After resting the entire afternoon, Cain brought along the mutating Carbink that always accompanied him to the colony where the Carbink lived.
During this time, although this Carbink didn't participate in battles, it was always by Cain's side. His initial intention was to closely observe the mutation process, but unfortunately, when the Sinnoh Tournament began, the system entered sleep mode.
Now that the system is active again, Cain can resume monitoring this Carbink. The blue crystal on its head now contains more pinkish hues than before. What was once barely visible now shows subtle reddish patterns.
This Carbink is still undergoing mutation, but the progress is very slow. Now that the system is fully operational, Cain assigned it a long-term task: to analyze the reasons behind this Carbink's mutation.
Even if the exact cause cannot be identified, it must at least seek effective ways to accelerate the mutation process.
Cain has no intention of waiting five or six years for the process to complete naturally—that would be far too slow.
Carbink has adapted well to its primary function. As it walked through the tunnels, it emitted a faint glow that lit the way.
Although it hadn't participated much in building this place, it seemed to know it perfectly, thanks to the way its species carries out its work.
Cain arrived at the Carbink territory and met with their leader, the Minister Carbink.
The Carbink colony hadn't changed much since the last time. Its leader remained the same, but the walls of the place were now adorned with many more gems and precious minerals.
These pieces came from materials the Carbink shed from their bodies and then used to decorate their surroundings.
Thanks to the Pokéblocks that Cain provided them, the Carbink no longer depended on extracting nutrients from the soil and rocks. They now lived more comfortably and had less work, which resulted in them producing more gems and minerals than before.
Without hesitation, Cain took all the accumulated gems and minerals from the storage room.
Between him and the Carbink, there was a relationship of mutual cooperation. To them, these gems were little more than waste with no real use, and Cain simply ensured they didn't go to waste.
The Carbink colony maintained a constant size—it neither increased nor decreased. This demonstrated that, without the presence of a Diancie, a Carbink colony couldn't expand and become a larger kingdom.
Cain sold the collected gems and minerals to a store in Leafy Town owned by Steven's family. The shopkeeper knew Cain well and gave him a fair price for everything, without trying to take advantage.
With the money earned, Cain also added recent income from the Leafy Town gym and assigned most of the funds to Skye. His task was to purchase as many Fairy-type Pokémon as possible, regardless of cost.
Cain was placing a big bet.
He knew that with rising demand from Team Heaven, the prices of these Pokémon were already climbing. However, compared to the surge in value he expected after the official announcement of the Fairy type, that initial increase would be insignificant.
Once everything was organized, Cain devoted his time to disciplined training with his Pokémon.
Cain personally led the training of Pokémon like Aron and Larvitar, while the stronger Pokémon were guided by Honchkrow and Slowking. These two figures held great authority among Cain's Pokémon.
Slowking was the strongest on the team, while Honchkrow had the status of being Cain's first Pokémon, earning respect both for his experience and his seniority. Under their leadership, the training of the other Pokémon progressed without much need for Cain's direct involvement.
Among the Pokémon that had recently joined the training were Altaria and Mismagius, both eager to further improve their skills.
In addition, as the Pokémon progressed in strength, Cain adjusted the Pokéblock recipes to meet their specific needs. The new team members also required custom-designed Pokéblocks.
Cain began to notice the advantages of being a leader of an organization. He could now delegate logistical tasks to his team, allowing him to focus entirely on training and growth.
Aron and Larvitar were sturdy Pokémon, and their daily diet of minerals and metals was essential. Their training focused on precise energy control in addition to physical exercises.
Aron had to extract metal from rocks using Steel-type energy, while Larvitar worked on combining Rock and Ground-type energies to shape sculptures.
Combusken, for his part, underwent intense training. Since his evolution, he was no longer as fragile as he was as a Torchic. His daily routine included running five hundred laps around the backyard, along with exercises to improve control over his Fire-type energy.
For example, he had to generate flames at specific temperatures and use them to melt the sculptures created by Aron and Larvitar.
If he couldn't melt them, Combusken had to rely on physical strength to break them, thus proving his capability as the only Fire/Fighting-type Pokémon on the team.
Bagon, after consuming Pokéblocks that restored his potential for a time, had fully recovered his abilities. This Pokémon, with pure dragon blood, had a training regimen that was more physical than energetic. Cain prioritized strengthening his body to fully harness his lineage.
Finally, Horsea, the most recent addition to the team, trained by swimming five hundred laps daily around the backyard lake. At first, it resisted the regimen, but seeing the others' effort, it quickly adapted.
The training of the stronger Pokémon followed a more structured plan, focusing on refining specific moves, as well as energy control and physical endurance. Cain was convinced that consistent effort always paid off.
(End of Chapter)