When that member of Team Heaven reacted, Cain had already disappeared from the meeting room.
He rushed out quickly, leaving behind the captured member of Team Void. In any case, he was tied up and couldn't escape for now. Besides, this was Team Heaven's headquarters.
If they allowed a stranger to escape, how could they maintain their reputation?
The four leaders of Team Heaven—Skye, Alec, Miyamoto, and Karen—received the message and immediately left their tasks to return to the team's base.
Cain was already seated at the head of the meeting room table, waiting patiently.
The four entered hastily and, upon seeing Cain, quickly ran toward him.
Cain gestured with his hand, signaling them to sit down.
That simple gesture eased their worries. They had feared something had caused Cain's displeasure.
"I just found a group from Team Void in the mountains. I've already taken out the rest and captured the leader," Cain said calmly.
The four leaders frowned upon hearing this.
Team Void was no stranger to them.
After all, Leafy Town had been taken from one of their top commanders. Since then, Team Heaven had considered them a formidable enemy.
The fact that Cain had found a Team Void group in the mountains meant something big was about to happen.
"No need to guess. Team Void is planning an attack," Cain stated directly, without sugarcoating it. He didn't have time to waste on long explanations.
Currently, Team Heaven was one of Cain's main sources of resources, so he couldn't afford to ignore them. Moreover, Team Void was also one of his top priorities.
Upon hearing this, the four leaders straightened up, becoming serious.
Team Void wasn't a small group. In the Hoenn region, they were a mid-level organization with a certain reputation, especially in Mauville City, where they were a major power.
Facing an attack from Team Void would be a complicated problem for Team Heaven.
"Sir, what should we do?" Skye asked.
"Double the patrol range and send in specialized combat teams to investigate the mountains. Search for other hidden Team Void squads. If you encounter enemies that can't be defeated, be ready to call for reinforcements," Cain ordered as he assigned the tasks.
"However, don't worry. The enemies with quasi-elite level strength won't be involved yet."
Upon hearing these instructions, the four leaders nodded solemnly.
"Understood!" they responded in unison.
Cain remained seated for a while without saying anything, and the four didn't dare move or speak.
"There's something else," Cain said suddenly.
"Within Team Heaven, there are infiltrators sent by other factions of Team Rocket. Whether it's one or several, you must find them."
These words sent a chill down the spines of the three leaders responsible for recruitment: Skye, Alec, and Miyamoto. Cold sweat ran down their backs.
Recruiting members was their responsibility. If there were infiltrators, it was clearly their failure.
The three immediately stood up. "Sir..."
Cain raised his hand to stop them. "I'm not looking to blame anyone. I know your loyalty. The problem isn't you, but that this person hasn't caused any visible damage so far, which makes them hard to identify."
"However, from now on, stay alert. I'd rather you make a mistake eliminating someone than allow one of these traitors to continue."
"Anyone showing signs of betrayal or identified as an infiltrator must be eliminated immediately. Don't hesitate."
For Cain, traitors could not be tolerated. Harsh measures were necessary to prevent others from following their example.
"Understood!" the three leaders replied, wiping the sweat from their brows.
After giving these instructions, Cain left the room.
Currently, Team Heaven had several thousand members, and it was inevitable that other organizations would attempt to infiltrate.
Cain could tolerate a certain number of spies, since even large organizations like Team Rocket or the Alliance were vulnerable to infiltration.
However, someone inside Team Heaven had leaked information about his whereabouts to Xenon, and that was unacceptable.
He had been so busy training his Pokémon and generating income that he had almost forgotten about this issue.
The encounter with Team Void reminded him it was time to address this problem.
That traitor had to be eliminated.
With this thought in mind, Cain resumed his training plan in the forest.
He summoned Aron and the rest of the team, who joined Larvitar in training. After the last battle, Larvitar and the others had suffered some injuries, but after resting in their Pokéballs, they were nearly fully recovered.
...
When the sun was already high, Cain returned to the backyard just in time for dinner.
However, an unexpected event interrupted his plans.
Fortunately, this interruption was a welcome one.
Finally, after a long wait and thanks to Cain's carefully designed plan, Altaria was about to reach the Elite-level rank.
From her usual spot in the yard, Altaria's energy fluctuated intensely, surging between low levels and impressive spikes that exceeded her previous limits.
Cain immediately approached, bringing Slowking with him.
Although Altaria wasn't technically his Pokémon, he could command her. Having an Elite-level Pokémon on his team would be a great asset—especially a Dragon-type.
Cain activated the system to monitor Altaria's changes in real time while watching with a mix of focus and joy.
Even though Slowking was close to reaching Elite level, Cain still wasn't entirely clear on how that transition was achieved.
The process of breaking the barrier into the Elite level was complex, and not all Pokémon were capable of achieving it.
Only Pokémon with a certain level of talent could aspire to those heights. Just as Pokémon with Light Purple quality could reach Champion level, Pokémon with Light Blue quality were needed to reach Elite level.
Of course, quality ratings aren't the only factor—it's just theoretical.
There are Pokémon with Dark Green quality that can reach Elite level, and Pokémon with Blue quality that can reach Champion level. All of this is possible.
It's just that there are relatively few, so most people tend to ignore them.
Altaria, with a Dark Blue quality rating, shouldn't have any issues evolving. However, she had remained at her current level for a long time, making this moment truly special.
Cain arrived just as Altaria was reaching a critical point.
(End of Chapter)