Cain, in the middle of a conversation with Drake, had devised an ambitious plan to generate massive profits. If this plan were executed correctly, Team Heaven would gain resources like never before. And of course, Cain himself would also benefit with a great deal of additional assets.
"From this moment on, I want all available resources from Team Heaven to be sold. Gather all the hunter points and entrust these tasks only to trusted individuals. Send them to all major cities; whether it's Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh, I want us to have a presence in every major black market," Cain declared firmly.
He paused briefly and continued, "Use those points, resources, and anything that can be converted into money to massively acquire certain Pokémon: Cleffa, Clefairy, Clefable, Igglybuff, Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff, Mr. Mime, Azurill, Marill, Azumarill, Snubbull, Granbull, and Mime Jr."
The four main members of the team, seated in front of Cain, showed expressions of disbelief upon hearing this list of Pokémon. Although they knew Cain usually had clear reasons for his decisions, they couldn't help but be surprised.
Many of these Pokémon, although popular among children and nobles, were considered expensive and, in some cases, not very effective in battle. Buying such Pokémon in large quantities seemed like a risky move.
However, none of them voiced their doubts aloud. As subordinates, they had learned that the key to success was to listen more and speak less.
"I don't know what you all think, but I want you to do this immediately," added Cain in a tone that allowed no objections.
"I want these Pokémon acquired entirely. I don't care about quality, price, or circumstances. You can pay up to triple their value. And if you still can't acquire them... then take more aggressive measures."
"If necessary, you are authorized to steal them. I don't care how you do it; what I want is for you to deliver as many of these Pokémon as possible in the shortest time."
This was the first time since the formation of Team Heaven that Cain had issued such a direct and high-priority order. The scale of this operation was a real test of his team's operational capacity.
Cain knew that if they managed to capture even ten percent of the available supply of these Pokémon on the market, the profits would be incalculable. Everything would depend on how well they executed this mission.
The motive behind this plan was clear to Cain. The recent revelation of the Fairy type, which he himself had accelerated, was still a secret known only to the upper echelons of the Pokémon League.
Neither families nor underground organizations were aware of it. This was the perfect moment to act, before the information became public.
Once the League officially announced the existence of the Fairy type and provided details about its characteristics, the value of the Pokémon Cain was collecting would skyrocket.
Those Pokémon—some of which had until now been seen as simply cute companions—would prove to be key assets in strategic battles.
They would be especially effective against Dragon-type Pokémon, which had until then been considered the most powerful.
The Fairy type's ability to be immune to Dragon-type moves and also deal effective damage against them would completely change battle strategies.
Noble families and trainers dedicated to raising Dragon-type Pokémon would face a crisis. Meanwhile, Cain would already have secured a dominant position by monopolizing a large quantity of Fairy-type Pokémon before the official announcement.
With this foresight, the profits would not only allow Team Heaven to expand but also ensure Cain had enough resources to train his second group of Pokémon, while further strengthening the force of his first line.
Without wasting time, Cain ordered the four main members of the team to begin executing the plan. Even though they didn't fully understand the reasoning behind the instructions, they had complete trust in Cain.
So far, every one of his decisions had yielded impressive results.
As a sign of commitment, the four used all their personal resources and hunter points to begin the acquisitions. Within days, Team Heaven had completely emptied the Fairy-type Pokémon stock in Verdanturf Town's black market, one of the smallest in Hoenn.
Soon, rumors began to circulate in the Pokémon trading world. In several cities across Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, mysterious figures dressed in black appeared, compulsively buying Pokémon considered unpopular.
These buyers, apparently unconcerned with costs, paid exorbitant amounts for these Pokémon. Even when sellers doubled or tripled their prices, the buyers kept acquiring them without hesitation.
This phenomenon quickly became the main topic among merchants. Shop owners even began to speculate about the motivations behind this demand.
"If you see someone dressed entirely in black, congratulations, a big sale is coming your way," was the rumor being spread. Of course, none of them suspected that this was all part of Cain's carefully calculated plan.
Meanwhile, Cain remained at his base, sitting alone in a meeting room, deep in thought. He had already reached the rank of a quasi-elite level trainer, with his main team fully at the quasi-elite level.
His Slowking, in particular, was a formidable force, capable of facing almost any Pokémon of a similar level. Additionally, with the help of the five Unown, Slowking's mastery over space-related moves was practically unbeatable.
The sound of his fingers tapping against the table echoed in the dark room as Cain analyzed his next steps.
Now that his first line of Pokémon had reached solid development, his focus was on training the second group, ensuring his team had a robust foundation and enough resources for the future.
Team Heaven's success in this mission would be a key step toward that goal.
(End of chapter)