Slash!
The three survivors turned around with difficulty. In their gazes directed at Cain, there was deep disbelief. The only one who had not been instantly eliminated by Darkrai turned out, unexpectedly, to be the one who looked the most fragile: the only woman in the group and a Psychic-type Pokémon user, Lyra.
The sound produced when Darkrai swung its claws was because they struck the protection Lyra was wearing. As a Psychic-type Pokémon trainer and, moreover, a powerful psychic herself, her preparation against Dark-type Pokémon and their attacks was the most solid in the group.
Thanks to a special item, Darkrai's attack was blocked and she did not die immediately. However, it was still an attack from Darkrai; even with the body of a Pokémon, enduring it was not easy, and even less so for a human being. So, although she did not die on the spot, she was left seriously injured.
Cain shrugged helplessly at the four who had not yet breathed their last and said, in a tone full of apology, "Sorry, sorry... I didn't want to do this either. It's just that... it's just that your backs were too beautiful. I couldn't hold myself back... really, this is the last time, I swear."
The last time... when they were already dead?
"Puf!"
Hearing Cain's words, Ragnar, who still could not believe what had happened, spat out a mouthful of blood. He had never imagined that everything would end like this. They had guarded against everything; they were even prepared for Number Three's arrival to attract other members of the church and form a siege against them.
The Pokémon they had were the key. As long as Marcus and the others did not abandon the mission, their troubles would not end.
And precisely because of that, they instinctively fell for Cain's joke. "When you care too much, you get confused," or perhaps... a single mistake among thousands of precautions?
In fact, in Cain's original plan, this visit was meant to negotiate cooperation. He had two, they had four, but one key element was missing. If both sides joined forces to look for Marcus, there was a high probability of reaching an agreement.
Break the mountain barrier!
Although Marcus's strength had declined, he would never abandon what was inside the barrier. Then, the three parties could cooperate to open it.
And once it was opened, how to divide what was inside would depend on each one's strength and methods.
That had been Cain's plan, but now, inwardly, he felt relieved that he had not cooperated with them. At first glance, those four looked imposing and formidable, both in presence and in strength; however... their brains left much to be desired.
There is a vulgar but very appropriate saying here: do not fear an enemy with divine intelligence, but fear an ally with a pig's brain.
If he really had cooperated with them and they had fallen into one of Marcus's traps, who knew how everything would have ended.
So rather than waiting for others to do things well, it was better to have all the conditions in his own hands.
After breaking the barrier, it was guaranteed that there would be a great battle. Solving the problem beforehand was undoubtedly a good thing.
Brad and Catherine also took a moment to react to the scene. Before coming, Cain had already explained the plan to them, so although upon seeing Ragnar and the others their intent to kill almost overflowed, they managed to restrain themselves for the sake of the plan.
But what was this now?
The plan was to cooperate, and suddenly three were dead in one blow! The last one was almost finished, and from Cain's words, the mocking tone was clearly noticeable.
Brad and Catherine admitted that the moment when the four turned around had been a perfect opportunity, but both knew that they themselves would not have been able to take advantage of it.
To begin with, it required a Pokémon capable of evading the psychic perception of the four and, moreover, fast enough to launch a devastating attack in a fraction of a second.
From the fact that Lyra had personal protection, it could be deduced that the other three also had similar defenses, although they were not enough to stop Darkrai's attack.
But... hadn't they agreed that those enemies would be executed by them personally?
Brad and Catherine looked at Cain at the same time.
Noticing their gazes, Cain said irritably, "What are you looking at? Can't you see there's still one left to deal with?"
After his reminder, both of them reacted immediately.
There was still one left!
This was their last chance for revenge. They could not let it slip away! They could not allow her to die so easily, so cheaply! Otherwise, wouldn't all the suffering they had endured for so many years have been in vain?
With both the old and new grudges piled together, Brad and Catherine unleashed their most powerful attack from the very first instant.
One Poké Ball after another flew through the air. In the blink of an eye, twelve Pokémon surrounded the seriously injured Lyra.
Still dazed by the shock, Lyra looked at the scene without knowing what to do, pressing her wound. A special energy seemed to cling to her; no matter how she used her psychic abilities, she could not stop the bleeding.
When she finally reacted, she saw Brad and Catherine surrounding her with dozens of Pokémon.
She swallowed with difficulty.
"Are we... not... misunderstanding something?"
Cain shook his head helplessly, ignoring what Brad and Catherine were doing, as well as certain sounds around them that could easily give rise to scenes unsuitable for minors.
He used Teleport and appeared beside the bodies of Ragnar and the other two, whose eyes remained open, dead without being able to rest in peace.
Immediately, he took all the Poké Balls they were carrying, carefully separated those that belonged to Flareon, Vaporeon, and Umbreon, and stored the rest without mercy.
Just by instinctively scanning the data of those Pokémon, Cain was left dumbfounded.
It had to be admitted: although those guys looked smart but were actually rather clumsy, the number of Pokémon and resources they possessed was astonishing. At the very least, if they had really released all their Pokémon and fought in perfect coordination, Cain felt that the three of them would not have had it easy.
Of course, that would only have been possible if they had cooperated perfectly and made no mistakes.
Even so, it was clear that the strength of their Pokémon was truly remarkable.
(End of chapter)