Drapion had become a full-fledged miner, while Slowking acted as a transport truck.
With the perfect collaboration between the trainer and his two Pokémon, the gemstones in the area were dwindling at an alarming rate.
Although they still didn't know the exact quality of the minerals, the fact that a fist-sized piece weighed dozens of kilograms suggested they were likely of high quality.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have caused a dispute between the Krookodile and the Bastiodon.
However, the more Cain dug, the more surprised he became. These stones seemed inexhaustible. Drapion was practically submerged in the sand, yet there were no signs of the mine running out.
"Could it be that this isn't a small deposit of stones, but rather a large mine?" Cain thought, alarmed.
But Cain didn't have much time to ponder, as even with Honchkrow's help, the Krookodile and Bastiodon had finally lost the trail of the Team Rocket member and were returning.
Honchkrow was the first to bring back that information.
Despite efforts to keep the Krookodile tracking the Team Rocket member, the opponent was very cunning. After realizing someone was trying to hinder their escape, they finally managed to lose Honchkrow while traversing a rocky area.
The Krookodile, whose speed was lower in that area, decided to abandon the chase.
Seeing Drapion still digging frantically, Cain said, "That's enough, Drapion. Let's leave before the Krookodile notice us. Maybe we'll have another chance to return here later."
"Honchkrow, erase our tracks. Slowking, teleport us."
Cain made a quick decision. He had already collected enough stones for today and hoped the quality would be decent.
Honchkrow flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind that erased all traces they had left behind.
Then, with Slowking's Teleport move, Cain and his team vanished from the spot without a trace, leaving behind only the deep crater where the mineral deposit had been.
When the Krookodile and Bastiodon arrived, they exchanged frustrated glances. They knew they had been completely fooled.
But what could they do? The stones had been stolen, though luckily there were so many that Cain hadn't been able to take them all.
This time, the two groups didn't resume their fight. The leaders of the Krookodile and Bastiodon negotiated with each other to find a way to share the resources equitably.
Cain reappeared on the hill, watching with satisfaction as the Krookodile and Bastiodon sat down to negotiate peacefully.
"I really did a good deed," he thought with a smile.
"I suppose they should be grateful."
These minerals will be my reward for helping them make peace.
With a satisfied smile, Cain turned and left.
However, after his departure, a small spiky head emerged from the sand. It carefully watched the direction Cain and his team had disappeared, engraving their image deeply in its memory.
Then, the Excadrill belonging to the Team Rocket member turned and burrowed back into the sand, heading in the opposite direction.
Only after the Excadrill completely disappeared did Cain halt his advance.
His eyes glowed with psychic energy, synchronized with Slowking, who also emitted a faint psychic vibration.
Evidently, the trainer and his Pokémon were in telepathic communication.
In fact, Slowking had detected the Team Rocket member's Excadrill in the sand right after using the Teleport move. However, Cain decided not to act hastily.
Once the Excadrill had moved far enough away, Cain began to track it.
"Slowking, can you sense where it's headed?" Cain asked telepathically.
"Yadon," replied Slowking, nodding with a serious expression.
Cain was riding on Drapion's back, which moved swiftly across the terrain, while Slowking floated in the air using its psychic powers.
Although its speed in the air was slower, it used telekinesis to latch onto Drapion, allowing it to keep up effortlessly.
This, however, quickly drained its psychic energy.
Fortunately, Cain had Pokéblocks to help Slowking recover its strength. Moreover, Slowking's psychic capacity was immense—so vast that Cain had never seen it fully depleted.
Cain gazed coldly at the rocky area ahead.
He knew his opponent wouldn't give up, especially after Cain had ruined their plans. But luckily, Cain wasn't willing to let things stand either.
If anyone tried to mess with him, he would make sure to eliminate them.
So far, Cain had managed to deal with everyone who had tried to challenge him, except those whose power surpassed his own.
"Excadrill and Onix... Of the Team Rocket members who entered, only one uses those Pokémon."
"Kanto Region, Team Rocket Officer, Shuichi. Specialist in training Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon."
When Cain saw the Excadrill and Onix, he quickly recalled the information he had received from Regi about this person.
He had memorized every detail in his system, and now the system had generated a detailed profile of this Shuichi.
"Since you left your Excadrill to track me, I'll save you the effort. I'll come find you," Cain said coldly.
The rapid movement through the rocky zone kicked up small clouds of dust.
If the Excadrill emerged to take a look, it would undoubtedly detect that Cain was following it.
But it was overconfident, sure that it hadn't been detected and that its speed in the sand was sufficient.
Thus, it had no idea Cain was tailing it.
Reaching the area where Honchkrow had lost the trail, the Excadrill changed direction, avoiding the rocky zone and taking another path.
Excadrill, with its keen sense of smell, was undoubtedly following the marks left by its trainer, Shuichi, along the way.
As it skirted the rocky zone, the Excadrill began to slow down.
"We're close," Cain thought, signaling Drapion to also slow down to avoid alerting their prey.
Slowking understood the situation and immediately enveloped Drapion's legs with psychic energy, allowing it to move silently and leave no tracks.
This, however, increased Slowking's energy expenditure, though it wasn't a major problem.
Everything was going according to plan.
(End of Chapter)