People willing to stay twenty-five, even fifty years, in a nearly uninhabited place, without any shortage of resources... it was not strange that they reached that level.
It was just that all that effort ended up becoming someone else's wedding dress; Cain's dress... the dowry... ahem...
They had worked hard, that was true. The mistake was living too comfortably, without competitive pressure or external threats.
It was like in a certain video game: you work as hard as possible farming monsters in the jungle, hoping to dominate the match. Did you work hard? Of course you did. But when you come out, you discover that your teammates have already given the opponent such a huge advantage that it has become an insurmountable mountain. All your effort becomes useless.
That is why, in this "meta," it is no longer enough to farm; without ganking, in the end everything is in vain.
The experience from farming will never be as high as that from ganking.
Ahem... it is just a metaphor. Ragnar and his group were like players locked in the jungle, while Cain, accumulating experience and resources in lane, had already completely surpassed them.
Just like that: of the six, five died at Cain's hands.
Reality also proved that growing up shut in does not guarantee better results than those who survive countless trials.
Even so, it had to be said: after spending so much time there, the resources in the space teams of Ragnar and the others were truly abundant, so much so that Cain's mouth watered.
The value of what they were carrying probably surpassed that of all the members of the church on the continent combined.
Cain did not know exactly how Lyra died, but all the valuable items she carried ended up in his hands.
He clapped softly. Although the development was not exactly as he had planned, having the six Pokémon in his possession was far better than cooperating with them.
"Alright, things here can come to an end. Although some unforeseen events arose, it must be admitted that they were not entirely bad, right? Now, it is time to go see the real protagonist."
Cain's eyes narrowed. What followed had to proceed according to plan... or so he hoped.
In fact, Cain had not only summoned Ragnar and the other four that day. There was someone even more important: the key not only to breaking the mountain barrier, but also to allowing Brad and Catherine to return to the Pokémon world.
Cain waved his arm again, and the three disappeared from the place.
However, after they left, from behind the rock Cain had pointed at earlier—the one behind Ragnar and the others—a human figure slowly emerged.
Sometimes, luck and coincidence arrive in the most unexpected way.
That person looked at the place where Cain and the others had disappeared, then looked at the pile of rocks that buried Ragnar and his companions. After a brief pause, he also disappeared.
Even someone as calm as him had a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead as he left. He had almost... almost been tricked by Cain and come out of hiding. Fortunately, he reacted a little slower.
In truth, when Cain said that Marcus was there, he was not lying entirely. That day, he had indeed arranged a meeting with Marcus, though not in the same place.
Why summon the former person in charge of the church on the continent?
Because there were matters impossible to resolve without him. Without his presence, everything would become extremely complicated.
Both the detailed method to open the barrier and the way for non–church members to leave the place were things that, according to Cain, could only be obtained from Marcus.
And how did he contact him? It was not difficult. Although Marcus had lost much of his strength, the former members of the church who still remained—including Cain—could communicate with him. Before, that meant obeying his orders; now, they could ignore them completely.
Moreover, Marcus was very curious about the role Number Three had played during the chaos of the church at the summit of the mountain, so Cain successfully arranged the meeting.
Not far from the mountain, Cain met that former leader of the church, once imposing and now visibly weakened. The loss of two of his main Pokémon had hit him hard, especially Houndoom, his trump card, which after Mega Evolution could even break through the second barrier of the champion level.
But even a thin camel is still bigger than a horse. No matter how serious his loss was, Marcus's strength still surpassed that of most of the church members.
And now, if Marcus wanted to quickly recover his former power, advancing step by step was no longer an option. So what was the fastest path?
Probably, obtaining what was inside the barrier and completing the mission, with the help of the church's true hidden leader, rapidly raising a Pokémon to the level Houndoom once had.
After all, with the strange methods of the church, it was not impossible.
That was why, when Cain told him he had a way to break the barrier, even the depressed Marcus accepted the meeting without hesitation.
Seeing that Cain did not come alone, Marcus instinctively frowned. At that moment he was completely alone and, moreover, very weakened; now any of his former subordinates could ignore his orders.
"Number Three... no, rather, Bartram. Or perhaps you have another identity. That does not matter. What is the method you claim to have to break the barrier?" he went straight to the point.
After learning that Brad and Catherine were not members of the church, Marcus began to imagine multiple possibilities about Cain's identity.
The most likely, just as Ragnar and the others thought, was that Cain had deliberately infiltrated the church as a member of another force, a force of considerable power.
That, in addition to the church and the League, there was another faction on the continent surprised him greatly.
Even so, he was still the same arrogant Marcus as always. Although his strength was no longer what it had been, he believed that dealing with Cain would not pose too much of a problem.
The other two clearly revolved around Cain. If they were stronger than him, they would not take him as their محور.
Therefore, Marcus could not ignore his strength, but he did not regard it as an absolute threat either.
Hearing this, Cain smiled and opened his palm. Six shrunken Poké Balls rested quietly in it.
"Since Lord Marcus goes straight to the point, this subordinate will not beat around the bush either. My method is, in fact, the same as yours. The only difference is that you failed to gather the Pokémon... and I succeeded."
Seeing the six Poké Balls in Cain's hand and hearing his words, Marcus narrowed his eyes. His pupils contracted imperceptibly, and an impossible-to-hide flame appeared in his gaze.
(End of chapter)