Previously, Slowking had once awakened the special trait of Shiny Pokémon, which allowed him to learn the move Miracle Eye, something he normally couldn't achieve.
This time, although the special glow didn't grant him any new move, his physical qualities and the explosive power of his psychic ability increased significantly—or rather, tremendously.
Part of the change might have been due to the level jump, but that alone wouldn't explain such a drastic improvement.
According to the system's final analysis, the cause was clear: the unique trait of Shiny Pokémon.
So far, Cain still didn't fully understand what made them so special.
He could only continue investigating slowly.
For now, Slowking was the only reference model he had.
Aside from the major improvements in Pupitar and Slowking, the rest of the Pokémon also gained between one and two levels.
Although that might not seem like much, considering only four days had passed, the growth was actually huge.
Gengar reached level 64, and considering his ability to Mega Evolve, at this moment he was Cain's strongest Pokémon.
However, that could only be used as a trump card. Now wasn't the time to reveal Mega Evolution, or the balance of the Pokémon world would be drastically altered.
Something Cain absolutely did not want.
This still-peaceful world was ideal for Cain's development.
Otherwise, the League, Team Rocket, or even other powerful organizations would turn against him, which went against his philosophy of quiet growth.
Honchkrow and Weavile also leveled up thanks to the energy, reaching level 62.
Drapion reached level 63.
Florges reached level 64, just like Gengar, reaching the minimum for entry into the Intermediate Elite level.
All she needed was time for accumulation, like Slowking, to firmly establish herself in the Intermediate Elite level.
The time required for that accumulation would depend on the trainer's ability to gather resources.
Cain still had a good reserve, thanks to the money he earned at the Team Rocket auction. He was confident he'd have no trouble helping Florges and Gengar break through that limit.
If all the Pokémon in his first battle line had grown this much, then the second line didn't even need to be mentioned.
Swampert and Blaziken reached level 55, Politoed and Aggron reached level 54. Along with Pupitar, who reached level 54 after staying submerged in the energy pond, he now had three Pokémon at that level.
The second line was starting to show its true potential.
Once they reached the Elite level, their power wouldn't be far behind the first line.
Then there were Mismagius and Altaria.
Cain felt a bit sorry for Mismagius, who was still stuck at level 64 without breaking through her limit.
That was probably due to the side effects of having once reached the Elite level without being aware of it.
But with the training Cain gave her, she was gradually recovering, and her sense for battle and fighting style had improved greatly.
He was confident that Mismagius would soon unleash the true power corresponding to her current level, and then both her level and strength would rise together.
Altaria, for her part, had reached level 62.
Since ascending to the Elite level, her growth had slowed, and Cain's other Pokémon were beginning to catch up.
But that was normal. For a Pokémon captured later, like Altaria, this process was inevitable.
Either she fully integrated into Cain's team and her development continued strongly...
Or, if she failed to do so, she would simply fall behind over time.
Lastly, there were Bagon, Horsea, and Kirlia.
Both Bagon and Horsea reached level 28.
A four-level increase in just four days was huge for them.
Now they would have to stabilize a bit.
Continuing to rise so quickly would soon push them to the threshold of evolution.
Following Cain's style, he would undoubtedly want to ensure his Pokémon developed their full potential before evolving.
Even Kirlia, who had recovered from her weakness thanks to the quality-enhancing potion, reached level 24.
Kirlia is a Pokémon with a very short evolution curve.
She was about to evolve into Gardevoir. In fact, she could continue leveling up, but Cain stopped her.
The remaining levels would have to be earned through training and battle, or if she evolved directly into Gardevoir before being ready, she would suffer a huge flaw in her combat capacity.
Lastly, there was Carbink.
Carbink, apart from Pupitar and Slowking, was the one who benefited most from the energy.
Not in terms of level, but evolution.
Before entering this mysterious space, only the gem on his forehead had turned pink.
But after submerging in the energy pond, all the gems on his body began to acquire a pinkish tone over their original blue.
Even his body shape began to change slightly.
His plump figure started to elongate.
And in daily life, his habits had also gradually changed.
Carbink had realized he was undergoing a transformation process.
However, he had long since learned to fully obey Cain's orders.
An obedience born of gradual and constant change.
In these four days, the overall strength of his team had grown enormously. Cain now felt much more confident continuing to explore this space.
Aside from Drake, the executives of Team Magma and Team Aqua, and the leaders of this operation from the Hunter Guild, hardly anyone else could pose a threat to him.
Moreover, with Slowking's increased power, the Teleport move was now much more reliable.
Unless the enemy had a Psychic-type Pokémon at Elite Four level capable of interfering, Slowking's Teleport almost never failed.
The transformation of the Shiny Pokémon had also improved the Teleport move.
Now he could attack and retreat at will.
Cain resumed his journey toward the Tree of Life at the center of the space.
As for the energy pond...
He tried.
He tried to store it in bottles, but it would vanish after a short while, as if the bottles couldn't contain it at all.
And thinking about it, that made sense.
The energy in the pond came from an unknown spatial rift—it was non-elemental spatial energy and couldn't be stored in normal bottles.
A pity, all that energy.
Still, after four days of constant absorption by the Pokémon, the pond was already nearly depleted.
If that hadn't been the case, knowing Cain, he would have stayed there longer.
Such a great place for growth, yet he couldn't take it with him... painful!
So the best thing was to absorb as much as possible, and then take time to digest it.
But at this point, the pond's recovery rate could no longer keep up with the absorption rate of his Pokémon.
Who knows how long it had taken to accumulate that energy?
Concentrated in a single Pokémon, it could take it straight to the Elite level.
That's how those two powerful Venusaur appeared.
They didn't absorb directly from the pond, but fed on the plants that grew thanks to that energy, and thus, slowly increased their strength.
That balance between consumption and recovery allowed Cain to find the pond while it was still full.
(End of chapter)