Cain patted each of his Pokémon on the head and offered them several Pokéblocks as a reward.
Sensing their enthusiasm, Cain smiled and said, "Don't get too excited, there are still plenty of battles ahead. Be ready!"
"Larr~~," Larvitar cried out with excitement, clenching his tiny fists as he jumped for joy.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and began searching through his small red backpack.
Aron, seeing what Larvitar was doing, happily ran over to him.
Just as Cain expected, Larvitar pulled out two small diamonds, each about the size of a thumb, from his backpack. He kept one for himself and bit into it immediately, while the other he offered directly to Aron.
Under Cain's guidance, Larvitar had learned how to share.
When Combusken, Bagon, and Horsea observed this interaction, they looked surprised.
Larvitar, noticing this, dug once more into his backpack and pulled out three more diamonds, placing them in front of them with a gesture indicating they shouldn't worry and should go ahead and take them.
Cain couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed at the scene.
Larvitar had a very peculiar habit—or rather, a curious obsession: he loved to hoard food. He always kept leftover diamonds in his backpack, making sure he had something to eat when he got hungry.
Judging by Aron's reaction, who eagerly approached, it was clearly not the first time they had done something like this.
Combusken took one of the diamonds but then returned it to Larvitar, smiling awkwardly and saying it wasn't necessary.
Seriously?
Were those diamonds really food for Pokémon?
Probably only those two little "monsters" could eat something like that without issue.
However, after consuming those diamonds, Larvitar's and Aron's bodies had visibly grown stronger—almost taking on a diamond-like texture.
Combusken watched with a hint of envy, thinking, "Eating something that strengthens the body makes sense..."
Bagon, who had never tried anything like that before, decided to give it a try out of curiosity. He had seen Larvitar and Aron enjoy diamonds before, but those were food given by Cain. Now, with Larvitar offering it directly, Bagon couldn't resist and decided to try biting the diamond.
Crack!
Don't get it wrong—that wasn't the sound of a diamond breaking, but of Bagon's teeth taking the hit.
With slightly teary eyes, Bagon looked at the diamond in his hand, still completely intact, and was on the verge of crying.
Fortunately, his strong-willed nature allowed him to hold back the tears.
Still, his teeth really hurt.
Watching Larvitar and Aron enjoy themselves so much, Bagon thought maybe he just wasn't strong enough yet.
"When I'm stronger, I'll definitely be able to eat diamonds," the little dragon told himself.
For now... he simply handed the diamond back to Larvitar.
Combusken, who was nearby, covered his mouth to keep from bursting into laughter.
Meanwhile, Horsea, being the oldest and most experienced of the group, immediately recognized that it wasn't something she could eat. She thanked Larvitar but politely declined the offer, suggesting he enjoy it himself.
And so, after Larvitar and Aron each consumed two diamonds, their little snack time ended happily.
Cain watched the whole scene with a smile, not saying much. He knew that this kind of interaction among his Pokémon helped strengthen their bonds and improve their teamwork.
At the very least, Larvitar now knew how to share and cooperate with the others, which was great progress.
After a short break to recover energy, Cain set off again with his team.
There were still four Team Void members left to eliminate.
Cain also planned to interrogate the leader of this group to find out exactly what Team Void was planning.
With the help of Slowking's Teleport move, the enemies had no chance of escape. Furthermore, Cain knew the mountainous area better than they did and had wilderness survival skills far superior to those of the Team Void members.
With just a small clue to their whereabouts, Cain could track and neutralize them.
In the wild, tracking and counter-tracking skills are essential for survival. However, it was clear that Cain's tracking skills far surpassed those of his opponents.
In no time, Cain located and eliminated the three members who had gone out to explore the area.
Only the leader remained, waiting for news at the base camp.
Unfortunately for him, no reports would arrive. Instead, the only thing that showed up was Cain, who destroyed the camp with the help of Larvitar and Aron before confronting him directly.
Although the leader was more experienced than the others, his strength wasn't much greater. He was probably just a mid-tier member within Team Void's hierarchy.
Even though he put up some resistance and inflicted minor injuries on Cain's team, the final outcome was inevitable.
After healing his Pokémon, Cain proceeded to interrogate the last remaining member of Team Void.
At first, the man tried to resist, but when Cain called Slowking to threaten him with a strong mental hold, his resistance crumbled.
Now terrified, the man confessed everything.
The group of five was an advance team sent by Team Void to explore the mountainous area and gather information about Team Heaven.
Although Team Void despised Team Heaven, some of its leaders were cautious and preferred to act carefully.
It turned out that this group had been assembled from members sent by different Team Void leaders, which explained their internal conflicts.
Team Void's plan was to retreat from Mauville City toward Leafy Town, which had been secretly taken over by one of their leaders, Kainan.
This man had proposed using the town as an operations base, hoping to solidify his position within the organization and increase his influence.
As Team Void weakened in Mauville City, their enemies began probing their weaknesses, noticing that their only elite-level trainer had disappeared long ago.
The final Team Void member's confession allowed Cain to better understand the situation.
With a smile, Cain opened a portal to an alternate space and ordered Larvitar to throw all the enemy camp's supplies inside. This act left the leader completely stunned.
Without wasting time, Cain grabbed him by the neck, placed his hand on Slowking, and teleported to Team Heaven's mountain hideout. There, he threw the prisoner in front of the team members and ordered, "Gather all the team leaders. I need them in the conference room."
Cain calmly made his way to the room, leaving the others in shock.
(End of chapter)