In Cain's eyes, psychic power surged violently, and the scene he perceived seemed to unfold directly before him.
Amid the sky filled with yellow sand, a black rift abruptly appeared. Around it, black energy ripples as thin as lightning bolts leapt incessantly, and thanks to them the rift rapidly expanded.
Beneath that spatial rift were two people: one was standing, while the other sat on the ground, fiddling with his fingers, as if nothing happening around him had anything to do with him.
Salamence and Aerodactyl beat their wings with all their strength, carrying Cain and Steven through the sand-filled sky.
Cain's expression no longer showed the earlier astonishment, but the gravity on his face had not diminished in the slightest.
Steven's Aerodactyl flew alongside Cain's Salamence. Steven wanted to ask something, but did not dare open his mouth, knowing that at such speed, the moment he did, sand would immediately fill it.
Cain looked at Steven and understood his discomfort, then established a telepathic connection with him.
"The two-minute window is almost up. There are two people, their strength is unknown. They're creating a spatial rift, probably to transport something here. When the time comes, one each: deal with them quickly and then destroy the device," Cain told Steven.
Steven nodded. Although he knew what Cain said could be quite serious, the possibility of facing a powerful trainer filled him with a slight excitement and anticipation.
Swoosh!
With no intention of hiding their presence, Salamence and Aerodactyl arrived at their destination.
The people there seemed not at all surprised by anyone's arrival. Even the middle-aged man sitting on the ground, wearing a bored expression, showed an interested smile on his face.
As for the person who had been standing, she released control of the instrument, slowly turned around, and revealed a face completely devoid of expression, as if she were wearing a mask.
If not for the fact that the face looked so delicate it could shatter with a breath, and that beneath the fair skin there was a faint blush, it truly could have been mistaken for a mask.
It was a woman dressed entirely in a white formal gown.
"So it was you! The new Elite Four of the Johto region, the Steel-type Elite Four... Irene!" Cain jumped down from Salamence's back without hesitation and threw two Poké Balls. Aggron and Tyranitar—those two iconic, heavy-tonnage Pokémon—appeared in front of him.
Steven didn't hesitate either. He likewise threw two Poké Balls: Shiny Metagross and Aggron! They were also his representative Pokémon.
Hearing Cain say her name, Irene showed not the slightest change in expression. In contrast, the middle-aged man who was slowly standing up showed increasingly intense emotion on his face; his black eyes swept over Cain's and Steven's Pokémon, as if evaluating which suited his aesthetic taste better.
"The Sandstorm Elite Four, Cain. The eldest heir of the Devon Corporation, Steven Stone. As expected, it was you two. I had already imagined you might discover this place," Irene said indifferently, her tone as relaxed as if she were having afternoon tea with them.
"Hehehehe... so the ones who came have such great reputations? Looks like during the time I was away, quite a few young talents have emerged in the League," the middle-aged man at the side laughed strangely, as if he had seen his prey.
He even licked his dry lips, revealing an obvious desire.
Hearing his words, Cain deduced his identity: someone who had entered this place long ago and chosen to stay of his own will—a member of the Sacred Church!
"Seen anyone you like? These two are pretty handsome!" the man said with a mocking expression as he looked at Irene.
But Irene seemed to ignore him completely and replied coldly, "You choose."
Hearing this, the man clicked his tongue, but didn't say much more. He knew that Irene was the true person in charge of the Sacred Church, the bishop's favorite, the legendary White Messenger.
"If that's the case! Then it'll be you. Pretty face! Remember this well—this gentleman is called Jacob. If you've ever heard of me..." Jacob said with extreme arrogance as he looked at Cain. He had his eyes on Cain's Tyranitar and Aggron.
"I've never heard of you," Cain replied calmly. Although his voice wasn't loud, everyone could hear it clearly.
That utterly dismissive response caused the smile on Jacob's face to freeze for an instant.
But since he had already made his decision, Irene didn't waste time. She looked at Steven and threw two Poké Balls.
Metagross!
Aggron!
The same Pokémon, arranged in the same way; the only difference was that Irene's Metagross was not Shiny.
"Oh my, oh my... two people using Steel-type Pokémon, how boring. Don't you think so? Sandstorm Elite Four... Cain," Jacob's tone was always sarcastic.
Perhaps because he had been here too long—about twenty-five years—his mentality had become somewhat twisted and unhealthy.
But as he spoke, his hands did not stop, and he summoned two Pokémon.
After two flashes of red light, a Cacturne and a Torterra appeared.
The moment those two Pokémon appeared, Cain felt that even the yellow sand filling the desert seemed to calm down, as if it didn't dare approach them.
Cain narrowed his eyes: Grass-type Pokémon.
That was extremely unfavorable for a trainer whose core was Tyranitar!
Moreover, Cacturne was essentially a cactus, a Pokémon that lived in the desert; that place was practically its home field, so it did not fear the sand at all.
Pokémon: Cacturne (Light Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 84
Types: Grass + Dark
Ability: Sand Veil
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Acid, Magical Leaf, Seed Bomb, Belch
Basic Moves: Spiky Shield, Destiny Bond, Revenge, Poison Sting, Leer, Absorb, Growth, Leech Seed, Sand Attack, Needle Arm, Feint Attack, Ingrain, Payback, Spikes, Sucker Punch, Pin Missile, Energy Ball, Cotton Spore, Sandstorm
Learned Moves: Synthesis, Stomping Tantrum, Thunder Punch, Giga Drain, Foul Play, Superpower, Drain Punch, Snore, Worry Seed
TM Moves: Toxic, Protect, Solar Beam, Double Team, Grass Knot, Substitute
A Cacturne with the Sand Veil ability was practically a Pokémon tailor-made for this place. Just its presence alone already put Cain in a very passive position.
Sand Veil Ability: when there is a sandstorm, evasion increases, the body becomes more agile, and the continuous damage from the sandstorm does not affect Pokémon with this ability at all.
(End of chapter)