapt onto his Skarmory.

In Leafy Town, Cain had permission to fly freely.

Cain shook his head, pulled out a Poké Ball, and called out his Flygon, then climbed onto its back.

Seeing Flygon, Steven's eyes lit up. "A new Pokémon? Flygon?"

"Yes," Cain replied calmly, stroking Flygon before taking off. Steven followed closely.

"Now, tell me what this is all about."

(End of Chapter)